Stream and River Water Quality

Mark Bowen

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

Summary

Students visit a stream or river and conduct a site description and assess water quality using a variety of test kits and other field equipment.

Surface Water | College Introductory

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Context

Audience

The activity is used in an undergraduate introductory physical geography course that includes a 2-hour laboratory session that meets once per week. The focus of the course is landforms and soils. The course is predominantly composed of non-majors.

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

None

How the activity is situated in the course

This is a stand-alone exercise that reinforces concepts introduced in lecture.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

Gain hands-on experience in a field setting assessing the quality of a stream, river, or lake
Conduct a site assessment
Measure water clarity
Analyze dissolved oxygen and nitrogen content of a water sample

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

Compare and contrast results using different tools/techniques
Compare and contrast results to expected results
Propose possible sources of pollution
Suggest possible ways to improve water quality

Other skills goals for this activity

Description of the activity/assignment

In the lab classroom, I briefly describe how to use each piece of equipment and how to conduct a site assessment. Students get into groups of four and answer six questions about expected results. We then take a short walk to the river on the edge of our campus. They conduct a site assessment and measure water clarity, nitrate concentration, and dissolved oxygen concentration in surface and bottom samples. Students analyze results to describe the water quality of the river.

Determining whether students have met the goals

Students complete the exercise during a 2-hour laboratory session. Students are expected to work in groups of four. Upon completion of the laboratory exercise, students must complete an online quiz that consists of the same questions in the exercise as well as questions on the background information included in the lab before the next lab meeting. The online quiz is within the Desire 2 Learn (D2L) online learning platform, so answers are automatically graded and imported into the student's grade book.

More information about assessment tools and techniques.

Teaching materials and tips

Activity Description/Assignment: Stream and River Water Quality exercise (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 35kB Nov22 14)
Instructors Notes:
This is a field-based activity that requires a stream, river, or lake with an area that provides easy access for the students. Our campus is situated along the banks of a fairly large river, and a pier has been constructed along a portion of the bank. This allows us access to a fairly deep portion of the river, so we can compare surface and bottom water samples and use a secchi disk. If access is only available edge of a river or lake or at a small stream, the site assessment, water clarity assessment with the turbidity tube, and nitrogen and dissolved oxygen analyses can still be completed.

I provide enough equipment so that two groups of four students complete site assessments, two groups of students assess water clarity, two groups of students conduct nitrate analysis, and two groups conduct dissolved oxygen analysis. Students rotate to the next available equipment when they have completed each analysis. In this way, students do not usually have to wait long for equipment.
Solution Set: