Kansas StreamLink
...a watershed exploration
StreamLink Collaborator
Earhart Environmental Magnet School
Little Arkansas River

Date: December 5, 2001
Time: 10:45 AM

Visual Assessment

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

Major Land Uses in the watershed:
Parking lots, Rural homes with septic systems; Industrial discharge?; Active grazing land &/or feedlots?; Construction; Native prairie plants - grasses and forbs; Flood control

Trash at the Creek:
Broken glass, cans, Plastic containers, Plastic bags, Paper
Animals at the Creek: Deer, Hawk
Animals in the Creek: Fish, Soft-shelled Turtle

Stream Bank Cover (1 is the least, 8 is the greatest):
Left Bank:
Concrete (0), Big rocks/rip rap (0), Bare soil or sand (4), Grasses (7), Woody shrubs/small trees (6), Big trees (0), Lawn (0)
Right Bank: Concrete (0), Big rocks/rip rap (0), Bare soil or sand (3), Grasses (8), Woody shrubs/small trees (2), Big trees (0), Lawn (0)

Stream Bank Conditions:
Left Bank:
Steeply Sloping
Right Bank:
N/A

Habitat Types: Runs
Shape of the Channel: Narrow 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
Human Impact: None

Is the creek in the sunshine or shade?:
Sun

What type of algae are present?:

Algae Present: Algae in spots (very little)
Type of Algae: N/A

Conditions in your stream: Yellow-brown to dark brown water; Dusty film on surface

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 (0), Silt (0), Sand (5), Gravel (0), Cobbles (0), Boulders (0), Bedrock (0), Cement platform (0)



Chemical Assessment

Temperature: 17 C
Dissolved Oxygen:
8 ppm
Percent Oxygen Saturation: 81%
Nitrate:
<5 ppm
Phosphate:
2 ppm
pH:
8
Turbidity: 40 JTU
Total Coliforms:
Positive
Biological Oxygen Demand: 8 ppm
Stream Flow: 0.6 m/s


Macroinvertebrate Assessment

Sensitive Species: Riffle Beetle Adult
Somewhat Sensitive Species: Clams, Damselfly Nymphs, Dragonfly Nymphs
Tolerant Species: Aquatic Worms, Pouch Snails

How many times did your group sample with the kick net?: 3

Water Quality Determination (as calculated from number of species present): 11
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.