GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF WETLAND AND STREAMS IN THE HEBERLY RUN WATERSHED: WESTERN SOURCE WATERS OF THE EAST BRANCH OF FISHING CREEK, SULLIVAN COUNTY, PA

On October 19th, 2014, a group of Bloomsburg University students and professors conducted an assessment of water quality within the East Branch Fishing Creek watershed. Samples were taken throughout the watershed: two in the bog that form the headwaters of Meeker Run, one in Meeker Run downstream of the bog, one from Heberly Run and another from Quinn Run just above their confluence, another in the East Branch of Fishing Creek below the confluence of Sullivan Branch and Heberly Run, and one from Lead Run just above its confluence with Fishing Creek. We made in situ measurements of pH, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity and brought the samples back to the lab to determine turbidity, acidity, and alkalinity. Triplicate filtered and unfiltered subsamples were collected and acidified for determination of selected metals (Manganese, Iron, Arsenic, Aluminum, Barium, Zinc, Chromium, Cadmium, Nickel, Copper, Lead) using ICP-OES. Triplicate filtered samples were collected and frozen for later analysis of major cations and anions using ion chromatography. Students from the university’s Freshwater Biology class collected data on stream discharge, pH, oxidation-reduction potential, conductivity, DO, total phosphate and dissolved organic carbon. Values of pH values were lowest in the central bog (4.5) and increased down the watershed to East Branch of Fishing Creek (6.4). Samples from the upper reaches of the watershed had highest values for iron, aluminum and manganese. The water from Lead Run had a chemistry inconsistent with all other samples, indicating source waters from a different geology.