Return to the White Clay Watershed Association Home Page

STREAMWATCH 2003

Streamwatch was done differently in 2003. Previously sample collection and sample processing was all done by volunteer members of the Watershed Association. In 2003 the Watershed Association made a grant to Stroud to help support a group of ten college students who worked as interns at Stroud over the summer. At Stroud, they were trained in the techniques and science of water quality assessment. The Summer Interns involved in the White Clay Creek Study for 2003 were Erin Colbert, Kristin Comolli, Amber Eck, Heather Eggleston, Eryn Jackson, Jen Korth, Gordon Rose, Matthew Spaits, Samuel Voss and Jeanna Wright

As in previous years, the water quality assessment was done by sampling and identifying aquatic insects (macroinvertebrates). Samples from fifteen sites on the White Clay Creek were collected on March 22, 2003. Then, over the summer, the students identified, classified, and counted the invertebrates from each site. The data was processed to produce MAIS (Macroinvertebrate Aggregated Index for Streams) ratings for each site. The students presented their results for the White Clay Creek at a public meeting held at Stroud on August 6th. They reported that the MAIS scores generally dropped the further downstream you went. John Jackson, an associate research scientist at Stroud and overseer of the interns, said that there were multiple causes for this degradation, and that further research was needed to determine primary causes and appropriate remedial action.

The Summer Interns at Stroud

The MAIS (Macroinvertebrate Aggregated Index for Streams) ratings for sites along the White Clay Creek (click here for map of White Clay Creek showing sampling station locations). Note that generally water quality deteriorates as you go downstream.

Return to the White Clay Watershed Association Home Page