Potash Brook flows between Burlington and South Burlington, Vermont. The main stem originates in the Town of Williston, flowing north until it approaches Route 2, and then flows west by Interstate 189, Route 7, and Queen City Road, discharging into Lake Champlain in the northeastern corner of Shelburne Bay of Lake Champlain. It encompasses over 5,300 acres or 7.5 square miles of watershed. The downstream 5 miles of Potash Brook has been placed on the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources impaired waters list due to sediment, pathogens and metals, nutrients and toxicity. The largest portion of the watershed lies within South Burlington city limits and has been extensively developed. Included in the watershed are some of Chittenden County's busiest highways, largest farms, most extensive shopping malls, and densest residential and commercial neighborhoods. There are more than 90 points where stormwater is discharged into the stream. By far, the most significant influence in the degradation of the Potash Brook aquatic ecosystem has been stormwater runoff, with its high volume and velocity causing streambank erosion, and excessive loads of contaminants that destroy habitat. (http://www.shelburnebay.org/pages/potash.html)
Our investigation consisted of taking several water samples from the Potash Brook at four different sites. Three of these sites were located in the East Woods Natural Area owned and maintained by UVM. This 40-acre mixed hardwood-conifer forest is located between Interstate 89 and Swift Street in South Burlington. Potash Brook runs directly through the property. The fourth location was near Red Rocks park on lake champlain. This location was much farther down the river, almost to where it emties into Lake Champlain. Our goal was to meaure the health of the stream by looking at five factors: Discharge, pH, Disolved Oxygen, Phosphoros, and Conductivity.
