Buckley Community Schools has been working with the Math and Science Center and the Platte River Project on testing the Platte River for five years as a part of their Environmental Program. The project began as a result of a lawsuit regarding the Platte River Fish Hatchery. Although the lawsuit has been settled, they have continued to test the river for possible effects from the Platte River Hatchery, area residents and local activities.
Six sites were selected for monitoring. Site 1 is located above the hatchery, downstream from the culvert on County Road 669; Site 2 is below the hatchery at Veterans Memorial Campground; Site 3 is above the village of Honor at the Platte River Campground, off Goose Road; Site 4 is below Honor on Indian Hill Road; Site 5 is the North Branch of the Platte, downstream from the culvert on Deadstream Road; Site 6 is below Platte Lake on National Parkland, downstream from M-22.
Vegetation
The vegetation group takes samples of plant life growing along the river bank and in the river.
Riffles
The riffle group takes samples from parts of the river where water is shallow and tumbling over stones.
Sticks and Stones
This group looks for macro-invertebrates among larger rocks and sticks on the river edges and bottom.
Quiet Areas
The group samples quiet areas where the current is slow and sediments have had time to settle.
The chemical group tests the physical and chemical aspects of the river in order to measure individual chemical levels and possibly reach a Water Quality Index score. They do seven basic tests including: Dissolved Oxygen, Temperature, Phosphates, Nitrates, pH, Turbidity and River Velocity.