Environmental students conducted water sampling tests via canoe in Spring Semester class

Spring Semester activities for students in the Cincinnati State Environmental Engineering Technology class EVT 105, “Environmental Sampling,” included touring the Mill Creek by canoe to learn about water sampling techniques and habitat monitoring.

The class field trip that took place on a cold day in late March 2024 was part of a partnership between the College and ORSANCO/FORE (Foundation for Ohio River Education), the Mill Creek Alliance, and the Mill Creek Yacht Club.

Course instructor Dr. Ann Gunkel said students spent several hours traveling by canoe on Mill Creek and performing water sampling techniques that environmental technologists use, as well as building their understanding of the area’s history and ecosystem.

“It was a wonderful day to be out paddling and learning,” Gunkel said.

After some instruction on how to safely navigate their vehicles, teams of four launched their canoes and paddled around the barrier dam to the confluence of the Ohio River, where they started to collect water samples.

Later, at land stations, students examined their samples using microscopes, and ORSANCO/FORE representatives provided an in-depth lesson on toxicity and eutrophication– an increase of dense plant life that can cause death of animal life forms, which can be accelerated by human activities such as sewer overflows and agricultural runoffs.