SUGAR CREEK AND THE DOG RIVER WATERSHED:

EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY

Laurie L. Orso. Department of Earth Sciences, University of South Alabama, LSCB 136, Mobile, AL, 36688. E-MAIL: laurieorso@hotmail.com

Sugar Creek is part of the Dog River Watershed, which drains most of suburban Mobile, Alabama. Urban expansion has caused major problems for the watershed in recent years, and these problems are ever increasing. Erosion and sediment runoff from construction sites causes turbidity levels to soar. This in turn depletes dissolved oxygen levels from the water, making it difficult for fish and other organisms to survive. Pesticides, mishandled septic tanks, littering, and other pollution have further disturbed the watershed. Cloudy turbid water and garbage in and around the banks are common along Sugar Creek. By the process of conducting careful water quality tests, the effect such pollution has on water chemistry has been recorded. The resulting data will be part of a multimedia research project, which is aimed mostly at educating the Sugar Creek community

Keyword: Sugar Creek, turbidity, dissolved oxygen.

Introduction

“When we jeopardize a freshwater ecosystem’s integrity- its physical, chemical, and biological elements and processes- we compromise its ability to support species and provide the products and services we depend on…Once nature can no longer provide, we must either do without or try to substitute, usually much less effectively and at much higher cost (Abramovitz, 1996).” For thousands of years, human beings have depended upon fresh water systems as a means of water, food, and transportation. Unfortunately, within a very short amount of time, this dependency has become an assault. If pollution does not cease, then societies could face devastating consequences.

The Dog River watershed (Fig. 1), which encompasses an area of approximately 90 square miles, drains most of the suburban portion of Mobile, Alabama. This watershed has received extensive development in the past 50 years, and is likely to receive much more in the future (Alabama Department of Environmental Management, 1994). Thus, an urban watershed has serious consequences for both the water and the community at large. Since efforts to sustain these systems requires a better understanding of their dynamic nature, the need for community education and involvement is crucial (Abramovitz, 1996).

Sugar Creek is the lower northeast branch of Milkhouse Creek (located in red circle in Figure 1), which is one of many creeks in the Dog River Watershed. According to John Wesley Powell, scientist geographer, a watershed is “that area of land, a bounded hydrologic system, within which all living things are inextricably linked by their common water course, and where humans settled, simple logic demanded that they become part of a community” (Environmental Protection Agency, 2002). This statement illustrates how connected and dependent we are to a watershed.

When water appears dark and cloudy, it has a high turbidity or NTU level. Turbidity is a measurement of water cloudiness caused by suspended matter. Contributing factors include run off from construction sites, erosion, and trash or other pollution deposited into the water. A high turbidity level limits sunlight penetration in water, inhibits growth of aquatic plants, and can upset aquatic ecosystems (Alabama Water Watch, 2002). High turbidity also affects the amount of Dissolved Oxygen in water. Dissolved oxygen (or D O) is the most important gas in water, since it is vital to the health of flora and fauna (Hitchman, 1978).

Research Question

How educated is the Sugar Creek community of the pollution-causing factors in Sugar Creek? For example, it has been proven that if construction sites are not properly maintained, the resulting run-off may cause serious consequences for the watershed. The need to maintain and monitor the health of a watershed is very important. Furthermore, it is a necessity because so many of the activities that societies do as they grow and evolve conflict with each other and the integrity of the natural environment (Jones, 2002).

The community needs to understand the constituents of construction and Best Management Practices (BMP’s). Unfortunately, most people are not in a hurry to get involved, or even to educate themselves about domestic behaviors that upset watersheds. However, if information is delivered directly to them, then perhaps they will acknowledge the urgency of the matter. This research will hopefully convince the community that careless construction, littering, runoff, and other pollution will affect their valuable natural resources.

Methods

The research question can be answered in two parts. First of all, water quality tests were performed on a central portion of the creek for five consecutive weeks. The site was much more accessible than most other points along the creek. The water was tested for temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen. The testing methods were derived directly from the Alabama Water Watch water quality testing specifications. Chemical procedures were employed to test the exact pH levels and dissolved oxygen. Both air and water temperatures were also measured and recorded. Turbidity data for Sugar Creek was recorded by Tim Williams and is available in his report dealing strictly with the matter.

Secondly, a questionnaire (Table 1) was designed to obtain feedback from the community. General statements about watershed health problems are stated, along with facts about domestic pollutants. Of the fifteen statements, people could mark their level of agreement within a range from A to E. A space for “no opinion” was also provided.

The questionnaire was administered in the Sugar Creek Place neighborhood, and generated responses from about ten separate households. Brochures provided by Dog River Clearwater Revival organization were also distributed. The neighborhood (Fig. 2) was chosen due to its proximity to the creek and the sampling site.

The map in Figure 2 was created using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software known as Arc Map. The data was provided by the city of Mobile’s GIS department. The neighborhood and the houses on the map were located in the city’s parcel and neighborhood layer data. They were then isolated through the geo-processing command to create this very specific thematic map.

Results

The results for the questionnaire may be interpreted as the following: high, moderate, and low agreement rates (see Fig. 2). Households with a high agreement rate marked most statements as “strongly agree” on the questionnaire. Those who moderately agreed had a range of responses, and those who had a low agreement rate marked “strongly disagree” a number of times.

The water quality test results may be compared to the Alabama water use classifications and standards set forth by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM). The pH remained mostly at 6.5, and dropped to 6.0 only once (Fig. 3). The ADEM requirement for anything ranging from outstanding Alabama waters to industrial operations may fall between 6.0 and 8.5 .This also includes swimming, fishing, and public water supply (Alabama Water Watch, 2002).

The dissolved oxygen ranged from 5.0 to 8.0 milligrams per liter (Fig. 4). Aquatic biologists suggest that for most species of fish, the dissolved oxygen content should not fall below five milligrams per liter (Hitchman, 1978). On April 14, the dissolved oxygen level decreased to 5.0 mg/L. The sample was taken after a considerable rainfall, a time when the water appeared extremely orange in color and turbid. The ADEM requirements for dissolved oxygen levels are the following: 3.0 mg/L for agricultural and industrial operations, 5.0 mg/L for swimming, fishing, and public water supply, and 5.5 mg/L for outstanding Alabama waters (Alabama Water Watch, 2002).

Conclusion

Although the pH levels are considered normal by the ADEM standards, future testing could perhaps show otherwise. The dissolved oxygen levels were also considered normal. However, after the rainfall event, the levels fell to 5.0 mg/L. This indicates that run-off washed down by the rain results in lower dissolve oxygen concentrations. Future testing could further show how much more dissolved oxygen is lost due to higher turbidity concentrations during rainfall events.

The varied responses in the Sugar Creek Place neighborhood shows that not all people are informed of watershed health issues. There is a growing need for community education not only in neighborhoods near streams, but all over. This can be accomplished by further research projects like this one, neighbors informing other neighbors, community meetings, and school education.

Watersheds are truly valuable to a community. If one stream or creek in this fragile system is upset, everything may suffer as a result. Education is necessary for businesses and citizens to protect and preserve the natural resources of a community. Much of the pollution that is harming this creek is senseless and can be stopped by improving best management practices and educating the community. If people realize the consequences of their actions, then perhaps they will be motivated to help to improve water quality. The purpose of this project is to illustrate how this part of the Dog River Watershed is receiving pollution and also to inform and educate the surrounding community. The Dog River Clearwater Revival will also benefit from this information, since it affects the whole watershed.

Works Cited

Abramovitz, J. (1996). Imperiled Waters, Impoverished Future: The Decline of Fresh Water Ecosystems. Washington, D.C. : Worldwatch Institute.

Alabama Department of Environmental Management, 1994. A Survey of the Dog River Watershed. Mobile, Alabama, 1994.

Alabama Water Watch Association. Basic Certification Workbook Water Quality Monitoring. 2002? Website: www.alabamawaterwatch.org

Environmental Protection Agency. 2002. What is a Watershed? http://www.epa.gov/win/what.html Accessed on March 1, 2002.

Environmental Protection Agency. (2002) Watersheds. Available: <http://www.epa/owow/watersheds/> Accessed on March 28, 2003.

Hitchman, M. (1978). Measurement of Dissolved Oxygen. Chemical Analysis. Vol. 49. New York: John Wiley & Sons

Jones, C., Palmer, R., Motkaluk, S., & Watlers, M. (2002). Watershed Health Monitoring: Emerging Technologies. New York: CRC Press.