Wetland Deterioration Science Fair Projects

Wetlands

Wetlands are an import part of coastal regions. They provide a natural barrier to natural disasters like hurricanes and flooding, while providing hundreds of animals and plants with a place to live. When developing a wetlands science fair projects remember that field research will most likely be required.

Objectives/Goals

California has lost more than 90% of its wetlands in the past 200 years. Environmentalists say that due to this wetland loss, artificial reservoirs and farm ponds have become important replacements for lost habitat. Evans Pond is a local farm pond established over 100 years ago from runoff. Many types of birds and migratory ducks inhabit the pond. Many turtles also make Evans Pond their home. Evans Pond has been having trouble maintaining an adequate water supply. The goals of this project were to evaluate the water quality of Evans Pond, document the animals living there, and go to the community to seek long-term solutions for supplying Evans Pond with water.

Methods/Materials

For this experiment I obtained water quality testing kits and materials from La Motte and Hach chemical companies. I performed a total of 338 water quality tests using 21 different water samples obtained over six months. I tested water samples for pH, alkalinity, ammonia, hardness, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, chlorine, chloride, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, total coliform, and E. coli. I recorded wildlife observations each time I visited the pond.

Results

Conclusions/Discussion

The community is now developing a plan for supplying water to the pond. They are interested in my project as documentation of the wildlife. Evans Pond receives imported water approximately one to three times a year. I believe there should be a pipe connected to a known nearby reclaimed water source (or other permanent solution) to provide enough water for Evans Pond since many animals rely on it as their habitat. 3rd party contributor