Charlotte Beach Hy -Fiving “From the Beach to the Lab”

1. Charlotte Beach Hy-Fiving“From the Beach to the Lab” LaToya Dunbar, Kristine Lawrence, Carli Moochler, Megan Saunders, Brian Turkett

2. In The Beginning…………… There once was a group named Hy-Five, Who wanted to investigate why bacteria could survive. At Ontario Beach, where kids swim all day Except when Charlie Knauff says, “the beach is closed! Go away!” Could this E.coli come from nearby ponds and streams? We wondered…….so the Hy-Fivers set out to investigate as a team…  EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five

3. Background Information • 2008 Criteria for Charlotte Beach Closings (Charlie Knauff): • Rainfall exceeding 0.7” and peak rainfall >0.40”/hr • Genesee River High Flow: • high flow between 3500 and 5000cfs (pollution watch) • river flows west towards Charlotte beach (beach closes) • Local Storm water rainfall: • 0.70’’– 1.5” (beach closes for 24 hours) • >1.5” (beach closes for 48 hours) • Algae or other organic debris is > 1500 cf • Secchi disk depth </= 0.6m • Bacteria (e-coli) results from prior day > 235mpn/100mL EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five

4. Research Questions • Do the ponds and streams flowing into Lake Ontario west of Charlotte Beach contribute to the high levels of bacteria found along the beach? • Are there any trends in bacteria levels along the Lake Ontario Shoreline from West to East? • For each pond and stream, are there differences in bacteria levels at sites along the shore as compared to those that are more inland? EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five

5. The Research Model 28 27 30 31 29 23 24 25 22 26 20 19 16 15 5 21 6 17 18 12 11 4 14 13 7 10 9 8 3 2 1 EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five

6. Protocol • All sampling containers pre-labelled. • Collect water samples using whirl pack bags, seal and keep on ice until plating. • Collect remaining data at same location: • Probes: pH, DO, conductivity, UvB, temperature. • Anenometer: wind speed and direction. • Secchi Disk: turbidity. • Plating: place 1.0mL of water from whirlpack bag into Coliscan solution then pour into pre-treated petri dishes • Bucket Method used for water sampling at sites 1 – 7 EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five

7. ...........in the middle……….. The day was long, we encountered trials and friends. If you are going to do this, here is what we recommend: Always carry your ID and never go alone; You may meet homeowners that are grumpy and groan! EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five

8. Issues During Data Collection • Difficulties with bucket method. • Dredging of Genesee River. • Extremely sunny day. • Unable to walk “knee-deep” at several sites. • Loss of buffer solution for storing pH probe. • Inaccessibility at key sites. • Challenges with homeowners. • Not able to complete all sampling sites. • Inconsistency with plating times. • No replicates. EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five

9. Model Re-Visited EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five

10. Data Analysis Methodologies • Divided analysis into 7 sampling sections: • Genesee River and Pier (sites 1-7) • Charlotte Beach (sites 8-10) • Slater Creek (sites 11-14) • Round Pond (sites 16-17) • Buck Pond (sites 19-21) • Long Pond (sites 23-25) • Lake Ontario Shoreline (sites 8-12, 16, 19-20, 23) • Sites 15, 18, 22, and 26-31 not sampled. • Statistical analysis: • Calculate mean and standard deviation . • Determine presence of significant differences. • Results plotted on logarithmic scales. EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five

11. Lake Ontario Shoreline EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five

12. Charlotte Beach EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five

13. Slater Creek EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five

14. Long Pond EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five

15. Overall Results / Observations • Only sites 8, 13, 14, 23, 24 and 25 showed significant levels of coliform bacteria. • Other factors that may have contributed to high bacteria counts include: • Site 8: Large amounts of algae • Site 13: Large population of ducks & feces • Site 14: High turbidity and presence of algae • Site 23: Garbage and very little sunlight • Site 24: Red algae at shoreline • Site 25: Dense population of fisherman, garbage EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five

16. Implications • Results did not support original prediction of higher bacteria counts moving from west to east along Lake Ontario shoreline. • No significant trends were noted from the stream and ponds that were sampled. EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five

17. Future Directions • Increase the number of replicates (n=3) per site to include water samples and plating. • Consistency between water sampling and plating. • Using boat in place of “bucket method”. • Carry back-up solutions of buffers for probes. • Determine site accessibility prior to sampling day. • Develop consistent method for sampling at sites where water levels are different depths. • Sample on multiple days. EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five

18. ………………………………….the End! I hope you all enjoyed our fine presentation, And that we could contribute to your science education. You are a great cohort, from which we’ve learned a lot. We love each and every one of you with all we’ve got. Now Michael pay attention when you are making your picks, The Hy-Fivers want to stay together in 486! EDU 487 Science Symposium, Hy-Five