Most people dislike the idea of searching for insects, worms and other similar creatures. However, that is exactly what a small group of Greenbelt citizens did on Saturday, June 17. They were specifically looking for benthic macroinvertebrates at the Springhill Lake Recreation Center. Benthic macroinvertebrates are organisms that lack backbones, are large enough to be seen by the human eye and live at the bottom of a body of water. Such organisms include snails, leeches, clams and some insects.
The search for these benthos (as such animals are called) was part of a water quality test performed on a portion of Indian Creek near the Recreation Center. This test was part of a series of tests being organized by the CitizenScience Project to monitor the water quality in the Greenbelt area. For clarification, the water is not being tested for human consumption. The testing is designed to determine the health of the water itself. Part of making that determination includes identifying the benthos living in the creek.
Other indicators of the creek’s health are the pH of the water, the amount of dissolved oxygen the water carries and its turbidity (cloudiness). Based on the types of benthos found, a moderate pH, high dissolved oxygen content and low turbidity, Indian Creek was given a clean bill of health.
Read more of this story in the June 22 News Review