Magdalena Science Café Water Resources Science Project

Abstract

The Teen Science Cafe began participating in the New Mexico Tech Water Resource Education Program in April 2022. Water samples were collected from two areas around Magdalena. Area One included three sample locations between the Magdalena and San Mateo mountains (Forest, Big Crow and New Wilson wells, pipe and stock tanks). Area Two included one sample from the Alamo Reservation (Apachito well) and two north of the reservation, but south of I-40 (House and Oro wells and stock tanks). The pH, specific conductivity, hardness, and dissolved oxygen were measured in the field using a YSI-meter and the LaMotte AQ-2 Chemical Analysis Kit. Other samples were put in plastic bottles and analyzed later in the analytical laboratory at the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources. Major ions and minor trace metals, specific conductivity, and alkalinity were tested using a Agilent 5900, Agilent 7900 and Dionex ICS-5000, a Metrohm titrator and a conductivity meter. Hardness and total dissolved solids were calculated from the major ion measurements. Water sources in Area