It's a legend around these parts that my neighborhood, Walker Gordon Farm (WGF), was once the residence of Elsie the Cow, the distinguished ungulate whose travels yielded over $10 million for the war effort during the Second World War. Flash-forward 60 years, and WGF is a bustling suburban development with its own tennis courts, a clubhouse, and a modest swimming pool. However, in other areas of the expanse, things have remained relatively the same. Whether you are passing by car or taking a morning jog, it is hard to miss the pond, whose situation seems rather aloof from the rest of the neighborhood. There are no big houses, paved driveways, or fancy gardens. The pond abounds with vegetation, and on my first visit I spotted at least 10 different species of flora. Some of the wildlife taking residence in the area are squirrels, rabbits, white-tailed deer, several species of birds, and many water-dwelling insects.

From another perspective, the pond can be viewed in two separate sections. Rainfall accumulates in the pond within the basin-shaped "upper," or upstream, area. The water then flows away from Plainsboro Road, where it eventually reaches a man-made barrier that resembles a raised rectangular surface. From there, the water flows steadily into a reservoir-shaped area, which I call the "lower" or downstream area. After observing these two areas, I noticed that the upstream area seemed to be more polluted than the downstream part of the pond. The stench of a nearby pharmaceutical company, Firmenich, was pungent here, and there was, unfortunately, evidence of littering. A black pipe runs through the bank of the river, and there were discarded paper cups along the underbrush.

In contrast, the downstream region seems more idyllic: plants with blooming flowers are more prevalent, and the entire area has an untarnished feel to it. Seeing such distinct differences between these two areas of the same pond, I began to wonder how the flow of water and rainfall impacted the water quality of the pond. I hypothesized that the downstream area of the pond would be a more suitable environment for sustaining plant and animal growth than the upstream region, since the water seems to undergo a gradual purification as it flows downstream. Also, vital minerals and nutrients would more likely accumulate downstream because of the direction of the water's flow.