DAM DAMS

By: Cate Waggoner, Emma Shneidman,

Annabel Merritt and Brooke Peterman
Nitrate Levels
Screening level for nitrates in Texas are at .4 ppm.
Nitrates cause a surplus in algae and other plant life because they use nitrate as a food source.
Nitrates are natural or come from human sources such as fertilizer and industries.
Dams Rivers
In Inks Lake, the average nitrate level is around In the Yellowstone River, an undammed river in
.2 ppm. Even though this is a average nitrate Wyoming and Montana, has a nitrate level of
level for Texas, Inks Lake has a lot of visible greater than .1 ppm. This is good because then
algae and plant life. If there is too high of a not as excessive algae and plants will grow,
nitrate level, then the animal life will start to be allowing more room in the ecosystem for fish.
affected negatively.The excess nitrates will There is a lot of biodiversity in the Yellowstone
cause decrease in animal activity, therefore a River, not just because of the lack of dams but
decrease in biodiversity. also the low level of nitrates.
Predictions
I predict that there will be an increase in nitrate levels in Inks Lake. I believe this because
there has been an increase in agriculture in that area of Texas. I predict that the amount of
biodiversity will increase in the Yellowstone River because of the low nitrate levels.
 Water Temperature
Dams (Inks Lake) Rivers(Yellowstone)
-water temperatures are hotter because of dams -water temperature is much cooler in yellowstone
-when the water doesn't flow, the sun heats it up -not many dams so the water flows faster
faster -20.7 C
-temperature changes are creating problems with -water flows faster making it take longer for the
the timing of migration, spawning, and egg hatching water to heat up
for the fish
-25.6 C

I predict that if the number of dams increase, the water temperature will rise
and the fish will decrease.
How dams affect pH
Inks Lake Dam:
The current pH level of Inks Lake is 8.3. Because
the pH is above 7, that means the water has more
alkalinity, rather than acid. Flowing water that gets
stilled by dams undergoes chemical, thermal and
physical changes that can contaminate that water
and other water downstream. If lots of water is
stored behind a major dam for months or years it
can become lethal for organisms living in it. On the
flip side, if a small amount of water is kept behind a
dam then little to no water deterioration will
happen. There was a lot of limestone in the area
surrounding the lake which can contribute to the
high pH levels.
Yellowstone River:
The pH level of the Yellowstone River fluctuated
between 7.75 and 8.52 during 2014. Because the
levels are also above 7, the water contains more
alkalinity.. The level of pH affects what
organisms are able to survive in an environment
and affects what the organisms eat. The pH of
Yellowstone River is not different than that of
Inks Lake so I predict that dams do not affect pH.
Prediction: I predict that the pH of the
Yellowstone River will stay around 8 because it
is not being affected that much. I also predict
that the pH of the Inks Lake Dam water will stay
around the same pH because the Inks Lake
Dam isnt a major huge dam with tons of water
so the water quality will stay the same.
Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
Dams
Dissolved oxygen is a necessity in a water
ecosystem because the animals need oxygen to
survive and the plants need Carbon dioxide from
animals to survive. The Dissolved Oxygen levels
in Inks Lake are about 9.5mg/L. This is a high
level of dissolved oxygen which can cause
damage to the fish and plants in the ecosystem.
The DO level in the dam is about the same as the
river so, I dont think dams affect the DO levels in
the water.
Rivers
The Dissolved Oxygen levels in the Yellowstone
River range from 8.56-12.49mg/L. This is a high
level of Dissolved oxygen which can harm the fish
and plants in the river as well. The dissolved
oxygen in the river and the dammed up lake is
very similar therefore I dont think dams affect the
amount of DO in the water.
Predictions
I predict that the dissolved oxygen level in both
the dam and the river will not change because
there is not a lot of agriculture and industry in
those areas. So, there wont be any fertilizer or
pollution to change the amount of oxygen.
Addressing The Public
Some Solutions for These Issues Are

Dont litter!
Dont use excessive fertilizer!
Cut down on industry and agriculture!
Take down unnecessary dams!
Raise awareness on the effects of run-off chemicals!
Don't overfish one species!
What is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the amount of different species and variations in organisms in an
ecosystem.
Dam! Thanks
for
watching!!