Berks Nature: Water Testing – Flower Power

Team Liaison: Nive Anand; Team Leader(s): Erin Shaffert and Gigi Chiponis; Track Leader: Adilen Pena.

Who We Are:

(from left to right)

Adilen Pena: 

Freshmen at Penn State Berks majoring in Business

Gianna “Gigi” Chiponis:

Sophomore at Penn State Berks majoring in Hospitality Management

Erin Shaffert: 

Sophomore at Penn State Berks majoring in Hospitality Management

Nive Anand:

Sophomore at Penn State Berks majoring in Marketing  

Research Issue/Our Focus

For our service component, we are collaborating with Berks Nature to conduct water testing at three distinct locations. Our initial site is Northkill Creek on the Sand Spring Trail, which serves as a control for our other tests. Secondly, we examined the water quality at Northkill Farm. Lastly, we conducted tests at Plum Creek, a confluence of two downstream rivers.

Water testing in action

Our Service

Throughout our service project we went to 3 different streams, at Northkill (near Sand Spring trail), Northkill Boundary Road, and Plum Creek downstream (Reber’s Bridge). One being a very clean stream, one being near a farm, and the last one being downstream from a wastewater treatment plant, in order to get a variety with our data results. We worked with Steve, Marilyn, and Jane from Berk’s Nature to test the water quality of these streams. In order to test the water quality of the streams, we did a multitude of tests that included testing: dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, phosphate, nitrate, transparency, chloride, air temperature, and water temperature. Throughout this experience we learned a lot about the importance of water quality, and how not only do these tests, but water organisms are a reflection of the quality of water.

Reflection

Working with Berks Nature and conducting water testing has been a real learning experience. It’s not just about the practical stuff but understanding how what we do affects the health of our water. A huge thanks to Marilyn and Steve for guiding us and showing how teamwork is crucial for looking after our environment. Checking water quality at different spots, like Northkill Creek and Plum Creek, gave us insights into the local variations and how our actions impact water. This project has opened our eyes to our role in keeping water clean. Now, we’re extra mindful of our daily habits, making sure we’re doing our part to protect this important resource.

Poster Session

On November 29, 2023 our BISC 3 class gathered in Perkins MPR2 to present our service projects to the students and community.