We’ve run into run off over and over as we have sought the cause of the fish deaths. The next problem to consider is that the run off is carrying soil into the water.

Researchers test water clarity by dropping a disk under the surface and then raising it until it can be just barely seen. The depth of the water is measured to this point. We did a variation using a disk and string– and just marked high, medium and low sediment. When sediment is high, clarity is low. When sediment is low, clarity is high.

We still have to figure out where the soil is coming from, and exactly why it might kill fish. One thing we do know is that plants lower erosion quite a bit.

On another topic, science symposium 2015 has launched! We read the introductory parts of the handbook and it’s time to think of a project.