AS6 – State of the Catchment Field Trip
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This activity is a field work exercise in which you will study
the habitat and water quality in a waterway near your school.
It involves some classroom research and two field trips.
Syllabus references:
Outcomes
Core Content: 5.10 a) distinguish
between biotic and abiotic features of the local environment
5.10 c) describe some impacts of human
activities on ecosystems
5.10 d) discuss strategies used to balance human activities and
needs in ecosystems with conserving, protecting and maintaining
the quality of the environment
Skills: 5.13.2 Plan first hand experiences to
c) describe a logical procedure for undertaking a simple or controlled
experiment
d) establish an appropriate timeline for an investigation
Time: 120 minutes
You will need
AS7 - Habitat Assessment
Sheet
a Streamwatch kit, a schools data logger or Oz GREEN Low Cost kit
Activity
This study can be performed at a local waterway or at one of the
field trip sites described in this kit.
Prework
Research water tests used to examine water quality and their significance
in water testing. Examine Dissolved Oxygen, Biochemical Oxygen Demand,
Phosphates and Faecal Coliform tests and use the Streamwatch manual
or internet www.ea.gov.au
(search for water quality guidelines) to research guidelines for
recommended permissible levels for each parameter.
Visit the chosen testing site.
Use the AS7 - Habitat Assessment Sheet to perform a habitat assessment
of the site.
Use a Streamwatch kit, a schools data logger or Oz GREEN Low Cost
kit to test the water quality at your testing site.
Record the results from each test.
Back in class
Identify any water quality problems, analyse possible explanations
and possible solutions to these problems
Class Discussion
Discuss factors affecting water quality, including human activity,
recent rainfall, temperature, drought etc. Relate these to the water
test results collected in the field.
Streamwatch groups enter data on Streamwatch website www.streamwatch.org.au
Use the Streamwatch database (www.streamwatch.org.au)
and water quality reports from Upper Parramatta River Catchment
Trust website (www.upperparra.nsw.gov.au)
to access water quality data gathered from other sites in your subcatchment
or the Upper Parramatta River Catchment.
Determine the extent to which other areas have similar water quality
issues.
What are the main water quality issues in the catchment?
Perform a second field trip and test the same water quality
parameters as in the first field trip.
Compare and contrast these results with those obtained in the first
field trip.
Account for any differences.
Draw graphs to show any changes over time using these and any other
results you can obtain for the site.
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