River Field Trip

1. Introduction :
a. Where we are going
i. Mackinaw River: a tributary of the Illinois River that has a watershed that is
over 1,000 square miles. It contains some of the worlds most fertile soil.
ii. Lake Bloomington: manmade lake and was made to supply Bloomington-
Normal with a reliable, steady water
iii. Lake Evergreen: reservoir created by damming Six Mile Creek, built for
recreation and water supply purposes
b. Why we are going there?
i. To test the quality of water as a habitat for wild life and quality for ingestion

2. Vocabulary:
a. Turbidity: the cloudiness or haziness of the water
b. Algae: a nonflowering plant part of a large group or single cell organisms that make their
own food
c. Substrate: a layer of the surface where an organism lives and grows
d. Riparian: related to or situated on the banks of a river
e. Watershed: an area or ride of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers,
basins, or seas.
f. Coliform bacteria: their presence is used to indicate if organisms of fecal origin are
present
g. Macroinvertebrate: invertebrates that can be seen with the naked eye

3. Macroinvertebrate Indicator Species (include pictures):

a. Native mussels:
Threeridge Washboard

Wabash pigtoe

Maple leaf

b. Zebra Mussels
 c. Fingernail clams

d. Asiatic Clams

e. Rusty Crayfish

4. Chemical Tests:
 a. How does dissolved oxygen affect a body of water? What is a healthy concentration
in ppm?
It prevents the emphysema bubbles from forming on fins, skin, and other tissue on
aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates. In addition to that, aquatic organisms need the
dissolved oxygen for respiration as well as the decomposition of organic matter. 5-6 ppm
is considered a healthy concentration. Too much oxygen can cause the water to be
corrosive to the skin of many water animals.

b. What does the presence of phosphates indicate about a water system? What is an
expected range of concentration?
Phosphorus is necessary for life, especially plants, and is often found in rocks as an
inorganic compound. It can accumulate in the water from runoff from rocks, silt, and
irrigation through land with fertilizer. However, too much phosphate can sped up
eutrophication and erode the rocks in and around the body of water. Expected range of
phosphate concentration in water is 0.01 ppm to 0.03 ppm.

c. What does the presence of nitrates indicate about a water system? What is an
expected range of concentration?
Nitrates in the water indicate that there is bacteria in the water to convert nitrates to
ammonia. This form can be used by plants to grow and respire. It also comes from rocks
and runoff from agricultural lands. The primary health hazard with excessive nitrates in
the water is that it can synthesize into nitrite in the digestive system which will affect
oxygen levels when it enters the blood. Acceptable range is from 5-10 ppm in drinking
water.

d. What does the presence of coliform bacteria mean for the body of water?
There is fecal matter in the water and must be sanitized and sterilized before it is
redistributed.

e. What is a healthy pH?

Ideal pH is slightly alkaline - 7.30 to 7.45 but rainwater is slightly acidic, around 5.6 so a
healthy pH level for humans is 6.7.

5. Conclusion:
According to the data that was gathered, none of the three bodies of water are healthy
ecosystems. For Lake Evergreen, the pH was slightly above the preferred amount at 7 but the DO
was under par at 4 ppm. The nitrate was barely at 5 ppm and the phosphate was at 1 ppm. Three
fourths of the criteria was not met, therefore not deemed healthy. As for 6 Mile Creek, everything
but nitrate was above or below the acceptable amount, which makes this unhealthy too. Lake
Bloomington had a pH of 7 and 5 ppm of DO. Nitrate and phosphate were both at 1 ppm. This
also is not a very healthy body of water for aquatic life or ingestion.