Harrow College HND Students in Applied Chemistry have been applying their knowledge to test the water in our local streams and rivers – and their findings could benefit the local community for years to come.
It is known that waste from toilets and washing machines are polluting our local streams and rivers, creating a serious health risk. If this wasn't worrying enough, rivers have now been shown to harbour bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
Harrow College students recently teamed up with Thames 21 - the voice for London's waterways who work with communities to improve rivers and canals for people and wildlife. The team walked through Queensbury Park to check for evidence of pollution after an incident in the Kenton Brook. They took samples back to the laboratory for analysis where high levels of phosphate contamination were found, an important indicator of plumbing misconnections.
In mid-December our students were out again. This time they tested water samples from the Edgware Brook at Stanmore Marsh where work is currently being carried out to restore the historic marshlands and provide a better environment for more diverse wildlife. Students came prepared for on-site determination of dissolved oxygen, a useful first indicator of water quality, pH and conductivity. They checked for ammonia which often suggests raw sewage contamination and also collected samples of phosphate and nitrate for laboratory analysis. The results showed different levels of dissolved oxygen and higher than expected ammonia.
Students will be returning to Stanmore Marsh to confirm their findings and check for any seasonal variation. Should the levels of ammonia, phosphate and nitrate turn out to be consistently high, then the Environment Agency will be contacted as the contamination is likely to be caused by plumbing misconnections which will need to be investigated.
Michael Worgs, Curriculum Manager for Science at Harrow College said "Our students often work with industry experts to apply their skills and put their college laboratory theory into practice. This experience is great for our learners and with this particular project; their findings could well have long term benefits for the local community".