Kansas StreamLink
...a watershed exploration
StreamLink Collaborator
Burrton Middle School
Little Arkansas

Date: April 25, 2002
Time: 2:15 PM
GPS Coordinates: 38° 06.909', W 97° 36.648'
Elevation: 1426 ft

Visual Assessment

Weather in the past 24 hours:
Overcast
Weather Today: Overcast; Clear/Sunny

Major Land Uses in the watershed:
Rural homes with septic systems; Cropland; Active grazing land &/or feedlots

Trash at the Creek:
Old tires, Barbed wire, tractors, Broken glass, cans
Animals at the Creek: Frogs, Raccoons, Deer, Beavers, Snakes
Animals in the Creek: None

Stream Bank Cover (1 is the least, 8 is the greatest):
Left Bank:
Concrete (5), Big rocks/rip rap (0), Bare soil or sand (5), Grasses (5), Woody shrubs/small trees (5), Big trees (5), Lawn (0)
Right Bank: Concrete (5), Big rocks/rip rap (0), Bare soil or sand (5), Grasses (5), Woody shrubs/small trees (5), Big trees (0), Lawn (0)

Stream Bank Conditions:
Left Bank:
Undercut
Right Bank:
Undercut

Habitat Types: Riffles
Shape of the Channel: Wide Banks (> 6 feet), Shallow Water (< 3 feet), Deep Banks (> 3 feet)

What's in the water?:
Naturally Occurring:
Large branches or logs; Sticks or twigs; and Fallen leaves
Human Impact: None

Is the creek in the sunshine or shade?:
Shade

What type of algae are present?:

Algae Present: No Algae
Type of Algae: None

Conditions in your stream: Muddy water; Yellow-brown to dark brown water; Foam

Embeddedness (How much silt is around the rocks, 1 is the least, 4 is the greatest): 4
Content of the Stream Bed (1 is the least, 5 is the greatest): Mud (2), Silt (0), Sand (5), Gravel (0), Cobbles (0), Boulders (0), Bedrock (0), Cement platform (0)



Chemical Assessment

Temperature: 18 C
Dissolved Oxygen:
8 ppm
Percent Oxygen Saturation: 84%
Nitrate:
5 ppm
Phosphate:
2 ppm
pH:
8
Turbidity: 100 JTU
Total Coliforms:
Positivie
Biological Oxygen Demand: 4 ppm
Stream Flow: N/A


Macroinvertebrate Assessment

Sensitive Species: Hellgrammite, Stonefly Nymphs
Somewhat Sensitive Species: Dragonfly Nymphs, Scud
Tolerant Species: N/A

How many times did your group sample with the kick net?: N/A

Water Quality Determination (as calculated from number of species present): 10
Scale: Excellent (>22), Good (17-22), Fair (11-16), Poor (<11)

StreamLink Collaborators are in no way conducting professional water quality sampling. The information gathered is for educational purposes only. Students across Kansas share their creek experiences via the internet. If you have concerns about your water, please contact your local drinking water supplier or the KS Dept. of Health & Environment.