Water Quality Testing at USM Gulf Park
Students at the USM Gulf Park campus hope to improve the water quality of the Gulf Coast by conducting several tests on their campus.
Bear Point Creek is just one of the many waterways that flow into the Mississippi Sound. The Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy trained a group of 18 students at the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park campus on how to properly test the quality of the water in the creek. Geology Professor David Holt said, “The idea is that all of these waterways are dumping into the Mississippi Sound and we want to make sure that we can monitor if there’s any issues with pollutions like phosphates and nitrogen.”
These tests will develop a starting base that will help monitor any future changes in the water. Traditionally, these waterways were exceptionally important because people physically got their water out of them. “Some people moved to well water but now that we’ve kind of shifted to city water, what we end up with people don’t pay attention to the waterways as often as they should,” said Holt.
Students will be testing the water in Bear Creek monthly. Along with PH tests, students will also test the salinity, water temperature, salt water intrusion and more. Cody Slater, a senior at USM Gulf Park, said, “You’re learning how to do these and you’re going to take these actual testing skills and you’re going to apply them to whatever future career you do after you graduate from here.”
Students will conduct monthly testing in two separate locations along the stream for the next three years.
Bear Point Creek is just one of the many waterways that flow into the Mississippi Sound. The Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy trained a group of 18 students at the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park campus on how to properly test the quality of the water in the creek. Geology Professor David Holt said, “The idea is that all of these waterways are dumping into the Mississippi Sound and we want to make sure that we can monitor if there’s any issues with pollutions like phosphates and nitrogen.”
These tests will develop a starting base that will help monitor any future changes in the water. Traditionally, these waterways were exceptionally important because people physically got their water out of them. “Some people moved to well water but now that we’ve kind of shifted to city water, what we end up with people don’t pay attention to the waterways as often as they should,” said Holt.
Students will be testing the water in Bear Creek monthly. Along with PH tests, students will also test the salinity, water temperature, salt water intrusion and more. Cody Slater, a senior at USM Gulf Park, said, “You’re learning how to do these and you’re going to take these actual testing skills and you’re going to apply them to whatever future career you do after you graduate from here.”
Students will conduct monthly testing in two separate locations along the stream for the next three years.
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