Chris Dinesen Rogers has been online marketing for more than eight years. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. Testing pH levels indicates the acidity or alkalinity of a sample. Water's acidity can be increased by acid rain but is kept in check by the buffer limestone. It often exceeded 13 C or 55 F, creating a climate right for many fish, plants, insect nymphs and some fish diseases. The average pH in the study was 6.9, a value that is only sufficiently basic for bacteria, carp, suckers, catfish, and some insects. 100 percent saturation is most desirable. Limestone bedrock found throughout the Grand River watershed buffers the acidity of the water and tends to cause river water to be more basic, rather than acidic. Unlike lakes and ponds, rivers are open systems, where frequent water exchange occurs. An extreme recorded value of 60 NTU indicates water that is relatively clear to a depth of five inches, while at the other extreme, a value of zero NTU corresponds to water with visibility to five feet, which is the maximum depth that can be measured with this turbidity test. Various indicators give a measure of the quality of a river. The usual pH range of water is from 0 to 14. However, drastic changes in pH can have detrimental effects on river health. It is a measure of hydrogen ion concentration. Public tenders and requests for proposals. Oxygen is also produced by rooted aquatic plants and algae as a product of photosynthesis. River levels and flows can change rapidly. In deeper lakes where stratification (layering) occurs, the pH of water is generally higher (7.5-8.5) near the surface and lower (6.5-7.5) at greater depths ¹⁰. This extra depth slows the river which hampers its mixing action. Although the pH of pure water is 7, drinking water and natural water exhibits a pH range because it contains dissolved minerals and gases. The effects of low pH levels can be lessened by the presence of limestone along river banks and in soil. In the Cuyahoga, the average turbidity from a study of twelve sites was 24.9 Nephelometer Turbidity Units (NTU), with a range of 60 units. The lower values present a problem for most organisms with the exception of bacteria, which can survive pH's as low as 2.0. The optimum pH for river water is around 7.4. The temperature of the Cuyahoga as tested in September 1991 did not exceed 20 C or 68 F and thus did not create a climate for many fish diseases. Despite this fact, the organisms that depend on rivers require some equilibrium. She has grown her own art business through SEO and social media and is a consultant specializing in SEO and website development. (Source: Cuyahoga River Water Quality Monitoring Program, Cleveland State University). It is caused by soil erosion, excess nutrients, various wastes and pollutants, and the action of bottom feeding organisms which stir sediments up into the water. Values below 7 indicate a more acidic solution, while values above 7 indicate a more alkaline solution. Great uncontrolled plant growth, especially algal blooms, is often the result of fertilizer runoff. However, drastic changes in pH can have detrimental effects on river health. Ironically, it is life in the form of plants and algae that grow uncontrolled due to fertilizer that leads to the masses of decaying plant matter. Many industrial processes require water of exact pH readings and thus add chemicals to change the pH to meet their needs. It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. It is a measure of hydrogen ion concentration. The pH decreases as the concentration of the HCl increases. Turbidity may harm fish and their larvae. The pH of river water is the measure of how acidic or basic the water is on a scale of 0-14. Freshwater lakes, ponds and streams usually have a pH of 6-8 depending on the surrounding soil and bedrock ²¹. The pH factor is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity (basic) of water. The pH at the site of special scientific interest (site C) is good. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, some GRCA programs and services are suspended or operating in a limited capacity at this time. Waves and tumbling water mix atmospheric oxygen with river water. In the Cuyahoga, dissolved oxygen levels in one study of fourteen sites ranged from 1.5 to 90 percent saturation, with an average of 13.2 percent. Values below 7 indicate a more acidic solution, while values above 7 indicate a more alkaline solution. An adequate supply of dissolved oxygen gas is essential for the survival of aquatic organisms. The navigation channel has particularly low dissolved oxygen levels. This decreases the rate of photosynthesis, so less oxygen is produced by plants. Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. There are a variety of factors affecting levels of dissolved oxygen. The usual pH range of water is from 0 to 14. A value of 24.9 indicates that a device called a Secchi disk can be seen underwater up to a depth of ten to twelve inches. Nature; "Fish kill at low pH in a Norwegian river"; H. Leivestad and I. P. Muniz; February 1976. The Grand River Conservation Authority assumes no responsibility for the correctness of the information contained in this website nor liability to any user of such information, regardless of the purpose. Data will be added to the charts on this page as it becomes available. Bacteria which decompose plant material and animal waste consume dissolved oxygen, thus decreasing the quantity available to support life. Dissolved oxygen levels in sections of the river in which plants are the major contributor of oxygen fall sharply at night because photosynthesis ceases. Low pH levels cause fish kill by stressing animal systems and causing physical damage, which in turn makes them more vulnerable to disease. In the navigation channel near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, the river is dredged regularly to maintain sufficient depth for boats. Turbidity is the condition resulting from suspended solids in the water, including silts, clays, industrial wastes, sewage and plankton. In the Cuyahoga, temperature changes radically in the spring and autumn. As a result, fish that are not indigenous to the region and not yet adapted for these shifts often die. Temperature impacts the rates of metabolism and growth of aquatic organisms, rate of plants' photosynthesis, solubility of oxygen in river water, and organisms' sensitivity to disease, parasites, and toxic materials.