Nick Snyder

Water Quality Assessment of Lake Fred Outputs

Senior Project Fall 15

Abstract

In regards to water, the overall quality is known to be the most important factor that
effects all aspects of life. From a health and environmental standpoint a water quality
assessment can help gain insight as to what problems may come about depending on season,
construction, human influence, etc. Understanding parameters such as temperature, dissolved
oxygen, conductivity, and pH a general consensus can be created as to how our water quality is
and what we can do to make it better. Best management practices will be implemented if needed
to assess problems with any of the previously mentioned parameters. Overall this project
showed the impacts of various factors can form together an intricate web that all meshes together
to create the water quality we have on our campus.

Introduction

Understanding water quality as a whole could be known as one of the more significant
studies in any sort of water related science. Our water is composed of several parameters that
influence the overall quality. These parameters include temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen
(mg/L), dissolved oxygen (%), and specific conductivity. By measuring and compiling data in
regards to these listed parameters a hypothesis can be developed as to not only the overall quality
but potential best management practices to help improve the water quality, if needed.
Specifically the parameters mentioned prior individually impact water quality in their
own ways. If levels exceed safety regulations listed under government regulations, then the
water ca be deemed unsafe for consumption, recreation, etc. Temperature individually can effect
water quality by influencing the other parameters. It is known boiling hot water or freezing cold
water can harm you but how temperature correlates with parameters, such as dissolved oxygen,
is very interesting. Warmer temperatures increase dissolved oxygen concentrations which in
high levels of oxygen in the water can lead to many problems. Exceedingly high dissolved
oxygen concentrations can lead to eutrophication in certain cases. Dissolved oxygen (mg/L) and
(%) concentrations are two separate parameters. The physical amount measured is the more
accurate parameter when understanding the impact the dissolved oxygen concentration could
have. The percentage is simply the percent make up of that body of water. This being said if
there is only 0.00075 mg/L in your water system and there is a 94% level; dissolved oxygen will
not negatively effect the water simply because it is a minor amount present.
pH levels as well as conductivity can be heavily impacted by the location of the water
system. If it is near any roadway, construction, human influenced area, etc the more likely pH
will become more acidic and conductivity levels will rise. Acidic waters are not only damaging
to humans but the marine organisms. pH is the relative measure of free hydrogen and hydroxyl

ions on a logarithmic scale. As pH numbers decrease, becoming more acidic, it makes it harder
for life to flourish within the water. Areas near coal mines have waters with average pH records
between 2-3 which has destroyed most marine ecosystems that reside in those watersheds. pH is
likely to fluctuate with temperature slightly but mostly is influenced by runoff and leaching from
pollutants nearby.
The specific conductivity is a measure of the ability of water to conduct an electrical
current. Which highly depends on the amount of dissolved solids (such as salt) in the water. Pure
water, such as distilled water, will have a very low specific conductance, and sea water will have
a high specific conductance. Rainwater often dissolves airborne gasses and airborne dust while it
is in the air, and thus often has a higher specific conductance than distilled water (USGS, 1965).
Specific conductance is an important water-quality measurement because it gives a good idea of
the amount of dissolved material in the water. This can be also influenced by runoff, human
influence, construction, and the overall energy of the stream discharge.
Once gaining insight towards these parameters we can quantify our data and make
assessments towards the water systems quality for consumption, marine life, industrial, and
agricultural uses. If certain concentrations are determined hazardous then whatever best
management practice should be implemented. These practices, if needed, could include water
filtration/treatment systems, alternative agricultural methods, etc.

Methods
This project was set up to gain an understanding of the overall water quality of the output
streams that are downstream of Lake Fred. Over about a month long period a YSI monitoring

device was safely kept tied to a tree within a weather resistant container. From there a hole was
drilled into the container allowing the probes of the YSI to lay in the water gently. The YSI was
set to take readings on fifteen minute intervals to maintain consistent, yet detailed, results.
Throughout this month-long period the YSI battery was checked routinely, roughly every
2-3 days, and switched if necessary to recharge. Our YSI was placed across the street of the Art
& Sciences building along the main output stream of Lake Fred. The stream was set far back
from the road and had moderate canopy cover throughout the section analyzed.
After obtaining the data the YSI software was installed to analyze our data logs. From
there graphs were created to show how certain water quality parameters have changed or been
effected in any way.

Discussion
The objective of this project was to assess the water quality of the stream outputs of Lake
Fred before the major construction process throughout the upcoming years. The primary focus
was on the main stream output across the street of the Art & Sciences building. Based on our

results precipitation played a minor factor then usual since there has been little to no rainfall
throughout the fall semester. The streams location was not close to any roadway to the point
where a direct runoff could impact the stream but groundwater contamination, sediment
transport, and leaching could be factors that negatively effect the overall quality.
Overall throughout this project dissolved oxygen levels gradually decreased. This is
because microbial activity as well factors that induce oxygen into the water are more active in
moderate to higher temperatures. Therefore as temperature decreases the overall oxygen content
will gradually decrease, shown in the figures above. If this project was done from the spring
leading into the summer then the results would show the opposite. Dissolved oxygen levels
remained within a healthy/standard. Reasons as to why the resulting DO levels can be this low is
due to the lack of marine organisms and plant life that reside within and around the stream.
Increased biodiversity and population densities within and around water systems increase DO
levels (Ramakrishnaiah, 2009).
Our Figure 1 which displays the relationship between dissolved oxygen and temperature,
proves what was stated previously. Their is a clear correlation between the two parameters. The
temperatures throughout this project remained between 55-75 degrees Fahrenheit and the gradual
decline into colder weather is shown.
Based on the results of Figure 2, pH concentrations in general for this area are acidic.
The pH ranges from 4-4.3 were it remains constant throughout the month of analysis. A brief
increase in the beginning of the analysis was due to a rain event introducing a more neutral water
concentration to the acidic body. The acidity can be linked to the sediment that resides in the bed
and banks or the suspended transferred loads from Lake Fred. The spodosol and histosol soils
that are found are around campus are generally acidic and have a sandy texture. The sandy

texture allows faster leaching rates. Water from Lake Fred is exposed to various nitrates from
fertilizers, fecal coliform, surface pollution, etc. which could then lead us to infer that these
pollutants that promote acidic conditions could be a cause as to why we see lower pH readings
from our stream sample. These fertilizers, organism activities, etc. are indeed more common at
this time of the year due to suitable weather and resources that correlates to our figure showing
how the pH does increase briefly but in return remains consistent. Precipitation played no major
role in the results for pH.
As for specific conductivity the results show a gradual decrease. This could be due to
temperature decrease. Based on the graph regarding conductivity there is indeed a gradual
decrease but from an overall standpoint the decrease is minimal. Based on these conductivity
levels that vary between 354-360 uS/cm there is an overall low impact of conductivity. The
location of the stream could be the reason as well as the lack in strength from the headwaters that
lack the energy to create large riffles. Our system only has some minor small riffles but nothing
too significant.
Based off this parameter data it is clear that the water quality of this analyzed output of
Lake Fred could be better. The acidic properties that reside throughout are not a good indicator
of a healthy stream. Sediment is most likely the leading pollutant in regards to this. The
sediment travels in small suspended loads or retains leached pollutants from surrounding areas
that eventually impact the Lake Fred tributaries. Best management practices need to be taken in
regards to lessening the acidity. Liming practices and alternative fertilizing methods are ways of
lessening incoming pollutants. Fecal coliform from geese is another significant pollutant but is a
harder factor to prevent simply because the Stockton ecosystem is ideal for geese to flourish. By

implementing a safe geese deterrence mechanism or wooden dog statues to frighten them off
surrounding the lake are ways this can be dealt with.
All other parameters tend to have minimal impacts on the overall water quality. With
greater precipitation rates in a future water quality assessment there could be more in-depth
results as to how the rain influences the water quality parameters.

Conclusion
This overall assessment has given insight to the output water quality of Lake Fred prior to
the future construction impacts. By comparing this data with future projects, that are similar, a
comparison can be made as to how the construction effected Stocktons water quality. This
analysis showed acidic pH results which the most alarming of the negative impacts. All other
parameters remained minimal in regards to having an influence on the streams water quality.
The lack of precipitation limited the results greatly to show any kind of influence it has. In

conclusion, by implementing best management practices to lessen the acidity in the water prior
to construction the water quality for the Lake Fred outputs will be at a respectable level.

References
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