Site 1
Location:
Skokie River on Deerpath Road
Highland Park Quadrangle
Field Conditions:
Site visited on July 14, 2009 at 10:35 a.m.
Field Personal: Erik Gilmore, Patricia Downie, Bradley Henning, Ruanlly Santizo
Field Settings:
- Sampled along the east side of the Skokie River just north of Deerpath Road Bridge. The stream had channelized banks due to the golf course north of the site and also the residentual area to the south of the site. Water was clear with large amounts of vegetation on the bottom of the stream and on the banks.
-Site is located in a residential, suburban area with a golf course to the north, houses to the southeast and the Police / Firestation building to the southwest. The road had been freshly paven over the bridge.
-Measurements taken at the site were: Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity, Conductivity, Temperature, pH and Velocity. Water samples were taken from the stream and sampled in the 2100 Turbidometer and all other measurements were taken directly from the river. Few mollusks were observed in the area.
-Access to the site by taking Skokie Highway (US-41) North and then turning east on West Deerpath road. Park in the Police / Firestation parking lot for the public. Then proceed inside and let the reception area know who you are and your intention to sample the water quality. Proceed to cross Deerpath Road. There is a house located on this site and knock on the door just to introduce yourself. The occupants were not home the day the site was sampled. The site is relatively flat and grassy and will allow for a large group to sample from this area. Site can use wading methods for velocity; however, if bridge sampling is needed, another site would have to be used for high flow times or use orange float method.
-Visitors should be considerate of the residential area and use the public parking by the police station. Parking on the streets is available; however, the streets are very narrow.
Site 2
Location:
North Branch Chicago River at IL-60
Wheeling Quadrangle
Field Conditions:
Site visited on July 14, 2009 at 12:30 p.m.
Field Personal: Erik Gilmore, Patricia Downie, Bradley Henning, Ruanlly Santizo
Field Settings:
-Sampled along the northwest side of the North Branch just north of IL-60 Bridge. The water was clear enough to see the silty bottom. There was some detritus on the stream bed and some algal growth. A lot of vegetation surrounds this site on the banks of the river.
-Site is located off a 4-lane highway (IL-60) just north of a compost / waste recycling location for public drop off. There was also a compost pile located on site and some small piles of wood chips also present on the waste recycling site.
-Measurements taken at the site were: Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity, Conductivity, Temperature, pH and Velocity. Water samples were taken from the stream and sampled in the 2100 Turbidometer and all other measurements were taken directly from the river. Few mollusks were observed in the area. Algal growth may have influenced the flow of the stream.
-Site was accessed by taking Skokie Highway (US-41) North and then exit IL-60 and proceed west. The site location is about 0.25 west of Waukegan Road (IL-43). If you go under the railroad track viaduct, you have passed the site. The compost / waste recycling center served as our staging area. Then, proceed to the northwest side of IL-60 and go through the underbrush to acess the site.
-Visitors to the site should were long pants and shirts to go through the underbrush from the bridge area to access the banks. There is also enough room for four people and equipment. There are no cross walks and you must cross IL-60 so beware of traffic flow.
Site 3
Location: Skokie River at Deerfield Rd. Highland Park Quadrangle Field Conditions: Site was visited on July 21, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. Field Personal included Erik Gilmore and Patricia Downie Field Settings: -Sampled along the east side of the Skokie River just south of Deerfield Rd bridge in between the two channelized bridges . Somewhat clear water with a silty bottom. Decaying matter was abundant in the river and vegetation was present on both banks of the river. -Site is located in a residential, suburban area with a golf club and forest preserve within ten miles and a community pool 50 feet southeast of the sampling site. -The site was visited on a low flow day and a velocity measurement could not be obtained where sampling was taken place. It seemed that there was an established flow southwest of where the measurement was taken. Observation showed that water was being dammed by organic debris somewhere under the south bridge and resumed at the southwest corner of the south bridge, which is where one velocity measurement was obtained. Methane bubbles were also seen when one would step down into the sediment. Live clams were also present on the river floor. -The site was accessed by taking Skokie Highway (US-41) north and exiting on Deerfield Rd. Proceed east until you cross the Skokie River. Turn right at Fredrickson Pl and you will notice a community pool on your left hand side. Visitors can park on Fredrickson Pl. Cross the street and proceed to the Deerfield bridge. Site is easy to access and spacious enough to accommodate a group of five. Site can be sampled by wading, but if the river is to high sampling can be done by bridge. -Visitors to the site should be aware of traffic and children around due to the area it is in. -For people wanting to access the site it is important to go past Fredrickson Pl and the little wetland area to the southeast corner of the Deerfield Rd. bridge. This is the most accessible access to the river.
Site 4 Location: West Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River at Deerfield Rd Highland Park Quadrangle Field Conditions: Site was visited on July 21, 2009 at 12:11 p.m. Field Personal included Erik Gilmore and Patricia Downie Field Settings: -The river was sampled along the east bank on the north side of the bridge. The river was turbid, and slow moving. The banks of the river had lush vegetation and the banks themselves were very muddy. - Site is located in a residential, suburban area - At the time of visit river was expierencing low levels.
- The site is accessed by parking on Holly Ln and waking north to Deerfield Rd and proceeding east to the bridge. The sampling site is under the northeast corner of the bridge. There is a tiny trail that leads down to the river. It is a very tight fit on the banks but the site can accomodate more people under the bridge. The site was shallow enough to wade but in times of flooding the river can be sampled from the bridge.
- When visitors are trying to access the site via the trail on northeast side of the bridge beware of your footing. It is a steep bank with lots of vegetation and concrete boulders. One must also be careful of where you put your equipment. The ground was very muddy and there was no flat surface to place equipement on. Also use caution when crossing Deerfield Rd due to heavy traffic.
- One the day of access the property that the trail is on was up for sale so no one was to be contacted. If accessing the site when the property is not vacant one would want to talk to the property owners to obtain permission in taking the samples. There is also a gauging station at the site which measures....
Site 5 Location:
West Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River at Techny Road
Park Ridge Quadrangle
Field Conditions:
Site tested on July 28, 2009 at10:45 am
Personal included Patricia Downie, Ruanlly Santizo, Erik Gilmore, and Bradley Henning
Field Settings:
-The river was sampled along the east bank on the north side of the Techny bridge. The banks of the stream has lush vegetation. The river floor of the stream had plenty of open bivalves and was rocky with pebble sized sediments.
- The site is located adjacent to a busy road and a new business facility named Northbrook River Park Facility in a suburban area.
- At the time of visit, the stream was experiencing very low levels and could be sampled by wading. At times of high volume, the river can be sampled from the bridge.
- The site is easily accessible by parking at the nearby facility on the north side of Techny Rd. From there, walk a few feet south toward Techny Road. Proceed to walk west towards the river across a small open field. This open field has tall grass that presented little to no difficulty to walk over. Although, it's a tight fit on the banks due to the lush vegetation, the site can acommodate about 4 to 5 people for testing purposes. A larger crowd can be accommodated further up the banks of the river.
- Visitors should be aware of traffic because there is no traffic light, crossing pattern, bike routes, etc. Also, caution must be taken when sampling and testing. There's a drainage system connecting to the river. The content of this drainage water is unknown. The water was somewhat turbid at this particular section.
- On the day of sampling, businesses were not open and parking was abundant. It's important to note that the south side of the bridge was not accessible. There's no need to cross Techny road.
- In site measurements were taken for dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, conductivity, temperature, pH and velocity. Water samples were taken from the stream. More measurements were taken from the drainage system such as DO, pH, temperature, and conductivity. In addition to water samples, soil samples were taken from the banks of the stream. This was analyzed in the soil lab on August 5, 2009.
Site 6
Location:
West fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River at Grove Bridge
Park Ridge Quadrangle
Field Conditions:
Site tested on July 28, 2009
Personal included Patricia Downie, Ruanlly Santizo, Erik Gilmore, and Bradley Henning
Field Settings:
- The river was sampled along the west bank on the north side of the Grove Bridge. The banks of the river had lush green vegetation. The river floor was littered with silt and clay. The sediments were so fine that it made it very hard to navigate the river floor. There were frogs living in the area, and mollusks were observed in the river.
- This site is located next to Grove Road which is a two way street . The sampling site is located next to a household, in a residential area, on the northeast side of the stream. This is a suburban area. - At the time of visit, the river was turbid downstream due to construction just south of our testing location. With every step, the water turned increasingly turbid. The river level seemed somewhat low, but chest waders were utilized at the site.
- The site was easily accessible by car. There was no parking lot available, but there was plenty of parking on the streets dispite the construction. Parking was done on the southeast side, just after the bridge. By walking north to the bridge and proceeding west on Glenview Rd, the site was accessed There is a house located on the site, so permission needed to be granted before sampling. The owners of the house weren't present at the time of visit but the neighbor approached us and gave permission. While sampling and taking measurements, the homeowner returned home and we had a brief discussion about our project and he had no issues with us sampling in this area.
- The north side of the bridge was considered for sampling due to a construction site on the southwest side of the river. Water chemistry must have changed due to the construction there; therefore, we moved on to the northwest side across the bridge. Although the northeast side was unaccessible, the northwest bank was not and can accommodate a large group. There was also a flat grassy area to place equipment on.
- In site measurements were taken for Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity, Conductivity, Temperature, pH and Velocity. Water samples were taken from the stream in plastic bottle to test for phosphate, nitrate, and sulfate concentrations.
- There was a pleasant "flowering" smell similar to fresh bayleaves.
- There was a large metal structure on the southwest bank of the river. On this side, there's a small side street connected to a church. The metal structure is used for chanelization.
- A small drainage pipe connects to the northwest bank and was coming from the house.
- Visitors should be aware of the parking regulations. The street is very narrow and no cross walk, so visitors should be careful when crossing the bridge due to the two way traffic.
Site 7 Location: North Branch of Chicago River Park Ridge Quadrangle Field Conditions: Site was visited on July 28, 2009 at 1:02 p.m. Field Personal included Erik Gilmore, Patricia Downie, Brad Henning, and Ruanlly Santizo Field Settings: - Sampling took place on the west side of the North Branch just south of Beckwith Rd Bridge. Clastic sediments and plant life were along the banks of the river. Shell debris and algae littered the river bottom. On the bank of the river, large samples of conglomerate littered the area. - The site is located in a suburban area just outside of the Forest County Forest Preserve. - There were dead fish present on the banks at the time the site was sampled along with crustacean shells on the banks - The site was accessed by driving east on Beckwith Rd to the North Branch of the Chicago River. By parking east of the bridge on the south side of Beckwith, one has to take the sidewalk west, past the bridge, and take the trail to your left. Take this trail south to the banks of the river where a large group can be accommodated. The site is shallow enough to wade, but in times of high flow one can sample off the bridge. - This site is located right next to a golf course, so it is important to be aware of golfers and their golf balls.
DAILY VARIATIONS IN WATER CHEMISTRY OF GOMPERS PARK THROUGH VARYING WATER ENVIRONMENTS
Patricia Downie, Eric Leahy, David Salinas, Thaddeus Cellak, Erick Gilmore, JJ Mulliken, Ruanlly Santizo, Brad Henning, Prof. Jean Hemzacek, Dr. Laura Sanders, Dr. Ken Voglesonger.
Dept. of Earth Science, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 North St. Louis Ave. Chicago, IL. 60625.
The study conducted investigated how water chemistry at Gompers Park changed in its course through multiple aquatic environments. The source of flow in the park was found to be a well with city tap water flowing through a series of aquatic environments and ending in a lagoon. This lagoon occasionally serves as the overflow for high levels in the North Branch of the Chicago River. These changes in environments are hypothesized to affect certain parameters of water quality such as pH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), and Conductivity. Multiple samples and measurements were made over several weeks from various environments around the park and at different times of day.
The importance of the project is to further an understanding and demonstrate how water quality changes in a small urban aquatic environment. Familiarization with current technology in analyzing data was essential in accurate and repeatable results. Tools include probes for water measurements and topographical maps for survey purposes. Data was collected and cross analyzed by two groups in order to come up with a baseline of data describing the area.
Results from the project demonstrate how wide of a range of results are possible in a small aquatic environment. With today’s aquatic environments so culturally strained by local urban environments it is incredibly important to have a thorough understanding of how a local water system functions. One result found shows how in the earlier day pH is lower and later in the day pH is higher. This function is believed to be a result from phytoplankton and plants using more CO2 during the middle of the day, causing a higher alkalinity. Other results expected include changes in DO and conductivity as flow progresses through the various aquatic environments. WATER QUALITY VARIATIONS OF THE SKOKIE RIVER, WEST FORK, AND NORTH BRANCH OF THE CHICAGO RIVER
Ruanlly Santizo, Patricia Downie, Erik Gilmore, Jean Hemzacek, Bradley Henning, Laura Sanders, Ken Voglesonger, Department of Earth Science, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, Illinois 60625-4699
The purpose of this project was to investigate the chemical and physical variations in the North Branch of the Chicago River, and its tributaries, the Skokie River and the West Fork. Various water quality parameters were measured and compared to historical data. The research was a compilation of in situ measurements and laboratory analysis. The preliminary data show similarities in the tributaries, including a downstream increase in sulfate (SO42-) and electrical conductivity, and a slight decrease in dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, and pH. Phosphate (PO43-) increased downstream along the West Fork. There was no significant change in phosphate along the measured section of the Skokie River.
Factors that can affect sulfate, phosphate, DO, and conductivity in these tributaries include anthropogenic factors, input from shale and sulfate minerals in bedrock and surficial sediments, and organic matter decay. Anthropogenic factors include wastewater discharge, fossil fuel burning, agricultural run-off, and the presence of detergents within runoff and other inputs to the rivers. High concentrations of phosphate can lead to a decrease in DO concentrations. DO concentrations range from 2.20 to 11.71 mg/L in the study area. Other factors such as temperature, wind, turbidity, surface interface, and seasonal factors can also affect DO levels. One possible explanation for the relationship between DO and phosphate concentrations is the anthropogenic input of phosphate leading to a decrease in DO concentrations due to growth and decay of organic matter. Further study will examine the potential anthropogenic factors influencing DO and phosphate concentrations in this urban region. |
The site report on West Fork at Techny isn't a finish product. It will be updated soon.
Excel Sheet of site data is in the attachments section!
Excel sheet updated
excel sheet now includes soil characteristics
Added a google earth pic for the west fork of the north branch of the chicago river which is site 5
Added the abstract for the SACNAS Conference