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Conservation group finds healthy streams in Geauga
(by Joan Demirjian - July 07, 2010)
Conservation group finds healthy streams in Geauga
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
Ron Etling and his group of volunteers conducting water-quality testing last week in the Chagrin River were elated. The macroinvertebrates they found in the stream riffles signified excellent water quality.
Mr. Etling is district conservation educator at the Geauga County Soil and Water Conservation District and, with the help of volunteers, conducts stream monitoring throughout the summer in the county.
Last week, he led members of the Millenium Youth Conservationists in monitoring the Chagrin River at the West Geauga Commons park in Russell. It is a site they check two to three times a year, along with a nearby horse farm in the township.
The conservationist group started at Kenston High School and has expanded. Members are mostly from Bainbridge, Chester, Munson and the Chardon area.
Mr. Etling and the group check the main branch of the Chagrin River, the Aurora and east branches of the Chagrin River and branches of the Cuyahoga and Grand rivers.
"The main branch of the Chagrin River and the Aurora branch are never anything but good or excellent," he said. Even the site at the McFarland Creek waste-water-treatment plant in Bainbridge gets a good rating.
As the group walked to the river last week, Mr. Etling took the opportunity to teach about nature in general. He pointed out plants used for medicinal uses and edible plants.
"What's this?" he asked, pointing to a plant along the way. It was jewel weed, good for rubbing on poison ivy rash. "It's a teachable opportunity," Mr. Etling said.
They also pick up trash and recycle it as they work around the streams.
At the river, Jon Manke and his son, Ernest, of Bainbridge, didn't waste any time getting into the water. They used a kick seine to filter out the macroinvertebrates in a riffle area. They took them to the bank to identify and count them.
Macroinvertebrates are animals with no backbones and visible without a magnification.
Stephen Petryszyn, 10, of Chardon, with his sister, Olivia, and mother, Lisa, found a free-swimming mayfly larvae, which are common, Mr. Etling said. "They indicate good quality."
Tansi Bowsman, 14, and her grandmother, Jean Lohiser, of Painesville, also were kick seining. When they pulled, looked over what they brought out, Tansi picked one up and said, "So cute."
They were seeking macroinvertebrates in group one, which are pollutant intolerant. The organisms include caddisfly larva, stonefly nymph, the riffle beetle and dobsonfly larva.
When they dominate, it signifies good water quality, Mr. Etling said. A second group consists of organisms that exist in a wide range of water-quality conditions. They include crayfish and fingernail clams.
Macroinvertebrates that tolerate pollution indicate poor water quality. They include leaches and worms.
However, they do not always indicate low quality. They can be washed in during a storm, Mr. Etling said.
The total of all three categories tells the condition of the stream, Mr. Etling said. "If the good organisms aren't found, something is wrong. They are being killed off by pollutants," he said.
Once the macroinvertebrates are identified, they are put back into the river, upside of the riffle, Mr. Etling said. "We try not to disturb them or the river.
"I know this river has fingernail clams, but we just haven't found them yet," Mr. Etling said. The clams indicate good quality.
With a sediment stick, they check the sediment load of the stream. They also check the PH of the water, temperature and dissolved oxygen.
They were at 21 points, and they needed 23 points to be able to register an excellent rating.
"We just need one more good organism to be excellent," Mr. Etling said.
They went into a riffle with large rocks and stirred it up. "I'm hoping we'll find them here," he said.
When they brought the net back to the shore, they found a dobsonfly larvae, or hellgramite, indicating very clean water. It garners a three rating.
"We got it," Mr. Etling said. "I knew that dude was there. We needed 24 points for excellent quality, and now we have it.
"Good job, everybody. Your perseverance paid off," he said.
Results of their stream monitoring efforts will be sent to Ohio Water Craft, which merged with Ohio Scenic Rivers.
The group will be monitoring the stream at McFarland Creek waste-water treatment plant today (July 8), at the Aurora branch and McFarland Creek.
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