Kansas StreamLink
...a watershed exploration
StreamLink Participant
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School
Mill Creek

Date: 10/4/02
Time: 14:00
HUC8: 10270104

Visual Assessment

Weather in the past 24 hours:
rain
Weather Today: showers

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

Trash at the Creek:
Old tires, Fishing line and lures, Broken glass, cans
Animals at the Creek: Frogs, Raccoons, Deer, horses
Animals in the Creek: Fish, Water Striders, Water Snakes

Stream Bank Cover (1 is the least, 8 is the greatest):
Left Bank:
Concrete (0), Big rocks/rip rap (4), Bare soil or sand (3), Grasses (1), Woody shrubs/small trees (2), Big trees (5), Lawn (0)
Right Bank: Concrete (0), Big rocks/rip rap (5), Bare soil or sand (1), Grasses (2), Woody shrubs/small trees (3), Big trees (4), Lawn (0)

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

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:
Large branches or logs; Sticks or twigs; Fallen leaves
Human Impact: present

Is the creek in the sunshine or shade?: equally sunny/shady
What type of algae are present?:

Algae Present: No Algae
Type of Algae: n/a

Conditions in your stream: No unusual color

Embeddedness (How much silt is around the rocks, 1 is the least, 4 is the greatest): 1
Content of the Stream Bed (1 is the least, 5 is the greatest): Mud (0), Silt (4), Sand (0), Gravel (3), Cobbles (1), Boulders (2), Bedrock (5), Cement platform (0)


Chemical Assessment

Temperature: 22 C
Dissolved Oxygen:
4 ppm
Percent Oxygen Saturation: 46%
Nitrate:
5 ppm
Phosphate:
2 ppm
pH:
8
Turbidity: 100 JTU
Total Coliforms:
positive
Biological Oxygen Demand: 2 ppm
Stream Flow: 0.23m/s


Macroinvertebrate Assessment

Sensitive Species: coddisfly larvae, heligrammite (Dobson fly), Mayfly Nymphs
Somewhat Sensitive Species: clams, crayfish, Damselfly
Tolerant Species: aquatic worms (not earthworms), leeches

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

(also used dip nets)

Water Quality Determination (as calculated from number of species present): 17
Scale: Excellent (>22), Good (17-22), Fair (11-16), Poor (<11)

StreamLink Participants 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.