Biology Classes Take Close Look At River

Biology students from Will Sinclair High School and Caroline School got a closer look at the quality of Rocky's water while drifting down the North Saskatchewan River as part of their study of aquatic ecology.

Approximately 30 students embarked on an all-day field trip Wednesday, which included rafting down the river, evaluating water samples and touring the Water Treatment Plant.

Gabrielle Patterson, the biology teacher from WSHS who went on the trip, said the application of classroom studies gave students a good review for their upcoming final exams.

"It's good to put their education into place," said Patterson. "Students had a pretty good time enjoying the experience."

Jana Reum, 17, was thankful to be out in the sunshine and not in school in Caroline. She said she learned a lot during the trip.

"This made me interested in the (ecology) field, the environment and how thing work together," said Reum.

The trip, hosted by Beyond Books Institute, was meant to give students an appreciation for rivers, ecology and water quality in the area. Guides Simon Ham, Steve McGrath and Andrea Kortello, taught students about rafting safety and how to evaluate water quality.

Kortello said the Institute was set up to run educational field trips for students after budget cuts made it difficult for teachers to run their own field studies.

"We want the students to understand how dependent we are on rivers for everyday life," said Kortello.

After all the samples were evaluated, guide Simon Ham encouraged students to give the North Saskatchewan a rating from one to a five - one being a perfect thumbs-up.

Reum was happy an evaluation was done.

"It's educational because you don't really know if these rivers are safe," said the Grade 11 student. "From the samples we took it seemed pretty clean."

Samples of the river were taken to test the water for phosphates, ammonia and oxygen levels.

Water containing phosphates is the result of detergent, fertilizer and human and animal waste being deposited into the water. Ammonia found in the water is caused by animal and human waste and fertilizer. High levels of either ammonia or phosphates have adverse effects on the river.

The two biology classes found that the North Saskatchewan is in "excellent condition." The invertebrates they found in the water are indicative of a river that is not polluted.

Low levels of ammonia and phosphates were found in some areas of the river, but overall the students rated the water quality a nearly perfect 1.5 out of five.