Water Quality Lab Report

Words: 603
Pages: 3

The question asked in this lab was, “What is the water quality of the U-High creek based on aquatic invertebrates found in the water?” The lab’s purpose was to determine the water quality of U-High’s creek. In order to come to a conclusion about the water quality, students first went down to the creek and made observations. Later, students physically went into the water to collect water, soil, and algae samples. They extracted aquatic invertebrates present in the samples. The invertebrates were identified, and their type and quantity were recorded. Initially, the water quality of the U-High creek was predicted to be fair. This hypothesis is rejected, as the water quality was found to be excellent. Recorded observations of the water state that there was not a large …show more content…
This is one reason why the water quality of the U-High creek is labeled excellent. Also, there was a large array of pollution sensitive invertebrates found in the water. Six out of eight species of pollution sensitive invertebrates were identified, with 136 organisms in that category collected. Some species collected were stoneflies, mayflies, and craneflies. The fact that there was such a large number of pollution sensitive invertebrates (invertebrates that cannot live in polluted areas) shows that there cannot be a large amount of contamination present in the water. Furthermore, there was a large variety in the type of pollution sensitive invertebrates in the water. 75% of pollution sensitive invertebrates were found in the U-High creek. As the pollution sensitive invertebrates found were both plentiful and diverse, there is only a small amount of pollution present in the water; if there were more, the pollution sensitive invertebrates could not have survived or have much variation. Finally, the water quality index of the water was 36. The minimum score needed for the water quality to be considered excellent is