The tests are done by the Advanced Marine Biology class from North Kitsap High School. The samples we use come from three sources in Liberty Bay. Surface water is collected from a pier in the marina where the Marine Science Center is located.
Bottom water is collected with a bottom sampler lowered from the same pier.
Since Liberty Bay is quite shallow, most bottom samples come from a depth of about 5 meters with some change from week to week depending on the level of the tides. The third sample is taken from the aquarium system inside the Marine Science Center. Several tests are done indoors after the water samples are collected. We test for Dissolved Oxygen with a modified Winkler titration field kit manufactured by the Hach company. We use a Hach color comparison kit to test for pH. We test for the presence of fecal coliform bacteria with a filtration system sold by Millipore and incubate the samples in broth specific for fecal coliform.