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My group will measure standard water quality parameters in the Saginaw River and several of its tributaries. Three of these: the Tittabawassee, the Cass, and the Shiawassee, empty into the Saginaw very near to each other, so the mouths of each can be sampled by boat during all sampling trips. Additionally, each of the rivers will be tested at one or two sites upriver to their confluence spots. Our primary focus will be determination of microbial contamination using a method called Colilert, which measures E. colias a fecal indicator bacterium. Our previous studies have shown high concentrations of bacteria in the Cass River, while the Saginaw River rarely had levels above those allowable for human contact. It will be interesting to retest these two rivers as well as to gauge the amount of contamination in other major rivers of the watershed. To complement the bacterial studies, on site measurements will be done that include dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, turbidity, and potentially chlorophyll. In lab determinations of P (total phosphorus and soluble reactive phosphate) and N (nitrates and ammonia) will also be undertaken. Other testing will be considered, based on the group members’ interests. These analyses will provide a nice picture of the health of theSaginaw River and the influence of the three tributaries on this health. Relationships between the various water quality parameters and microbial contamination will be evaluated in detail, by researching previously reported data and comparing it to that obtained from this study.
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