A Water Quality Analysis Of A "Moose Pond" Downstream From The Ok Well Field, Central Vermont
Amanda Fafard (ES '05)
The water quality of a "Moose Pond in the Cox Brook Drainage Basin in Moretown, Vermont was studied. The purpose of this study was to analyze the pond water and the surrounding wetlands to see the changes in the water quality over time, given the changes in seasons and other natural factors such as the amount of discharge, the geology of the area, and temperature. Water samples were taken upstream from the pond and it's wetland, near the inlet within the wetland, and at the outlet of the pond. Samples were analyzed using a DREL/2000, Basic Water Quality Laboratory Hach Kit and a Thermo Jarrell Ash ICAP 61 spectrometer. Water and air temperature, and the discharge of the stream were also major components of this study. Concentrations of most major elements (calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium, iron and aluminum) rose over the course of the study (Fig. 1).
figure 1
However, on any given day, concentrations dropped progressively as water passed through the pond. The ratio of these elements remained constant throughout the entire site, showing that the major elements were not used more in one area than the others (Fig. 2).
figure 2
Turbidity dropped and the PH became more basic as water passed through the system; the trends of oxygen and carbon dioxide correlate inversely (Fig. 3).
figure 3