Michigan high school monitors Rouge River for 26th year

Around 500 Detroit-area high school students monitored water quality as part of a hands-on learning experience sponsored by a non-profit river group, according to the Dearborn Press and Guide.

Students at Crestwood High School in Dearborn Heights, Mich., measured nine parameters in the Rouge River, including pH, fecal coliform, dissolved oxygen and phosphorus, according to the article. They also collected biological samples like crayfish and snails. They record information on erosion patterns and water velocity as well. The information goes into a reference database.

The Michigan environmental group Friends of the Rouge sponsors the yearly experience. Diana Johns, an environmental science teacher at the high school, led her students for the 26th year in a row. This year’s drought made the job more difficult as water was too shallow in some areas to collect data.

Image: Rouge River at Ford Field Bridge (Credit: Dustin May, via Flickr)