Arts and Crafts and Procedures
A “How To” Guide on Chemical Testing
by Eden Petrilla
Objective:
Collect a sample of the water in Fox Run and perform chemical tests to said water
Materials:
Procedure:
1.First, remember to have fun because today is the last day of your life up to this point!
2.Second, it is recommended to record the time of day, date, weather conditions, and observations about storm water runoff drain before testing because then it is known if the weather/storm water runoff drain will have an effect of the results of the chemical testing.
3.Next, a water sample must be taken before chemical testing. Find a spot that gives an overall representation of the section of the stream being analyzed, which is the same location where the BMI was collected last time.
4.After locating the area of which the water sample will be taken, rinse out the vial 2 to 3 times with the stream water before taking the sample to test.
5.Then use the vial to collect the water sample in the part of the section of the stream that is well mixed and that will not end up putting sediment from the bottom into the sample. So, really, do as Mrs. Will.i.ams, the “GREATEST TEACHER EVER,” once said, “Take [the] sample from the middle of the middle.” Make sure not to collect the sample from the portion of the stream storm water runoff drain empties into, but collect the sample upstream from that location.
6.Now, follow the directions for each test-the tests being phosphates, nitrates, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, pH, turbidity, colour, odor, temperature, and coliform bacteria-as written. DO NOT write out a procedure for each test.
7.Remember to only dump stream water into the stream and to only dump stream water with chemicals into a Tidy Cat Bucket.
8.Always wash hands immediately after completing chemical testing just in case skin comes in contact with any of the test chemicals.
9.Finally, organize the data collected with the rest of the class on the class chart.
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