River Testing

1. Before actually testing the river, i assumed we would recieve bad water quality results. With the recent flooding occuring, I assumed that the nitrogen levels and the phosphorous levels in the water, would be extremely high along with the dissolved oxygen levels. I also thought we would recieve high numbers in the fecal coliform area. With recent work being done on the sewer lines, being immediately followed by a sever flood, I assumed that some of our human wastes had to have entered the water.

I guess...that before the tests, I wasn't giving our river enough credit. I was prepared for the worst, and i was even a little aprehensive about going near it, to do the tests. From all the bad things i've heard about the river, and after all the things I've seen thrown in it, i immediately judged the water quality of the Grand River, at being the worst it could be.

2. At the river i learned alot. With the help of Woldumar, I learned about what actually goes into acurate river evalution. I also learned alot about what causes the different changes in water quality. There are many things in our natural environment that can hider our water quality. Not only do these things enter the water naturally, they can also enter the water by human activity.

Another thing I learned at the river, was how vast aquatic life really is. We seriously found soooo many macroinvertebrates, that I never though could exist. Seeing these different organisms made me realize how expansive biodiversity really is.

3. I wasn't in charge of completeing a particular water test, therefore i do not have my own Q-Value. From what I have observed though, and from other groups results, we can infer that the water quality in the Grand River in Eaton Rapids, isn't really that bad, but rather satisfactory. The overall satisfactory water quality explains why there is so many macroinvertebrates living in our waters successfully.

The outcome of our results is the exact opposite of my perception. i guess that just proves, you can't judge a book by its cover...