Testing Groundwater Quality in the Bazile Groundwater Management Area using Citizen Science: A valuable approach
Abstract
The Bazile Groundwater Management Area (BGMA), located in Northeastern Nebraska and characterized by having high levels of nitrates in groundwater, represents the first groundwater-focused management plan in the nation to address nonpoint source pollution. High levels of nitrate can lead to methemoglobinemia in infants. Collection of shallow domestic well-water quality data is a promising management practice for identifying water quality problems and protecting ground water quality, especially for domestic self-supplied households' drinking water needs, in areas at risk for nitrate contamination. A two-year citizen science project involving high school (HS) students and their teachers focusing on groundwater quality in the BGMA was developed. After being trained, HS students collected groundwater samples in their surrounding area. Basic water quality parameters (i.e., pH, electrical conductivity), major anions/cations (i.e., nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, calcium), metals (i.e. uranium, iron, arsenic), pesticides, and bacteria were tested by the HS students using a multiparameter probe as well as test kits coupled with a portable photometer. To validate the results obtained by the HS students, duplicated samples were collected throughout the study and analyzed by a professional laboratory using more advanced analytical instrumentation. During the first year of the study, of the 23 wells sampled, nearly 50% had nitrate concentrations above the health benchmark (10 mg/L as nitrate-N). Nitrate concentrations ranged from below the analytical detection limit to nearly 50 mg/L. Over this broad range of nitrate concentrations, results obtained by the HS students were in agreement (R2 = 0.90) with those obtained by the professional laboratory. No other parameters tested exceeded the health benchmarks. This study not only increased groundwater awareness among HS students and their families but also highlighted the quality of the results obtained using citizen science.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2020
- Bibcode:
- 2020AGUFMED025..04W
- Keywords:
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- 0805 Elementary and secondary education;
- EDUCATION;
- 0815 Informal education;
- EDUCATION;
- 0845 Instructional tools;
- EDUCATION;
- 0855 Diversity;
- EDUCATION