Johnson Creek Water Quality Study
Spring 2000
Introduction:
A. The Introduction will contain a page of background information on why it
might be important to study Johnson Creek. This could include personal experiences
with Johnson Creek and would also include some of the goals that both public,
private, and governmental agencies would have in studying and modifying the
creek. It would also be helpful to include background
about history or problems that have occurred in Johnson Creek in the past as
well as the present. You
might also research introducing salmon back into Johnson Creek. Background
information regarding water quality may be found at the links listed below.
B. Question: What quality is the site on Johnson Creek that I am studying?
Is it poor, fair, good, or excellent?
C. Hypothesis: After visiting Johnson Creek the first time, write a paragraph
summarizing the appearance of the water and the vegetation above the waterline,
stating what you think the quality of Johnson Creek will be and why. If you
know of pollution sources, or problems that exist in the creek, this is the
place to put them!
Design:
Describe the activities that you did to collect information about Johnson
Creek in your own words.
How was the water collected?
What kind of tests were run on the water?
How did you collect plant and animal data, and how was that data saved?
How was the work organized? Who did what and why?
Discuss safety issues both at the creek and in the class when handling the
chemicals.
As you became more familiar with the tests, what kinds of things were done
to make the tests more reliable or accurate?
Background Information Links:
1. City of Portland:
Environmental Services- Read about the value of watersheds and then click
on Johonson Creek Watershed.
4. USGS:
Current Stream flow of Johnson Creek at Regner Road.
7. Wetlands in
Oregon- Click on Willamette Valley to see the problems occurring in this
area!
Actual Site Data from the Spring of 2000
Use these links to view the data you collected.
Display of Data:
a. Each person turns in a copy of the raw data (data collected at site or
water quality data tested in class).
b. Make a table of your water quality data, organized so it is easy to read.
Include any averages where needed.
c. Make a graph/s of how the water quality changed for each test from week
to week.
d. Make a list of plants at site. If you don't know the name of a plant, look
it up on the GHS website (then look
at the bottom of the page under Links to Help with Spring Projects).
e. Make a list of human impacts, or other important data that were noted.
Analysis of Data:
a. Determine the water quality of your site. Click on the link entitled Water
Quality Index. Look at the tables and see how your tests rate Johnson Creek.
b. Rate your stream for the amount of pH, temperature change, percent dissolved
oxygen saturation, nitrate and phosphate.
c. Restate your original hypothesis about the water quality of Johnson Creek.
Next, state how your site fared when testing the water characteristics from
part b above (ie, was the pH excellent, good, poor, etc. for the other tests....).
Give a general rating for the water quality of your site (combining all the
tests). Explain your reasoning for this rating.
d. Compare the numbers for the 2 or 3 times you went (you can also rely on
data collected by the team from the other class at your site). Did they stay
about the same or change (how so?)? What may have caused any changes?
d. State possible sources of pollution for the various water quality tests
you did. See the following link for more information.
What do all these numbers mean? Click
here to learn more about nitrate, oxygen, pH, etc. and also to learn what the
actual water quality is for your site!
e. What could possibly be done to improve the water quality at your site.
Be as specific as possible. (See the link directly above about pollution sources!)
f. Do some research and see if salmon and trout could live here.
g. Discuss the type of plants found at your site. Which ones are natives (good
quality plants)? Which ones are weeds (poor quality plants)?
h. Discuss the good and bad human impacts on your particular site. In your
determination, which wins (good or bad?) Discuss your reasoning for this rating.