Monitoring stream health

Stream health monitoring and assessment is a hands-on look at a freshwater ecosystem. It involves the measurement of water quality indicators and observations of the physical and biological features of a local waterway.

In this activity, students use a variety of water quality indicators to gather data about a local stream. The activity provides step-by-step instructions, protocols, recording sheets and how-to videos for monitoring stream health.

Regional councils may have stream health monitoring and assessment equipment available for community use. Contact your local council for information on how to borrow a set and whether the council can offer assistance with monitoring.

Stream health monitoring offers opportunities for cross-curricular learning and practice using the science capabilities. The article Rivers and Us – a context for learning has additional information about curriculum links, pedagogy and resources to support teaching and learning.

By the end of this activity, students should be able to:

• measure physical factors including clarity, temperature and pH
• measure the water velocity of the stream flow
• collect and sample macroinvertebrates living in the stream
• assess the stream habitat
• use the data they’ve collected to consider potential actions they can take to improve the stream habitat and water quality.

Download the Word file (see link below).