Abstract |
Lily Pond is a man-made urban pond located within Mill Creek Park in Youngstown, OH. The park is surrounded by suburban residential neighborhoods with Lily Pond having residential homes situated atop steep inclines to the north and the west. This year, park staff installed an aeration system within the pond in an attempt to reduce occurrences of fish die offs that happen once every few years. It is hypothesized that the addition of the aeration system will improve dissolved oxygen and overall quality of the pond for wildlife. Field readings from May to October were sampled at four location, three in the pond and one at the small creek outflow. Water quality parameters were measured using standard methods including dissolved oxygen at various depths, temperature, pH, solids, phosphorus, and E. Coli. The first three sampling times were prior to installation of the aeration system which showed a trend of decrease dissolved oxygen (DO) levels. After the aeration system was installed, DO levels increased and were maintain to greater than 6 mg/L for most of the summer. Soluble phosphorus as well as total volatile solid levels spiked in late July. The cause behind this spike is still being investigated. Preserved samples were analyzed for diatoms in December. Further sampling and analysis will aid park officials in management practices for future pond activities.
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