Kansas StreamLink
...a watershed exploration
StreamLink Participant
Hiawatha High School
Mulberry Creek

Date: September 10, 2002
Time: 12:30-1:30 PM
HUC8: 10240008

Visual Assessment

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

Major Land Uses in the watershed:
Rural homes with septic systems; Cropland; Active grazing land &/or feedlots; Timber

Trash at the Creek:
Furniture, Broken glass, cans
Animals at the Creek: Frogs, Snakes
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 (0), Grasses (8), Woody shrubs/small trees (7), Big trees (0), Lawn (0)
Right Bank: Concrete (0), Big rocks/rip rap (7), Bare soil or sand (4), Grasses (0), Woody shrubs/small trees (7), Big trees (0), Lawn (0)

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

Habitat Types: Pools, Riffles, Runs
Shape of the Channel: Wide Banks (>6 feet), Shallow Banks (<3 feet)

What's in the water?:
Naturally Occurring:
Large branches or logs; Sticks or twigs; Fallen leaves
Human Impact: None

Is the creek in the sunshine or shade?:
Shade

What type of algae are present?:

Algae Present: Yes
Type of Algae: Algae matted on rocks

Conditions in your stream: Muddy water; Greenish colored water; Yellow-brown to dark brown water

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 (3.5), Silt (2), Sand (2), Gravel (3.5), Cobbles (3.5), Boulders (2), Bedrock (1), Cement platform (0)


Chemical Assessment

Temperature: 21 C
Dissolved Oxygen:
4 ppm
Percent Oxygen Saturation: 45%
Nitrate:
<5 ppm
Phosphate:
1.5 ppm
pH:
8
Turbidity: 40 JTU
Total Coliforms:
Positive
Biological Oxygen Demand: N/A
Stream Flow: 0.5 m/s


Macroinvertebrate Assessment

Sensitive Species: Hellgrammite (3), Gilled Snail (3)
Somewhat Sensitive Species: Beetle Larvae (5), Clams (2), Crayfish (3), Scud (1), Alderfly Larvae (2)
Tolerant Species: Aquatic Worms (15), Pouch Smail (1)

How many times did your group sample with the kick net?: N/A

Water Quality Determination (as calculated from number of species present): 18
Scale: Excellent (>22), Good (17-22), Fair (11-16), Poor (<11)


Biological Monitoring

Fish Species: Bullhead (5), Channel Catfish (16), Bluegill (8), Green Sunfish (2), Crappie (4), Flathead Catfish (1), Perch (1)
Minnow Species: Redtail Shiners (13), Common Shiners (124), Stonerollers (2), Creek Chubs (33), Other (3)
Frog Species: Leopard Frogs (3), Cricket Frogs (3), Others (4)
Invertebrate Species: Crayfish (55), Mussels (1), Dragonfly Larvae (8)

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.