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Measuring Water Quality

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Measuring Water Quality TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Introduction ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Instructional Model: Learning Cycle --------------------------------------------------- 7 Overview of the Ohio River ------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 Pre-voyage Lessons ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11 • Introduction to the Ohio River ---------------------------------------- 12 ▬ Activity 1: Connecting to the Ohio River ----------- 13 • Watersheds ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 ▬ Activity 1: Contour Mapping --------------------------------- 27 ▬ Activity 2: Stream Table ---------------------------------------- 38 ▬ Activity 3: Scavenger Hunt – Finding Local Watershed Influences ------------------------- 45 • Measuring Water Quality ------------------------------------------------- 47 ▬ Activity 1: Water Quality Parameters Past and Present ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 51 ▬ Activity 2: Measuring Water Quality Parameters --------------------------------------------------------------- 64 ▬ Activity 3: Testing the Water -------------------------------- 77 On-Board Exploration ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 79 Post-voyage Lessons ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 83 ▬ Activity 1: Reflection ---------------------------------------------- 84 ▬ Activity 2: Data Analysis --------------------------------------- 86 ▬ Activity 3: Application --------------------------------------------- 90 Additional Activities -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 92 Additional Resources ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 98 1 PA Denny River Education Center: At the Confluence of Learning and Exploring ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The curriculum developed for the PA Denny River Education Center would not have evolved into its final form without the help of a number of individuals and organizations. The Curriculum Advisory Board members donated their time and offered numerous suggestions to ensure that the curriculum was interactive, engaging, and inquiry-based. With their help, we were able to design a program that will meet the needs of teachers in the Ohio River Basin by helping them to achieve the science standards in their state. Members of the Curriculum Advisory Board offered valuable suggestions regarding existing activities that could be used as part of the River Education Center curriculum. We are grateful for those suggestions. Project WET agreed to allow us to include an activity, Turbidity or Not Turbidity, from the Healthy Water, Healthy People series. The National Science Teachers Association permitted the use of The Great Flood. Financial support from the L & L Nippert Foundation and the Ohio EPA’s Ohio Environmental Education Fund (OEEF) enabled us to purchase a vessel to serve as the floating classroom as well as user- friendly, but sophisticated equipment for the on-board activities and the curriculum kits. Teachers selected to participate in the pilot program committed to implementing all components of the curriculum, including pre- and post-voyage activities, in their classroom. These teachers have provided valuable feedback about the program, ensuring its successful implementation for future voyages. Curriculum Advisory Board Members Pilot Program Teachers Harriet Jo Biehle Mike Boeing Worthington Intermediate School Elder High School Diane Cantrell Jon Brandyberry Ohio Department of Natural Resources New Richmond High School The Ohio State University Kelley Dearing-Smith Judy Callahan Louisville Water Company Walnut Hills High School Toni DeVore Bonnie Fancher Wood County Schools Switzerland High School Bonnie Fancher Beverly Fennell Switzerland County High School Indian Hill High School John Hageman Kevin McFawn Thomas More College Anderson High School Carol Hanley Mildred Bateman University of Kentucky Aiken High School Deen Klotter Jerome Gels Monroe Elementary School Lloyd High School Anne Lyon Tracey Greeley Adams GreenAcres Foundation Woodward Career Technical High School Sue Magness John Souders Hamilton County Dept. of Environmental Services Glen Este High School 2 PA Denny River Education Center: At the Confluence of Learning and Exploring Dee Martindale Sandy Cronier Science and Mathematics Network South Dearborn High School Gwen Roth Mary Ann Schneiders Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation Riverview East Academy District Kelli Shrewsberry Linda Ford Science and Mathematics Network The Seven Hills School Barbara St. John Leah Hellemann Daviess County High School Waynesville High School Carolyn Watkins Kelly Ballinger Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Holmes High School Office of Environmental Education David Gale Larry A. Ryle High School Shiloh Ashley Goshen High School Laura Prescott Wyoming High School 3 PA Denny River Education Center: At the Confluence of Learning and Exploring 4 PA Denny River Education Center: At the Confluence of Learning and Exploring ABOUT THE FOUNDATION FOR OHIO RIVER EDUCATION Education empowers communities to value and protect their watersheds. The Foundation for Ohio River Education (FORE, formerly ORSANCO Educational Foundation) teaches people of all ages in the Ohio River Basin to become environmental stewards through hands-on programs that get people on the water and engaged in preserving the cultural, ecological, and economic value of our rivers. FORE was established in 2004 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO). ORSANCO is an interstate water pollution control agency for the Ohio River representing eight states and the federal government. Member states include: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. THE PA DENNY RIVER EDUCATION CENTER: AT THE CONFLUENCE OF LEARNING AND EXPLORING In Life on the Mississippi, Mark Twain wrote, “the people fasten their eyes upon the coming boat as a wonder they are seeing for the first time.” The PA Denny River Education Center seeks to inspire this sense of awe and wonder in all who take part in the journey. The floating classroom offers a unique opportunity for students to experience the Ohio River, connecting with this resource while learning key scientific concepts, establishing a foundation of knowledge on which they can base future decisions about the environment. The PA Denny River Education Center focuses on water quality, an environmental issue that is relevant to the millions of people in the Ohio River Basin. The goals of this program are: • to encourage an ethic of awareness and environmental stewardship for the Ohio River and its tributaries; • to provide schools and instructors with a model for a coordinated environmental education program by offering materials, training, and access to resources while also meeting state science proficiency standards; • to offer students a river-based learning experience in which they explore real-world environmental problems and develop life skills they can use to address issues in their own community; • to encourage students to become involved in addressing and solving environmental issues in their own communities. How it Works During a day-long voyage aboard the PA Denny River Education Center, students will make observations and take measurements of the Ohio River and the land area surrounding the river. Using the information gathered at stations - where students investigate water quality, watersheds, biological indicators, food webs and navigation - students will gain an understanding of the current condition of the Ohio River. Data will be collected at two sites along the Ohio River, including a “downstream” site located in Cincinnati, Ohio and an “upstream” site located near California, Ohio. Students will compare pollution levels at the two sites and investigate possible pollution sources. This will teach students that, when assessing pollution problems in the Ohio River, it can sometimes be difficult to narrow down a specific answer or cause. It was also teach them that most of the pollution in the river, nearly 80%, comes from non-point sources. Each student will spend the entire day collecting data from one station. Once they return to the classroom, they will then work with students from other stations to synthesize their data, determine pollution types, and explore possible sources of the pollution. 5 PA Denny River Education Center: At the Confluence of Learning and Exploring Pre-voyage Instruction Prior to the floating classroom trip, students will learn about watersheds and water quality through pre- voyage instruction lessons designed to prepare them for concepts explored on the vessel. During the pre-voyage instruction, students will map and define a watershed through hands-on activities and investigate the characteristics of the watershed, such as land use, that could influence water quality. Through mini-experiments, students will identify parameters that can be used to measure water quality and how these parameters are influenced by pollutants and specific water quality conditions. They will also take water quality measurements from a local stream and determine what the “normal” ranges of these parameters
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