Task Statement:

The juniors were asked to solve a series of mathematical problems with the three streams in
Silverton to find the streamflow, turbidity, and other factors in the Animas River, the river in
which the streams all flow towards.

Introduction:
The water issue in Silverton has been a problem for some years now. On the 12th of October,
we took a trip there to find the streamflow, turbidity, pH, conductivity, and temperature of the
three streams that flow towards the Animas River. These streams are as follows: Mineral Creek,
Cement Creek, and the Upper Animas. This data was collected by using taking the standard
deviation, weighted average, mean, median, range, maximum, and minimum of the data from
each group at each stream. After we collected the required information, we were then told to
find the same information for the Animas River by using the data we had collected from the
streams.

Solutions/Predictions:
The data the AHS students collected was incomplete and a small samples but we worked with
what we had to make our predictions. The graphs below show the data for each water quality
variable we tested, except dissolved oxygen. We dont have dissolved oxygen because it was
only taken at one of the three creeks so building an accurate prediction for what it is in the
animas river. To make our predictions for what the Animas River we used weighted average. A
weighted average is a type average that is used when the things you are averaging arent equal.
The stream flow from the creeks arent the same this works best. To find the temperature we
took the the streamflow of the first creek and divided it by the total streamflow, then multiplied it
by the average temperature for the first creek. Repeat this for all the creeks and add together.
Our formal looked like this:26.48/119.37(9.48)+72.284/119.37(6.883)+20.6/119.37(4.72)=
7.0868.
Our predations for the river below the confluence are; streamflow is 119.37, temperature is
7.08681069,turbidity is 24.55957106, conductivity is 531.4971615. These predictions are
extremely close to the USGS historical readings of the animas river. Due to the fact the fact that
the reading stations were covered in ice on the 12th when we took our readings, I decided to
use the data from the 18th.
This is the average streamflow for Cement Creek, Mineral Creek, the Upper Animas, and our
predictions for the Animas River below the confluence.
This is the average temperature for Cement Creek, Mineral Creek, the Upper Animas, and our
predictions for the Animas River below the confluence.

This is the average Turbidity for Cement Creek, Mineral Creek, the Upper Animas, and our
predictions for the Animas River below the confluence.
This is the average Conductivity for Cement Creek, Mineral Creek, the Upper Animas, and our
predictions for the Animas River below the confluence.

Visual representation:
 Methods:
We had to run multiple tests during our time in Silverton. These included, turbidity, pH,
dissolved oxygen, and temperature. To conduct these tests we used turbidity and dissolved
oxygen sensors.To find or predictions of what these numbers would look like below the
confluence, we simply calculated the averages then found the weighted averages of the figures.
The only thing that didnt work using this process was pH. We tried multiple things to try and
calculate pH without the numbers canceling each other out. What we were unaware of was the
way you calculate and add pH is different than how you do it for anything else.Despite this fact,
we still managed to get close to the actual pH of the river below the confluence.
We also had some issues running a couple of the tests. We got a negative turbidity due
to the fact we only did a one point calibration rather than a two point. We also couldnt get a
reading on the dissolved oxygen because of technology errors.

Evaluation: I (Malcolm) did not find this overall useful, fun or educational. This is because I had
done things like this is in the past. However it was a good way to teach weighted averages. I
kinda felt like it was a section of time that we could have spent doing something else.

The Importance: It is important to know the health of the rivers and streams. The calculations
that we did help tell us the current stream health and the healthiness the past. It is important to
know this so we can correct anything that is wrong and correct it to keep a healthy ecosystem.
To protect our water we can keep trash out of it and protect against the epa (after all the mine
wouldnt have broken without them).

Self-Assessment: Assign your group a grade for their work on this

I believe that my group should A or B, I feel that we met all the requirements our calculations
were correct.