PONDERING … the Power of Water
Networks
Developed by: Nancy Deever, M.S. and
Enviro Geek …Pojoaque Valley HS
A question posed by my Biology I students as they put
together team research, based on the water samples
they brought from home & tested in our Water
Chemistry Unit.
We conducted a LOT of WQ sample testing!
When we finished, we researched some of
our sample results & produced slide shows
to explain our research ….
PONDERISMS….. What to do
with over 200 WQ Data points
collected by my Biology 1
students since we began
water testing in 2008.
The water samples collected & analyzed
included:
City tap water, well water and some surface
waters; such as local acequias, ponds,
rainwater, and rivers.
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We gotta lotta data….
We know some things about it ….
But we’re floundering an’ wondering,
Will a network help us flout it ?!
• Can Net Logo help us make some connections
about what we drink, where we live & how WE
might be affecting water quality?
Possible (?) NODES of our
collected data
• Locations:
•Northern
•Water source:
•City tap
Santa Fe
county
•Southern Rio
Arriba county
(Espanloa,Pojo)
•Rural wells
•Limited surface
waters (Acequias,
ponds, rivers)
•Parameters:
•Parameters:
(major)
•pH
•Nitrates
•Phosphates
•Hardness
•Alkalinity
•Hardness
(minor)
•Copper
•Chlorine
•Iron
•Hardness
•Bacterial counts
Below Normal Groundwater Levels
USGS MODELS for
future DATA
UTILIZATION
Below Normal Groundwater Levels
Climate Response Network
Long-Term Groundwater Data Network
Map of Hydrology
monitoring sites in NM
Courtesy of the USGS
A Primer on Water Quality
From the USGS website,
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-027-01/pdf/FS-027-01.pdf
• Our first question should be, Do YOU know where your water comes from? From
whence comes your water – what is the source? The source determines much of your
“Water Quality”, such as:
• Is it safe for drinking? Can it be used for farming or other commercial uses?
• Can fish and other aquatic life – such as the Macro- invertebrates that support much
of the food chain - thrive in streams and lakes that are affected by human activities?
To answer these questions, it is helpful to understand what “water quality” means, how it
is determined, and the natural processes and human activities that affect water
quality.
• Water Quality (WQ) can be thought of as a measure of the suitability of water for a
particular use based on selected:
•
physical
• Chemical
• biological characteristics.
Another very IMPORTANT question to
discuss: How do the Earth’s natural
processes affect water quality?
• Natural water quality varies from place to place: the seasons, time
of day, climate, and the soil types and rocks through which water
moves have large effects on water quality.
• When water from rain or snow moves over the land and through the
ground, the water may dissolve minerals in rocks and soil, percolate
through organic material such as roots and leaves, and react with
algae, bacteria, and other microscopic organisms. Water may also
carry plant debris and sand, silt, and clay to rivers and streams
making the water appear “muddy” or turbid. When water
evaporates from lakes and streams, dissolved minerals are more
concentrated in the water that remains. Each of these natural
processes changes the water quality and potentially the water use.
** What types of precipitation & rocks in Northern
NM will be affecting YOUR water? **
What is found naturally in water?
The most common dissolved substances in water are:
• Minerals or salts that, as a group, are referred to as dissolved
solids. Dissolved solids include common constituents such as
calcium, sodium, bicarbonate, and chloride; plant nutrients such as
nitrogen and phosphorus; and trace elements such as selenium,
chromium, copper, and arsenic.
• Dissolved gases - such as oxygen and radon - are common in
natural waters. Adequate oxygen levels in water are a necessity for
fish and other aquatic life.
(Can you RECALL what imp. parameter this is: _____________
• BUT - Radon gas can be a threat to human health when it exceeds
drinking-water standards.
• In general, these common constituents are not considered harmful
to human health, although some can affect the taste, smell, or
clarity of water. Plant nutrients and trace elements in water can be
harmful to human health and aquatic life if they exceed standards or
guidelines.
WHAT are some ways human activities
affect water quality?
• Urban and industrial development, farming, mining, combustion of
fossil fuels, erosion (such as stream-channel alteration), animalfeeding operations, and other human activities can change the quality
of natural waters. As an example of the effects of human activities on
water quality, consider nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers that are
applied to crops and lawns. These plant nutrients can be dissolved
easily in rainwater or snowmelt runoff. Excess nutrients carried to
streams and lakes encourage abundant growth of algae, which leads
to low oxygen in the water and the possibility of fish kills.
• Chemicals such as pharmaceutical drugs, dry-cleaning solvents, and
oils & gasoline that are used in urban and industrial activities have
been found in streams and ground water.
• RECALL: the Espanola dry-cleaning plume in the
Rio Grande ?
• Standards and guidelines are established to protect
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water for designated uses such as drinking, recreation,
agricultural irrigation, or protection and maintenance of
aquatic life.
Standards for drinking-water quality ensure that public
drinking-water supplies are as safe as possible. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) and
individual States are responsible for establishing the
standards for constituents in water that have been
shown to pose a risk to human health.
Other standards protect aquatic life, including fish, and
fish-eating wildlife.