Special to the Daily News
CAMPBELL, MINN. — Campbell-Tintah's River Watch team has been busy this school year already monitoring streams within the Rabbit River area and Bois de Sioux Watershed. The group was out Sept. 17 gathering data, joined by new Red River Water Management Board Monitoring Specialist Evelyn Ashiamah-Finch.
The students measure the depth of the water, then use a sonde (probe) lowered into the river to measure the water’s temperature, electrical conductivity (tells about amount of dissolved materials), pH (how acidic/alkaline), and dissolved oxygen content (suitability for living things). Advertisement
They also remove a water sample with a Van Doren grab sampler and use a transparency tube and a turbidimeter to determine the clarity of the water.
Prior to the sampling session, students calibrate the sonde and turbidimeter using standardized solutions. During the session, they are required to randomly resample one site as a quality control measure, ensuring their equipment is working properly and they are carrying out sampling procedures consistently.
Current student members of the group are sophomores Jon Finamore and Alison Guzik, and freshmen Josh Church, Tresa Deal and Courtney Walkup.
They were also active this summer, sampling in July and August.
The group is supported by the Bois de Sioux Watershed District (BDSWD), which supplies their equipment and underwrites other program costs. BDSWD also supports the program at Wheaton and Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley high schools, and hopes to include Herman-Norcross High School soon as well.
The River Watch program involves more than 30 schools in Minnesota, North Dakota and Manitoba, Canada, as well as some other groups and individuals.
The information is used locally, nationally and internationally by watershed management groups in decision making processes.
