Testing the waters

MOSES LAKE — There is more to Moses Lake than meets the eye.

Ten Moses Lake High School students tested the quality of the lake at six locations through a new program at the Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District.

Testing was conducted Thursday near Connelly Park, Cascade Park, Neppel Landing, Montlake Park, Sunrise Resort and O'Sullivan Reservoir. The program called Water Quality Institute, in its first year, is open to students in ninth through 12th grade.

Class started Wednesday when students learned about the lake and factors impacting its quality. Students planned to present their test findings today to the irrigation board.

"They're just here out of their own personal interest in the Moses Lake ecosystem," said education consultant Laurie Odegaard, who helped lead the students through the activities.

Odegaard said the students have an interest in science, and testing Moses Lake gives them the opportunity to conduct real scientific work. Tests they conducted include turbidity, nitrates, phosphates, pH levels, dissolved solids, fecal coliform, oxygen demand from organisms and temperature.

Students collected aquatic life at Montlake Park to help determine water quality.

"We have some aquatic plants that are affecting the water system," Odegaard said.

Moses Lake High School senior Nic Huerta, 17, said he signed up for Water Quality Institute on spur of the moment. Huerta said people in the community should learn more about their lake.

"We live here and it's really recreational, and it's funner to play in the water when it's clean instead of dirty," Huerta said.

Senior Monique Webb, 17, said she decided to conduct the activity as part of her senior project.

"I thought it would be a good experience to learn more about Moses Lake," Webb said.

Education consultant Jennifer Carpenter said when she taught biology at the high school, she taught a water quality unit where students brought samples from the lake into the classroom. The testing students conducted for Water Quality Institute is more advanced, Carpenter noted.

The data collected is going to be used for many years, she said.

Irrigation district General Manager Curt Carpenter said one student is going to be awarded a $500 college scholarship at the end of the program.

Curt Carpenter said Water Quality Institute fosters an interest in water quality for younger generations and brings in their ideas, he said.

The equipment students are using for testing is top-notch technology, he said.

The results are going to be used within the irrigation district, as the organization increases the amount of testing being done in-house. In the past, testing has always been completed through a consultant, he said.