Western Illinois University and the City of Moline are partnering for the university’s Environmental Science: Large River Ecosystems program to study the concentration of phosphorus in the Rock River.
“This is a proactive effort to determine how pending regulatory changes might affect the South Slope Sewage Treatment Plant,” said WIU Environmental Science Director Roger Viadero in a news release.
“This is a great opportunity for students to gain experience working with professionals on an issue that has real-world significance,” he said.
The project will consist of student-led groups testing water for basic quality parameters, nutrients and chlorophyll, which can indicate elevated phosphorus in water. The project is a two-year study that will involve faculty, undergraduate and graduate students.
In addition to determining possible sources of phosphorus in the Rock and Mississippi rivers, Mr. Viadero and his students identified broader trends and relationships between physical, chemical and biological indicators of water quality. The release said this is an important step toward making contemporary comparisons of the quality of these rivers.
The group received support from the Carver Family Trust to measure important parameters, including the real-time concentration of chlorophyll in the field. The data will allow them to gain a better understanding of the links between nutrients, solids and algae in the rivers, according to the release.
“As a student, this upcoming project is important for several reasons. It will allow us to learn new laboratory and field techniques, provide networking opportunities with City of Moline personnel, demonstrate proficiency with skills we have been taught as a part of the environmental science program, as well as collaborate with outside entities to further strengthen WIU’s connection with the community,” Dave Thomas, a WIU environmental science doctoral student, said in the release.
For more information on the environmental science program, visit wiu.edu/ies.
