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 | The water sample was taken on Thursday, January 
th at five o¶clock from the Sugar

Land Bayou located near Clements High School at4200 Elkins Drive

2 | Data Table:

Trial Trial

rage

Test    
Test
itrateinnitrate) <
<
<

Test sateinsate) <
<
<

The pH shows that the water is slightly acidic, but should still be drinkable The nitrate

concentration is slightly less than the amount needed (
ppm) to accelerate natural

eutrophication, however the phosphate concentration is high enough (greater than 

ppm) to accelerate natural eutrophication

| The water collected should be safe to drink since the pH falls within the range of

drinkability (between 6  and 8 ), and because the nitrogen content is below the amount

needed to cause accelerated eutrophication and because the phosphorus level has been

deemed allowable in freshwater by the EPA

4 | hile the phosphorus level is considered acceptable by the EPA, it is still high enough to

accelerate natural eutrophication, and thus is a cause for concern A possible cause of the

high phosphorus level is the fertilizer that runs off from lawns and backyards that

surround the bayou Since the land around the bayou all slopes down towards the water, it

is especially susceptible to such runoff

 | Dear residents of Sugar Land, the Clements Analytical Lab has analyzed a sample of

water taken from the Sugar Land Bayou e are happy to report that the water found in

the bayou has been deemed drinkable both our laboratory and EPA standards The pH

was indicated to be 6 8, which is very close to being completely neutral The nitrate level

was measured to be a bit less than 2, which is still below the point to where natural
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eutrophication becomes accelerated The phosphorus level, however, is a bit of a concern

Although being deemed a non-pollutant in fresh water, it is still high enough to cause

accelerated natural eutrophication which can eventually pollute the water and cause it to

be undrinkable In order to prevent the phosphorus level from getting any higher,

everyone should try to use more organic fertilizer and to fence in their homes to prevent

as much runoff as possible The city will be implementing new septic systems to try to

take away some of the runoff as well That¶s all about your local city water Thanks for

reading!