My name is Lee Bruemmer, I’m in fifth grade and I go to a school called Seaview Elementary. Last week our class went to the Perrinville Creek to do some water quality testing. The velocity of the stream was 1.80 feet per second. The temperature of the stream was 51 degrees F / 12 C which is perfect for the salmon to live in. Our class tested the quality of the water by finding certain kind of bugs. I know, finding water quality by finding bugs!? It’s true, if you find certain kinds of bugs like the mayfly or the stonefly nymph that means that the water is very clean and healthy because these bugs are very sensitive. But you don’t just want to find those kinds of bugs called “intolerant” you need to find a variety of bugs like a somewhat tolerant bug that we all know as the dragon fly, and even tolerant bugs that live anywhere, like a leach or an aquatic worm. But all in all it’s a healthy stream for wildlife to live in.
As you’re reading this you may be wondering, why we should be caring about water, we have enough of it right? WRONG! Did you know 99% of the world’s water is salt water? So we need to not waste our water. Here are some reasons to keep that 1% of freshwater clean… We drink it, animal’s drink it, everyone and everything revolves around water. Who is going to keep it clean if we don’t? If we don’t start worrying about water then fish will start to become extinct!
If this catches your eye and you are wondering how you can help, here are some things you can do if you want to help. Take your car to a carwash or wash it on your lawn. Don’t use lawn chemicals because if it rains they will get washed down a storm sewer and straight into the ocean or a local creek or stream. Please clean up after your pet or the pet waste will end up the same as the lawn chemicals. Dispose of trash properly into a trash can and don’t liter. So now that’s clear I hope you can help us keep our waters CLEAN!
Lee Bruemmer
Seaview Elementary
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