Berly et al.

WATER POLLUTION IN OYSTER CREEK PARK

Sarah Berly, Joyce Joy, Sharlet Mathew, Mahir Momin, Amay Pant, Rohit
Prabhu, Elizabeth Thomas
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Mr. Gillespie Period 5

Abstract:

As a continuation of our research on Oyster Creek Park, we did research on the water of the park

to find out the main cause of water pollution. Our hypothesis was that fertilizer is likely the most

significant cause of water pollution in Oyster Creek Park. Our research disproved our hypothesis.

We determined this by conducting tests on the water in the park. We started off by collecting

water from the park. Afterwards, we used a test kit to test for total hardness, total chlorine,

alkalinity, Ph, nitrite, nitrate, lead and pesticides. The results showed no irregularities in the tests

that an excess amount of fertilizer would impact. Due to this, our hypothesis was disproved. We

were able to determine that the high water hardness is caused by a large amount of calcium in the

water. The next steps in testing would be to conduct an experiment to see whether or not the high

calcium content within the water is a result of the pipes and surrounding infrastructure of the

park.

Introduction:

Some time ago, our research team conducted research on Oyster Creek Park’s biotic factors. It

researched the diaspora of wildlife living in the park biome of our choice: the Oyster Creek Park

biome, delving deep into the biotic factors that make up the park. We surveyed the land and

found 30 species of varying niches. We researched numerous details about each of the Oyster

Creek Park biome’s animals, including their niche, their food sources via a food web, and their

appearances. This research allowed us to gain a thorough understanding of the biotic factors in

the park as well as their interactions and effects on the environment. However, we did not
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research any of the abiotic factors of the Oyster Creek Park biome, of which every biotic factor

depends on. Without understanding the abiotic factors of the Oyster Creek Park biome, we

cannot understand the foundation upon which the Oyster Creek Park biome was built: the

ground. The ground in Oyster Creek Park is primarily composed of soil, and the soil had quite a

large amount of water content, hence its claylike characteristics. This sparked a question within

our minds: what is the largest source of pollution in the waters of the Oyster Creek Park? We

began to wonder about this because since our soil samples were full of water, our test results may

be affected drastically by that. Our soil results gave us an insight into the biodiversity of our

park, and the water will give us an insight into our soil composition and help us understand why

we got the results we did. Our tentative hypothesis is that fertilizers were our largest source of

water pollution, as one of our soil samples had very similar values to that of fertilized soil. Water

usually has six “hard” tests: total hardness, total chlorine, alkalinity, pH levels, nitrate levels, and

nitrite concentrations, and we used this to figure out if the values of each of these match rather

closely to that of water in soil content within soil that has sufficient fertilizer content.

Review of Literature:

The total hardness, total chlorine, alkalinity, pH, nitrate, and nitrite concentrations

represent the six “hard tests” of water. Each feature is particularly important as it suggests the

health of the ecosystem around the water source. For example, a range of “pH 6.5 to pH 8.2 is

optimal for most organisms” in aquatic ecosystems (Friends of Five Creeks). pH levels can

rapidly change due to many factors, such as acid rain causing increased amounts of sulfuric and

nitric acids, excessive decrease of CO2 due to algae blooms, etc. In addition, as the percentage of

ammonium increases in a given fertilizer the acidifying potential will also be increased, thus
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reducing pH. In our previous soil experimentation lab, we tested the concentration of various

types of particles and pH levels in the soil available at Oyster Creek Park. We had honed in on

“the critical components of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and pH level, which are necessary

for plants to flourish” (Berly et al., 22). Through previous research of Oyster Creek's abiotic and

biotic factors, we gained an understanding of the ecosystem of the park. Oyster Creek is

considered to be a swampy area surrounded by metropolitan infrastructure, regularly fertilized

grasses and temperate forest trees. Average annual rainfall varies from 30 to 50 inches per year

distributed fairly uniformly throughout the year. Given that our soil sourced directly from Oyster

Creek had similar to estimated concentrations of Nitrogen and Potassium, two of the three key

components of most fertilizers, our hypothesis states that the greatest pollution source for the

park’s water supply would be leaching fertilizer from the nearby grass and trees.

Materials:

We used 1 liter of water from Oyster Creek Park and a water testing kit.

Methods:

Start by collecting one liter of water from Oyster Creek Park into bottles. To test pH, use a pH

testing kit. The kit should come with two strips to check for basic and acidic water. Take the

strips, dip them into the water to coat them (about 2 seconds), shake off the excess water, and

place them on a level surface. Watch the color change of the strips and note the color that they

finally become. If the colors change, take the strip that checks the pH level, dip it into the water

to coat it (about 2 seconds), shake off the excess water, and place it on a level surface. Watch the

color change of the strip and note the color that it finally becomes. Use the now colored strip and

compare it with the scale provided with the kit: this will provide the actual pH value of the water.
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To test total hardness, total chlorine, alkalinity, pH, nitrate, and nitrite concentrations, use the

“Six Tests” test from the water testing kit. The test utilizes one strip that contains 6 different

boxes corresponding with each “test.” Take the strip, dip it into the water, shake off the excess

water and immediately compare the color change of each of the testing boxes (except nitrate and

nitrite) with the pamphlet containing the information. To check the nitrate and nitrite levels, let

the strip sit on a level surface for about 30 seconds to 1 minute and then compare the color

changes of the corresponding boxes with the colors on the pamphlet. To test for pesticides and

lead, use the pesticide and lead test provided in the water testing kit. The test should come with a

small pipette, a small cup and two strips. Use the pipette and pour two full pipettes of water into

the small cup. Place the two strips into the cup and let it sit for 10 minutes. Once the ten minutes

are over, use the analysis chart provided with the kit to decipher the results of the tests.

Results
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Six Tests: Total Hardness, Total Chlorine, Alkalinity, pH, Nitrite, Nitrate, Copper, and

Iron. (all in ppm)

Lead and Pesticide Tests: Tested through color change: Color change intends presence of

these substances, no color change means no presence of these substances.

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Upon performing water tests, we discovered the following: the collected water has a total

hardness of 250ppm, total chlorine of .5ppm, alkalinity of 120 ppm, a pH of 8, and 0 ppm of

nitrate or nitrite. Furthermore, the second test we did for the presence of lead or pesticides,

yielded negative results for both factors. It can be concluded that there are no detectable sources

of pollution in terms of fertilizer or pesticides.

Discussion

Our experiment using the water testing kit was done using the ph level test, the “Six Test” kit,

and the test for pesticides and lead. With the original hypothesis being that the fertilizer would

cause further pollution to the area. We concluded that our hypothesis was false therefore, a

potential pollutant in the water was not fertilizer. Through the results from the lab we found that

the hardness of our water was 250ppm. This level of hardness is an indicator of high calcium

levels. As a new hypothesis we predict that calcium is the main pollutant in the water due to the

surrounding infrastructure found within the water like pipes and rocks made of marble and
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limestone. To further test our hypothesis we can conduct a calcium level test along with a water

hardness test using samples from various parts of the water source. Along with this we can keep

a filtered source of water with a limestone or marble pipe for about a week. Then we can use the

results from both samples to conclude if the pipes and limestone had an influence on the overall

calcium levels found in the water from Oyster Creek.

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Works Cited

Water quality monitoring: PH. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2022, from

https://www.fivecreeks.org/monitor/pH.shtml

“Park Survey Lab (2021).” Google Slides, Google,

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-Nk7yjvf--51ohKz3t3lNIqZNU6Q68JBT31Ah6

QSEro/edit?usp=sharing.

“Soil Composition in Oyster Creek Park .” Google docs, Google,

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KCrVn2txboV5gtscXZpHh8SXI3FsOd_C0AHYf

wdjEi4/edit?usp=sharing