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MILL RIVER MONITORING PROJECT
Keck Geology Consortium
The Keck Geology Consortium Mill River Project will run from June 15 through July 12. Nine students from seven schools will participate in the project.
Students
| Joel Bauman | Colorado College |
| Lynn Berkley | Beloit College |
| Mary Donovan | Smith College |
| Lena Fletcher | Smith College |
| Reina Foxx | Cal State Fullerton |
| Angela Knapp | Whitman College |
| Andrew Logan | Amherst College |
| Anna Monders | Whitman College |
| Halle Morrison | College of Wooster |
Faculty
| Bob Newton | Smith College, Project Director |
| Amy Rhodes | Smith College |
| Steve Acheampong | Summit Envirosolutions |
BACK |
FRONT |
The Mill River watershed is 130 km2 in area and extends from pristine undeveloped forested uplands to agricultural and residential lowlands adjacent to the Connecticut River. There is concern that water quality in the Mill River watershed is being threatened by non-point source pollutants associated with current land-use practices. This threat not only involves the Mill River itself, but includes the Mill River Aquifer and a large wetland known as the Great Swamp. In 1995 the endangered Dwarf Wedge mussel (Alasmidonta heterodon) was discovered in the lower reaches of the Mill River. This species was previously thought to be extirpated from Massachusetts and the Mill River population is now the only extant population known in the state. This species is particularly sensitive to water pollution including pesticides, heavy metals, sedimentation and nutrient loading. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the hydrologic and chemical impact of land-use on the Mill River and associated wetlands and aquifers.
This project is part of the Mill River Watershed Project a multidisciplinary project involving investigators from the University of Massachusetts, Smith College, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and the Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. The project involves both water quality and biologic assessment studies which will be used to develop a comprehensive watershed protection plan.
The lower Mill River near its confluence with the
Connecticut River. (MR-100) |
Great Swamp Brook undergoes episodic
acidification
presumably due to the impact of the addition of road
salt from nearby Interstate Rt 91. (GS-100) |
Beginning in June of 1997 water samples have been collected every 2 weeks from 9 sites in the watershed (red dots). These samples have been analyzed as follows:
| Specific Conductance | YSI specific conductance meter |
| Dissolved Oxygen | YSI dissolved oxygen meter |
| pH | pH meter |
| Acid Neutralizing Capacity (ANC) | Gran titration |
| Ca, Mg, Na, K | Atomic Absorption (Perkin Elmer 3030) |
| Cl, SO4, NO3 | Ion Chromatography (Dionex 2000i) |
| Aqueous Silica | Colorimetry (Spectronic 21) |
DATA
Chemical Data
Chemical Database >600 Analyses
Hydrologic Data
Click below to download a Kaleidagraph file
Bloody Brook is highly contaminated by agricultural
runoff (BB-100) |
Upper reach of the Mill River. This site has an unusual
chemistry which may be due to land use (MR-300) |
Roaring Brook as it drains out of the western
highlands (RB-100) |
The upper part of West Brook in the area of the
Northampton Reservoir. (WB-200) |
Assignment
- Your first assignment is to access the database through the web site. Take a look at the data and note how the chemistry changes throughout the watershed.
- You should also review your chemistry. We suggest Drever's The Geochemistry of Natural Waters or Langmuir's Aqueous Environmental Geochemistry. If you can, it would also be useful for you to read The Biogeochemistry of a Forested Watershed by Likens et al.
- You should send me an email with your email address where I can reach you between now and when you arrive at the project.
Email Addresses
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