Kansas StreamLink
...a watershed exploration
StreamLink Collaborator
El Dorado Middle School
Walnut River - 11030017

Date: December 5, 2001
Time: 8:15 AM

Visual Assessment

Weather in the past 24 hours:
Showers, Overcast
Weather Today: Showers, OVercast

Major Land Uses in the watershed:
Parking lots, paved driveways, roads; Golf courses, manicured lawns, or city parks; Rural homes with septic systems; Industrial discharge; Cropland; Active grazing land &/or feedlots; Construction; Other: Lots of Rocks

Trash at the Creek:
Broken glass, cans; Other: Plastic bags, Grafitti, Styrofoam
Animals at the Creek: Crane; Ducks
Animals in the Creek: Minnows, Mollusks

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

Stream Bank Conditions:
Left Bank:
Undercut
Right Bank: Gentle Slope

Habitat Types: Pools, 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; Fallen leaves
Human Impact: N/A

Is the creek in the sunshine or shade?:
Both

What type of algae are present?:

Algae Present: Algae everywhere
Type of Algae: Brown coat of algae on rocks; Algae matted on rocks; Hairy Algae

Conditions in your stream: Yellow-brown to dark brown water

Embeddedness (How much silt is around the rocks, 1 is the least, 4 is the greatest): 3
Content of the Stream Bed (1 is the least, 5 is the greatest): Mud (0), Silt (0), Sand (0), Gravel (0), Cobbles (+), Boulders (+), Bedrock (0), Cement platform (+)



Chemical Assessment

Temperature: 14 C
Dissolved Oxygen:
4 ppm
Percent Oxygen Saturation: 39%
Nitrate:
0 ppm
Phosphate:
1.5 ppm
pH:
8.5
Turbidity: 0 JTU
Total Coliforms:
Positive
Biological Oxygen Demand: 0 ppm
Stream Flow: 3.6 ft/s


Macroinvertebrate Assessment

Sensitive Species: Mayfly Nymphs (4)
Somewhat Sensitive Species: Beetle Larvae (4), Clams (2), Crayfish (2)
Tolerant Species: Midge Larvae (4)

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

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.