WATER QUALITY AND STREAM FLOW MONITORING OF THE NORMANS KILL, ALBANY, NEW YORK

Located in Albany, New York, the Normans Kill is one of the tributaries of the Hudson River watershed. While the majority of the land surrounding the stream currently remains undeveloped, it is increasingly affected by the urbanization of the Capital District. From May through October five sites on the Normans Kill were monitored weekly to provide baseline data for long term monitoring of the stream and to assess the impact of urbanization on the water quality. Three sites are located in the vicinity of the historical Normanskill Farm, which is no longer operational. The fourth and fifth sites are located upstream, above the effluent of Guilderland waste water treatment plant. A YSI meter was used to measure conductivity, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and temperature. The pH of the water, total dissolved solids, turbidity, and nitrate and orthophosphate content were also measured. Our data shows a range of total dissolved solids between 274 ppm and 449 ppm and conductivity values from 545 µS to 989 µS. Nitrate and phosphate levels varied from 0.1-0.75 ppm and 0.1-0.8 ppm, respectively. Salinity ranged 0.19 ppt to 0.46 ppt and dissolved oxygen levels varied from 55.9% to 91.1% saturation. Preliminary data indicate downstream change in water chemistry is likely associated with the wastewater treatment plant effluent.

In the spring, the second phase of this project will begin with the installation of stream gaging staffs and pressure transducers to measure water level, which will assist in the development of a rating curve for the Normans Kill. Through this research we will also educate the local community about the Normans Kill by promoting the idea of “citizen scientists” and extending educational and research opportunities to future undergraduate students as well as local K-12 schoolchildren. We are currently partnering with local school teachers who teach about the Normans Kill in the classroom. On site the citizen scientists will be able to assist in data collection by texting the station number and stream height from the gaging staff. The acquired data will then be relayed to an informational website (www.crowdhydrology.org). The data will then be available to the public as an online educational tool.