Trout Water Quality Data

Friday, July 16, 2010

Into the Water We Go





This week, MHC After 3 students took to the Smith River to compare the water quality to that of the museum's tanks. At the beginning of the week, kids tested the VMNH trout tanks. They noticed that the pH levels in the adult waters (6) was lower than the juveniles (7). Nitrate levels were high. On Wednesday morning, the kids loaded up onto the bus and headed to the Smith River to do some water quality testing with Brian Williams of DRBA. They searched the river for macroinvertebrates and splashed around to their heart's content. After discovering lots of "good" macroinvertebrates, they gathered their samples to compare to the museum's tanks. The ph of the river was around 8 with nitrate levels between 0-10, along with a cool temperature of 58.7 degrees Farenheit. Each student gave their own thoughts on the comparison of the two water sources. While the pH of the river was slightly high, nitrates levels were lower. This is a good sign for the release of our trout!