Downstream Testing

During our first full day at creek camp we did the beginning of  our research project. Our project focuses on the affect of the dam on the stream. To test the affects of the dam we will be testing the stream above and below the dam. Today we ran tests on the down stream portion of the dam. First, we collected water samples in the same spot at the same time to keep variables controlled. Next, we ran a series of tests using many different tools to determine stream health. Some of the things we tested included dissolved oxygen and alkalinity. We ran all the tests at least twice to ensure we had accurate data. Later, we did kick netting which allowed us to sample the macroinvertebrates in the stream. We identified the macroinvertebrates and estimated the number of each species. We then looked at the species we found and how tolerant they are to pollutants. Also, we looked at the number of species in order to understand the  diversity of the stream. All of the tests ran gave us data to better understand the impact of the dam on the stream.