How Are Humans Affecting The Water Quality Of UHS Creek

The water quality of UHS creek is 42, which is excellent. However, not all water has excellent water quality. Humans can negatively impact in many ways. One way humans can negatively impact the water is by animal waste. “Animal wastes create water pollution, such as when cattle or sheep are allowed to graze near streams. Wastes deposited by the animals can introduce nutrients and disease-causing organisms into the water, posing problems for aquatic organisms as well as human populations that use the water.” Another way that humans can negatively impact the water quality is by fertilizers and pesticides being put into the water. When this happens it can make the nitrogen and phosphorus levels increase which can be lethal to the organisms in

One solution is to have a riparian zone. This is known as a natural solution. A riparian zone is when you allow the natural vegetation to grow around the water. The roots of the plants will hold the soil and not allow for the bank to erode. Then when it rains and water is running off into the creek or river the riparian zone can filter out the pollutants that the rain water can pick up and would have put into the water source without the riparian zone. There are many pros to a riparian zone. One of those pros is that can reduce carbon emissions made by an urban area. Another pro is that it can create food and habitats for animals to live there. There are some cons. One of those cons is that it might take time for change to happen. Another con is that there “may need long-term change in land use.” Land use means things like mowing it or gardening. Another solution is using oyster mushrooms. This is a technological solution. The way oyster mushroom can be used is because they can digest complex hydrocarbons from wood it can take petroleum byproducts. There are some pros to growing