Terms and Meanings

 

In the past year, our classmates went to different areas of the San Jacinto River collecting samples of water from the river and running it through various tests. These test included DO or Dissolved Oxygen, pH, Temperature, Phosphates, Coliform Bacteria, Turbidity, and Nitrates. All of these things are essential for a healthy river and healthy aquatic life. The terms are defined below.

 

Dissolved Oxygen - Oxygen in water is essential for fish and other aquatic life for survival. The amount of oxygen available to aquatic organisms plays an important role in determining the amount and diversity of organisms within that system. Low oxygen levels can cause fish to suffocate and die. Many fish kills in ponds and streams happen during the summer months because of a depletion of the oxygen supply. Excessive plant growth, the decay of organic material and high water temperatures all reduce oxygen supply. Dissolved oxygen levels change with changing biotic and abiotic conditions including water depth, time of day, weather conditions, and amount of biological activity. Oxygen measuring 4 PPM or greater is needed for a healthy stream.

 

pH - pH is a measure of hydrogen activity. Neutral water has a pH of 7. The pH scale commonly in use ranges from 0 to 14. As you move along the scale to zero the water is more acidic, and more basic toward 14. Rain, geology, and unnatural disturbances all affect the pH of surface and ground water. Most aquatic species prefer conditions with pH values ranging from 6.5 to 8.5. The more acidic or basic the water is, the more likely it is to contain other contaminants.

 

Temperature - The temperature in any body of water can change with changing seasons, changing weather, and throughout the 24- hour daily cycle, like when it is day or night. Water has a high heat capacity which means that it takes more energy to change the temperature of water than to change the temperature of air. Water will not hold essential gases, such as oxygen, at high temperatures. Some forms of aquatic life can exist only in cool water just as others can only exist in warmer waters. Temperature is affected by shade trees and discharges of cooled and heated water from power plants and industries that are significant enough to change the temperature of the water. Water temperatures in excess of 89 degrees Fahrenheit are considered poor.

 

Phosphates - Phosphates are essential for plant growth. Phosphates are chemical compounds that are made from the element phosphorus. Too many phosphates can stimulate plant growth, which can then deplete a stream of oxygen when all of the organic material begins to decay. Sources of phosphates include fertilizers from runoff, and soaps and detergents found in domestic wastewater. Phosphates in our water are usually not removed by sewage treatment facilities. Because of this, high levels of phosphates can be found in the water below many sewage treatment plants.

Coliform bacteria - Coliform bacteria are found in the intestines of animals to assist in the digestion of food. Bacteria of the species E. coli is found in human intestines. Though these bacteria are not harmful to humans, their presence in creek water is an important indicator of the health of the creek. When E. coli counts are high, sewage leaks are usually indicated.

 

Turbidity - Turbidity describes and measures the “cloudiness” of the water. Any and all suspended materials such as silt, nutrients, detritus, and plankton, can contribute to the level of turbidity. Slightly turbid water is healthy for sustaining an aquatic ecosystem, but extremely turbid water can create many problems for aquatic organisms. Water with high turbidity means that it has a lot of loose soils like dirt, sand, and silt. These loose soils can clog the gills of fish and suffocate them and can even bury fish eggs that are clinging to rocks and logs. A higher turbidity also decreases the “photic zone”, which is the amount and depth of sunlight that can enter the water. Without this energy from the sun, the producers of the aquatic ecosystem can't produce the food and oxygen supply needed to support the food web.

 

Nitrates - Nitrates are also plant nutrients and are mostly found in fertilizers. Plants need a much greater amount of nitrate than they do phosphate, but both can be considered “limiting nutrients”. This means, if there is an appropriate balance of phosphate and nitrate in the water, the aquatic plants will grow and reproduce at an ideal rate. But if there is more of one nutrient than the other, then the scarcer nutrient is said to be the “limiting nutrient”. The aquatic plants will grow and reproduce only as much as the amount of the limiting nutrient will allow.

 

The following is a chart of the data that we collected around the San Jacinto River.

 

 

From our results Coliform was found high in three different areas of the San Jacinto River. Coliform is a bacteria that is found in feces of humans and of warm blooded animals. The presence of coliform in the San Jacinto river could be caused by leaking or failing septic systems, or animal and human waste that made its way to the river by runoff. High levels of coliform in the water could be dangerous for humans, aquatic animals, and aquatic plants. With the reduction of non point pollution and point pollution we can reduce the levels of coliform.

 

Factors That Affect Water Quality

 

Water quality conditions are very delicate. The soil and the terrain of the area, the surrounding vegetation and wildlife, precipitation and runoff from adjacent land, biological and physical processes in the water, and human activities in the region all have an important role and affect water quality. Any little change in the surrounding environment can have a possible negative impact on the quality of the water. Here are some problems that may be found in water quality and some of the effects that they have.

 

 

There are also two kinds of water pollution that affect water quality. There is point source pollution and nonpoint source pollution. Point source pollution means that the source of where the pollution is coming from can be easily identified. A pipe from an industry that is discharging right into a river is an example of point source pollution.

Nonpoint source pollution means that the pollution is coming from a broader area and cannot be pinpointed to one specific source. When it rains, the water washes away the land and it runs off the surface into waterways. The runoff includes things like oil found on the street, fertilizers found in lawns, animal feces, and sediments. This is an example of nonpoint source pollution.

Sometimes it is easy to tell if there is pollution in the water. Other times it is not as easy to tell. Symptoms of water pollution are scum and algae mats floating on the surface of the water, excessive plant growth choking waters, sediment-clogged drainage ditches and sewers, decreasing depth of a body of water, fewer fish and wildlife, contaminated water supplies used for drinking, recreation, and industry, fish kills, fish or oyster advisories, and extreme flooding or stream-bank erosion.

Pollution is not far from us. In 2002, dioxin was found in fish in the lower part of the San Jacinto River. Dioxin in fish tissue prevents the consumption of fish. Dioxin is a poison that is extremely dangerous if we consume it. One source of dioxins in the water are paper mills, but other sources are unknown. There has been expanded water monitoring in order to try to put a stop to the problem so that the fish will no longer pose a threat to us.

 

What we Can do to Help the Water Quality of the San Jacinto River

 

Improving the water quality of the San Jacinto River starts in our own homes. We do things everyday that can be potentially dangerous to the river. If we use too much fertilizer or pesticide in our lawns, it can runoff into the river. Our grass clippings and our animals' feces are also pollutants if they get into the water. Of course other ways of improving water quality are not easily found in our back yards. Agriculture, grazing, failing septic systems, landfills, and dumps also contribute to San Jacinto River's water quality.

No matter how little or how much we help, we can all make a difference. Here are some measures that we can take to help improve the quality of our water.

 

Lawn and Garden Care

A lot of people in suburban neighborhoods fight for the greenest and most weed-free yard. Texas homeowners use over 4 million pounds of pesticides on their lawns and gardens each year. More pesticides per square inch are applied to a typical yard than to the most intensely sprayed farmland. It is also common for people living close to a stream or storm drain to dump lawn clippings and leaves into the stream. When this rots, it depletes oxygen from the water that aquatic organisms need to survive.

In order to keep our lawns and gardens from being a burden to our neighborhoods, we should plant native plants that don't require as much water, fertilizer or pesticides. We should position sprinklers so that only plants are watered and not the sidewalks, streets, and patios. There are natural alternative to chemical pesticides and fertilizers that we can use. If you do use chemical products, follow the directions carefully and only use what is necessary. Never use these products right before a rainfall, and if you do, most of the product will wash off into the drainage system and into the waterway, harming our water. Believe it or not, your grass clippings are a good thing. If you leave them on your lawn as you mow, they will act as a mulch and will reduce the amount of water and fertilizer that your lawn needs. By not throwing them out you will be helping to improve our water quality and making your lawn healthier at the same time.

 

Failing Septic Systems

24% of American rural and suburban homes rely on septic systems to handle household wastes. When septic systems fail, the raw human waste can enter nearby streams. Raw human waste carries nutrients that can cause an overgrowth in aquatic plants and algae, called an algae bloom.

In order to prevent septic tanks from failing, they need to be maintained. The sludge needs to be removed every 2 to 5 years. If the sludge is not removed, the tank fills with solids and can pollute a nearby stream or groundwater. Hazardous chemicals should not be dumped into septic tanks because septic systems rely on microscopic organisms to break down the organic wastes. If hazardous chemicals are dumped into the septic system, these organisms can be killed and that will cause the system to fail.

Agriculture and Grazing

60% of all nonpoint source pollution comes from agricultural runoff. Without proper management of livestock and crop production, a significant amount of nutrient and sediment runoff is created. Crop production also discharges pesticides, which is harmful to aquatic life.

Easy steps can be taken to reduce pollution. With livestock, a fenced buffer zone should be maintained. This buffer zone will keep livestock from trampling on streamside vegetation, stream banks, and stream habitat. The livestock should also be rotated to prevent overgrazing, providing alternate watering sources to the stream, and constructing basins that temporarily detain runoff and allow sediment and nutrients to settle out of the water.

 

Landfills and Dumps

Sanitary landfills are dumps that have a clay and/or plastic liner underneath and are covered by a layer of dirt each day to prevent anything from seeping through the ground and into the water. You can find anything in a landfill. Anything from paint thinners to old batteries. There are some steps we can take to keep the products that we use around the house everyday from contaminating the groundwater. We should only buy the things that we need, and if you don't want something or can't use it anymore, give it to someone that can and will use it. For unusable household hazardous wastes, participate in an HHW collection. The most important thing we can do to help landfills and dumps is to recycle. We can recycle in our homes and there is a recycling center in Baytown on West Main.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources

 

Hoffman, Margaret. Water Eduation Field Guide . Austin, Texas: Texas Commision on Environmental Quality.

 

http://www.earthforce.org/section/offices/texas/txresource/.2005

-report on health risks associated with consumption of fish and crab in the lower San Jacinto(TDH).

 

http://www.italocorotondo.it/tequilag/module2/analysis/factors_water_quality.htm

 

Saitas A., Jeffrey. Conducting a Watershed Survey . Austin Texas, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission.

 

Stafford, Brent. Ecosystem of Gulf Coast Wetlands, River, and Estuaries . 2nd ed: Copyright June 2004, Brent Stafford.