Wetlands: Water Quality Testing

Introduction:
Wetlands can provide a habitat for hundreds of plant and animal species. An important factor in all of those plants and animals survival and health in a wetland habitat is the quality of the water.
To explore the water quality in our wetlands we will be testing 8 different things:

Temperature
pH
Phosphate Levels
Turbidity
Salinity
Conductivity
Total Dissolved Solids
Oxygen Levels

To carry out these water quality tests 6 stations have been set up, some are inside the lab while others will be out in the wetlands. A description of each station is on page 3.
We will be doing this activity in tribes, but each person must have a copy of the results.

Aim:
To assess the water quality of the wetlands
Materials:
Each Tribe Will need:
- Map of the wetlands
- 5 labelled beakers
- Thermometer
At each station you will be provided with the equipment for carrying out the water quality tests.

Procedure:
Each tribe will be collecting 5 water samples, 2 from the small pond and 3 from the large pond. Try and spread out the points where you collect the water, and make sure you indicate the location of each sample of the map of the wetlands provided.

1) Collect 5 beakers for your samples and label them.
2) In the wetlands collect sample 1, record the temperature of the sample and where in the ponds you sampled it from.
3) Repeat this for the other 4 water samples.
4) Move to the first station you were allocated, and carry out the test there following the instructions given.
5) Record the results in the table provided.

6)When instructed, move onto the next station number (the tribe at station 6 will move to station 1).

Station Number / What You’re testing here / Location / What you’re doing
1 / -Salinity
-Conductivity
-Total Dissolved Solids / Inside the Lab / Following the instructions given, use the diode to test all 5 samples of water
2 / Oxygen / Inside the lab / Carefully following the instructions as to how of each chemical to use and in what order, test the oxygen level of one sample from the large pond and 1 from the small pond.
3 / Phosphate / Inside the lab / Carefully following the instructions test one sample from the large pond and one from the small pond.
4 / Total Dissolved Salts / Inside the Lab / Using the method of evaporation outlined, test one sample from the big pond and one from the small pond.
5 / Turbidity / In the wetlands / Using the turbidity tube, test samples of water from the 5 different locations.
6 / pH / In the wetlands / Using the pH paper strips provided, match the colour change of your strip to a pH value on the chart provided.