Kansas StreamLink
...a watershed exploration
StreamLink Collaborator
Shawnee Mission Northwest HS
Big Mill Creek

Date: April 28th, 2002
Time: 2:25 PM
GPS Coordinates: 39° 01.040' N, 94° 48.921 W'

Visual Assessment

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

Major Land Uses in the watershed:
Parking lots, paved driveways, roads; Rural homes with septic systems; Cropland; Active grazing land &/or feedlots

Trash at the Creek:
Old tires, Barbed wire, tractors, Broken glass, cans
Animals at the Creek: Cows, Raccoons, Deer, Horses
Animals in the Creek: Fish, Water Snakes

Stream Bank Cover (1 is the least, 8 is the greatest):
Left Bank:
Concrete (0), Big rocks/rip rap (0), Bare soil or sand (7), Grasses (4), Woody shrubs/small trees (0), Big trees (3), Lawn (0)
Right Bank: Concrete (0), Big rocks/rip rap (3), Bare soil or sand (4), Grasses (7), Woody shrubs/small trees (3), Big trees (3), Lawn (2)

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

Habitat Types: N/A
Shape of the Channel: Narrow Banks (<6 feet), Shallow Water (<3 feet), Shallow 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?:
Sun

What type of algae are present?:

Algae Present: Algae in spots
Type of Algae: Brown coat of algae on rocks

Conditions in your stream: N/A

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



Chemical Assessment

Temperature: 14 C
Dissolved Oxygen:
4 ppm
Percent Oxygen Saturation: 39%
Nitrate:
0 ppm
Phosphate:
1 ppm
pH:
8
Turbidity: 40 JTU
Total Coliforms:
Positive
Biological Oxygen Demand: 2 ppm
Stream Flow: 0.51 m/s


Macroinvertebrate Assessment

Sensitive Species: Caddisfly Lavae (11), Mayfly Larvae (6), Riffle Beetle Adults (1), Stonefly Nymphs (1)
Somewhat Sensitive Species: Damselfly Mynphs (9), Scud (7)
Tolerant Species: Aquatic Worms (4), Leeches (5), Pouch Snails (2)

How many times did your group sample with the kick net?: 4

Water Quality Determination (as calculated from number of species present): 19
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.