Chapter IV
Water Testing Plan
The first part of the final prototype is the proposal of the Water Testing Plan. As we found all the available data about water quality in USP inconclusive, we propose that the University itself conducts a research and performs campus wide water measurements. Only with reliable and realistic information about the current state of the water quality can the later proposed solutions be actually realised. Here then, we propose where, when and what should be tested as well as who might be the one performing the measurements.
Locations
Keeping in mind the original task of recovering the populations of the five key species, we decided that the locations for testing should be the main locations in which the five key species have currently been found as well as the locations where they are planned to be introduced.
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Additonally, some tests should be performed in the Kromme Rijn as well as in the place in which the water flows from the Kromme Rijn into the canals that surround the Utrecht Science Park, since this is one of the two (the other being rainwater) main sources of water in the USP canals.
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Lastly, tests could also be performed in other locations, that do not have big significance to the key species, but could still serve as an indicator for the overall water quality level and as control group to the more significant locations.
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To show our proposed locations , we prepared a map indicating where the measurements could be performed.
Times
The times of testing for the water quality were decided upon based mainly on two factors, the breeding seasons (and other important life cycle seasons) of the five key species, as well as the patterns of temperatures and rainfall during the year. In addition to that, with the changing seasons of the year, we believe that the activity on the agricultural and livestock fields surrounding Utrecht Science Park varies.
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Thus, we decided that it is most reasonable to conduct tests every season. For the spring test, we believe that the end of April should align with the greatest amount of the breeding seasons of the species. For summer, this would be between July and August, for autumn towards the beginning of November and for winter towards the end of January. The tests need to be conducted both on days when there has been rainfall as well as days without any rainfall, in order to be able to better identify the source of the pollution in the water. As for the periodicity, the more repetitions of the tests are performed, the more reliable the results. Thus we suggest, that the measurements are to be taken for at least two years, but we encourage more. Regular controlling of the water quality after implementation of any solutions is also encouraged.
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To show what are the influencing factors in each of the seasons, we prepared the following reference sheets.
Pollutants
As we have been informed, the main factors of pollution in the water are the nitrogen and phosphorus excess. After having conducted a test of our own, we also found that there might be problems with the total and carbonate hardness of the water, so thus issues with calcium. We also learned that the high carbonate hardness might be an indication of excess phosphorus present in the water in a solid form, which is therefore undetectable by other phosphorus tests.
Taking into account all of the above, we believe that the focus of the water tests should be on the following aspects: pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, total and carbonate hardness, as well as more specific tests on the presence of phosphorus in the water in a solid form. Other compounds can of course be added to the list of tested chemicals.
Who should do the testing?
There are many ways the university could carry out the measurements. The first option is that a group of experts or professors could perform the tests, which would be academically most precise. But considering the busy schedules of professors, this might be slightly unrealistic. The second option is to employ a full time PhD student, which would also secure top precision and focus. The third option could be employing the volunteers of the Green Office, but it has to be noted that not all of them might be experienced in taking the samples and performing the tests. Another option is to incorporate testing into one of the biology courses, where students could perform the testing as part of their practical work or labs. The last option would be employing an independent third party, but that would probably be the most financially unviable.
Maquette of USP
The last thing we prepared in relation to the water testing plan is the maquette of USP. We made the buildings and canals out of modelling clay and coloured the surrounding fields with colours that indicate the purpose of the field. The maquette has already been presented as a part of our first prototype at the Dragon's Den and is currently on display in the Green Office. In the picture below, the fields are still uncoloured.
