WICHITA, KS- School may be out, but some Derby High School students are still studying-- not their homework, but the water quality around town. They're taking samples and getting some surprising results. Far from the classroom, the teens and their teacher tromp through trees and brush to get right to the source of them research, testing the water of the Arkansas River. "What we're looking at is what's coming downstream out of Wichita mainly," said DHS science teacher, Tom Sherow.
First, the students take a sample from the riverbank, then, in deeper water, analyzing it back at the school lab for calcium, chloride, ammonium and nitrates. "A lot of levels are high, and they're unsafe to drink, let alone eat the fish or any animal that comes out of the water," said DHS junior, Dakota Denton.
The students theorize the water could be tainted by fertilizer run-off from farms and lawns, plus, road salt used in the winter. "You saw the sample we pulled out and how dirty and yucky it is. It makes me kinda, uggh! No thank you!" said Sherow.
The students have been testing the water every two weeks since January, when they volunteered for this project. On their own time, they research several bodies of water around Derby, including the ponds at High Park. "Well, originally, we started in the winter so there were ducks out here, and the first time we came out, we actually found dead ones in the water so we wondered if there was like poisons or anything like that," said Alexa Jacob, a junior at Derby High School.
Their tests show nothing toxic, but their work won't end with the school year. "We're planning to do it through summer, I believe, to get consistent data through a long period of time so we can see trends throughout the year," said DHS junior, Gabriel Casalduc. And eventually, the students hope to get their research published by a conservation agency or science journal. "If a college can see, like for scholarships and stuff, that you've been published, it shows you've been trying to do stuff in your field," said Jacobs.
Until then, they and the people of Derby learn a real-life lesson about what's in their water and why it's important to keep it clean.
