Hoosier Riverwatch River Assessment of Blue River May 12, 2024

Stream Quality Evaluation for Blue River

This filming took place on May 13th 2024 on Blue River just off the Garner Street Trail Head on Wilbur Wright Trail​

This pic was taken in Costa Rica 2023 and includes Miss Koch and Mrs. Bowman

Create a CQHEI score/ evaluation of the study area.

Compute a Chemical Parameters Score of the water.

Determine what macroinvertebrates are living in the study area.

​

​The purpuse of this Study:

Step #1 CQHEI

Watch the video and fill in your CQHEI Scoresheet.

Multiple Choice

What did we determine for the substrate material score?

• Mostly large (fist size or larger)

• Mostly Medium (smaller than fist, larger than fingernail)

• Mostly small (smaller than fingernail but coarse or bedrock)

• Mostly very fine (not coarse, sometimes greasy or mucky)

Multiple Choice

Is there any smothering and silting going on in the river?

• Yes to both

• no to both

• yes to silting but no to silting

• yes to silting but no to smothering

Match

Match the following

• stream shape

• land use

• Bank erosion

• stream shading

• depth and velocity

1 or 2 good bends

mostly row crops

raw collapsing banks

partly covered by tree shade

moderate flow with chest deep pools

• 1 or 2 good bends

• mostly row crops

• raw collapsing banks

• partly covered by tree shade

• moderate flow with chest deep pools

Fill in the Blanks

What one fish cover hiding place type was NOT found at the river?

Multiple Choice

Riffles and runs evaluation would be the following:

• Knee deep or deeper and fast with smaller than your fingernails substrate

• knee deep or deeper and fast with smaller than fist size but larger than fingernail substrate

• Ankle deep or calf deep and fast with smaller than your fingernails substrate

• Ankle deep or calf deep and fast with fist size or larger substrate

​Chemical Parameters tests:

How to fill in your data sheet:

• we will recording our data on the average column for each parameter

• once you have data you will need to find the slides with the Q charts to find out the Q score for each parameter

• record the Q score in the Q score column (shaded column)

• Multiply the Q score by the factor and then record the Score in the far right shaded column.

• When you have all the final scores in the far right column you can total up the final total at the bottom then determine the WQI Ratings

Fill in the Blanks

What was our temperature in Celsius at the river today?

Multiple Choice

Is a dissolved oxygen reading of 8.05 a good reading or a bad reading for water quality?

• It is a good reading and there is plenty of DO in the water for its aquatic life

• It is an ok reading but could stand to be much higher for optimum aquatic life

• It is a terrible reading and is probably because of all the downed logs in the water and silting

• It is a terrible reading and this is because of all the nitrates in the water

Multiple Choice

The temperature did not have any marked change any time we took it or any place we took it. With this said, what would you determine the Q Value to be for this stream with respect to temperature both here and 1 mile downstream if the value is 19.2 C

• If there is no temperature change at test site and 1 mile away then the Q value is 93.

• If there is no temperature change at test site and 1 mile away then the Q value is 90

• If there is no temperature change at test site and 1 mile away then the Q value is 100

Multiple Choice

Based upon our pH readings, assess the water quality Q value in this stream.

• The pH was determined to be right at 8 so the Q value will be 82 and this is a poor score as the optimum score should be higher than 12

• The pH was determined to be right at 8 so the Q value will be 82 and this is a good score as the optimum score should be around 93

• pH of 8 means it is a base and basic water is better than acidic water but still not good for aquatic life

• The Q value for pH of 8 is basically the value determined by the graph

Fill in the Blanks

The dissolved oxygen reading we took at the river was 8.05 mg/ liter, the water temperature was 19.2 Celsius, and our altitude here in New Castle Indiana is roughly 1000 feet above sea level. With this information, determine the percent saturation of dissolved oxygen in Blue River on this particular day.

Open up a different browser tab and paste in this link to do the calculation for percent saturation:

https://www.waterontheweb.org/under/waterquality/dosatcalc.html

Fill in the Blanks

Based upon your calculated percent saturation, what is the Q score for Dissolved oxygen for this particular stream on this day?

Multiple Choice

The Nitrate results were not recorded on the video but the result was 2.5 mg/ L.

What is your assessment of the stream quality based upon this data?

• The stream is doing ok at the moment when it comes to nitrates and is within the safe limits

• The stream is exceeding the recommended levels of nitrates in the water and this could lead to eutrophication if it continues

• The nitrate levels are below Indiana average so they are fine and the EPA recommendation does not matter

• The nitrate levels could be bad but the river looked ok and I think is going to be just fine.

Fill in the Blanks

What would our Q value be if we had a nitrate reading of 2.5 mg/ L?

Fill in the Blanks

The turbidity was measured at the river using a turbidity tube. This measurement was not filmed but the result was a reading of 60 centimeters for our turbidity value. With this information, what would the Q score be for turbidity?

Fill in the Blanks

We did not actually measure our phosphate/ orthophosphate levels in the stream when we were out there but if we pretended our reading indicated phosphate levels at 3 mg/ liter, what would our overall Q score be for this chemical parameter?

Fill in the Blanks

What do Bacteria take from the water in order to metabolize their food to make ATP?

Fill in the Blanks

What happens to the BOD score in the water if there is a lot of waste food and excreta or other contamination? (more bod or less bod)

Multiple Choice

what do you think will happen to the bacteria population if the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water drops below 5 mg/ liter?

• The bacteria will begin to metabolize themselves to find more oxygen

• The bacteria will suffocate and die then all the waste materials in the water will not get broken down but instead just float in the water

• The plants will produce more oxygen and balance out the drop in dissolved oxygen

• The bacteria will find carbon dioxide and break it apart to make new oxygen molecules

Multiple Choice

What would be a good definition of Biological Oxygen Demand?

• The amount of oxygen dissolved in the water with all the waste products and bacteria

• The amount of oxygen needed by living organisms in the water to break down all the food or waste present in the water

• The demand of wastewater bacteria on the amount of ATP they can generate

• The increase of bacteria based upon the amount of ATP present in dissolved water and oxygen.

Fill in the Blanks

We obviously do not have 5 days left to conduct a true BOD 5 test of the River, but if we did and our concentration was 8 mg/ liter, what would our Q score be?

Fill in the Blanks

Another test we did not have time to do because it takes like 10 days to conduct is our E coli test. Since we did not take an actual reading on this value let's pretend our colonie count per 100 ml was 500. What would our Q score be if our count was 500 colonies per 100 ml of water?

Fill in the Blanks

Using all the chemical parameter data Q scores, fill in the gray values on the right side of the chemical monitoring data sheet and place your final WQI score here in the answer box.

Fill in the Blanks

Now that you have the WQI score calculated, determine if the water quality is excellent, good, medium, bad, or very bad

Macroinvertebrate Indicator Species

Macros are used as indicators of water quality because they live in the water for most of their life, stay in suitable areas, are easy to collect, have different tolerances to pollution, limited mobility, long lifespan, and are easy to identify in a lab. They provide valuable information about the health of an ecosystem.

Indicator Species:

To indicate changes in the environment. Indicator species are sensitive to environmental changes, making them valuable tools for monitoring ecosystems. They can help identify pollution, habitat loss, and climate change. Examples include lichens for air quality and amphibians for water pollution. Understanding their limited ranges of tolerance is crucial for conservation efforts.

• Indicator species are like environmental detectives.

• They act as early warning systems for ecosystem health.

• Changes in their population can indicate larger ecological problems.

Macroinvertebrate Indicator Species

• Mayfly

• Indicator species: When studying cases of indicator species, we can sample species with high abundance, which does not put the population at risk

Macroinvertebrate Indicator Species

Macros from the bottom of the river can indicate the health of the river. High biodiversity suggests a healthy river, while low biodiversity indicates pollution.
Factors affecting macros include:

• Substrate type affects habitat availability.

• Acidic pH can harm sensitive species.

• Removal of riparian vegetation reduces shade and food sources.

• Low oxygen levels can suffocate aquatic organisms.

The next slide shows the Macroinvertebrate inventory we will use for this river.
PLACE A CHECK IN THE BOX BESIDE EACH OF THE SPECIES FOUND THEN FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON THE SHEET TO DETERMINE THE BIODIVERSITY INDEX

Macroinvertebrates found in Blue River on May 13, 2024

​blackfly larvae, rat tailed maggot, leech, dragonfly nymph, aquatic worms,
riffle beetle, planaria

check off all we found on your score sheet and then make a determination best you can

Fill in the Blanks

Based upon your macroinvertebrates score sheet and the species listed in the previous slide, assume there were 20 specimen found for each of the species and then calculate the Pollution Tolerance Index for this stream.

Explanation Slide...

1. head: has all the mouthparts and antennae2. thorax3. abdomen

Multiple Choice

Which outlined part of the macroinvertebrate is the head?

• 1

• 2

• 3

Explanation Slide...

The stonefly and damselfly have three pairs of segmented legs. The isopod has more than 5 pairs of segmented legs. That watersnipe fly does not have any segmented legs, but many pairs of prolegs (fleshy unsegmented nubs).

Multiple Select

Select the macroinvertebrates that have three pairs of segmented legs.

Explanation Slide...

The abdomen is the third (last) major division of the body.

Multiple Choice

Which outlined part of the macroinvertebrate is the abdomen?

• 1

• 2

• 3

Multiple Select

A macroinvertebrate is......... (select all that apply)

• too small to be viewed without a microscope

• large enough to be seen without a microscope

• organisms that lack a backbone

• an indicator organism of stream health

Multiple Select

What are the body parts of an insect? (Select all that apply)

• Head

• Thorax

• Abdomen

• Lorax

• Spindle

Multiple Select

Where in a stream can you find macros? (select all that apply)

• Attached to rocks

• Attached to plants

• In fast moving water

• In leaf packs

Multiple Select

Choose the organisms from the list below that are identified as "macroinvertebrates".

Multiple Choice

A large variety of stoneflies, mayflies, and caddisflies tell a scientist that a stream is ____________________________.

• Healthy and clean

• Moderately polluted

• Highly polluted

• Not enough information to determine

Multiple Choice

Which life cycle stage of an insect looks like a smaller version of the adult?

• Larva

• Pupa

• Nymph

• Casing

Multiple Select

Choose the items that are used to collect and identify macroinvertebrates. (select all that apply)

Multiple Choice

Macroinvertebrates found in water with low oxygen levels is an indicator of healthy water. (T or F)

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of studying indicator species?

• To determine their population growth or reduction

• To identify species with high abundance

• To understand their limited ranges of tolerance

• To indicate changes in the environment

Multiple Choice

What are some factors that can affect macros in a river?

• Temperature

• Dissolved oxygen

• removal of riparian vegetation

• substrate type

• all of the above

Macros identification

Macroinvertebrates are arthropods that go through complete or incomplete metamorphosis. When identifying macros, larval/nymph stages must be recognized.

Multiple Choice

How many stages does a complete metamorphosis have?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Multiple Choice

Complete or Incomplete Metamorphosis?

• Complete because it has 3 stages

• Complete because it has 4 stages

• Incomplete because it has 3 stages

• Incomplete because it has 4 stages

Multiple Choice

How many stages are in an incomplete life cycle?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Multiple Choice

Which correctly lists the stages of incomplete metamorphosis in order?

• egg, nymph, adult

• egg, adult, nymph

• nymph, adult, egg

• adult, nymph, egg

Multiple Choice

What is this? (use your macroinvertebrate guide to help you)

• Water penny

• Hellgramite

• mayfly

• caddisfly

Multiple Choice

What is this?

• Caddisfly

• mayfly

• stonefly

• dobson fly

Multiple Choice

Identify the macros.

• Damselfly larva

• Dragonfly larva

• Stonefly larva

• Mayfly larva

Multiple Choice

Identify the macro.

• Mayfly larva

• Stonefly larva

• Dragonfly larva

• Sandfly larva

Multiple Choice

Identify the macro.

• Mayfly larva

• Riffle beetle larva

• Caddisfly larva

• Dobsonfly larva

Multiple Choice

Identify the macros.

• Dobsonfly larva

• Caddisfly larva

• Riffle beetle larva

• Midge fly larva

Multiple Choice

Identify the macro.

• Damselfly larva

• Mayfly larva

• Caddisfly larva

• Stonefly larva

Multiple Choice

Which temperatures hold more dissolved oxygen, hot or cold?

• hot

• cold

Multiple Choice

Which of these products contains phosphates?

• fossil fuels

• fertilizers

• chlorine

Multiple Choice

What is a macroinvertebrate?

• a type of fish

• a type of algae

• a small organism without a backbone

Multiple Choice

When there is an algae bloom in a body of water

• the water temperature decreases

• the dissolved oxygen decreases

• the water gets more clear

Multiple Choice

The presence of macroinvertebrates in the water might tell us

• how deep the water is

• how clean the water is

• where the water came from

Multiple Choice

Nitrogen can get into our water sources through

• acid rain

• lawn fertilizer runoff

• burning fossil fuels

Multiple Choice

One harmful effect from too much phosphate in the water

• toxic algae bloom

• ocean acidification

• rise in water temperatuer

Multiple Choice

A rise in pH can be a sign of

• ocean acidification

• too much oxygen in the water

• pollution

Multiple Choice

What might happen to macroinvertebrates and fish if the dissolved oxygen is very low?

• they will increase their population

• they might die

• nothing

Multiple Choice

A nutrient that is essential for plant growth

• nitrogen

• calcium

• lead

Multiple Choice

the stage in which the young animal looks just like the adult.

• Nymph

• Metamorphosis

• Larva

• Heredity