Winooski River - Tier 2 Report - Sandra Fary, 10/18/17

Physical Parameters Assessment

Investigator Name(s):

S. Fary's 7th Grade Science Class

Collection Date & Time:

Wednesday, October 18, 2017 - 9:00am

School:

Camel's Hump Middle School

Watershed:

Winooski Basin

River:

Winooski River

Monitoring Site:

Huntington River at Horseshoe Bend

Site Description:

The water is relatively calm. A riparian buffer borders the stream. Mature deciduous and coniferous trees are along the edge, and on one side an Audubon trail meanders along. There is a swimming hole upstream. A variety of cobble sizes are in the stream.

Surrounding Development or Land Use:

Farm

Residential

Forest

Crops

Road Along Bank

Do you see any pipes entering into the river?:

Is there a water treatment plant upstream?:

Canopy Cover:

0-25%

Water Appearance:

Clear

Green

Tea-colored

Water Odor:

Odorless

Average Embeddedness:

26-50%

Average Velocity:

0.13m/s

Physical Summary:

The site is located across from the Audubon Center. Huntington Road runs along one side, and the other is bordered by a trail and parking area. While there are mature trees along both sides of the river, standing in the middle, there is little canopy cover. Depending on where we looked, the water appearance varied slightly. In the slower waters, the pools, there was a greenish appearance. And in some other pools, the water was tea-colored. Mostly, however, the water was clear. Streamed composition consisted of a mixture of cobbles, gravels, and sand. The streambank was moderately stable, as some areas of erosion were visible. The depth was chest deep and the velocity was moderately fast. Streambed cover consisted of submerged logs, stumps, tree roots, and large rocks. Along the edge trees, shrubs, and grasses. The buffer zone is greater than 30.5 meters. Overall, the assessment rating of this site is "good."

Exact Location

Latitude:

44.35

Longitude:

-72.99

Weather

Present:

Clear/Sunny

Past 48 Hours:

Clear/Sunny

Overcast

Showers

Average Transparency/Turbidity

No Impact: >60 cm - 17cm = 0-50 ntu
Possible Impact: 17 - 8cm = 65-150 ntu
Impacted: 8 - < 6 cm = >150 ntu

Height of Water Column:

120.00cm

Turbidity:

6.00NTU

Chemical Assessment

Average Temperature:

10.00°C

Average pH:

6.50

Average Orthophosphate PO4-3:

0.07mg/L

Average Dissolved Oxygen:

11.00mg/L

Field Notes:

There is possible impact of phosphorus. Temperature and dissolved oxygen are very good. The pH is slightly acidic, but not too bad. Overall, this is a healthy stream.

Stream Habitat Assessment

Streambed Composition:

Mixture of cobbles, gravels, and sand (3)

Streambank Stability:

Moderately stable banks – some areas of erosion visible (1)

Deepest pool is at least:

Chest deep (3)

Velocity:

Moderately fast – slowly takes objects downstream (1)

Riparian Vegetation:

Mixture of trees, shrubs, and grasses (3)

Riparian Vegetative Zone Width:

Buffer zone is greater than 100 feet (3)

Streambed Cover

Rock ledges:

Submerged logs, stumps, or tree roots:

Large rocks:

Artificial objects:

Other:

Stream Habitat Quality Score

Calculated by adding all of the points from the above fields.

18-22 (Excellent)
11-17 (Good)
6-10 (Fair)
0-5 (Poor)

Stream Habitat Quality Score for This Report:

Biological Assessment

PT Group 1 (Intolerant)

Stonefly Nymph:

Mayfly Nymph:

Caddis Fly Larvae:

Riffle Beetle:

Right-Handed Snail:

# of Taxa:

PT Group 2 (Moderately Intolerant)

Cranefly Larvae:

# of Taxa:

PT Group 3 (Fairly Tolerant)

# of Taxa:

PT Group 4 (Very Tolerant)

Aquatic Worms:

# of Taxa:

Pollution Tolerance Index Rating

Calculated as follows:
4*(# of Taxa in PT Group 1) + 3*(# of Taxa in PT Group 2) + 2*(# of Taxa in PT Group 3) + 1*(# of Taxa in PT Group 4)

23+ (Excellent)
17-22 (Good)
11-16 (Fair)
0-10 (Poor)

PTI Rating for This Report:

24.00