The RECORD Online

Summer 2000

Testing the Waters
A GC senior experiences hands-on learning as part of a Zahniser Institute study of Governor Bond Lake

Sara Zimmer, a class of 2000 Biology Education major, knows more than most Greenville residents about the water she drinks. For her senior honors project, Sara conducted a study of the water quality of Governor Bond Lake, the primary source of water for the city of Greenville and much of Bond County.

Her research has been coordinated with the college’s Zahniser Institute for Environmental Studies. The city of Greenville is sponsoring this ongoing project, which is made possible through an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Lakes Grant.

The study has included testing water quality (chemistry and bacteriology), sediment analyses, bathymetric mapping of the lake bottom using a GPS & depth finder, as well as wetland mapping and quality. Sara’s main part of the project focused on testing the water quality, sediment analyses, and bathymetric mapping.

GC students Sara Zimmer and Jeremy Martin test samples from Gov. Bond Lake, which is the water supply for the city of Greenville.

Sara began her study of the lake in the spring of 1999 through the Illinois Clean Lakes Project as a microbiology lab assistant. David Patrick, director of the Zahniser Institute, supervised her research, and Jeremy Martin (class of ’99) assisted on the project.

Bacterial analysis was the first step in collecting data at seven locations around the lake. They tested the water quality for elements and compounds that could be hazardous if found in sufficient quantities. The research team tested for such things as bacteria levels, nutrients, suspended solids, organic sediments, pesticides, and other chemicals.

Preliminary findings revealed that the water supply is safe, but some issues were identified as needing attention in the next 10 to 15 years in order to slow the aging process and lengthen the life of the lake.

Being able to work with David Patrick gave Sara hands-on experience to apply the knowledge and methods she learned during her college years. This study provided one of the main parts of her senior honors thesis, a protocol manual of procedures for doing bacterial analysis.

Besides testing water quality, Sara also assisted in mapping the depth of the lake. To accomplish this task, Sara and Jeremy used a Global Positioning System (GPS) to locate where they were on a map and then lowered a weighted string to the bottom to measure the depth at numerous locations all over the lake. Then they were able to compare their new data to an older study. They found that the lake is filling with sediment. At the current rate, if no preventative action is taken, the lake would disappear within 10-20 years.

The "boat crew" includes GC's Dr. Bill Ahern (right), senior scientist on the Bond Lake project.

Sara offered some solutions that would allow the lake to continue to be a water source for the city in the foreseeable future. Working closely with Dave Patrick and Dr. Bill Ahern, senior scientist on the project, she learned about how to decrease erosion and the loss of topsoil in areas surrounding the lake. She also did sediment analyses to test what is contributing to the infilling of the lake. Her analysis included measuring the amount of turbidity in the sediment, the other elements and compounds present besides sand and dirt.

Sara says working with the Zahniser Institute has enriched her college experience. Her involvement with Zahniser began in a Tri-Beta meeting in which David Patrick spoke. “One of the greatest benefits of working with Zahniser was seeing the fruit of the project,” she says. The study has not only been a great learning experience, but a valuable service to the community as well.

She adds, “The Zahniser Institute’s presence reminds the college community of our Christian responsibility to be stewards of the earth.” The recycling program on campus, managed by the Institute, is just one more reminder of a way people can get involved in being stewards of the earth.

Other projects the Zahniser Institute continues to be involved in include major wetland creation and restoration projects in Missouri, a 212-acre site in the Darst Bottoms area of the Missouri River, sponsored by St. Louis County, and two smaller sites near Chesterfield, also along the Missouri River, sponsored by the Monarch-Chesterfield Levee District.

For more information on these projects, the Zahniser Institute, or Greenville College’s Environmental Biology program, visit them on the web at www.greenville.edu/zies.

Last updated: September 22, 2000