1. The Water Quality of Froggy Bottoms
Ewan Shortess, Honors Science
June 20, 2012
Abstract
The objective was to find out if the water quality of Froggy Bottoms was sufficient to
make Froggy Bottoms a sustainable healthy wetland. Background information suggested
that the various data points had to be within a specific range to be deemed healthy. Three
different locations at the wetland were picked, and each location was tested for dissolved
oxygen, pH, conductivity, and temperature four times in the course of five weeks. The
results showed that both locations two and three met established standards for water
quality (“5.9 Conductivity”, “Dissolved Oxygen”, “Recommended pH action level”), but
location one did not completely meet standards. However, it was adequate because
location one is the inflow location and one would expect it to have a lower water quality.
Big Idea
Water quality is a system of rating the quality of a particular water source. It is especially
important in the wild, where it impacts the surrounding environment.
Background Information
The wetlands of the San Juan valley go back a long time in their interaction with humans.
At one point, it was possible to canoe from one end of the valley to the other. Native
S’Klallam tribal members did this to avoid Point Wilson’s treacherous waters. After
settlement, the San Juan valley was used primarily as farm land. Froggy Bottoms was
used for farmland, but then became a horse pasture. A seasonal pond would gather about
half way in between the present day Cedar and Tremont Streets, covering the Milo Street
right of way. Major filling had been done on the north end of the property. In 1997, the
City of Port Townsend acquired the property, partly for storm water and wastewater
purposes. The property was not in very good shape. The previous owner, who was a city
employee, had requested that the city dump old gravel to fill the north end. Dump trucks
and bulldozers had roamed the site. The city installed a sewer line along the south side of
the property. However, the one large reason for acquisition was storm water run off from
San Juan Ave. The city redid San Juan Ave. at the time, imposing even a more pressing
need for storm water control. The San Juan valley is filled with many seasonal wetlands.
The city categorized the various wetlands, naming Froggy Bottoms “Wetland 6-1”. The
city hired a consulting firm to carry out a redesign of the wetland. The final result was a
conventional wetland that dealt with storm water effectively. The north bank was
excavated and dumped where the current pond was, shifting the pond north. The location
of the pond right now is on impermeable glacial till, so that the water table does not go
down, but does have an outlet at a certain rate. It does dry up in the summer, however.
Storm water from four storm sewer grates drains into a small settling pond before
entering the wetland. It was designed to keep sediment and other contaminants out of the
wetland as much as possible. Native plants and shrubs were also planted at the wetland.

2. Some of the invasive species in the wetland before restoration included poison hemlock,
himalayan blackberries, and orchard grass. Some new plants that were planted include
nootka rose, curly dock, bluegrass, creeping buttercup, and tall fescue. This is the first
field study done on Wetland 6-1 that is known.
There are many benefits and functions of wetlands. Wetlands develop plant food and
shellfish, along with regular fish for sustaining wildlife and economic development.
Wetlands also provide a good recreational area for bird watchers and people who like to
photograph or watch nature. Wetlands are especially important because they control
water quality. They can prevent pollution or sediment from going into streams or rivers
by letting it settle out. Wetlands are essential to wildlife. They provide habitat to many
species, like frogs, that can thrive in wetlands. Wetlands also help control floods by
taking some of the extra water from swollen creeks and rivers and diverting it into the
brackish wetland or backwater areas.
A healthy wetland should have plants and animals using it, and should not have any
significant pollution in it. However, here are some data ranges that may be helpful in
determining if Wetland 6-1 is a healthy wetland. The pH should be between 6 and 9,
according to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Dissolved
oxygen should range from about 4-11 mg/L, with 7-11 mg/L being very good for streams
with fish. Four-7 mg/L is ample enough for ponds. The United States Environmental
Protection Agency states that most healthy lakes in the United States have a conductivity
level between 150 and 500.
Research Question
Does Wetland 6-1 have similar ranges of pH, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen as the
healthy levels portrayed in the background information?
Experimental Design
There are three locations in this experiment. Location one was picked because it is the
inflow of the water to the pond, plus it seemed like an area that would give interesting
results. Location two is close to location one, but in the main pond. It was a good area to
test because it is in brackish water, which is probably the most susceptible part of a
wetland to contamination. Location three is across the pond from the other locations, and
was necessary to get an overall picture of the pond. See the Map for the exact locations.

3. The four things that were tested were temperature, conductivity, pH, and dissolved
oxygen. Dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and pH probes need to be rinsed with distilled
water before and after use. It is also necessary to calibrate the dissolved oxygen probe on
site. Use film containers to hold about 100 ml of distilled water. That way, each probe
will have a before and after container that can be used. First take the temperature probe,
the conductivity probe, and the pH probe and put them in a plastic tub. Also put in the
tub a rag and the necessary film containers with distilled water. Have a Vernier LabQ or
similar interface unit with you at all times. With these materials, go to all the locations in
order. Record the start time using the clock on the interface unit. First, take the
temperature, and then record it. While measuring data with any of these probes, one
should make sure not to record the data until the reading stabilizes. Then, take the
conductivity probe and rinse it in distilled water. Then record the conductivity. Put the
conductivity meter on the setting of 0-200, because pond water has low conductivity
compared to some waters. After one takes the conductivity measurement, rinse the probe
in distilled water, and then wipe it dry with a clean rag. For the pH sensor, unscrew the
bottle with pH base four solution in it, and then take the probe out of the bottle, leaving
the lid attached. Then remove the lid from the probe. Rinse the pH sensor in distilled
water. Measure the pH and record it. Then rinse the sensor in distilled water, and
carefully wipe it with the rag. Place it back in the bottle with the pH base four.

4. However, only screw on the lid about half way. Then place the probe into the bottle and
push it in so that it is fully immersed in the base four solution. Fully screw on the lid.
Then repeat all the testing steps, from the recording of the time to screwing on the lid of
the pH sensor at locations two and three as well. After that, one needs to calibrate the
dissolved oxygen probe. In order to do this, follow the directions on the instruction sheet
that came with the probe. First, add 1 ml of DO-electrode filling solution that comes with
the probe. Warm up the dissolved oxygen probe for ten minutes in one of the film
containers of water, while connected to the interface. While waiting, take the air
temperature by plugging the temperature sensor into another port. Then enter the
calibration program on the interface, which is accessed through the menus at the top.
Click on calibrate, and then “Calibrate DO Probe”. Then place the DO probe in the
Sodium Sulfate solution that came with the probe for about 10 seconds. Enter 0 as the
first value in the calibration routine. Then squeeze the bottle of Sodium Sulfate solution
so that there is no air inside. The solution will keep longer this way. Then rinse the
probe in distilled water and place it in the provided calibration bottle, and slide the lid
about ½ inch onto the probe body. Add about ¼ inch of water to the bottom of the bottle
and screw on the cap. When the reading stabilizes, enter the correct value based on the
air temperature and the barometric pressure. Then go around to all the testing sites,
measuring, and recording the data. Carry the probe around in one of the film containers
of distilled water, but blot the probe dry before and after running all of the tests. Make
sure the probes are cleaned and stored correctly, and dump out all contaminated distilled
water.
Materials
 Six film containers
 Access to distilled water
 One conductivity probe
 One dissolved oxygen probe
 One temperature probe
 One pH probe
 One Vernier LabQ or LabQuest 2 interface type model (or similar product)
 Instructions and extra supplies that come with the various probes
 Two rags
 One plastic tub
 Rubber boots

5. Data
March 31, 2012
Weather: Partly Cloudy with a chance of showers, High 8°C, low 3°C. 0.2” of rain in the
last 24 hours.
Location Time H2O pH Conductivity Dissolved
Temperature Oxygen
1 3:12PM 7.6°C 5.9 49 μS/cm 8.3 mg/L
2 3:40PM 8.6°C 6.8 267 μS/cm 8.6 mg/L
3 4:00PM 9.0°C 6.7 277 μS/cm 5.0 mg/L
April 14, 2012
Weather: No Rain in the last 24 hours, Current air temperature 9.9°C. Predicted: 11°C,
sunny with scattered high clouds, calm wind.
Location Time H2O pH Conductivity Dissolved
Temperature Oxygen
1 10:21AM 8.7°C 6.12 90 μS/cm 4.0 mg/L
2 10:30AM 11.7°C 6.76 271.6 μS/cm 6.2 mg/L
3 10:43AM 10.8°C 6.90 279.6 μS/cm 4.0 mg/L
April 21, 2012
Weather: Sunny with a high of 13°C, clear. 0.4” of rain in the last 24 hours.
Observations: Water level has risen to about where it was on March 31. Algae covers
about half the pond.
Location Time H2O pH Conductivity Dissolved
Temperature Oxygen
1 11:29AM 11.0°C 5.62 41.5 μS/cm 8.7 mg/L
2 11:37AM 17.3°C 6.95 267.5 μS/cm 9.4 mg/L
3 11:46AM 14.4°C 6.91 278.1 μS/cm 4.6 mg/L
May 5, 2012
Weather: High of 12°C, low of 6°C. Mostly cloudy, 0.5” of rain in the last 24 hours.
Observations: Water level is the highest I have seen while I have been testing. There is
more algae than on April 21. The only places that do not have any algae are by location
three and in the middle of the pond.
Location Time H2O pH Conductivity Dissolved
Temperature Oxygen
1 10:48AM 11.1°C 5.62 52.6 μS/cm 6.5 mg/L
2 10:56AM 13.9°C 6.77 188.7 μS/cm 8.5 mg/L
3 11:08AM 13.1°C 6.89 279.4 μS/cm 5.1 mg/L

6. Average of All Data
Location H2O pH Conductivity Dissolved
Temperature Oxygen
1 9.6°C 5.815 58.275 μS/cm 6.875 mg/L
2 12.875°C 6.82 248.7 μS/cm 8.175 mg/L
3 11.825°C 6.85 278.525 μS/cm 4.675 mg/L
Discussion of Data
Temperature Graph (°C)
20
15
Location 1
10 Location 2
Location 3
5
0
31- 14- 21- 5-May
Mar Apr Apr
pH Graph
8
7
6
5 Location 1
4 Location 2
3 Location 3
2
1
0
31- 14- 21- 5-May
Mar Apr Apr

7. Conductivity Graph (μS/cm)
300
250
200 Location 1
150 Location 2
100 Location 3
50
0
31- 14- 21- 5-
Mar Apr Apr May
Dissolved Oxygen Graph (mg/L)
10
8
Location 1
6
Location 2
4
Location 3
2
0
31- 14- 21- 5-May
Mar Apr Apr
Rainfall Graph
2.5
2
1.5 Rainfall
1 (inches)
0.5
0
04 5-0 24
04 1-0 31
04 8-0 07
04 5-0 14
04 2-0 21
9- 28
5
/0
/2 3/
/0 3/
/0 4/
/1 4/
/2 4/
/2 4/
05
03 8-0
/1
03
As one might expect, temperature increased steadily during the study. The pH was also
pretty constant during the study. The conductivity leveled off or decreased. Dissolved
oxygen decreased initially, but then went up again. Dissolved oxygen and temperature
do seem have a correlation, but I also think that dissolved oxygen and rainfall seem to
have a more direct relationship.

8. Conclusions
Froggy Bottoms has the characteristics of a healthy functioning wetland. Based on the
background information, most of the data meets the requirements of a healthy wetland.
For pH, all of the data values, except location one, are above six, which meets the criteria
stated in the background information. Location one’s unusual data stems from the fact
that location one drains San Juan Ave., so it would be more susceptible to contamination,
and therefore acidity. The conductivity levels also are acceptable, as applied to the
background information. However, again location one has levels that do not meet the
conductivity standards of the US EPA. This is probably because there is a noticeable
inflow from the storm sewer into the location one area, and because the water is moving,
there is less time for solids to sink. Dissolved oxygen of the wetland meets the standards
of 4-11 mg/L. Locations three and one had the lowest dissolved oxygen at 4.0 mg/L.
However, locations two and one both had dissolved oxygen values above 7 mg/L, which
is considered enough to support fish in a small stream. Therefore, locations two and
three are good functioning wetland areas in terms of water quality. They both have data
that suggests that those parts of the wetland are healthy. Location one is a little different.
Location one does not have enough dissolved solids in it to be deemed healthy by the
standards. In addition, the pH only rose over six once during my study. However,
because location one is the settling pond for this wetland, it is expected that the data is
not going to be as high as in other sections of the wetland. Because of this, wetland 6-1is
a healthy, functioning wetland.
Limitations
There are quite a few things that could be limitations in this experiment. The largest one
is that data was only taken for about two months in the year. Also, testing was not
performed everyday. Another limitation is that pH, temperature, conductivity, and
dissolved oxygen were the only tests run.
Next Focus Research Question
Does Wetland 6-1 contain fecal coliform?

9. Works Cited
Gibboney, Sam. “Re: Froggy Bottoms Questions.” Message to Ewan Shortess. 2 May
2012. E-mail.
“Recommended pH Action Level.” Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Protection. Government of Massachusetts, n.d. Web. 22 May 2012.
<http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/laws/phral.htm>.
“5.9 Conductivity.” United States Environmental Protection Agency. The United States
Government, 6 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 May 2012.
<http://water.epa.gov/type/rsl/monitoring/vms59.cfm>
“Dissolved Oxygen.” Ecostudies.org. Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, n.d. Web. 22
May 2012.
<http://www.ecostudies.org/chp/Module1/1C1_dissolved_oxygen_reading.pdf>
“Economic Benefits of Wetlands.” United States Environmental Protection Agency. The
United States Government, 12 Jan. 2009. Web. 22 May 2012.
<http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/facts/fact4.html>