The Water Quality of Beargrass Creek with Regard to Its Crayfish Population

Abstract

As a type of small crustacean that can be found all over the world, though indispensably important, crayfish has received little attention on its conservation. In this research paper, I present results on the water quality of the three forks of Beargrass Creek of Kentucky, via pH, Dissolved Oxygen and water hardness, to discuss the effects that the three forks would have on its crayfish population. Due to the measuring difficult at the South fork, only the Middle fork and the Muddy fork were compared, and according to the data, Muddy fork is found to be a more ideal environment for crayfish to thrive, with higher Dissovled Oxygen and more optimal pH & water hardness.