Reporters join students in water sampling

Reporters joined Augustana College students and faculty for a water sampling exercise Sept. 27.

Augustana’s Upper Mississippi Center for Sustainable Communities (UMC) is again partnering with the city of Davenport to assess the health of streams flowing through the city. This fall, the college and city will focus on Silver Creek, a significant tributary of Duck Creek.

Media representatives joined an aquatic ecology class at a water-sampling site.

The event coincided with the launch of Augustana’s advanced biology and environmental students engaging in assessing the watershed health by examining current water quality and local pollution sources, the diversity and abundance of the aquatic insect and fish communities and overall habitat health.

Dr. Michael Reisner, Augustana assistant professor and UMC director,  said the student fieldwork will include examination of the remnant forest and grasslands adjacent to the creek.

“Partnerships like these are an excellent opportunity for Augustana to enhance the academic experience and learning of our students,” Dr. Reisner said. “The opportunity to apply what students are learning in the field, conduct analysis, engage with community members and make positive change in the community is meaningful.

“As part of the overall assessment, Augustana students are also interested in gaining a better understanding of what residents value about the creek and natural areas, concerns they have about it, and ideas for future conservation and management.

“Ideally students would like to not only have survey data to evaluate, but hope to engage residents in more in-depth conversation through a brief interview," he said.

The college’s work coincides with residents of the watershed receiving a postcard about the water assessment and the opportunity to provide more information about Silver Creek through an online survey and student interviews.

Amy Kay, Davenport’s clean water manager, said the data collected through the UMC’s efforts will be valuable.

“With this information, the city can make even more informed decisions about how to manage our region’s valued creeks,” she said.

Silver Creek, which begins just north of I-80 and flows southeast through farms and residential neighborhoods in west Davenport before its confluence with Duck Creek, historically has been used by residents for recreational activities, such as wading and fishing.

Kay said, “Through this project, students and the city hope to better understand residents' relationship with the stream, inform them of the water’s quality, and the role they can play in improving the health of the natural asset,” she said.

To learn more about UMC’s water quality assessment efforts, email or call Dr. Reisner, 309-794-3418.