Stream Quality Assessment

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Stream Quality Assessment Biological Monitoring
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WHY Monitor Stream Quality?

• To determine if
• problems exist in our
• streams and rivers.

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HOW do we Monitor Stream Quality?

• Stream quality can be assessed by determining the
  kinds of animals that live within the stream
  (Biotic Assessment)
• Other indicators may be stream odor, appearance,
  and surroundings (Abiotic Assessment)

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Biotic Assessment

• Seines may be used to collect stream inhabitants
• Group members can help to dig up critters to be
  caught in the seine, by scraping rocks or
  shuffling their feet

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What kind of critters do we look for?
Macroinvertebrates

• Macro large enough to be seen with the naked
  eye
• Invertebrate without a backbone
• Aquatic macroinvertebrates can be indicators of
  water quality

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There are 3 groups of Macroinvertebrates

• Group One Taxa pollution sensitive organisms
  if these critters are present, you have little
  pollution in the water
• Group Two Taxa moderate pollution-tolerant
  these guys may indicate that the water has some
  pollution, but not a lot of pollution.
• Group Three Taxa heavy pollution-tolerant
  these critters may indicate very heavy pollution

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Group One Taxa

• Pollution sensitive organisms found only in high
  quality water

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Stonefly Nymph

• 1/2 - 1 1/2 in length
• 6 legs with hooked tips
• Long antennae
• 2 hair like tails

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Mayfly Nymph

• 1/4-1 in length
• 6 large hooked legs
• Plate-like gills on sides of body
• Many long feelers on lower half of body
• Antennae
• 2 to 3 long, hair-like tails

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Water Penny Beetle Larvae

• 1/4 in length
• 6 tiny legs on bottom side of body
• Flat, saucer-shaped body with raised bumps on top
  side of body

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Gilled Snail

• Shell opens on the right
• Opening covered by thin plate called operculum

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Caddisfly Larvae

• Up to 1/2 in length
• 6 hooked legs on upper third of body
• 2 hooks at back end
• May be found in rock, stick, or leaf case
• Typically greenish colored body with dark head

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Dobsonfly Larvae (Hellgrammite)

• 3/4 - 4 in length
• 6 legs
• Many feelers on lower half of body
• 4 hooks at back end
• Fan shaped gill tufts on sides
• Short antennae

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Riffle Beetle

• 1/4 in length
• Oval body covered with tiny hairs
• 6 legs
• Antennae
• Both larva and adult are commonly found in the
  water

Adult
Larva
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Group Two Taxa

• Somewhat pollution tolerant organisms that can
  live in moderate quality water.

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Crayfish

• 1/2 - 6 in length
• 8 legs
• 2 large claws
• Resemble small lobsters

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Dragonfly Nymph

• 1/2 - 2 in length
• 6 hooked legs
• Large eyes
• Usually buried in mud or found clinging to root
  masses

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Damselfly Nymph

• 1/2 - 1 in length
• 6 thin hooked legs
• 3 broad oar shaped tails
• Large eyes

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Crane Fly Larvae

• 1/3 - 2 in length
• Plump caterpillar-like segmented body
• Finger-like lobes at back end
• Typically white in color, can be green or brown

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Clam

• Clams in Ohio streams come in variety of sizes,
  shapes, and colors according to the species.

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Group Three Taxa

• Pollution tolerant organisms that can handle
  poorer water quality.

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Leech

• 1/4 - 2 in length
• Ends with suction pads

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Aquatic Worm

• 1/4 - 1 in length
• Look like earthworms
• Can be very thin

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Midge Larvae

• Up to 1/4 in length
• 2 legs on each side
• Worm-like segmented body
• Rapid squirming movement

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Black Fly Larvae

• Up to 1/4 in length
• One end of body wider
• Suction pad on larger end
• Black head

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Pouch Snail

• Shell opens on the left
• No operculum
• Breathe air

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HabitatWhere do you find macroinvertebrates?

• Under rocks
• Around tree roots
• Around beds of vegetation
• Around litter or other debris
• In riffle zones

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Streamside Habitat

• Tree overhang
• Roots and logs jutting into the stream
• Rocks and boulders along the stream edge
• Provide homes and shelter for animals

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Riffle Zones

• Areas where water is visibly flowing over rocks
  and stream bottom
• Look like small rapids
• The movement over the rocks allows oxygen to
  enter the water

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Abiotic Assessment
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pH

• Indicates whether the stream is basic, acidic, or
  neutral
• Acidic 0-6.9
• Neutral 7.0
• Basic 7.1-14
• Most macroinvertebrates live best in a slightly
  basic pH (approx. 8)

• What sorts of things can change the pH of a
  stream to dangerous levels?

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Alkalinity

• Indicates the streams ability to neutralize
  acids
• If a lot of acid is needed to cause the streams
  pH, it can neutralize well. It has high
  alkalinity. (Good)
• If the pH drops with just a little acid, the
  alkalinity is low. (Bad)

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Dissolved Oxygen

• Indicates the amount of oxygen that is dissolved
  in the waternecessary for plants and animals!
• How does the water replenish its oxygen?

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Nitrates

• Form of Nitrogen (NO3) that is essential to life.
• High levels of nitrates can be toxic!
• Try not cleaning your fish tank for a year
• Why? Nitrogen combines with Oxygen to form
  nitrate (NO3). Too much Nitrogen removes too
  much oxygen and causes the fishies to suffocate.

• Healthy Levels 1 mg/L
• Toxic Levels 10 mg/L
• Water treatment plant 30 mg/L

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Phosphates

• Essential for life
• Phosphorus can be dissolved or suspended
• Similar to Nitrates
• High levels toxic
• Low levels toxic
• Moderate levels - healthy

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Stream Flow

• Choose a section of the creek.
• Use a tape measure to find the width and depth of
  a 100 foot area.
• Float a rubber ducky from one end to the other
  and time its flow.

100 ft. area
Speed of Ducky 100 ft. / _____sec. _______
ft./sec. Avg. Width x Avg. Depth x ______
ft./sec. _________ ft.3/sec. Stream Flow
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Turbidity

• Clearness or cloudiness of water.
• The deeper you can see (clearer), the healthier
  the stream.
• Equipment Turbidity Tube

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Other Stream Quality Indicators

• Water appearance
• Water odor
• Stream bank shape
• Stream bottom cover
• Streamside vegetation
• Land uses within the watershed
• Pipes entering the stream
• This is called the Qualitative Habitat Evaluation
  Index (QHEI)

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Riparian Corridor

• Streamside forests
• Protects streambanks from erosion
• Protects water quality by filtering out
  pollutants
• Provides wildlife habitat

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Stream Bank Without Vegetation
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Point Source Discharges

• Discharge entering a stream or river from a pipe
  or tile, i.e.
• Agricultural field tile
• Storm drains
• Factory outputs
• Water treatment plant outlets

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Need More Information ?

• Check with Ohio EPA for more specific information
  and expertise on setting up a water quality
  monitoring program, especially for chemical
  monitoring
• Both ODNR and Ohio EPA can assist with Quality
  Habitat Environmental Index (QHEI)

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Happy Critter Hunting!