Kansas StreamLink
...a watershed exploration
StreamLink Collaborator
Mill Creek Valley Junior High
Mill Creek

Date: December 3, 2001
Time: 12:30 PM

Visual Assessment

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

Major Land Uses in the watershed:
Parking lots, paved driveways, roads; Cropland; Construction

Trash at the Creek:
Fishing line and lures, Broken glass, cans, Plumbing supplies, Pieces of old bridge
Animals at the Creek: Frogs, Raccoons, Deer, Spiders
Animals in the Creek: Fish

Stream Bank Cover (1 is the least, 8 is the greatest):
Left Bank:
Concrete (5), Big rocks/rip rap (4), Bare soil or sand (2), Grasses (6), Woody shrubs/small trees (8), Big trees (7), Lawn (3), Other (1)
Right Bank: Concrete (7), Big rocks/rip rap (5), Bare soil or sand (3), Grasses (4), Woody shrubs/small trees (6), Big trees (2), Lawn (8), Other (1)

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

Habitat Types: Pools, Riffles, Runs
Shape of the Channel: N/A

What's in the water?:
Naturally Occurring:
Large branches or logs; Sticks or twigs; Fallen leaves
Human Impact:


Is the creek in the sunshine or shade?:
Shade

What type of algae are present?:

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

Conditions in your stream: No unusual color

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



Chemical Assessment

Temperature: 8 °C
Dissolved Oxygen:
8 ppm
Percent Oxygen Saturation: 68%
Nitrate:
<5 ppm
Phosphate:
2 ppm
pH:
8
Turbidity: N/A
Total Coliforms:
Positive
Biological Oxygen Demand: 4 ppm
Stream Flow: N/A


Macroinvertebrate Assessment

Sensitive Species: Caddisfly Larvae (2), Mayfly Nymphs (20)
Somewhat Sensitive Species: Crane Fly Larvae (2), Damselfly Nymphs (1), Dragonfly Nymphs (1)
Tolerant Species: Leeches (50), Pouch Snails (2)

How many times did your group sample with the kick net?: 1

Water Quality Determination (as calculated from number of species present): 14
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.