High-Tech Monitoring of an Age-Old Problem

Homer Lake, IL

How healthy is Homer Lake? Ask the UMS WaterWorks students. To understand how water quality affects aquatic and terrestrial life, students used handheld computers equipped with various probes to measure temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity (suspended solids), and conductivity. Water samples were also taken back to the classroom for later analysis of nitrates, phosphates, and pH. The lake passed with flying colors and the quality of the water was ideal for many of the fish and invertebrate species native to this area.

Students use the handhelds to gather water quality data on samples of Homer Lake water.

Mr. Jackson helps the students operate the probes and analyze the data

(Left) Turbidity Sensor; (Right) Conductivity Probe

(Left) Dissolved Oxygen probe; (Right) Extra long temperature probe