Conclusions: pH

A pH value of 6.6 is probably pretty healthy for the waters of New Island.  As expected, the samples directly from the Susquehanna River were in the neutral range of about a 7.0.  Although rain water has a pH around 5.8 I expected the waters of the River to be neutral or even slightly alkaline because of soil buffers, but also because of the proximity of the River to SR-23.  Runoff from SR-23 at the time of year the samples were tested would contain road salts which I expected to raise the pH slightly.

Wetland samples on New Island were slightly acidic with a pH as low as 6.0.  Soil buffers here would probably neutralize the pH as well, however there is another factor in play here.  The stagnant wetland samples were also high in Carbon Dioxide concentration.  Carbon Dioxide in water forms carbonic acid, thus lowering the pH.  Regardless of the variations found, all samples fell into the accepted range of pH 5.0 - 8.5.