CCGF+Chandler's+Pond+09

=**A Comparison of Water Quality at Chandler's Pond**=




 * Submitted By:**

Chantal Bourel, George Genereux, Felicia Kazer, Cynthia Villanueva
UEI Summer 2009 at Boston College

Chandler Pond is a man-made pond, fed by Dana Brook and local runoff. Chandler Pond is 0.8 miles from the entrance of the north side of the Boston College Campus. It is located on Lake Shore Drive at //latitude//: 42º 20’44.55” N & //longitude://71º 9’58.40” W.
 * Study Site:**

In exploring our field site, we noticed that there were signs posted about the pond being chemically treated to control the growth of nuisance aquatic vegetation and algae. During the field site exploration, we discovered the two in-current and the one ex-current locations. We were curious if the water quality would be consistent or differ at the three site locations.
 * Background:**





//Site 1:// Ex-current location was a grate and a concrete pipe located at the Northeast corner. //Site 2:// In-current location was a concrete pipe located at the Southwest corner. //Site 3//: In-current location was a concrete pipe encapsulating Dana Brook located at the Northwest corner.

How is the water quality different at the two in-current sites and the one ex-current site at Chandler Pond?
 * Research Question:**

We predict that there will be differences between the in-current sites and the ex-current site.
 * Hypothesis:**


 * Materials:**
 * (LaMotte) pH Wide Range in Water Test Kit
 * (LaMotte) Dissolved Oxygen in Water Test Kit
 * (LaMotte) Nitrate-Nitrogen in Water Test Kit
 * (LaMotte) Phosphate in Water Test Kit
 * Medium size bucket
 * Rope to attach to bucket
 * Waste container
 * Thermometer attached to a string
 * Clipboard
 * Water Quality Data Sheets (9)
 * Writing untensils
 * Computers
 * Wiki Spaces website
 * Google Earth
 * Excel
 * Gloves (for Dissolved Oxygen in Water Test)
 * Goggles


 * Methods: Data Collection**
 * 1) We divided our group of four up so that each person could conduct a different water quality test each of the three days.
 * 2) Upon arrival at each test site, we hung the thermometer from a branch in the shade. After two minutes, we took the air temperature.
 * 3) We began the testing by throwing the bucket in at each site to collect a sample of water.
 * At the same location each day
 * Collecting a sample of the water at the surface approximately five feet from the shore
 * 1) We then placed the thermometer in the water and recorded the water temperature after two minutes.
 * 2) Using the water sample from the bucket, each group member conducted one of the water quality tests.
 * 3) Proceed to next testing site.


 * Results:**










 * < **pH** ||
 * < 0-4.0 Aquatic life is severely distressed ||
 * < 4-4.5 Few fish and invertebrates can survive ||
 * < 4.5-6.5 Acid-tolerant invertebrates and fish can survive ||
 * < 6.5-8.5 Suitable for most aquatic animals ||
 * < 5.0-9.0 Suitable for human consumption ||





healthy aquatic biota || Neither low nor high dissolved oxygen levels are directly harmful to humans. ||
 * < **Dissolved oxygen (ppm or mg/mL)** ||
 * < 0-3 Few organisms can survive ||
 * < 3-4 Only a few fish and invertebrates can survive ||
 * < 4-7 Most non-trout, warm-water fish species can survive ||
 * < 5 EPA’s suggested lower limit for maintenance of
 * < >7 Necessary for trout, salmon, and many invertebrates.








 * **Nitrate (ppm or mg/L)** ||
 * 0.1 Typical of undisturbed forest streams ||
 * 0.1-1.0 May increase aquatic plant growth ||
 * >1.0 May cause algal blooms ||
 * <10 Suitable for human consumption ||



treatment plant effluent ||
 * **Phosphate (ppm or mg/L)** ||
 * 0.005-0.05 Typical of undisturbed forest streams ||
 * <0.5 Suitable for human consumption ||
 * 0.05-0.1 May increase aquatic plant growth ||
 * >0.1 Likely to cause algal blooms ||
 * 1.0 Approximate ideal upper limit for wastewater

====Our hypothesis was proven correct in two aspects, which were the pH and the dissolved oxygen. The tests for Nitrate and Phosphate generally stayed the same in all test sites. ====
 * Conclusions:**

==== We concluded after analyzing the data and comparing it to the tables from the Cornell Water Shed Dynamics book that Chandler Pond is in good health and was not negatively affected by the chemical treatment for invasive water plant species and algae, which was completed twice, once prior to and once during the second day of our investigation. ====


 * Questions for Future Research:**
 * How do the marcroinvertebrates at the three locations compare to the water quality?
 * Fecal Coliform in water test
 * Turbidity in water test
 * Alkalinity in water test
 * Salinity in water test

= = =Site 1: Ex-Current Pictures = = = =media type="custom" key="4103717"=

= Site 2: In-Current Pictures  = = = =media type="custom" key="4103825"= = = = = = =