Kansas StreamLink
...a watershed exploration
StreamLink Collaborator
St. Marys Grade School
Bourbonais

Date: March 8, 2002
Time: 12:30
GPS Coordinates: 39° 10.442', W 96° 1.487'

Visual Assessment

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

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

Trash at the Creek:
Old tires, Broken glass, cans
Animals at the Creek: Frogs, Cows, Raccoons, Deer, Beavers, Snakes
Animals in the Creek: Fish, Water Striders

Stream Bank Cover (1 is the least, 8 is the greatest):
Left Bank:
Concrete (4), Big rocks/rip rap (3), Bare soil or sand (7), Grasses (5), Woody shrubs/small trees (7), Big trees (8), Lawn (0)
Right Bank: Concrete (5), Big rocks/rip rap (2), Bare soil or sand (6), Grasses (6), Woody shrubs/small trees (4), Big trees (8), 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: Crop residue

Is the creek in the sunshine or shade?:
Shade

What type of algae are present?:

Algae Present: Algae everywhere
Type of Algae: Algae matted on rocks; Hairy Algae

Conditions in your stream: No unusual color, Foam

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 (4), Silt (3), Sand (5), Gravel (5), Cobbles (4), Boulders (2), Bedrock (0), Cement platform (1)



Chemical Assessment

Temperature: 8° C
Dissolved Oxygen:
4 ppm
Percent Oxygen Saturation: 34%
Nitrate:
5 ppm
Phosphate:
1 ppm
pH:
7.5
Turbidity: 20 JTU
Total Coliforms:
N/A
Biological Oxygen Demand: 4 ppm
Stream Flow: 0.3 m/s


Macroinvertebrate Assessment

Sensitive Species: Mayfly Nymphs (10)
Somewhat Sensitive Species: Scud (15)
Tolerant Species: Midge Larvae (3)

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

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.