Date
4-27-2011
Document Type
Presentation
School
North Attleborough High School, North Attleborough, Massachusetts
Teacher
Donna Cochrane
Students
Madelyn Baldasaro, Katelyn Boivin, Peter Chang, Ashleigh Chretien, Tyler Dean, Robert Henriksen, Joseph Menyo, David Rossi, Michelle Tacchi, Gabe Teso, Sara Wiese
Description
The purpose of our study was to ensure that Abbott Run maintained its Class A River water quality. This is important because Abbott Run is the source of drinking water for Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Abbott Run is located in the western section of North Attleboro and is within the Blackstone River Watershed. Rhode Island is to the west of the stream and Plainville and North Attleboro border the south of the stream. The North Attleboro section of the watershed is four square miles in area according to the town records.
Most of the land is used for single-family residential buildings, except for the right of way segment of Interstate 295 and Route 120. The stream passes through the Chemawa Golf Course in North Attleboro before flowing into Rhode Island.
The River was studied on November 3rd and 4th, 2010. The stream was studied at Site A, Cushman Road the first part of the day around 9:00 a.m. Then the stream was studied farther upstream at Site B, Camp Shady Pines after 11:00 a.m. The study included pH, dissolved oxygen, specific conductivity, and temperature. We pulled grab samples of water to determine fecal coliform colony counts. We also collected water and filtered it for nitrogen-nitrate and soluble reactive phosphorus data over the 24 hour period. Seven-day precipitation records before the study were recorded as well as depth and flow at both sites. Also crucial to our study was the collection of benthic macro-invertebrates from the stream.
We had problems with the pH data readings from the Manta, causing the data to be too basic, but after discussing this with the WAL lab and the Pawtucket Water Board, we determined that Abbott Run does not have any problems with pH. All in all, the river met the Class A water standards for use as drinking water.
—Gabe Teso
Recommended Citation
North Attleborough High School, North Attleborough, Massachusetts (2011). Abbott Run Annual Study 2011. In Watershed Access Lab Projects. Project 107.
Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/wal_projects/107
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.