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Impact Study of Grovers Mill Pond and Dam Reconstruction on Big Bear Brook Along the banks of the brook is a good deal of moss and a small amount of sedge. The vegetation thickens as one walks away from the pond, further along the brook. McCormack, in her interesting book, Vanishing Wetlands, explains that if wetlands are not overburdened with effluence they can act as pollution filter systems for groundwater and streams (McCormack, 1995, p. 46). Lisowski and Williams elaborate: “Wetland plants can absorb and break down impurities, preventing pollutants from contaminating water. In addition, the roots and stems of wetland plants retain silt and sediment, preventing pollutants from traveling farther downstream” (Lisowski and Williams, 1997, pp. 14-15). I wondered what role this wetland plays in the water quality of Big Bear Brook as it travels downstream. I hypothesized that as the water traveled down Big Bear Brook, away from Grovers Mill Pond, the increasing vegetation along the banks would purify the water and indicators of water quality would change positively. |
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