Kansas StreamLink
...a watershed exploration
StreamLink Participant
Americus Elementary School
Allen Creek

Date: April 25, 2002
Time: 1:00-3:00 PM

Visual Assessment

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

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:
No trash
Animals at the Creek: Frogs, Spiders
Animals in the Creek: Fish, Water Striders

Stream Bank Cover (1 is the least, 8 is the greatest):
Left Bank:
Concrete (0), Big rocks/rip rap (0), Bare soil or sand (5), Grasses (2), Woody shrubs/small trees (1.5), Big trees (2), Lawn (0)
Right Bank: Concrete (0), Big rocks/rip rap (0), Bare soil or sand (2), Grasses (4), Woody shrubs/small trees (1), Big trees (1), 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
Human Impact: None

Is the creek in the sunshine or shade?:
Shade

What type of algae are present?:

Algae Present: No Algae
Type of Algae: None

Conditions in your stream: Muddy water

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


Chemical Assessment

Temperature: 18 C
Dissolved Oxygen:
4 ppm
Percent Oxygen Saturation: 42%
Nitrate:
0 ppm
Phosphate:
1 ppm
pH:
8
Turbidity: 40 JTU
Total Coliforms:
positive
Biological Oxygen Demand: N/A
Stream Flow: 0.096 m/s (wind was blowing in opposite direction of water flow)


Macroinvertebrate Assessment

Sensitive Species: Mayfly Nymphs, Gilled Snails, Stonefly Nymphs
Somewhat Sensitive Species: Clams, Crayfish, Dragonfly Nymphs

Tolerant Species: Aquatic Worms, Pouch Snails, etc...

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

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.