Earth Sciences Commons^™

Sanitary Sewer Overflows In Columbia, South Carolina And Their Impact On Mercury And Metal Cycling, Alison Emmons

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives. Microbial pathogens and their threat to human health have been the primary concern of sanitary sewer overflows (SSO); however, SSOs may also be a source of metals, including methylmercury, to local waterways. We hypothesized that SSOs had elevated concentrations of metals compared to nearby reference creeks.

Methods. Unfiltered and filtered (0.2 μm) surface water samples were collected monthly between November 2015 and March 2016 from three sewage-impacted creeks in Columbia, South Carolina. During this period, three sewage events were captured including an active SSO, a ruptured force main sewer pipe, and one site downstream from SSOs. In October 2016 …

A Study Of Two Digital Hydrological Networks In South Carolina And An Assessment Of Site Reconnaissance Results From The Sc Department Of Health And Environmental Control Probability Survey For Streams And Rivers, Caitlin Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), Surface Water Monitoring Section utilizes a probability survey to assess water quality conditions of streams and rivers in the state. The Generalized Random-Tessellation Stratified survey design prioritizes specific stream order (size) subpopulations and spatial distribution in the generation of potential sample sites, and is intended to survey only perennial stream reaches. Site reconnaissance is conducted to assess site suitability and accessibility. The stream characteristics associated with accepted and rejected sites have been recorded since the late 1990s/early 2000s. Data from 2001-2016 was analyzed to assess apparent trends in both rejected …

A Comparison Of Pesticide Monitoring Programs, State Vs. Federal, Justin Marshall

Theses and Dissertations

Exposure to pesticide residues continues to be a threat to both human and environmental health despite increased efforts in the agricultural industry to control end-product levels. Multiple government agencies routinely sample and screen common agricultural commodities (fruits and vegetables) for pesticide residues, albeit to do so they use different commodity sampling methods and satisfy different program objectives. Often, results of such screening programs are used in a supplementary fashion in human and environmental health studies, but rarely are the results studied against one another. Six years of archived data (narrowed down from 14) of two separate pesticide monitoring programs were …