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2006 Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering FairThe abstract below was written by the students. The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District made no editorial changes.
AbstractPurpose: To determine the effect of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project on the water quality of the Potomac River Hypothesis: The construction of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge will have negative effects on the water quality of the Potomac River To determine whether the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project was affecting the waters of the Potomac River, tests were performed upstream and downstream of the bridge at Founder’s Park, Jones’ Point, and Fort Washington. The tests performed to determine the total water quality were conductivity, turbidity, pH, temperature, nitrates, phosphates, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, flow rate, and total dissolved solids. Conclusions can be drawn about the effect of the bridge construction on the Potomac River water by comparing the water quality index from each site.Tests for conductivity, turbidity in NTU’s, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH were all conducted on-site using probes connected to a Vernier LabPro using DataMate software, excepting dissolved oxygen, which was tested using the Winkler method. The samples for biochemical oxygen demand, turbidity, nitrates, and phosphates were tested in the chemistry laboratory. The Founder’s Park average test results for conductivity, turbidity, pH, nitrates, phosphates, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and temperature test results are as follows, respectively: 151.3 mg/L, 4 JTU and 9 NTU, 8.8, 2.6 mg/L, 0.12 mg/L, 5.7 mg/L, 1.9 mg/L, and 6.56° C. The Jones’ Point average test results for the same tests follow respectively: 219.7 mg/L, 30 JTU and 103 NTU, 8.3, 3.3 mg/L, 0.09 mg/L, 5.7 mg/L, 3.7 mg/L, and 5.91° C. The Fort Washington average test results for the same tests follow respectively: 193.3 mg/L, 2 JTU and 8 NTU, 8, 2.6 mg/L, 0.09 mg/L, 6 mg/L, 1.6 mg/L, and 5.61° C. The Jones’ Point water quality is 80, which is classified as “good,” but it is lower than the other two sites. Jones’ Point in has less desirable levels of conductivity, turbidity, nitrates, pH, and biological oxygen demand than the sites at Founder’s Park and Fort Washington. Because Jones’ Point is located directly downstream of the bridge construction, the data from that site can be used to determine that the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project is adversely affecting the water quality of the Potomac River. |