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{\it Abigail Lang and Colby Lohrey -- Analyzing Water Runoff ... }
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Your presentation to the class was very good, and you had some good 
background information on the Blackstone River.  

The final project paper is also direct and to the point.  You did a good job
with the measurements of the different categories of surfaces, and
the discussion of you would define and compute the run-off index is
also good.  The main comment I have is that there
are a number of other ways to set up reasonable methods there and
some of them might be {\it slightly better choices} in some ways.   For
instance, while the boxplot would be one way to identify 
the ``outlier'' bad regions contributing the most to
runoff, it might be {\it even better} with a large number
of block measurements to do this:  Take the 
100 block RI values, compute the mean and SD of that
data set.  Then, after converting to equivalent 
$z$-scores, all regions having $z$-scores of $2$ or higher
(or $3$ or higher) could be treated as ``problem areas.''
The reason this might be somewhat better in this case is
that the $z$-score would reflect the actual runoff potential
somewhat more faithfully than the ``order statistics''
from the boxplot, which deal more with the relative
distribution of the RI values within the data set.   

The other general comment I have is that the writing 
is still rather rough in spots.  There are places where
you overstate things and others where what you say is 
not too clear.  See the specific comments below for some
examples of each type.

Technical points in the citations and bibliography are 
handled reasonably well.  You should be aware, though,
that other professors here might not like to see such
heavy reliance on Internet sources.  
 
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{\it Specific Comments}
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\item{0)}  The whole opening section is rather 
overheated.  I know you are trying to say that this runoff
issue deserves attention because it is an important
one.  But there are ways to do that without bringing in
almost every environmental problem you can think of.
\item{1)}  Actually, I believe the main issue with regard to
the Blackstone is that there is so much toxic material
in the sediments on the river bed.  A lot of this was
deposited as a result of industrial uses of the river
years ago.  But the material is still there and is still
causing a problem.  The main issue with runoff water
flowing in the river is that if that runoff is flowing
quickly enough, then it can stir up those sediments
and put them back into the water.
\item{2)}  The sentence:  ``The impervious surfaces have being a major 
factor in water pollution due to the fact that 
it causes runoff water'' (on page 2) is an example of
what I meant by the ``not too clear'' comment above.
It seems like you started to edit this but did not quite
finish what you were trying to do.  Also, impervious 
surfaces don't ``cause runoff water.''  They 
increase the amount and speed of the water that runs off an area. 
\item{3)}   ``contributing factors to water pollution that the human
lifestyle in a community does'' (page 3) does not really work as
a phrase.  I think you mean something like ``Landscaping and lawncare,
emissions from automobiles, construction, and septic systems, and general improper
disposal of trash are all human contributions to water pollution.''
\item{4)}   On page 3 again, the sentence ``However a main issue of construction
is more often than not, is eliminating pervious surfaces and replacing it with
impervious surfaces.''  is unclear and grammatically wrong.  Saying it more 
directly willl help produce a clearer and sharper sentence:  
``Construction often eliminates pervious surfaces and replaces 
them with impervious ones.''   
\item{5)}  An {\it arboretum} is just an area containing a designated
collection of trees.  The Holy Cross campus is an arboretum, and the 
booklet you used as a source is, in effect, a catalog of those trees, 
together with other information about how the College manages and 
cares for them.
\item{6)}  Individual action such as care in disposal of solid waste
is a start, but efforts to manage a problem like the runoff problem
at the College have to include more systemic changes too (like
the ones you propose after that).  So this was perhaps not the best
place to start.
\item{7)}  The idea about monitoring whose cars are leaking oil
is an interesting one!  Since there are no actual regulations 
about that in most localities, though, I can see that there
might be some strong objections (``those darned tree-huggers
are trying to tell me I can't drive the car I want to drive!'') 
This would be another area where individual freedom comes into conflict
with the needs of society!
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{\it Final Project Grades}
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{\it Presentation:}  B+  (88)
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{\it Paper Content:}  B+ (88)  
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{\it Paper Form:}  B+ (88)
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