North Hills Partnering for Bacteria Work  

by Chris Resek, Creek Connections

  Mrs. Milliken’s Environmental Science classes at North Hills High School have been teaming up with the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) to monitor for E. coli bacteria in Pine Creek and Girtys Run. Escherichia coli, better known as E. coli, is found in waterways that have been contaminated by sewage and animal waste.

Kathleen Knauer, Environmental Scientist at ALCOSAN, approached North Hills hoping to discover if students could be a useful and enthusiastic community group to help monitor accurately for bacteria. ALCOSAN provided North Hills with the equipment and training to sample and analyze for bacteria. Plus, they gave a guest presentation at the school to provide background information, do some demonstrations, and to have students view activated sludge under microscopes. Looking at microorganisms in sewage is a pretty unique way to kick off a class research project.

The North Hills students are testing for E. coli using a sophisticated quantitative methodology. After adding Colilert reagent, they pour the sample into a series of wells of Quanti-Trays, seal the trays in a special sealer, and incubate them for 24 hours. To read the results, the trays are placed under ultra-violet light. The wells will appear bright blue under UV light if E.coli is present. Then a number of bacteria colonies can be determined.

The North Hills bacteria sampling is occurring under dry and wet weather conditions. Bacteria levels in a waterway can increase after a rain event because this is usually when community sewage systems are most vulnerable to failure. Some communities have a combined sewer system that carries wastewater (domestic sewage and wastewater from commercial, industrial, and institutional establishments) and also urban runoff from streets and the land. During rainfall or snowmelts, stormwater runoff and wastewater flows that go to a treatment facility can exceed that facility’s holding capacity, resulting in a combined sewer overflow (CSO). The overflow of untreated sewage, wastewater, and rainwater is discharged into a waterway without treatment, potentially compromising stream health. North Hills High School and Girtys Run are located in Ross Township, which has some areas using a combined sewer system.

Ross Township employees are also monitoring Girty Run for E. coli and other water quality parameters, and North Hills hopes to contribute to this data to assist the township in determining where sewage discharges are causing problems. In addition to looking at the impact of combined sewer overflows, they may discover areas where sanitary pipes are leaking. The township is also hoping to find a healthy section of Girtys Run to locate future recreation sites along.

With the bacteria monitoring, the North Hills students have had the opportunity to learn more about a community issue, discussing what the health concerns are associated with high bacteria levels. In addition, the students are exposed to some great lab techniques. Mrs. Milliken hopes to continue with bacteria monitoring in future years. She claimed, “We plan to use the equipment to its max and collect data that would be useful for the community and good for the students to do.”

Above: A student from North Hills High School collects a water sample for the E.coli testing.

Below: One of North Hills' Quanti-Trays under ultraviolet light. The bright, fluorescent wells have E. coli bacteria present. ALCOSAN was pleased to approach North Hills with this project because the school has been active in community water sampling for a few years.

-By David Hall & Chris Resek, Creek Connections

In late October, forty 8th grade girls from Ellis School in Pittsburgh traveled to Northwest Pennsylvania for a few days of fun-filled science explorations. Stopping in Meadville, they met with the Allegheny College’s Creek Connections staff to learn about aquatic macroinvertebrates, plankton, and stream site surveying. French Creek was their classroom for the day.

Some of the girls put on hip waders and plunged into the rushing water of French Creek at Bicentennial Park to do some kick netting. The girls battled the high water and slippery rocks successfully. With their nets full, the girls sorted through their catch and identified many of the aquatic insects that they found. Once they had collected quite a few insects, the girls were aided by Allegheny College students and staff in performing a pollution tolerance index test (PTI Test). This test uses the number of insects and the amount of biodiversity present to determine the overall health of a stream. It a great test for schools to do to learn more about their stream.

To Left: Ellis School students from Pittsburgh sort through aquatic insects from French Creek.

In addition to catching aquatic insects, a few crayfish, and a freshwater mussel or two, the Ellis girls went after some plankton, collecting samples from high atop a nearby bridge. Plankton are small plants, animals, microbes that are free swimming, floating, or drifting in open water. More commonly found in the slow moving warm water of lakes and ponds, they can also be found in slow stretches of creeks and rivers. There are two types of plankton - phytoplankton, which produce their own food, and zooplankton, tiny animals that are considered consumers. Together the two groups make up the base of the aquatic food web.

In order to make some comparisons between French Creek and their site on the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, the Ellis girls completed portions of a site survey, measured French Creek’s stage (depth), and discussed existing creek habitats favorable for various aquatic creatures. They also analyzed the surrounding area and discussed land use impacts on the waterway. By exploring and observing the very healthy French Creek, the Ellis School can now collect and compare some similar information about their Allegheny River.

This is the third consecutive year that the Ellis School has visited French Creek, providing a fun and unique learning opportunity. The girls were able to see a new creek with many characteristics that were different from their site in Pittsburgh. They also got to investigate some new macroinvertebrates and sample in a new environment.

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-by Katie Howlett, Creek Connections

To those of us at Creek Connections, having the privilege of teaching the kids about all aspects of water is a treasured one. For me, the only thing that could bring more satisfaction in my job would be to see the kids giving back, possibly teaching other kids about what they've learned with me. That is exactly what I had the pleasure of seeing at Conneaut Valley High School (CVHS). On November 19, Mr. Bocan's Environmental Microbiology class took what they've learned about watersheds, microorganisms, and land use, and taught 6th graders. The 9 high school students were split into 3 groups, and each was expected to teach a class of about 20 students.

Mr. Bocan challenged his class to engage their "students" through the use of hands-on activities, visual representations, and concise information. The 6th graders took pre-tests (before anything was taught), and then took the same test at the end of the presentation to see if the teaching had been effective. The groups all created their own tests based on what they were presenting, and they all had a different twist on how they approached the kids. Each group was required to make a map of the area surrounding CVHS's three testing sites. All three groups took in their own water samples with macroinvertebrates to show their "students".

The big difference between groups was the hands-on activity that they created. One group used paper bugs to create their own Pollution Tolerance Index results. Another broke their students into groups and did trivia, while the third group had their kids re-create the water cycle in a diagram. Two of the groups even built their own watershed simulators, similar to the ones many of you saw during the Creek Connections Introduction at the beginning of the year!

All in all, the project was a success! Each group saw a pre-test to post-test score improvement. And most importantly, they all had fun with it! It was a proud Creek Connections' moment.

From Creek to Creek - School Updates

Compiled from submissions by Creek Connections staff and participating schools. Send your update to: creek@allegheny.edu

NW PA / French Creek Schools

Maplewood High School biology students have been comparing aquatic insects caught from French Creek with those caught in their small stream next to their school. The students have discussed the factors that cause difference in types of life found in a waterway. These can include habitat availability, type of food available, flow rates, and water quality. The students are also using the site surveys on-line to relate site information to water quality results. They are comparing information with other schools’ sites as well.

Bethesda School students have been working hard on some big projects. They are going to produce an educational program starring aquatic macroinvertebrate puppets that they create. Bethesda also has an entire watershed in the classroom, or at least the start of a 3-D watershed model that they plan to use to teach other grades about impacts on waterways. Who said florist foam was just for florists?

Students in Mr. Dobi’s class at Fort LeBoeuf have been busy connecting with their creek. Not only have they been chemically testing the south branch of French Creek on a weekly basis, they’ve also been exploring the biological side of the creek. They conducted a practice Pollution Tolerance Index (PTI) in class using bags of paper bugs and discussed what they found. When they went out to the creek and actually took a sample of aquatic macroinvertebrates and performed a real PTI, they were able to interpret their results much easier. Some of their catch is going into two separate insect reference collections of their own to use in the future. With the symposium coming up, the students are also beginning to work on their research projects.

One of the research projects for Mrs. Yonko’s students at General McLane High School involved taking soil core samples near their creek. They determined the general size and color of the A and B horizons. They found their stream site’s A horizon to be 9 cm thick and was largest of the other soil cores they took from woods, field, and school yard. They also discovered a lot of organic matter in their site’s soil sample.

SW PA / Pittsburgh Area Schools

Mr. Allen’s 6th grade class from Emily Brittain Elementary School has invited Miss Leyland’s 6th grade class from Center Township to help in the their stream study this year. Both schools are in the Butler Area School District. During the second meeting at the creek in October, students, teachers, and parents were very enthusiastic about the study. Everyone was learning a lot about the creek and the factors that might affect the creek’s condition. The group is especially interested in keeping an eye on the pH and on iron content. Students have also explored their creek for aquatic organisms.

Seventh grade students at Springdale Jr./Sr. High School do more than just chemistry tests when they sample the Allegheny River. They “work, work, work!” From a dock, students do their water chemistry testing. Along the river, each student completes a packet of paperwork on water chemistry background, pollution sources, and signs of wildlife. Some of the “wildlife” they have seen have included fisherman and barges being rearranged by tugboats.

Greenfield School students placed experimental leaf packs (onion sacks full of leaves) in the creek in mid-fall. During late November collection, they thought vandals had taken them all, but found a few in the abundant leaves blanketing the creek. What aquatic organisms did they find in the leaf packs? Not too much, lots of scuds and just a couple of worms. They are hoping to find a greater diversity at another time or perhaps on a trip to another creek, maybe even French Creek. Greenfield has visited French Creek the past two years.

Langley High School’s sampling site is surrounded by a few bridges. Unfortunately, with roads and bridges comes a lot of trash. While in the creek measuring flow rate, some of the young men found and pulled out an old dirt bike. The class is very interested in doing a clean-up at their site and always picks up litter each time they visit.

Students from Reizenstein Middle School split into groups to conduct their chemical testing, and three 7th graders that participated in Creek Connections last year oversee some of the groups. What a neat experience for them to be the lab leaders. Reizenstein also attacked the creek looking for critters. Mother Nature supplied lots of naturally occurring leaf packs scattered throughout the creek. Upon exploring them, students found cranefly larva, snails, scuds, leeches, fishfly larva, salamanders, aquatic worms, water striders, crayfish, and a poor misplaced millipede. The salamander was a hit!

Above: Reizenstein students looking through natural leaf packs for aquatic insects

Below: Allegheny student Ellen Smith works with Sherman Central students on their chemistry tests.

Above: Reizenstein and Brashear have been very proud of their salamander catches from their creek