Saint Peter High School

Freshmen science students in Mr. Borslien’s class at Saint Peter High School paid a visit to the Highway 99 bridge walking path at various times on Tuesday to participate in the annual testing of the waters of the Minnesota River. 

Patti Braulick from the Friends of the Minnesota River’s Riverwatch program was on hand to assist with the river water testing. The program is funded through the MPCA (MN Pollution Control Agency). 

Students collected water samples from the Highway 99 bridge walkway and tested for dissolved oxygen, nitrates, pH, temperature, turbidity (cloudiness), conductivity, and the height of the river.  They also described the river bed and water quality in more general terms for usability, water color and bank descriptions. 

According to the Borslien, the data will eventually be added to MPCA's database monitoring river health in Minnesota.  This hands-on experience provides students with a chance to do a little field work and see some science data collection in action.   

Above and below are some photo highlights from the students’ work at the Minnesota River.