Introduction
East Three Secondary School in Inuvik, Northwest Territories conducted water testing in May during Science Odyssey Week.
Participants
The experimental science high school class and their teacher, William Logan, ventured to the community boat launch with a SR travelling scientist, Daniel Szulc; a water quality scientist, Kelly McHugh and her colleague Kayla; as well as, an Inuvialuit Regional Corporation coordinator, Chloe Brogan, to learn about and conduct water quality tests.
Temperature & Conditions
Water Temperature Average: 8.3 degrees Celsius
Distance from shore: 1 meter
Depth: 40 cm
Test Location
Location: Boat Launch Area
Date: May 13th
Collectors: Kelly McHugh, Kayla, and Daniel Szulc
Results & Discussion
The water experimental testing went well. After collecting and measuring all the samples, we were able to determine that the water near the boat launch is clean and pure with a high quality index. Overall, the water contained a high level of dissolved oxygen, low turbidity and a low amount of phosphates, nitrates and salts, indicating that the water is clean and not polluted with waste or run-off. Additionally, the pH of water was near neutral and its temperature was quite constant, indicative of a clean freshwater source.
Final Thoughts
The water talk and testing was a great experience for the highschool students. They were thrilled to meet the guests and learn about how water impacts their careers. Kelly and Kayla spoke about their work on the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk highway, and the importance of water testing to ensure that construction does not pollute or affect local waterways and habitats. Chloe Brogan spoke about her work as a coordinator for the community based monitoring program at the IRC, where they are currently conducting a longitudinal harvest study. In this study, trappers and hunters report their annual harvest, in this regard, water quality as well as other environmental parameters/trends can be later compared to changes in harvest over the years to evaluate wildlife and ecosystem health.
Learning about the importance of water quality testing and its relation to our lives and the environment through interactive and hands-on experiments had a huge impact on the students. They had an opportunity to work with local scientists and step into their shoes for a day. They learned about the important parameters and how they are tested in the field. It was great to see how the students were able to connect what they learned in class to the experiment and measurements we made in their community at a local body of water.
Testimonial
We had a great day with the Experimental Science high school class at East Three Secondary School in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. Thank you Kelly McHugh, Kayla and Chloe Brogan for teaching the students about the importance of water quality testing and the impact it has on our lives, as well as, the environment.
