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The monitoring program begins with choosing a location to sample. Sampling location is dictated by the school’s proximity to the desired watershed. There is considerable advantage to selecting a location within reasonable walking distance from the school. These advantages translate to savings with respect to transportation costs and scheduling conflicts which may derive from lengthy trips. Three locations were selected for this pilot which are all within walking distance from the school. This allows all classes to get to the sampling locations, sample, and return within a 90 minute laboratory session.
Once a location has been chosen, students are asked to create a list of tests to be run based on the QAPP. It may be advantageous to provide a list of possible tests for which the instrumentation is available to assist your students.
Test types fall into two broad categories from the sampling perspective, those done on site and those done on samples taken back to the lab. Tests done on site generally use probe ware to measure such parameters as; Air Temperature, Water Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, pH and Conductivity. Tests requiring analysis of grab samples done upon return to the lab could include Chloride, Nitrates, Phosphates or other solutes.
Students need to determine what equipment will be needed for sampling, create a checklist for the equipment which will be taken to the site and determine procedures for sampling, labeling and storage of samples with a checklist for each procedure and a master Field Data Sheet (see LOPA sheet below). Students will organize the materials required, test instruments to ascertain the level of certainty possible and then to perform sampling. They will test on site parameters and record information required on the data collection sheet. Grab samples are collected, labeled and stored for return to the lab. Samples brought back to the lab for analysis will be stored in the acceptable manner and tested when student time allows.
Students will test samples to determine the concentrations of desired solutes. Samples will be analyzed using Hach Kits or other appropriate lab apparatus. Where possible standard curves will be generated for comparison of samples of known concentrations with those of grab samples. This activity can be done for many different types of solutes using a titration method and spectrophotometer.
Results will
be logged into an excel spread sheet.
Analysis will be done using standard statistical method and the results
will be reported in a Water Quality Forum with other class work generated by
use of this Curriculum.