By B.J. Tietze

• Background Research
• Bibliography
• Scientific Method
• Data
• Results and Conclusions
• Error Analysis

A seasoned fisherman, due to his years of outdoor experience, is bestowed with a gift. This gift is: To be able to glance at a stream, river,or lake and know how healthy, how promising, and how habited the environment is. Quantitatively, this can be acertained by certain variables or factors.Those being; A) The type, amount, and quality of habitat; B) The water chemistry of the environment; C) The amount and type of pollutants introduced into the environment; D)The type and number of animal species found living in area. In my science-fair project I wil be focusing on animal species, specifically invertebrates.

This project will be done on Cypress Creek, which is the primary carrier for treated sewerage, farm runoff, and drainage water for the Spring area. Cypress Creek flows 53 miles from its origin in Waller County and intercepts such local roads as Stubner-Airline, Kuykendahl, Cypresswood, and Aldine Westfield. The creek ends when it meets Spring Creek, which flows into Lake Houston. The TNRCC (Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission) found Cypress Creek to be ~water quality iimited" due to water quality standards violations, elevated fecal coliform levels, total dissolved solids, and chloride levels. These factors can be attributed the 72 wastewater treatment plants and other non-point source discharges along the creek. In a statewide ranking Cypress Creek was rated third out of 104 creeks needing immediate corrective actions. Also, the TNRCC found Cypress Creek to be Zhabitat limited" due to lack of riparian and instream cover, channelization for flood control, and unstable banks and bottom substrate.

Invertebrate are being collected and identified because of their properties as as indicators of water quality. Like fish, insect populations respond to their environment and certain species' survival is indicative of their envirorment. Low oxygen levels, high nitrates or amounts of sewerage in the water, and lack of habitat will dictate the type of species found in an area. The Save Our Streams Foundation has developed a of field guide for sampling invertebrates. It divides the variety of stream insects into 3 organized Taxas based on a species sensitivity to pollution. Taxa one consists of pollution sensitive organisms found in good quality water. The second Taxa is the largest and contains moderately poliution tolerant organisms which can be found good to fair quality water. The third Taxa is the smallest and consists of pollution tolerant organisms which can be found in any qualitv water.

The testing methods used will follow TNRCC methods for collecting invertebrates, but due the limited habitat on Cypress Creek, many methods will have to be improvised, also. The main method of invertebrate collecting used by the TNRCC is to draw special net across the creek have someone upstream kick up the rocks on the bottom and then catch the insects in the net as they flow down river. Unfortunately Cypress Creek's bottom doesn't consist of small rocks, which provides the best results for this method. It consists of mostly clay-sand or large rocks. These don't provide optimum habitat for invertebrates. Another method for sampling is taking logs and rocks out of the stream and surveying it for invertebrates with a magnifying glass and tweesers. This method should be possible in Cypress Creek and should prove to have some success. Another method I will try for Cypress Creek is to create a strainer and pan the bottom of the creek for invertebrates. Without much of the equipment used by the TNRCC the results of the experiment will be limited, but a conclusions will be acertained.

Be using the invertebrate data the water quality of Cypress Creek should be found and also the data should show if the water quality has been maintained since the TNRCC last tested the creek in 1994.

1. Cunningham ,Floyd F, "1001 Questions on Water Resource", Chicago: Dodd, Mead and Co. ,1967.
   
   
2. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water Regulations & Standards, Washington, D.C. "Quality Criteria for Water,1986"
   
   
3. Gilfond, Henry Water New York: Franklin Watts Co,1978
   
   
4. Lewis, Alun, Water. New York: Franklin Watts,1981
   
   
5. Petrick, D.,1980. Intensive Survey of Cypress Creek. Segment 1009. Texas Department of Water Resources Resort No.13-11. Austin,Texas
   
   
6. Texas Department of Water Resources,1978. Waste Load Evaluation for Segment 1009 of the San Jacinto River Basin (Cupress Creek) Draft-Report No. LP-30, Austin, Tx.
   
   
7. Pringle, Lawerance, Water. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1982
   
   
8. Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, Austin, Tx., A Guide to Fresh Water Ecology. July,1993
   
   
9. Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, Austin, Tx., gThe Texas Clean Rivers Program"
   
   
10. Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, Austin, Tx., SWater Quality Sampling Equipment".
    
    
11. Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, Austin, Tx., Volunteer Environmental Monitorinq in Texas 1994 Texas Watch Renort.
    
    
12. Texas Water Commision, Field Operations, Cypress Creek An Effluent Dominated Stream. First Draft: Segment 1009,1992.

Problem: To find the water quality of Cypress Creek by collecting invertebrates, categorizing them by tolerance to pollutants, and comparing the results to recent and old water quality results; to determine if any water qualitv chanqe has occurred.

Hypothesis: If I collect invertebrates at various times and at selected locations on Cypress Creek, and analyse them with respect to the level of water quality they tolerant, then I can determine if any change has recentlv occurred.

Materials:

1. Long-handled net
   
   
2. Plastic bucket with bail, with hole drilled in bottom (Strainer Bucket)
   
   
3. Plastic bucket
   
   
4. Plastic jug with screw top
   
   
5. Shovel
   
   
6. Thermometer
   
   
7. Baggies
   
   
8. Camera
   
   
9. A Guide To Freshwater Ecology. Handbook from Texas Natural Resources Commission
   
   

Methods or Procedures:

1. Collect gathering materials (Net, Dirt, Skimmer Net, Containment Unit, Field Guide, Appropriate Clothing)
   
   
2. Select sample locations. (In this case, Steubner-Airline, 1-45 & Aldine-Westfield)
   
   
3. Travel to sample locations and gather invertebrates.
   
   
4. Collect invertebrate samples at test sites.
   
   
5. Identify invertebrates as tolerant, intolerant, or intermediate, using field guide.
   
   
6. Document data and photograph sites and samples.
   
   
7. Note environmental, weather, and site conditions.
   
   
8. Repeat steps 3 & 4 once more for each site.
   
   
9. Analyze data to discover water quality.
   
   
10. Compare results with past water quality data.
    
    
11. Using data format a report on findings and results.
    
    

Results: The quality of water in Cypress Creek met or exceed the water quality criteria standards. Of all sites tested on Cypress Creek, excluding I-45, invertebrates were found that were of at least intermediate tolerance to pollution. At Aldine- Westfield, two invertebrate species and a total of six invertebrates were found that are pollution sensitive and found only in good quality water. The invertebrate counts at the Aldine Westfield and Steubner-Airline sites exceeded the count at Cummings Creek, which is considered an optimum collecting environment by the TNRCC. Steubner-Airline and Aldine -Westfield also yielded a greater variety of species of tolerant to intermediate sensitivity to pollution than was found at Cummings Creek.

Conclusion: By comparing the past water quality results of the TNRCC with the findings of my invertebrate collecting, I can conclude that the water quality of Cypress Creek is of at least the same quality found in previous samplings. At Steubner-Airline, two different species were found which are of intermediate tolerance to pollution and which only live in good quality water. Also, at Steubner-Airline, a huge amount of freshwater clams were found. This amount of freshwater clams easily tripled the amounts found at all other test sites and test occasions.

Aldine-Westfield has the best habitat and least industrial and waste discharge. Although much of the bottom is sand, I was able to collect freshwater clams, which are found in good quality water; a snail; and a riffle beetle(Pollution-sensitive and only found in good quality water). In the riffles tested at Aldine-Westfield, I found 3 different species, each of a different tolerance to pollution. The first was a sludge worm (Which can be found in any quality of water). The second was a Damsel Fly nymph; these are of intermediate tolerance, and are found in good quality water. I also found Dobson Fly nymphs at Aldine-Westfield. These are intolerant to pollution and only found in good quality water.

I-45 was a difficult site and it was not surprising that no invertebrates could be collected. Out of all sites tested, the TNRCC found this to have the worst habitat. Even though no invertebrates were found, I still believe the water quality has not worsened. This site is located between the other two. For quality of water worsen dramatically from Steubner-Airline to I-45, then improve from I-45 to Aldine-Westfield, is not likely. Other factors, particularly the difficulty of obtaining samples, determined the lack of invertebrates collected. I-45 is the most channelized for flood control of all the sites, has the most development near it, is the deepest, has the fastest flow, and the bottom is covered with large rocks and concrete debris, and sandy clay.

Error Analysis: Among the possible sources for error which existed in this project were: The equipment used was not of the quality and capability used by the TNRCC. The TNRCC uses teams of up to twelve people to do the collecting. I attempted to use the same test methods employed by the TNRCC, and these turned out to be difficult to use because of the type of creek bottoms at the sample sites.

Another source of error was the time of year and season in which the testing was done. At this time of year, most invertebrates without shells are dormant. Much of the streams invertebrates are nymphs and larvae of many species. Certain larvae, like mosquitos, are most active at certain times of year, then grow to adult stages. The best time to collect invertebrates would have been during summer.

Extension: A possibility to extend this project would be to try and find a way to measure how the reported lack of habitat on Cypress Creek affects the invertebrate population. This could be done by measuring habitat using the TNRCC methods, and collecting invertebrates, and locating a second creek which could be used as a control.

The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Cooperative Extension Service implied.

Educational programs of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin.

The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.

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Last modified: March 18, 1998