Stormwater Research Team
Our group studied the run off from Centennial Brook watershed. This water comes from storm drains and roads surrounding Centennial woods and then is piped to a retaining pond. This water then flows to a second retaining pond which drains under Carrigan Dr, behind the Sheraton. Once under the highway, this water flows through Centennial forest in Centennial Brook and eventual meets a second brook called the WoolPulley Brook. This water flows through two beaver ponds, out of the forest, and through a residential area flowing into the Winooski River The Centennial Brook originated with two retaining ponds behind the Sheraton, which are fed by stormwater runoff from the surrounding area. Downriver, the Centennial meets with another brook, the Woolpulley Brook, which drains the land to the east of I-89, and flows beneath the interstate into Centennial Woods. We theorized that the aquatic plants would improve water quality as it filtered through the brook, and eventually reduce the overall pollution of the water flowing into the Winooski River. We used scientific instruments to test the pH, conductivity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen of the water at each site along the Centennial and Wool pulley brook to prove or disprove our theory. After we collected the data, we organized our findings graphically so that we could interpret the data more easily and see how the health of the brooks fluctuates as they pass through Centennial Woods. The dissolved oxygen in the Centennial Brook was more dependant on the velocity of the water at the data sites, rather than the distance we were from the brook origins. The pH of Centennial Brook was stable for the most part, while the pH of the Wool pulley Brook decreased consistently as we moved down the brook. The temperature of the Centennial Brook was generally constant, while the temperature of the Wool pulley Brook decreased consistently as we descended down the brook. The conductivity of the Centennial Brook improved drastically as we went downstream because the levels of sediments decreased, while the conductivity of the Wool pulley Brook dropped slightly and then leveled out. The overall health of the Centennial Brook didn’t improve nor deteriorate from beginning to end, except for the conductivity which improved as the water filtered through the wetlands. Throughout the Woolpulley Brook the pH and temperature decreased while the conductivity increased. Thus we concluded that in some aspects the brooks’ health improved while in other aspects it deteriorated.   Courtesy of Pat Nee