CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF WATER QUALITY ALONG THE NORMANS KILL AND VLOMAN KILL (ALBANY COUNTY, NY)

The Normans Kill and Vloman Kill are tributaries of the Hudson River in Albany County, NY. For 4 years, water quality has been monitored from May to December. The purpose of this study was to establish a basis of comparison should any significant changes occur in factors related to water quality. Four sites are located on the Normans Kill at Normans Kill Farm, Tawasentha Town Park, and Nott Road Athletic Fields. The single testing site on the Vloman Kill is located at the Five Rivers Nature Preserve.

In 2015, data were collected by high school students in collaboration with the College of Saint Rose. Student involvement was made possible through the Science Research Seminar class at Bethlehem Central High School. Administered by Bethlehem science supervisor, Jennifer Gonyea, Science Research is a three year long course that guides students through the research process. Students learn how to read and interpret journal articles, engage in original research, and communicate with professionals in their field. The class concludes in the senior year with writing a journal article on research findings and participation in a conference and/or research competition.

The water quality parameters include dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, turbidity, conductivity, and sulfate and iron concentration. Dissolved oxygen and conductivity were measured using portable probes, a sight tube was used to measure turbidity, and pH was evaluated with a Hach visual test kit. Iron and sulfate were measured with Hach pocket colorimeters. The data collected were compared to findings over the same time period between 2012 and 2014. Within the most recent sampling period, water chemistry did not change significantly; however, variations in water quality were observed when compared to previous data. On the Normans Kill, sites located upstream from the effluent of a wastewater treatment plant were consistently less turbid than sites located downstream. From 2012-2015 disparities in water chemistry between the Vloman Kill and Normans Kill were observed. The pH and DO concentrations in the Vloman Kill were lower than the Normans Kill. With the exception of the Nott Road site, the Vloman Kill was generally less turbid than the Normans Kill. Future data collection will help reveal additional trends in water quality parameters along the Normans Kill and Vloman Kill.