Kansas StreamLink
...a watershed exploration
StreamLink Collaborator
Riley County High School
Mill Creek

Date: April 30, 2002
Time: 2:30 Pm
GPS Coordinates: 39° 18.206', W 96° 43.399'
Elevation: 1109 ft

Visual Assessment

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

Major Land Uses in the watershed:
Cropland

Trash at the Creek:
Furniture, Old tires; Broken glass, cans
Animals at the Creek: Raccoons, Beavers
Animals in the Creek: Fish, Water Boatmen or Back Swimmers

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

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

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

What's in the water?:
Naturally Occurring:
Fallen leaves
Human Impact: N/A

Is the creek in the sunshine or shade?:
N/A

What type of algae are present?:

Algae Present: N/A
Type of Algae: Brown coat of algae on rocks

Conditions in your stream: Multi-colored sheen on water or oily smell

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



Chemical Assessment

Temperature: 18 C
Dissolved Oxygen:
6 ppm
Percent Oxygen Saturation: 63%
Nitrate:
5 ppm
Phosphate:
1 ppm
pH:
7
Turbidity: 40 JTU
Total Coliforms:
N/A
Biological Oxygen Demand: 1 ppm
Stream Flow: 1.4 m/s

Macroinvertebrate Assessment

Sensitive Species: Caddisfly Larvae (5), Hellgrammite (2), Mayfly Nymphs (10), Gilled Snails (1), Stonefly Nymphs (4)
Somewhat Sensitive Species: Beetle Larvae (4), Clams (2), Crayfish (9), Drgonfly Nymphs (2)
Tolerant Species: Aquatic Worms (100+), Leeches (6)

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

Water Quality Determination (as calculated from number of species present): 25
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.