KV+Mashmoquet+Project+Summary

Kristina Villarreal Summary Report Hawkins B3

On May 23, 2011 myself along with my fellow classmates and another class took a trip to Mashamoquet State Park. Mashamouquet Brook State Park consists of 1,000 acres and is located at 147 Wolf Den Drive, Profret Center, CT 06259. The region was once the domain of the Mohegan Chief Uncas. The name Mashamoquet is Indian for "stream of good fishing" and originally was applied to the entire area. Later, Captain John Sabin built a house here to serve as an outpost and the settlement gradually increased in size. In 1723, parish and township privileges were granted and the town became Pomfret, named after Pontefract in Yorkshire, England. Activities include picnicking, fishing, hiking, swimming, and field sports. The site seemed to be well kept though the water had a bit of an odor to it along with some oil residue I feel it is a generally safe place for an animal to live. The woods were also well kept with hiking trails leading farther down. The weather was mildly chill with some brisk winds passing, it was wet from the night before which made it uncomfortable to work in.

 During this trip myself along with a few fellow classmates were assigned to test the Alkalinity levels of the water. In order to do so first we needed to collect our sample, second we conducted the testing. In order to do so first we needed to measure 20ml of the water into our testing jar. After we measure 20ml of the water we added a Phenolphthalein Tablet, when the color did not change we than added a BCG-MR Tablet and swirled it until it was completely dissolved. After the tablet had finished dissolving we added Alkalinity Titration Reagent B. In order to titrate we had to add the reagent drop by drop until we had a pink color that held for approximately one minute. After we got to that point we took our mg/l level and recorded or data. The alkalinity of fresh waters is typically between 20 and 200 mg/l .In CT, where bedrock geology is largely granite schist and gneiss, alkalinity values are generally well below 100 mg/l. In our testing our levels had consistently got a reading of 20.6mg/l. Based on the information I have learned I would say the alkalinity level of Mashamoquet is just over the level of being safe and healthy. The water temperature was recorded to be between 14 °C,  16 °C, and 18 °C.

Dissolved oxygen enters the water in a couple ways. One way is through the process of photosynthesis in aquatic plant life. The other is through diffusion of oxygen in the air at the surface. Ideally a good level of dissolved oxygen is 7 - 11 mg/L. This level is good enough for most stream fish to thrive. A level of 4-7 mg/L is good for most pond animals; 2 -4mg/L is good for few species of aquatic animals. Anything less than 2mg/L is not enough for most animals to survive. Water samples were taken as well as dew levels. The levels recorded indicated a level of 9.2. Trout and salmon only need a level of 5 to live. An unhealthy river would be lower than 5, because of the ecosystem of the river consists of trout pumpkin seeds and other small creatures. Three different groups did dissolved oxygen and out of the three groups the average dissolved oxygen readings came out to be around 9. Mashamoquet's water quality turned out to be very healthy.

 Nitrate was performed by another group. For the Nitrate test, they had also took a sample of the water. Except their sample was held for 48 hours until the next class. They took a 5ml sample of water and put it into three different tubes. They had distilled water which was put into the colorimeter and had to push the "30 second read" button and adjust the "Set Blank" button to 100%. Pour 5Ml of water into a graduated Cylinder. Return it to the 'Reading tube'. Measure 5ml of Mixed Acid Reagent to the tube, mix and wait. Add .2g of Nitrate reducing reagent by filing the .1g spoon twice. Mix within a four period minute. Wait ten minutes. Insert the reading tube into the chamber and press the "30 second read button". Then read the percentage and change it to ppm with the chart given. For a healthy result in an unpolluted area, the levels are usually less than 1.0 mg/l. Acceptable concentrate in CT with a pH pf 7.0 and temp of 250C is 1.24 mg/l. An unhealthy test result would be exceeding more than 10 mg/l. If Elevated this is caused by human contamination from fertilizers and sewage. The high levels of nitrates causes growth to aquatic plants and can be harmful to small mammals. The test results at Mashamoquet State Park was Ammonia and then the Nitrate test. The results for the Ammonia test was 0.25 ppm for each of the three tests. The results for the Nitrate test was 0.40 ppm for the first try, 0.34 ppm for the second try, and 0.38 ppm for the last try. They concluded that Mashamoquet is a little lower than it should be to be able to meet the standard of a healthy environment. The numbers for a healthy environment are usually less than 1.0 mg/l, which with our results for the Nitrate test works. It may be on the lower side for a healthy environment but at least it is in the range where it will not cause much harm.

 Water hardness was also conducted by another group. They had taken three samples and did a test on each. Water h ardness is the measure of the total concentration of calcium and magnesium ions, and, to a lesser extent, the salts of other minerals. Calcium and magnesium enter the water via the action of carbonic acid. As water and carbon dioxide react, carbonic acid is produced and dissolves calcium and magnesium from carbonate rocks. A Positive water hardness test would have been 121 to 180, hard. An unhealthy water hardness test would be soft witch is 0 to 60. When the water was tested in Mashamoquet a total hardness of 40 was calculated. This concluded to be a soft result. Soft water can be detrimental to aquatic organisms, especially fish. Heavy metals like mercury and lead, as well as nonmetals like ammonia, are more toxic in soft waters than in hard waters. The water hardness level collected in Mashamoquet was at an unhealthy level for the fish, a healthy level for fish would be the hard level which is 121 to 180.

pH was tested by using an indicator that showed a yellow color if the water was acidic or a blue color if it was basic. pH is a measure of the hydrogen ion concentration of water, this is measured by using an electrical probe which is sensitive to hydrogen ion activity. The pH scale ranges from 1 (very acidic) to 14 (very alkaline or "basic")and is logarithmic. Thus, a change of one pH unit represents a tenfold change in hydrogen ion concentration. The pH of most natural waters ranges from 6.5 to 8.5. Deviation from the neutral 7.0 is largely the result of the interaction between acids and bases. Most aquatic species tolerate a limited pH range and most fish require a pH above 5.5 for growth and reproduction. If water becomes too acidic, metals, such as aluminum and lead, can be leached from the surrounding soil and bottom sediments, contaminating fish and other aquatic organisms. The four tests that were conducted concluded the following results. First Test 6.6 pH, Second Test 6.6pH, Third Test 6.8 pH, Fourth Test 6.9 pH. As you can see the pH level is at a safe level for aquatic organisms.

The ammonia test, like the ph test was done with an indicator. The darker the green, the more ammonia was present. All freshwater organisms are generally considered the most sensitive to ammonia toxicity. By decreasing the ability of hemoglobin to combine with oxygen, may cause fish to suffocate. If a fish is briefly exposed to high concentrations of NH3 it may lead to loss of equilibrium, hyper-excitability, increased breathing and cardiac output, in extreme cases, convulsions, coma, and death may occur. Prolonged exposure to lower concentrations reduces hatching success, growth rate, and morphological development and may cause pathological changes in the tissues of gills, livers, and kidneys. In unpolluted, well-oxygenated freshwaters levels are usually less than 1.0 mg/l. In CT, the maximum acceptable concentration of NH3-N, assuming a pH of 7.0 and a temperature of 250C, is 1.24 mg/l. In sensitive areas, like salmon spawning grounds, the maximum limit is lower (0.86 mg/l). The results gathered by my classmates concluded a steady level of 0.25.

Things impacting the environment at Mashamoquet can include many things. Samples have been done to find where the high bacteria levels start appearing. The DEP measures contamination by counting the presence of coliform, or fecal, bacteria. In an unnamed stream that flows into Mashamoquet Brook near the main entrance to the park, bacteria levels spiked right after rainstorms, leading Pillo to blame runoff, likely from a farm or from the owner of a large animal who didn’t cover its waste. Some of which could involve water run off from above the ground or even below. Other impacts could be because of human activity at the park. Having a large amount of people in one location at any given time can heighten the possibility of litter and chemical spills. Both of which can have an impact on the plant as well as animal life.

In conclusion Mashamoquet State Park is generally at a healthy state. I have concluded this reasoning due to the tests results gathered during our trip. (See Above) A few things that could be done to help keep our park clean is pick up after ourselves and being aware of any chemicals we bring and be sure they do not leak into to water or sand. Mashamoquet compares to the pond at Killingly High school because they are both at stable levels for aquatic organisms to live in. Both water was found to be decently clean and have a healthy environment.