A Seventh-Grader Analyzes the Bay
* I am a seventh-grader at South Lake Middle School in Irvine. I am writing to you in regards of the problems involving the Newport Back Bay and the Irvine Ranch Water District.
On May 21 our class took a trip to the Newport Back Bay. We went around the area looking at the birds and animals in the bay. We went around to different stations and had different things we had to write about. We are now in the process of making an album to describe our two days at the bay.
On May 23 our class took another trip to test different sites along the San Diego Creek. We tested for E. coli bacteria, nitrates, nitrogen, total chlorine, free chlorine, total hardness, total alkalinity and acidity.
I found that E. coli was present at every single site that we tested. I also found that in the morning the nitrate level was 20 parts per million and in the afternoon the nitrate level was 10 ppm.
I want to try to help to make sure that the bay is clean.
If we are polluting it or adding things in it that are not supposed to be there we should try to clean it up.
TYE BEESON
Irvine
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
