Kansas StreamLink
...a watershed exploration
StreamLink Collaborator
Shawnee Mission East HS
Brush Creek

Date: April 23, 2002
Time: 3:15 PM
GPS Coordinates: N 39° 1.473', W 94° 36.967'
Elevation: NA

Visual Assessment

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

Major Land Uses in the watershed:
Parking lots, paved driveways, roads; Golf courses, manicured lawns, or city parks;
Trash at the Creek:
Barbed wire, tractors, Broken glass, cans, plastic bags.
Animals at the Creek: Ducks.
Animals in the Creek: Ducks.

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

Stream Bank Conditions:
Left Bank:
NA
Right Bank: NA

Habitat Types: NA
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.
Human Impact:NA

Is the creek in the sunshine or shade?:
Mostly Sunshine

What type of algae are present?:

Algae Present: Algae in spots.
Type of Algae: Brown coat of algae 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): 3
Content of the Stream Bed (1 is the least, 5 is the greatest): Mud (3), Silt (1), Sand (4), Gravel (3), Cobbles (3), Boulders (1), Bedrock (2), Cement platform (5)



Chemical Assessment

Temperature: 24 C
Dissolved Oxygen:
2 ppm
Percent Oxygen Saturation: 44%
Nitrate:
2 ppm
Phosphate:
2 ppm
pH:
7.5
Turbidity: 10 JTU
Total Coliforms:
Positive
Biological Oxygen Demand: 5 ppm
Stream Flow: 0.4 m/s


Macroinvertebrate Assessment

Sensitive Species: Caddisfly Larvae, Mayfly Nymphs.
Somewhat Sensitive Species: Beetle Larvae
Tolerant Species: Blackfly Larvae, Leeches, Pouch Snails.

How many times did your group sample with the kick net?: 2

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.