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Understanding the current condition of water is one necessary step toward managing and improving water quality. The chemical and microbiological characteristics are major indicators of water quality. Toxic contamination, contaminated sediments, bacterial pollution, and water clarity need to be monitored to understand the current state of the Great Lakes. Changes in the measurements, both short-term and long-term, are also important factors to know. |
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1. How can you determine water
quality by analyzing dissolved oxygen, pH and other related water factors?
2. With respect to a river, aquatic invertebrates are often used as a biotic indicator to determine water quality. Do you think they also can be applied to measure water quality of a lake? 3. You are about to build 10 stations for measuring water quality. Locate them on each of the Great Lakes and describe why you chose the sites you did. (refer to the map of Lake Erie Surveillance Stations below) |
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Other related sites that include water
quality measurement activities.
1. Common water measurements 2. How much water does a dripping faucet waste? 3. Rivers Project |
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1. The Great Lake Erie
2. Earth Systems - Education Activities for Great Lakes Schools Great Lakes Environmental Issues 3. USGS: Kid's view of a local water-quality problem |
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Lake Erie Surveillance Stations, US EPA |
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1. Required Analyses for New Wells to Be Used by Public Water Systems http://www.epa.ohio.gov/ddagw/nwellreq.html 2. Water Science Glossary of Terms http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/dictionary.html 3. The Water Science Picture Gallery - Measuring water http://wwwga.usgs.gov/edu/picturesmw.html |