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Assessing The Impact Of A Constructed Wetland Biome On The Ecosystem Health Of Cedar Run, Thomas Vasilopoulos, Casey Lee

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

A wetlands ecosystem is defined as “an area saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency or duration sufficient to support...a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions” (Batzer and Sharitz, 2007). Wetlands serve as biofilters and thus have been used to treat sewage and wastewater, as well as to restore the health of polluted water systems. Solly Walker and Lorinda Palin, owners of a certified natural and biodynamic farm called Avalon Acres located in Broadway, Virginia, constructed a wetland two years ago, using the stream, Cedar Run, that flows through their property. Pollution from agricultural …

Methodology Development For The Measurement And Analysis Of Sediment Oxygen Demands And Nutrient Releases, Luis Alfonso Laurens Vallejo

Theses and Dissertations

Sediment oxygen demand (SOD) and nutrients releases from the bottom sediments of a water body are important parameters to be included in studies of water quality processes. Two methods to measure SOD, in situ and at laboratory, were applied at Eckie’s Pond on late spring of 2015. Based upon preliminary results, which showed greater values for the in situ method, some modifications of procedures and equipment were made to improve the measurements. Another set of measurements were made on June of 2016, however their results were not conclusive to establish a correlation between these methodologies. As a result of this …

Longitudinal Tidal Dispersion Coefficient Estimation And Total Suspended Solids Transport Characterization In The James River, Beatriz Eugenia Patino

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The longitudinal dispersion coefficient is a parameter used to evaluate the effect of cross-sectional variations on substance mixing mechanisms in estuaries influenced by tide, wind and internal density variations. Considering a two dimensional approach, this study aims at evaluating a tidal area of the lower James River at approximately 19 miles upstream from the mouth at the Chesapeake Bay, in the City of Newport News, and applies an experimental procedure based on in-situ salinity concentrations to estimate the dispersion coefficient in the area where receives a discharge from the HRSD James River Wastewater Treatment Plant, and further characterizes Total Suspended …

Safety, Recreation, And Visitation: An Economic Analysis Of Decision-Making On Coastal Beaches, Abigail Kaminski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal beaches are important economic, social and cultural assets, hosting a variety of recreation activities ranging from wading in calm shallows to surfing in rough waters. Those who recreate on beaches often travel great distances to visit, suggesting that they place a high economic value on these resources. Despite the economic and cultural significance of beaches, little is known about the diversity of beachgoers and the ways they seek out safety information and make decisions on and between beaches. Safety risks are experienced differently across groups of beachgoers; those at higher risk of illness or injury include children, the elderly, …

Functions Of Wetland Plant Assemblages On Water Quality Improvement, Evelyn Louise Windham

Theses and Dissertations

Studies have shown wetlands act as filters for nutrient rich waters, in part due to macrophyte properties. Differences have been found in nitrogen removal rates among plant species in studies of monocultures grown in mesocosms mimicking wastewater treatment constructed wetlands, but little research has been done on assemblages in natural or restored wetlands. This study aims to identify differences in water quality among plant assemblages in natural and restored wetlands. Thirty natural and restored wetlands in the Mississippi portion of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley were sampled four times. Water quality was measured and plant assemblages identified. Significant differences in pH, …

Influence Of Stormwater Control Measures On Watershed Hydrology And Biogeochemical Cycling, Colin D. Bell

Open Access Dissertations

Urban development replaces vegetation with impervious surfaces and natural drainage channels with pipe networks that quicken flow paths and alter hydrologic regimes. Additionally, the import of food, application of fertilizer to lawns and gardens, and heightened atmospheric deposition increases nutrient availability in urban landscapes. These excess nutrients are ultimately routed to streams through the pipe networks before it can be processed by the vegetation and microorganisms of the landscape. This combination of physical and chemical disturbances impacts stream ecosystems and degrades their ability to perform valuable services such as removal of nutrients, degradation of pollutants, and provision of recreational and …

Optical Water Quality And Human Perceptions Of Rivers, Amie West

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding water quality dynamics in recreational rivers is integral in shaping management strategies that maintain ecosystem health, perceived value and appeal, and regional economic significance in a changing environment. Optical water quality describes the behavior of light in water as governed by its physical and chemical composition, and is among the strongest influences on human perceptions of water quality. Ethnohydrology is the study of culturally constructed knowledge and understanding of water. This work is the culmination of an interdisciplinary approach to water resources research—integrating optical water quality and ethnohydrology methods to recognize the intersection between measured water quality and visible …

Trend Analysis Of Water Quality In Northwest Arkansas Streams Reflects Changes In The Watershed, Zachary Paul Simpson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Watershed export of nutrients, sediments, and chemicals impacts receiving waters. Changes within the watershed (e.g., anthropogenic or climatic) can alter the transport of constituents in streams. Stream monitoring is crucial for understanding these effects. This study developed a potential improvement to flow-adjusting constituent concentrations in streams, an important step of analyzing monitoring data in lotic systems for trends. The method incorporates a K-fold cross-validation procedure to optimize a model explaining the relationship between the concentration and streamflow, thus providing a valuable tool to researchers in water quality. Additionally, two case studies were conducted on watersheds located in northwest Arkansas using …

Pervious Pavement Systems For High Traffic Roadways, Kevin M. Smith

Construction Management

This report highlights the benefits and detriments of pervious pavement systems through research of existing knowledge and multifaceted experiments to determine the feasibility of implementing a pervious pavement system on high traffic roadways. With over 40,000 miles of highway in the United States alone and severe water crises in states like California and growing environmental and safety concerns, the need for pervious pavements is abundantly clear. The research conducted utilizes existing knowledge on pervious pavements and applies it to the application of high traffic roadways. The experiment tests four different pervious concrete mix designs to determine compressive strength and water …

Effects Of Agricultural Restoration Practices On Stream Health In The Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, Erin L. Thady

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The Shenandoah Valley encompasses some of the highest agricultural producing regions in Virginia, many of which are large contributors of nutrients and sediment. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) assists landowners in the installation of riparian restoration projects in which cattle are fenced out or a riparian buffer is planted. We examined the temporal effects of riparian restoration and the impact of upstream landuse on water quality for eleven farms participating in the CREP program for various times (from 1 to 14 years). We hypothesized that the length of time that the CREP program has been established would have a …

Optimizing Carbon To Nitrogen Ratios To Improve Nitrogen Removal In Agricultural Drainage Ditches, Derek Ronald Faust

Theses and Dissertations

Since 1961, a fourold increase in application of fertilizers in the United States has helped to double crop yields. Nutrients not used by crops are often transported to aquatic ecosystems adjacent to agricultural fields. In the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, nutrients enter agricultural drainage ditches and are transported to receiving water bodies, eventually reaching the Gulf of Mexico. The annual occurrence of a hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico is caused by nitrogen loads from the Mississippi River Basin. Objectives of these studies were: (1) evaluate how organic carbon amendments affect nitrate-nitrogen removal in agricultural drainage ditch systems, (2) …

Assessing The Impacts Of Climate And Land Use Changes On Water Quantity And Quality In Mississippi, Abdullah Oda Dakhlalla

Theses and Dissertations

This study used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to model 2 watersheds in Mississippi, which are the Lower Pearl River Watershed (LPRW) and the Big Sunflower River Watershed (BSRW), to simulate streamflow, groundwater storage and recharge, sediments, nutrients, and bacteria transport. The LPRW model was calibrated and validated for daily streamflow at 4 locations with R2 ranging from 0.49 to .90 and Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) ranging from 0.49 to 0.84. In the BSRW, the model showed good to very good performance for daily streamflow simulation (R2 = 0.53-0.75 and NSE = 0.49-0.72) and seasonal groundwater table depth fluctuations …

Impacts Of Environmental Quality On The Demographics Of Three Nations, Emily Hummel

Honors Projects

This study will examine how the correlation between air and water quality and the population demographics of India, South Africa, and the United States. India is a country with a growing population, increasing income inequality, and gender roles that reflect its status as a developing nation. South Africa is much smaller in area and the population is beginning to level off, but South Africa’s income inequality is growing much faster than India’s and gender inequality is less of an issue in South Africa. The population of the United States is decreasing and gender roles are fairly equal, despite income inequality …

Evaluation Of Rusle 2 To Estimate Soil Loss From Pastures, Stasha Katrina Balkissoon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The accurate estimation of soil erosion by the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation version 2 (RUSLE2) is critical for several conservation assessments, least of which is its use in the Phosphorus Index (PI) to identify and rank the vulnerability of agricultural fields to phosphorus (P) runoff. Earlier versions of RUSLE reported a soil loss overestimation, which were revised to give RUSLE2, where biomass production in different climatic regions was more accurately represented. RUSLE version 2.0, which contains the new vegetative biomass production routine, was evaluated using two performance indices, the Nash Sutcliffe Efficiency Index (NSE) and Index of Agreement (D) …

Gis And 2016 Water Quality Assessment: Summer Internship With The Massachusetts Department Of Environmental Protection, Xiaoyan Hu 3736156

Sustainability and Social Justice

My 2015 summer internship at Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection lasted for 12 weeks from June 1 to August 12. I was supervised by Juliet Swigor. As a GIS Specialist intern, I assisted staff from Division of Watershed Management, working on 2016 National Water Quality Assessment project. My responsibilities were diverse, including watershed delineation, database management, customized ArcGIS add-in tool development and mapping. I extracted sub-basins and generated land use statistic summary for all of them across the entire Massachusetts using python scripts. Also a map covers detailed distribution of watersheds was created. This paper reports information of organization description, …

Effects Of Environmental Water Rights Purchases On Dissolved Oxygen, Stream Temperature, And Fish Habitat, Nathaniel R. Mouzon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Degraded water quality has reduced aquatic species abundance and survivability in Nevada’s Walker River. Low instream flows and increased nutrients affect native fish populations through high daily stream temperatures and low nightly dissolved oxygen concentrations. Increasing streamflow, through environmental water purchases, may improve water quality and enhance habitat for native fish species, such as Lahontan cutthroat trout. This study uses River Modeling System, a computer model, to estimate streamflows, stream temperatures, and dissolved oxygen concentrations in the Walker River. Streamflow increases are simulated to determine potential improvements to high water temperatures and low dissolved oxygen concentrations, enabling the prioritization of …

Effect Of Bioenergy Crops And Fast Growing Trees On Hydrology And Water Quality In The Little Vermilion River Watershed, Tian Guo

Open Access Dissertations

Energy security and sustainability require a suite of biomass crops, including woody species. Short rotation woody crops (SRWCs) such as Populus have great potential as biofuel feedstocks. Quantifying biomass yields of bioenergy crop and hydrologic and water quality responses to growth is important should it be widely planted in the Midwestern U.S. Subsurface tile drainage systems enable the Midwest area to become highly productive agricultural lands, but also create environmental problems like nitrate-N contamination of the water it drains. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) has been used to model watersheds with tile drainage, but the new tile drainage …

Bacterial Indicators Of Fecal Pollution: Exploring Relationships Between Fecal Coliform And Enterococcus Groups In Central And South Florida Surface Waters, Shelby G. Craig

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Ambient and recreational surface waters worldwide experience fecal pollution due to a variety of anthropogenic sources. Fecal waste has been proven, for over a century, to harbor pathogenic microorganisms which subsequently cause a variety of disease and illness in human hosts. The benefits of utilizing fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) as a simple, inexpensive means to detect fitful human pathogens within a variety of water matrices are vast. However, no universal agreement exists in regard to which indicator is best suited for detection of fecal contamination and pathogens in environmental waters, and no single standard for bacterial indicators has been federally …

Evaluación De La Eficiencia Del Mucílago Del Café Como Coagulante Frente Al Cloruro Férrico En Los Procesos De Remoción De Sólidos Suspendidos En El Agua, William Ricardo Cendales Arévalo, Oscar Alejandro Cañón Celi

Ingeniería Ambiental y Sanitaria

Se evaluó la efectividad del mucílago de café como coagulante natural en la remoción de sólidos suspendidos en agua preparada en laboratorio mediante la medición de pH, turbiedad, color test de jarras y potencial zeta. Se utilizó agua preparada en laboratorio como agua problema adicionando en 1 litro de agua destilada 0.5 gramos de arcilla, para obtener una concentración de sólidos de 500mg/L. Inicialmente se extrajo de manera efectiva el mucílago de café en medio acuoso dando una concentración de compuesto activo de 31000mg/L, sustancia con la que se realizaron las primeras jarras. Teniendo como referencia la dosis óptima del …

Computationally Efficient Specifications Of Spatial Point Process Models And Spatio-Temporal Gaussian Models: Combining Remote Sensing Drivers With Geospatial Disease Case Data To Enhance Geographic Epidemiology, Beth Louise Ziniti

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, the flexibility of Bayesian hierarchical models specified using a latent Gaussian Markov Random Field (GMRF) are evaluated for use in analyzing large complex spatial and spatio-temporal data with the goal of contributing to an interdisciplinary effort of developing an eco-epidemiological model that quantifies the relationship between remotely sensed water quality and the incidence of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s Disease) over large areas such as Northern New England (NNE).

In particular, a Log-Gaussian Cox Process (LGCP) specified by the logarithm of a GMRF on a regular lattice is shown to allow for simultaneous estimation of …

Diagnóstico Técnico De La Planta De Potabilización De Agua Del Municipio De Caparrapí Cundinamarca Al Año 2016, Leidy Catherine Riaño Mahecha, Alejandra Quintero Vera

Ingeniería Ambiental y Sanitaria

No abstract provided.

Diseño, Implementación Y Evaluación De La Eficiencia En La Operación De Una Unidad De Filtración Y Desinfección Por Medio Del Uso De Desinfectantes Mixtos (Miox), En La Escuela Nicolás Buenaventura Ubicada En Zona Rural De Cota, Cundinamarca, Carlos Mauricio Ortiz Oliveros, Andres Eduardo Moreno Bello

Ingeniería Ambiental y Sanitaria

El proyecto formula la evaluación de la eficiencia en la operación de una unidad de filtración y cloración a partir de una reacción MIOX para una institución educativa ubicada en la vereda Chorrillos, zona rural del municipio de Cota, Cundinamarca. Inicialmente lo que busca el proyecto es realizar un filtro de material granular y un clorador a partir de agua, sal y dos electrodos que permitan que formen una reacción MIOX, generando así un agente desinfectante, lo cual permitió la purificación del agua para consumo humano y actividades diarias en esta zona rural. Esta institución educativa no contaba con fácil …

Predicting The Water Quality Of Shallow Arctic Ponds Using Remote Sensing, Gabriela Tarin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Barrow, Alaska is in a region dominated by Arctic tundra of which a substantial part is covered by lakes and ponds. Despite their dominance in the landscape, freshwater ecosystems in the Arctic have been insufficiently studied. It is clear that furthering understanding of how Arctic water bodies are responding to warming will depend on the analysis of changes in the concentration of organic and inorganic constituents in the water; however, scientists are faced with the task of sampling many remote sites in a relatively hostile environment. Thus, the exploration and incorporation of remote methods for monitoring changes in water quality. …

Water Quality Evaluation Of Tire Derived Aggregate, Richela K. Maeda

Projects

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the rate that potential water quality contaminants leach from tire-derived aggregate (TDA) as a function of time. A laboratory and field experiment is conducted to provide insight into both controlled and field settings. The laboratory portion of this study also provides a basis for evaluating the effect that alternating periods of wet and dry weather have on the potential water quality impacts of the leachate as compared to the worst-case operating condition, when TDA is constantly submerged (i.e., when placed below the permanent groundwater table). The field experiment is used to …

Long-Term Effects Of Forestry Best Management Practices On Hydrology And Water Chemistry In Three Appalchian Headwater Catchments, Kameryn I. Wright

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

In 1982, a study was initiated in the Field Branch watershed, in the University of Kentucky’s Robinson Forest, to evaluate forestry best management practice (BMP) effectiveness after intensive harvesting. The study utilized a paired watershed approach on three adjacent Field Branch subcatchments. One subcatchment was left as the control, one had BMPs implemented (including a 50-ft undisturbed buffer along the stream), and one was clear-cut to the stream’s banks without the use of BMPs (i.e. logger’s choice). Prior research has shown that logging can negatively impact watershed functions by altering stream hydrology, geomorphology, water quality, and instream habitat. Thus, the …

Evaluation Of Point Of Use Reverse Osmosis Systems For Drinking Water In Colonias, Oscar Daniel Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Clean drinking water is often considered a right and not a privilege, especially in first world countries. However, thousands of residents of colonias (settlements in the U.S. that lack access to basic infrastructure) struggle to obtain clean drinking water, including some in the Paso del Norte Region. Residents of colonias located in Doña Ana County, NM, and El Paso County, TX typically rely on domestic wells and hauled water, respectively, but these sources may be of inadequate quality, potentially posing a health risk due to microbiological contamination, presence of arsenic, or elevated concentration of total dissolved solids. This project brings …

Three Overlooked Issues: Water Quality, Forage Quality, And Forage Blends Impacting The Feed Efficiency Of Dairy Cows, Ishwary Prasad Acharya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overall objectives of the six studies were to increase the feed efficiency in lactating dairy cows. The first study evaluated the efficacy of different water sources and treatment systems on ruminal parameters using an in vitro gas production system. Outcomes of the study suggested that the source and nutrient quality of water can affect rate of ruminal fermentation. Thus, use of real farm water being offered to the cow to conduct in vitro gas production measurements may accurately predict the ruminal fermentation, digestibility and total gas production. The second study evaluated two recently developed leafy-floury corn silage hybrids against …

Creación De Un Plan De Empresa Dedicada A La Producción, Envase Y Comercialización De Agua Orgánica Dasha, Diego Fernando Rodríguez Waldurraga, Tomas Higuera Torres

Administración de Agronegocios

El principal objetivo de este trabajo es fabricar agua potable sin tomarla de alguna fuente de agua, yacimiento o llave del acueducto. Uno de los principales problemas que sufre el mundo hoy en día es la falta y el acceso a este recurso. Factores como el calentamiento global, fenómeno del niño y la niña, dificultan cada vez más la manera de obtener este recurso tanto para el consumo humano, animales y la misma naturaleza la exige a causa de incendios forestales, secamiento de ríos y cuencas hidrográficas entre otras tantas necesidades. Es por eso que nace la idea de querer …

Characterizing Health Risks In Privately-Supplied Drinking Water Due To Agricultural Practices In Rural Western Kentucky, Karen Schroeder Card

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

At least 400,000 people in Kentucky rely on private water wells or springs for drinking water. 551 households that rely on private water wells for drinking water were surveyed in 2009 about adverse health outcomes, including selected cancer incidence, adverse birth outcomes, and yearly incidence of diarrheal illness. Survey recipients were drawn from a population of well owners in the Jackson Purchase Region of Kentucky whose wells were tested for nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N), triazine pesticides, and E. coli or total coliforms, by Kentucky Geologic Survey within the previous 15 years. 214 questionnaires were returned and matched to water quality data for …

Assessing Downstream Stormwater Impacts For Urban Watershed Planning, Johanna Meyer Pavlowsky

Masters Theses

"The urbanization of watersheds has caused debilitating effects to downstream aquatic ecosystems in catchments and streams. The implementation of green infrastructure (GI), such as permeable pavements and bioretention facilities, has been shown to alleviate these effects by both reducing runoff and mitigating pollutants; however, the implements are often not designed with a specific goal of water improvement. This study targets understanding a small, impaired urban watershed, and the benefits green infrastructure may have to provide environmental, social, and economic improvement to the watershed.

Portions of Rolla including much of the S&T campus drain into the impaired urban waterbody Frisco Lake, …