Scientist for a Day!
On April 10th, our group got to visit three different locations in Berks County and got the opportunity to test the water quality in our own backyard. Starting with Tulpehocken creek, then the Maiden creek, and lastly the Willow creek, we tested for the presence of many nutrients and chemicals. Among them, pH, conductivity, phosphates, dissolved oxygen, temperature, nitrates. Recording of these measurements are documented in a special data entry app for Berks Nature that can be accessed by fellow environmentalist and even NASA! We had so much fun looking at the results and comparing the different creeks. For example, Willow creek had a higher phosphate reading because it was abundant with algae, in contrast with Maiden and Tulpenhocken creek. This was a unique experience that will have a permanent impact in our environmental science studies and broadens our understanding of our own waters. This also educated us on what we can do to maintain our waters healthy and mainly keep them clean; not only in physical waste, but as well as the chemicals and invasive items we might introduce to our hydro environment.
