Kansas StreamLink
...a watershed exploration
StreamLink Collaborator
Mulvane High School
Ninnescah River

Date: April 23, 2002
Time: 8:00 AM
GPS Coordinates: 37° 23.288', W 97° 20.037'
Elevation: 883 ft

Visual Assessment

Weather in the past 24 hours:
Storm
Weather Today: Overcast

Major Land Uses in the watershed:
Rural homes with septic systems; Croplands

Trash at the Creek:
NA
Animals at the Creek: Raccoons, Deer
Animals in the Creek: Fish, Water Striders

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

Stream Bank Conditions:
Left Bank:
Gentle Slope
Right Bank:
Steeply Sloping

Habitat Types: Pools, Riffles, Runs
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
Human Impact: NA

Is the creek in the sunshine or shade?:
Sunshine

What type of algae are present?:

Algae Present: No Algae; Algae in spots; Algae everywhere
Type of Algae: Brown coat of algae on rocks; Algae matted on rocks; Hairy Algae

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

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 (5), Silt (4), Sand (5), Gravel (0), Cobbles (0), Boulders (0), Bedrock (0), Cement platform (0)



Chemical Assessment

Temperature: 20 C
Dissolved Oxygen:
8 ppm
Percent Oxygen Saturation: 88%
Nitrate:
<5 ppm
Phosphate:
1.6 ppm
pH:
9
Turbidity: 100 JTU
Total Coliforms:
Positive
Biological Oxygen Demand: 6 ppm
Stream Flow: 4.7 m/s


Macroinvertebrate Assessment

Sensitive Species: Stonefly Nymphs
Somewhat Sensitive Species: Dragonfly Nymphs
Tolerant Species: Pouch Snails

How many times did your group sample with the kick net?: 5

Water Quality Determination (as calculated from number of species present): 6
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.