Stream Monitoring Research:

• SM -- collects data on stream health and aquatic life (AH)

• The Federal Clean Water Act + Virginia state law require Virginia Department of Environment Quality to monitor all of the stream and their health throughout the state (AH)

• Access physical and chemical parameters, bacteriological quality, stream habit, and aquatic life in these waters (TO)

• The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is required by law to monitor all streams in Virginia (BA)

• In Fairfax county, at least, the equipment is provided by the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (BA)

• Aquatic insects are the important part of the food chain, some of these organisms are more sensitive to pollution than others. (EZ)

  • Monitoring the aquatic insects takes place twice a year – spring and fall. (EZ)

  • The type and numbers of organisms found in a stream can be used to measure the suitability of the stream for aquatic life (EZ)

• Algal Blooms are a threat to streams and something that should be prevented with monitoring and protection (BA)

• Algal blooms can be threat if too much algae grow; however, they are the essential species to oxygenate water and convert inorganic matter into organic matter. (HI)

• Algal blooms are likely to occur during summer when the temperature is not low, and sunlight is provided. (HI)

• dead zones are formed due to the excessive algae on the water's surface. (HI)

• Dead zones leads to reduction of species in the water. (HI)

• How the stream flows is also important to monitor because streams and rivers can move. To prevent, erosion this is something steam monitoring keeps an eye on (BA)

• What It Does:

• Determines whether the water is safe to interact with, such as swim in it. (MV)

• Determines if people preserving the body of water are making progress, or not. (MV)

• Stream Monitoring -- monitores macroinvertebrates (AH)

  • • aquatic insrcts (ie mayflies), crustaceans (ie craufish) and mallusks (ie clams) (AH)

    • Since the monst importan part of teh food chain is the bottom (plankton and whatnot (AH)

• Stream Monitoring helps to reveal the health and composition of streams, rivers and lakes. (JW)

• It's also a way to indicate whether the methods we are using to improve water quality is effective or not. (JW)

• How It Works:

  • Orinazation trains volunteers to assess ecological conditions in streams based on the abudance and presence of aquatic insects (AH)

• Regualr measumerent -- taking regualr mesurment is importan since the acidiy of each stream is difrent and needed to be wtch closely because of acid rain (AH)

• River life is a big give away to the river's health (AH)

  • a lot of algea means a lot of nutrients (AH)

  • a lot of worms and midgesr or less fish means unhelathy steam (AH)