Water Quality Monitoring on the Mississippi River - Sampling Equipment and Demonstration

Summary

Jim Rudolph, an environmental specialist at MWMO, demonstrates river water quality sampling techniques. Using a Secchi tube to measure clarity and a sonde to record pH, temperature, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen, he collects water samples with a Van Dorn sampler. The comprehensive data collection aims to identify trends and focus efforts on improving water quality by analyzing pollutants and their sources over time.

Takeaways

• 🌿 Jim Rudolph is an environmental specialist at MWMO, focusing on river water quality sampling.
• 📏 The Secchi tube is a tool used to measure water clarity by discerning black and white quadrants on a submerged disk.
• 🌡️ The water quality sonde is equipped with sensors to measure pH, temperature, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen levels.
• 📍 MWMO conducts sampling at seven sites with varying frequencies, including quarterly and bi-monthly checks.
• 🔬 A Van Dorn sampler is utilized to collect water samples by spring-loading the ends of a tube to capture water at a specific depth.
• 💧 The process of collecting samples involves cleaning the sampler and releasing the caps underwater to fill a sample bottle.
• 📝 A comprehensive list of analytes is tested, requiring a minimum of seven liters of water for analysis.
• 🔍 Data collection aims to identify trends over time, which helps in understanding the river's health and pollution levels.
• 📉 Analytes tested include total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, phosphorus, nitrogen, nitrates, and metals.
• 📈 Long-term data analysis enables targeted efforts to improve water quality by identifying specific pollutants and areas of concern.
• 🛠️ The environmental work at MWMO is crucial for monitoring and enhancing the ecological integrity of the river system.

Q & A

What is the role of Jim Rudolph in the video script?

Jim Rudolph is an environmental specialist at MWMO (Metropolitan Water and Soil Improvement District), and he is responsible for conducting river water quality sampling.

What are the three main activities Jim and his team perform during the water quality sampling?

The three main activities are obtaining a Secchi tube reading, a water quality sonde reading, and collecting water samples.

How often are the water quality samplings conducted at the seven sites mentioned in the script?

One site is sampled quarterly, while the others are sampled twice a month.

What is a Secchi tube and how is it used to measure water quality?

A Secchi tube is a one-meter long plastic tube with a black and white divided disk. It is used to measure the clarity of the water by pulling the string until the black and white quadrants can just be distinguished.

What sensors does the water quality sonde have and what do they measure?

The water quality sonde has sensors that measure pH, temperature, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen levels.

What is the purpose of the Van Dorn sampler in the water sampling process?

The Van Dorn sampler is a tube with two spring-loaded ends used to collect water samples from about three feet under the water surface.

How is the water sample collected using the Van Dorn sampler?

The sampler is lowered into the water, dipped a few times to clean it, and then released to collect the sample in an eight-liter bottle.

What is the significance of collecting a list of analytes during the water sampling?

The extensive list of analytes, including total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, phosphorus, nitrogen, nitrates, and metals, helps in identifying trends over time and focusing efforts on improving water quality.

How does analyzing the data collected over time help in understanding the river's water quality?

Trend analysis of the data over a substantial amount of time can reveal patterns that indicate which parts of the river are affected by specific pollutants, guiding targeted efforts for water quality improvement.

Why is it important to collect at least seven liters of water for the analytes?

Collecting at least seven liters ensures that there is a sufficient volume for conducting comprehensive tests on the various analytes to get a representative assessment of the water quality.

What does MWMO stand for and what kind of organization is it?

MWMO stands for Metropolitan Water and Soil Improvement District, which is an organization focused on environmental conservation and improvement of water and soil quality.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 Environmental Sampling Techniques

Jim Rudolph, an environmental specialist at MWMO, introduces the process of river water quality sampling. This involves the use of a Secchi tube to measure clarity, a water quality sonde to assess parameters like pH, temperature, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen, and a Van Dorn sampler for collecting water samples. The script details the quarterly and bi-monthly sampling at seven different sites, emphasizing the importance of these measurements in understanding water quality trends over time.

Keywords

💡Environmental Specialist

An environmental specialist is a professional who focuses on the study, preservation, and improvement of the natural environment. In the video, Jim Rudolph identifies himself as an environmental specialist, indicating his role in conducting water quality assessments and monitoring. His expertise is central to the video's theme of environmental monitoring and data collection.

💡River Water Quality Sampling

River water quality sampling is the process of collecting and analyzing water samples from a river to assess its purity and health. The video script describes this process, emphasizing its importance in environmental monitoring. The act of sampling is directly related to the main theme of the video, showcasing the practical steps taken to evaluate and maintain water quality.

💡Secchi Tube

A Secchi tube is a tool used to measure the turbidity or clarity of a water body by observing the depth at which a black and white disk can no longer be distinguished. In the script, the Secchi tube is used to obtain a reading that helps determine water clarity, which is a key indicator of water quality and is integral to the video's demonstration of water sampling techniques.

💡Water Quality Sonde

A water quality sonde is a device equipped with sensors to measure various water parameters such as pH, temperature, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen. The script mentions this sonde as a critical tool for gathering data on water quality at different sites. It exemplifies the technological aspect of environmental monitoring, directly contributing to the video's educational message.

💡Van Dorn Sampler

The Van Dorn sampler is a device used for collecting water samples from specific depths in a body of water. It consists of a tube with spring-loaded ends that open to collect water when released. In the video, the Van Dorn sampler is used to obtain water samples for further analysis, illustrating a practical method of sample collection that is central to the video's focus on water quality assessment.

💡Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

Total dissolved solids refer to the combined weight of all inorganic and organic substances present in a liquid in molecular, ionized, or micro-granular suspended form. The script mentions TDS as one of the parameters analyzed from the water samples, indicating its relevance to understanding water purity and the overall health of the aquatic ecosystem.

💡Total Suspended Solids (TSS)

Total suspended solids are the particles that remain suspended in the water and are not dissolved. They can affect water clarity and quality. In the context of the video, TSS is one of the analytes measured, providing insight into the presence of suspended particles that could impact the river's health.

💡Phosphorus

Phosphorus is a vital nutrient for plant growth but can become a pollutant in water bodies when present in excessive amounts, leading to eutrophication. The script notes phosphorus as part of the analytes list, highlighting its importance in water quality monitoring and the potential environmental impact of its presence in rivers.

💡Nitrogen

Nitrogen is an essential element for life but can also contribute to water pollution when in certain forms, such as nitrates or ammonia. The video script includes nitrogen in the list of analytes, emphasizing its role in assessing the nutrient levels and potential pollution in the river water.

💡Nitrates

Nitrates are a form of nitrogen that can contribute to water pollution, particularly in aquatic ecosystems where high levels can lead to harmful algal blooms. The mention of nitrates in the script underscores the comprehensive nature of the water quality analysis being conducted, focusing on various forms of nitrogen that are critical for environmental health.

💡Metals

Metals in water can be a sign of pollution from industrial or natural sources and can have toxic effects on aquatic life. The script lists metals as part of the extensive analytes to be measured, indicating the broad scope of contaminants assessed in the water quality sampling process, which is crucial for identifying and addressing pollution sources.

Highlights

Jim Rudolph is an environmental specialist at MWMO.

Today's activity involves river water quality sampling.

Secchi tube reading and water quality sonde reading are part of the sampling process.

John is responsible for collecting water samples.

There are seven sampling sites with different sampling frequencies.

The Secchi tube is a meter-long plastic tube with a disk for visibility testing.

Water quality sonde has sensors for pH, temperature, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen.

Measurements are taken at each site to monitor water quality.

The Van Dorn sampler is a device used for collecting water samples.

The sampler operates by spring-loaded ends to capture water.

An eight-liter sample bottle is used to collect the water samples.

A list of analytes is extensive, requiring at least seven liters of water for testing.

Data collection aims to identify trends over time for better water quality management.

Data includes total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, phosphorus, nitrogen, nitrates, and metals.

Trend analysis helps to focus efforts on specific pollutants and river sections.

Understanding river inputs is crucial for improving water quality.

Transcripts

My name is Jim Rudolph.

I'm an environmental specialist here at MWMO.

So today we're doing river water quality sampling.

So we get a Secchi tube reading and we also get a water quality sonde reading.

And then John over there will be collecting water samples.

So those are the three things we do.

And then we've got seven sites.

One of them we do quarterly and the others we do twice a month.

So a Secchi tube

is a plastic tube that is a meter long.

And there's a disk

that's divided into quadrants, black and white.

And so you fill it with water, pull on the string until you can just

distinguish between the black and the white — right about there.

This is our water quality sonde.

And it's got sensors that measure—

Let me show you here.

So this sensor measures pH.

This metal

tab measures temperature.

And this other part measures conductivity.

And this measures dissolved oxygen.

So we get this measurement at every one of our sites.

This device here is a Van Dorn sampler.

It's just a tube with two spring-loaded ends that will collect the water.

So I'm going to lower this down about three feet under the surface of the water.

And collect a sample.

First I want to do is dip it a few times to

clean it out

let it drop down.

I've got a wait here in my hand once I get it to the level that I want.

Let that go.

That's going to release the two caps on the ends.

We've got our eight liter sample bottle here.

It might spill a bit.

So with

a list of analytes we have, it's a pretty extensive list.

So we need at least seven liters.

And we're all set.

The point in collecting all of these data

is to line up the data and look for trends over time.

So we collect data

on total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, phosphorus,

nitrogen, nitrates, metals, things of that nature.

When you've got a big set of data over a substantial amount of time,

you can look at trends in those data

and that can let you know, OK,

it makes sense to focus on this part of the river

for this certain pollutant, this part of the river for that pollutant.

So it allows us to have an understanding of what's coming into the river

and where we need to kind of focus our efforts on improving the water quality.