Kansas StreamLink
...a watershed exploration
StreamLink Participant
Jefferson West High School
Rock Creek

Date: May 9, 2001
Time: 10:30 AM

Visual Assessment

Major Land Uses in the watershed: Roads or parking lots; Cropland; Golf courses, maintained city parks, lawns

Trash at the Creek:
No trash
Animals at the Creek: Frogs, wading birds
Animals in the Creek: Fish

Stream Bank Cover (8 is the greatest, 1 is the least):
Left Bank:
Bare soil (1), Shrubs/small trees (1), Grasses (2), Big trees (2), Big rocks (3), Other (7)
Right Bank: Big rocks (1), Big trees (1), Grasses (1), Shrubs/small trees (2), Bare soil (3), Concrete (6)

Stream Bank Conditions:
Left Bank: Steeply sloping
Right Bank: Steeply sloping

Habitat Types: N/A

Shape of the Channel:
Narrow Banks (> 6 feet), Shallow Banks (< 3 feet)

What's in the water?:
Naturally Occurring:
Leaves & twigs
Human Impact: Grass clipping

Is the creek in the sunshine or shade?: Shade

What type of algae are present?:
Dark green algae; Brown coat of algae on Rocks; Algae matted on stream bed; Hairy algae; Algae located in spots

Conditions in your stream: Muddy water; Yellow-brown to dark brown water; No unusual color

Embeddedness (1 is the least, 4 is the greatest): 2
Content of the Stream Bed (5 is the greatest, 1 is the least): Gravel (2)
, Cobbles (2), Silt (3),
Boulders (4), Sand (5)


Chemical Assessment

Temperature: 18 C
Dissolved Oxygen:
8 ppm
Percent Oxygen Saturation: 84%
Nitrate:
<5 ppm
Phosphate:
1.5 ppm
pH:
8.5
Turbidity: 40 JTU
Total Coliforms:
Positive
Biological Oxygen Demand: N/A
Stream Flow: 0.32 m/s


Macroinvertebrate Assessment

Sensitive Species: Caddisfly Larvae, Hellgrammite, Mayfly Nymph, Riffle Beetle Adult, Stonefly Nymph
Somewhat Sensitive Species: Beetle Larvae, Crayfish, Dragonfly Nymphs
Tolerant Species: Leeches, Midge Larvae, Pouch Snails

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

Water Quality Determination (as calculated from number of species present): 24
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.