StreamWatch

This lesson is intended as a long term project to determine the overall health of a stream or wetland. Students identify seasonal changes that occur within the ecosystem, ideally with a minimum of bimonthly or monthly monitoring.

A lesson plan for grades 9–12 Science

By B. Carl Rush

Learn more

• North Carolina Stream Watch volunteer association for monitoring stream water quality

Related pages

• We all live downstream: This lesson uses the North American Streamside exhibit of the North Carolina Zoological Park as an inquiry-based starting point for a stream ecology study.
• Decomposition in freshwater: This lesson includes hands-on activities to demonstrate the process of decomposition in a freshwater ecosystem. It also focuses on the importance of decomposition and its critical role in the food chain.
• Carolina Beach State Park: Developed in the late 1960s, this state park preserves the unique environment along the Intracoastal Waterway. The Venus Flytrap and other plant life, the dunes, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals are all protected in this special place.

Related topics

• Learn more about aquatic systems, ecology, ecosystems, environment, environmental science, labs, science, streams, water, and water testing.

Help

Please read our disclaimer for lesson plans.

Legal

Learning outcomes

Students will:

• Identify the major components of a stream study and determine the overall health of the stream.
• Identify the major impacts of human activity on the health of a stream.
• Successfully use field equipment in the accumulation of data.
• Successfully write a lab report based on data collected in the field.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

10 months

Materials/resources

• a stream or pond
• chemical testing kit (green works nicely) including, but not limited to:
  • pH
  • nitrate
  • phosphate
  • dissolved oxygen
• thermometer
• Secchi Disk (or other means of measuring turbidity)
• Forel-Ule kit
• float and stopwatch (or stream flow CBL)
• dip nets and kick net or seine net
• data collection sheet
• benthic macroinvertebrate dichotomous key
• pond or stream field guide

Technology resources

Optional:

• CBL unit with appropriate probes for tests listed above
• computer access with word processing program for writing the lab report

Pre-activities

It is very important to review each of the activities, particularly the chemical tests, in advance of the outdoor research. Students should understand how to accomplish each test and the reason each test is important. Since each testing kit is slightly different, specific procedures will not be listed here for each test.

Activities

Identifying a stream location is an important first step. Since this study is to be performed over a year long period, it is necessary to select a location that is easily accessible and recognizable. In order to obtain an adequate benthic macroinvertebrate population, the stream should have a riffle and pool to sample. Once a location is determined, four major groups are formed: Chemical, Physical, Benthic, and Biotic.

Chemical Activities:

1. pH—directions according to kit
2. nitrate—directions according to kit
3. phosphate—directions according to kit
4. dissolved oxygen—directions according to kit

Physical Activities

1. Temperature—it is important to record both air temperature and water temperature
2. Turbidity—this is an indicator of sedimentation in the stream and is dependent on the type of soil in the watershed and the amount of erosion. Turbidity is an excellent discussion launching point regarding erosion and the perils of human impact.
3. Color—match color of water in sampling vial to the Forel-Ule color scale (given in roman numeral)
4. Stream flow—allow a float to drift downstream a measured distance. Divide that distance by the time it took to determine stream flow.

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Activities

1. The collection of benthic macroinvertebrates can be performed by simply overturning rocks or by using a kick net. When using a kick net, be sure that the bottom edge of the net is flat against the bottom of the stream so that organisms are not lost.
2. An accurate dichotomous key of benthic macroinvertebrates in very important in the identification of the organisms.

Large Biotic Activities

1. The collection of large biotics with dip nets and seine nets will yield a wide range of organisms including, but not limited to, fish, crustaceans, and amphibians. It is very useful to have a stream or pond field guide to help in identification.

The monitoring of a stream over many months is particularly useful. Students can see the changes that occur with the seasons and the impacts of any human activity in the area. High levels of nitrate and phosphate may indicate runoff of fertilizers, a common problem. Students should record general climate along with any human activity to include in their lab report. It may also be useful for students to research the history of the area and include that information in the introduction of their lab report.

Assessment

• Students’ participation is noted on StreamWatch days.
• A quarterly lab report is written and processed as a project grade (15% of total quarter average).