The Effect of Storms on Pond Bacteria was the science project of Falmouth High School junior Marjorie Wainwright, It was prompted by a preliminary OPET study. OPET had found that samples collected in shallow water during a storm but before any rain had fallen, had a very high coliform count, and samples from deeper water had much fewer counts but still higher than on calm days. The shallow water had been all churned up and murky. Had the mud trapped coliform that then got released into the water by the storm's wave action? To answer this, Marjorie collected water and 4 different bottom sediment samples from Oyster Pond. She sterilized part of the water and part of each sediment type. She added sterilized pond water to unsterilized sediment in one experiment, and unsterilized pond water to the sterilized sediments in another experiment. She simulated a storm in each sample and counted bacteria in water or sediments before and after the "storm". She found that all sediments released bacteria during the "storm" and that black muck had high coliform counts, but sand had none, indicating that black muck but not sand 'traps' coliform bacteria and releases them in storms.
WHOI students Fernanda Hoefel and Jody Katrein (and initially also Avon Russell) worked on the design and construction of an acoustic flow meter to measure water flow into and out of Oyster Pond. WHOI scientists Sandy Williams and Jim Irish are the ones who guide this project The instrument can detect water flow velocity, flow direction, water depth, temperature and salinity, and can log data for long periods of time. Sandy Williams and Jim Irish are still fine-tuning the instrument for the type of information OPET is looking for, namely to know how much saltwater actually gets into Oyster Pond per month or year. The instrument, all 20 foot of it, was placed inside the culvert, out of sight of any would-be vandals. Sandy and the students found it quite a challenge to develop this instrument for the particular site and for the low flow velocities involved. As of this writing, some bugs still need to be ironed out, and the software needs to be customized.
Come see Marjorie's poster and learn about the flowmeter at OPET's Annual Meeting July 13th !
The November Town Meeting authorized the funds for repairing the Trunk River jetties. The work has not been contracted as yet, however. Bids were received for the project in the fall, but the contract was not let. It was going to take too long to negotiate the contract to leave enough time to do the work before the fall fish migration, so the Town decided to reject all the bids, rebid in the spring, and do the work in the early fall of 2000. For this summer, the Town Engineer has promised to have the Trunk River dredged after the winter storms so that we should be in pretty good condition for the summer until the permanent work is accomplished.
By Barry Norris
Ice-Melt Pattern at Treetops, March 2000, Photo by B. RoseA lot of construction has occurred during the past year in and around the northern part of Oyster Pond's watershed. Along the south of Woods Hole Rd, between Treetops and Cumloden, 3 houses are going up (Quissett Hills). Along the north side of Woods Hole Rd, between Ransom Rd and Quissett Ave, 3 new houses are already up, and 3 more are under construction. And yet another house has gone up, this one on the south side of Woods Hole Rd, between Hackmatack and Oyster Pd Rd. Development means additional septic systems and considerable loss of vegetation and thus of wildlife habitat. (Once machines moved into Quissett Hills, two great horned owls that had called from there night after night for the past five winters, were no longer heard.) Subsequent landscaping brings with it ample fertilizing of new plantings and heavy mulching (and yes, mulch is fertilizer, too, albeit slow-release). This and the additional septic systems will add to the groundwater's nutrient load -- a further challenge for the pond. Every one of us should do all he/she can to minimize use of fertilizer and to have landscaping that is appropriate for the Cape and that supports our wildlife.
To page three of The Watershed Vol. 5, No. 1
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