Waynesburg University senior launches water quality project
Those interested in taking a water quality survey related to recreational areas in Greene County can scan this QR code to do so.
Courtesy of Sydney Calhoun
As part of her capstone project, Waynesburg University senior Sydney Calhoun is opening her water quality survey to the general public, and seeks opinions and observations from those who use Greene County’s waterways recreationally. In addition to sensory details, “I (want) to see what was surrounding the areas that they’re going to, if there’s any kind of industry, which would include a coal mine or agriculture or gas drilling. They can rank the quality of water,” Calhoun said.
Courtesy of Sydney Calhoun
Earlier this year, Sydney Calhoun tested water at Ten Mile Creek in Waynesburg. The senior environmental science major at Waynesburg University is now asking the general public for input on water quality throughout the county as part of her capstone project.
By the end of this semester, Sydney Calhoun hopes to be swimming in data.
The senior environmental science major at Waynesburg University recently launched her capstone project, a survey centered on water quality in Greene County.
“There’s so many people that come in contact with water every day. I don’t think it’s right that the water could be very polluted and we don’t really care enough to look at it,” Calhoun said. “For water quality, there’s a lot of data on water chemistry. We don’t necessarily know the public’s opinion (on water pollution). I feel like that’s important.”
Calhoun invites the public to take an anonymous, nine-question survey online as part of her capstone project. The survey focuses not on drinking water quality, but on the quality of water in local streams, rivers, creeks, ponds and lakes – water people lounge beside, splash and fish in.
Survey takers will answer questions about what bodies of water they frequent, how they use that water recreationally, and how the water appears to them. They’ll also note what, if any, industry is nearby, including coal mines, gas drilling or agricultural sites.
The last question on the survey is open ended; people are encouraged to explain their observations and experiences.
“This would include if the water was cloudy or had any color to it that’s not quite normal: red or yellow or orange. If there was any kind of smell, like rotten eggs, if the water had no flow to it or was still,” Calhoun said.
Those seemingly simple observations could indicate pollution and other water quality issues.
Once Calhoun receives surveys – she’s hoping to get them from the public by Dec. 31 – she’ll put the data into a geographic information mapping system (GIS), which will illustrate pollution and poor water quality hot spots throughout Greene County.
“Hopefully we can get this data along to any water organizations or the state (agencies), like the Department of Environmental Protection or Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, for them to take over. That’s the goal,” Calhoun said.
In addition, she will send her findings to the Greene County Parks and Recreation Department, in hopes that one or some of the organizations will look over the data and help implement strategies to clean local waterways.
The water quality survey project was inspired by a water testing assignment in one of Calhoun’s classes.
“There’s one (site), actually right down the street from campus, that we did water testing. It was really gross. There were a lot of pollutants,” Calhoun said. “At the state park that’s close to here they were having problems with their water, just because of the local mines that were in the area.”
Over the summer, Calhoun interned with an environmental consulting company, which introduced her to the computer mapping system she is using for her project. The hardest part of the capstone project, Calhoun said, was determining what questions to ask, and how, in order to get the most accurate results regarding the general public’s perception of area water quality.
For Calhoun, this project isn’t just a grade. Her goal is for people to submit surveys detailing their opinion on quality at a wide range of waterways, from the Monongahela River to Jeffries Creek to Wisecarver Reservoir Lake and beyond, to benefit the greater good.
“We have a lot of water quality issues from industry. The people that deal with it on a daily basis, they have their own opinions. They know how they feel about it. I think that’s important to acknowledge and advocate for them,” Calhoun said.
To participate in Calhoun’s capstone project, complete the survey online at https://qualtricsxm4kffhg8v6.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_72lpijZtd0yOvTU on or before Dec. 31, 2023.