We rarely consider autumn as a season of renewal but for Big Rock Creek, it's a thing! The recent rains have replenished the water at our park. The oxygen count in the water is back up to healthy levels and the bacterial count has dropped. A recent trip found many residents enjoying our park including Susan, Judy, and their pup, Ginger.
Low dissolved oxygen has been a problem in the Big Rock water these past few months. Low water volume, plant growth and algae, and a lack of turbulence can all drive life giving oxygen from the water and devastate water animals. The test to detect dissolved oxygen involves reacting the water with color forming chemicals and color matching them to a set of standards from a kit. This needs to be done as soon as possible after collection. Here's what the test looks like:
Fortunately, the recent rainfall and cooler temperatures has helped the dissolved oxygen quite a bit. A level of 9 ppm or above is considered healthy.