| Drainage ditches play a major role in agriculture throughout the United States. Their function, among other things, is to protect the livelihood of farmers by removing water from fields being used for crops. Within these ditches the aquatic ecosystem usually suffers through accelerated water contamination and destruction of habitat. The aquatic ecosystem as a component of these drainage systems has been long neglected as a field of study. What is lacking is the assessment of what these ditches, as alternative habitats, may provide to aquatic species. Assessing these alternative habitats is done by looking at specific in-stream components. This was done on the Western Sarpy County Drainage Ditch, Nebraska. A base line chemical, physical and ecological analysis was conducted through use of the fish Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) as well as measurements of chemical parameters to include nitrogen and phosphorus. The ditch provided an IBI classification range from poor to fair throughout a full year of survey data and a total species count of 27 from 11 different genera. Nitrogen levels, of which the highest was 4.4 mg/L, were found to be well below the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation Standards as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency. While this study provides only a base line analysis, it shows the ditch's potential for acceptable aquatic functionality. |
