Digital Commons Network^™

Role Of Groundwater-Lake Interactions On The Behavior Of Chemicals In A Nearshore Aquifer, Sabina Rakhimbekova

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

It is well recognized that groundwater-surface water interactions play an important role in controlling the flux of groundwater-derived inorganic chemicals to surface waters. While these interactions have been well-studied in marine, and river and stream settings, the influence of these interactions on chemical fluxes to large lakes is poorly understood. Nearshore aquifers adjacent to inland coastal waters, such as the Great Lakes, are characterized by dynamic flow patterns and the mixing of groundwater and lake water, which have distinct chemical compositions. This sets up an important reaction zone in the nearshore aquifer that may modify the fate of groundwater-derived chemicals …

Carbon Management And Volatile Fatty Acid Production In Primary Clarifiers At A Wastewater Treatment Plant, Brittany Nicole Radke

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An increasing number of treatment plants are required to remove nutrients from domestic wastewater to lessen the impact of nutrient loading to water bodies. Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (EBPR) is one of the processes commonly used to remove phosphorus from domestic wastewater. The presence of an adequate quantity of volatile fatty acids (VFA) in the wastewater influent to EBPR is important for process efficiency and stability. The objective of this research was to investigate the production of VFAs through fermentation of sludge in primary clarifiers as it related to improving nutrient removal, primarily targeting phosphorus.

The research tested, in full-scale, …

Measuring Nitrogen Transformation In Wastewater Impacted Streams Using In-Situ Benthic Chambers, Makenzi Beltran

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Acrylic chambers and metal frames were installed at the sediment-water interface of streams impacted by the effluent from wastewater reclamation facilities in order to determine nitrogen rates for nitrification, denitrification, assimilation, ANAMMOX, and DNRA. Each chamber was dosed with an isotopic form of nitrate (¹⁵NO₃^-), and both isotopic (¹⁵N) and non-isotopic (¹⁴N) samples were collected. The project locations included East Canyon Creek near the East Canyon Wastewater Reclamation Facility in Park City, Utah and Box Elder Creek near the Brigham City Wastewater Treatment Plant in Brigham City, Utah. Separate chamber measurements …

Estimation Of Nutrient Loads From Septic Systems To Tributaries In The Lake Erie Basin, Lauren Oldfield

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Septic systems are often cited as an important source of nutrient loading to surface waters; however, there is limited quantitative evidence supporting this. To address phosphorus (P) load reduction targets for Lake Erie that were set by the Canadian and United States governments, there is a need to quantify the contribution of septic systems to P tributary loads. Doing so is challenging due to the diffuse nature of this nonpoint source, the lack of septic system inventory across Ontario, and the complexity of P transport in the environment. In this study, the artificial sweetener acesulfame, a tracer for human wastewater, …

Decomposing A Watershed’S Nitrate Signal Using Spatial Sampling And Continuous Sensor Data, Evan Clare

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Watershed features, physiographic setting, geology, climate, and hydrologic processes combine to produce a time-variant nutrient concentration signal at the watershed outlet. Anthropogenic influences, such as increased agricultural pressures and urbanization, have increased overall nutrient loadings delivered to the fluvial network. The impact of such increased nutrient loadings on Kentucky’s drinking water remains a potential threat to the region.

By coupling spatial sampling of nitrate concentrations in surface water with contemporary nutrient and water quality sensor technology, a decomposition of the Upper South Elkhorn watershed’s nitrate signal and an estimation of source timing and loading in the watershed was completed. The …