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Indicator 2. Water (quality and quantity) |
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measure |
sources |
method |
| 2.A. Number of complaints to municipality of poor water taste, appearance, smell. Newspaper
mention of problem. This is a general measure of water quality concerns. |
Local government records; town meetings' records; local newspaper; advocacy groups | Content analysis, interviews |
| 2.B. Test-kit levels of bacteria, amoebae and microbes in water. Indicator of health problems. Test-kit measures of sediment in the water. Indicator of erosion problems. Test-kit levels of phosphorous, nitrates, trace minerals, compounds. Indicator of water quality and erosion problems. |
High school nature/science club/class; advocacy group; local water/sewage officer; Local government agency; extension office | Collect information from groups doing systemic testing |
| 2. C. Number of fish-kills in streams/rivers/ponds. The number of fish kills indicates how often the water system became severely poisoned. |
Local DNR; local newspaper | Count number of articles, ask DNR for reported cases |
| 2.D. Clarity measure: Number of feet in water where one can see a red weight (or the tennis
shoe test). Water clarity may be a useful measure of water quality, particularly in streams, where it indicates pollution and siltation. In some ponds and lakes water clarity may be reduced by desirable plankton and the measure may not be as useful. |
Nature/science class/club; advocacy groups | On a specific date, determine the depth where visibility is possible |
| 2.E. Number of fish. Fish are a good indicator of aquatic system health-which, as a major component in the ecosystem-is a major component of ecosystem health. |
Audubon Society; Nature Conser-vancy; other environmental advocacy organiza-tions; school/ science clubs or classes | Compare yearly, systematic counts done by groups |
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