Water Quality Sampling from Little Brazos River, Robertson County, Texas

Angela Mohle

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Introduction:
Many students with Ecological Restoration as a major will be going into a field where
they will need to be doing water quality testing. These skills need to be learned in an
outdoor classroom setting to give real-world experience to apply to the jobsite later. This
experiment gives students the opportunity to become familiar with the standards of water
quality and the methods in which we use to identify water quality levels. The Clean Water
Act is a mandate geared towards restoring and maintaining water quality to benefit the
chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the water to benefit the organisms using
the area as their habitat and water source. This lab focused on measuring pH, dissolved
oxygen, total dissolved solids, and the temperature of the water to determine if they are
within thresholds determining healthy water quality. Abnormal levels outside of the
Environmental Protection Agencys parameters will indicate poor water quality.
Review of Previous Work:
The Texas Commission for Environmental Quality released a water quality report in 2002
compiling data from their studies of the Little Brazos River between the years of 1996
and 2001. Their tests included the same data for which we were testing: dissolved oxygen
and nitrates. Their findings concluded that both of their test results were of no concern.

Study Area: The Little Brazos River a perennial stream located in Robertson County.
Our testing site was off of Highway 21 west of Bryan where the river crosses the
highway. The river is approximately 40 feet wide and, at the location of the testing,
approximately three feet deep. Our testing site was on a gradual sloped bank whereas the
far side of the river was a steep bank. Vegetation was present up to the edge of the water

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with some aquatic vegetation along the edge. The air temperature was 21C and there had
been one day since significant precipitation. The water was of normal flow, brown in
color, cloudy, and ripples with a fishy odor were present.

Methods and Procedures: First we measured the water temperature after submersing the
thermometer for at least one minute. We then used a Secchi disk to determine water
clarity. Next, we collected river water using a five-gallon bucket and took it to our testing
area. The pH was then tested and data recorded. For our dissolved oxygen sampling, we
collected river water and added the Manganous Sulfate and Alkaline Potassium Iodide
Azine. Next, we added Sulfuric Acid. We added in Sodium Thiosulfate titrating solution.
Finally, we added the Starch Indicator Solution and collected data on how much solution
was used. To find the data on conductivity for dissolved solids, we used an electroconduction TDS tester and recorded our findings.

Results:
Since students did not have access to the TCEQs standards for acceptable levels of our
samples, it was impossible to determine if the water quality was within the range of
standards. The table below shows our findings.
LEVELS
7.90 S/cm
21C
25C
2.43 mg/L average
6.87
0.38m
0.52m

TEST TYPE
CONDUCTIVITY
AIR TEMPERATURE
WATER TEMPERATURE
DISSOLVED OXYGEN
pH
SECCHI DISK TRANSPARENCY
TOTAL DEPTH

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Discussion:
My teams results were not the same as other teams. This could be due to our collection
areas, since we were on the north side of the bridge and others were on the south side.
This could also be due to our inexperience with collection and testing. This lab gave us
the foundation to continue learning about sampling methods and prepared us for future
classes. To extend this learning even further, an option would be to become a part of the
Texas Stream Team and continue to sample and test water in various locations. In
addition, this lab prepared us for work we may be doing in the field after moving into the
career world.

Literature Cited:
Texas Commission for Environmental Quality, 2002. 2002 Texas Water Quality
Inventory. Austin, Texas (United States of America); [accessed 2016 Mar 26].
http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/assets/public/compliance/monops/water/assessments/0
2_1242E_data.pdf
http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/assets/public/compliance/monops/water/assessments/0
2_1242E_fact.pdf

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