Data From East Middle School - 7th Grade Field Trip (April 24,2008)

Data From April 24,2008 EMS Fieldtrip

On April 24, 2008, the students of East Middle School, Kathy Foley's 7th Grade class went on a CFWEP Fieldtrip. They visited the following two sites: an less-impacted site (Blacktail Creek at Father Sheehan Park); and an impacted site (Silver Bow Creek at Crackerville Road, Fairmont). Below is a summary/average of the data gathered during the fieldtrip.


Blacktail Creek at Father Sheehan Park (Less-Impacted)
Blacktail Creek at Father Sheehan Park is classified as a residential, recreational, urban, area that has been impacted by mining, remediation, illegal dumping, and development.

Water Chemistry - During the visit to the Blacktail Creek site, the weather was cold and windy. The air temperature was recorded at .10 degrees Celsius, and the water temperature was recorded at approximately 3.4 degrees Celsius. The dissolved oxygen and turbidity were 6.74 mg/l and 3.13 NTU respectively. The creek was not tested for copper, but the iron and nitrate concentrations were 0.17 ppm and 0.60 ppm respectively.

Vegetation - For the vegetation assessment, the common vegetation in the riparian area consisted of willows and grasses. The plant/ground cover was dense.

Pollution Tolerance Index - The average pollution tolerance index score for this site was 23. The top three macro invertebrates found at the site were blood midges, beetles, and worms.


Silver Bow Creek at Crackerville Road, Fairmont (Impacted)
Silver Bow Creek at Creackerville Road, Fairmont is classified as residential, agricultural, partially urban/partially rural, and is a superfund site. The area has been impacted by development, mining, agriculture (stock watering/crossing, irrigation/diversion), vegetation removal/maintenance, and remediation/restoration.

Water Chemistry - During the visit to Silver Bow Creek, the weather was windy and cold with some snow. The air temperature was not recorded, and the creek temperature was recorded to be 6 degrees Celsius. The dissolved oxygen and conductivity were 10.70 mg/l and 355.17 uS/cm respectively. The copper concentration was measured at 10.5 ppm. The concentration of iron and nitrates was not recorded.

Vegetation - The common vegetation in the riparian area was mostly willows, salt grass, and tufted hair grass. The overall plant community was impacted by mining and looked very unhealthy.

Pollution Tolerance Index - The pollution tolerance index score was calculated to be 13. The top three macro invertebrates found at the site were snipe flies, blood midges, and crane flies.