Water Resource Management Commons^™

Using A Geospatial Analysis Tool To Visualize Water Impairments And Engage Stakeholders In The San Bernardino National Forest, Jovany Estrada

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

High quality water is an important resource that is integral to supporting environmental and human health. It is essential for economic, social and environmental purposes. Impairments to water resources can be attributed to anthropogenic sources that are associated with terrestrial activities including urban development and agricultural activities. Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is an approach that can be used to include community input to improve water management strategies. In the San Bernardino National Forest (SBNF) area in southern California, there are disadvantaged communities that can benefit from a CBPR study to increase water quality in the area. A geovisualization tool will …

Identifying Associations Between Human-Environmental Factors And Water Quality Trends Observed At Perennial Headwater Streams Of The San Bernardino National Forest, California, Anna Frey

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Anthropogenic factors related to landscape activities, infrastructure, and alterations, coupled with severe climatic fluctuations (i.e., droughts and extreme hydrological events) are increasingly impairing the quality of surface water resources across multiple geographic scales, warranting the need for comprehensive investigations of the cumulative effects of human-environmental stressors at multiple scales within a watershed. This study assessed three perennial headwater streams of the San Bernardino National Forest, California. The streams were tested for one year from October 2019 to September 2020 for conductivity, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, turbidity, temperature, ammonium (NH₄+), nitrate (NO₃-), total coliform (TC), Escherichia coli …

The Effectiveness Of Best Management Practices Implemented At Lake Gregory, Crestline, Ca, Devin Darrow

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Water quality deterioration of recreational surface waters from excess pollution inputs is a significant concern for the health of the public and aquatic ecosystem. This study will examine the effectiveness of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in reducing pollution inputs into Lake Gregory, Crestline, CA. The effectiveness of the BMPs was examined by testing for water quality parameters including dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, conductivity, turbidity, nitrate (NO3-), ammonium (NH4+), total coliform, and Escherichia coli on weekly to bi-weekly basis for a period of 1 year. A statistical analysis involving descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, the Efficient Ratios (ER) and Percent Removal Rates …

Identification And Analysis Of The Contribution Of Various Sources Of Total Dissolved Solids (Tds) In Lake Elsinore Potable Water And Wastewater, Lenai Hunter

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) are primarily inorganic salts that can pass through a 2-micron (or smaller) filter and, when found in high concentrations, can cause adverse effects on aquatic organisms and the surrounding environment. The agency servicing Lake Elsinore and surrounding areas is the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD). EVMWD’s wastewater treatment facilities are not equipped to remove TDS from the wastewater. Therefore, the influent TDS values are often similar to the final treated effluent recycled water TDS values. EVMWD has permit limits at the wastewater treatment plants relating to TDS, and due to the higher influent TDS concentrations …

Low-Cost Adsorbent For Disinfection Byproduct Removal From Drinking Water, Savanna Vacek, Suraj Pochampally

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are harmful contaminants that are unintentionally created in disinfected water after chlorination. Activated carbon, often expensive and difficult to acquire in low-income and rural areas, has previously been used to remove DBPs from drinking water. Biochar is made from agricultural waste (i.e. feedstock) and has been identified as a low-cost yet effective adsorbent to remote contaminants from drinking water. This work focuses on the efficacy of biochar and activated carbon to remove DBPs from drinking water for the purpose of treating drinking water after emergency chlorination. This study has the potential to help water distributors and disadvantaged …

Synthesis Of Modified Walnut Shell Biochar And Material Characterization In Ground Water Treatment, Maaike Parajes, Suraj Pochampally

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Biochar (BC) is a carbon-rich material synthesized from the pyrolysis of biomasses and developed to remove soil and wastewater contaminants. The pyrolysis process involves thermally decomposing the organic materials in the absence of oxygen. Biochar has the potential to be an eco-friendly and effective adsorbent for heavy metals and toxic organic compounds. An adsorbent is a material that attracts other substances on its surface, chemically and physically. Walnut shells were chosen for the biochar modification to improve the surface morphology, pore structure, and adsorption capability.

Biochar Hydrophilicity Characterization By A Smartphone-Based Apparatus: Design, Construction, And Measurement Calibration, Emma Letourneau, Suraj Pochampally

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Water contact angles are used to determine hydrophilicity, which is a material's attraction to water. A water contact angle of greater than 90 degrees indicates a hydrophobic material that repels water, whereas a contact angle of less than 90 degrees indicates a hydrophilic material [Fig. 1]. Water contact angles are measured through a goniometer, which can cost between $2000 to $10,000.

Biochar is a porous carbon material created from biological waste products, that is pyrolyzed (i.e. burned) in a low-oxygen, high heat environment. Biochar can be used to remove contaminants from water and remediate soil while reusing waste, making it …

Landscape Materials: Impact On Water Quality At Different Temperatures, Vignesh Tiruvannamalai '24

Distinguished Student Work

The purpose of this experiment is to analyze how commonly used landscaping materials (wood mulch, rubber mulch, and landscape stones) will affect the quality and chemical composition of runoff water they come into contact with, and how this will be impacted by different temperatures experienced in different climatic regions.

In order to conduct this experiment, always wear safety goggles and gloves when handling experiment materials. First, prepare the landscaping materials and rinse the containers and lids. Then, place the designated amount of landscaping materials in each container and fill each with 2.27 liters of filtered water, subsequently covering them and …

Land Use Effects On Fish Assemblages In Mississippi River Tributaries In Scott County, Ia And Rock Island County, Il, Benjamin Ford, Kevin Geedey

Urban Watershed Project

Fish assemblages are viable indicators of stream quality because they respond predictably to changes in abiotic and biotic factors, such as habitat and water quality, and human exploitation and species additions. In this a study we examined the relationship between fish abundance, diversity, and IBI (Index of Biotic Integrity), and urban and agricultural land use in Scott County, IA and Rock Island County, IL. Fish were sampled during the summer of 2021 within 12 local watersheds, which contain a variety of land use types. We followed a standardized sampling method of a single pass with a backpack electrofishing unit through …

Trout Responses To Stocking Rates And River Discharge Within A Southeastern U.S. Hydropeaking Tailwater, Jonathan J. Spurgeon, Joseph Kaiser, Christy Graham, Steve Lochmann

Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit -- Staff Publications

Freshwater fish populations often exist in systems characterized by novel ecological processes resulting from human alteration. Salmonid populations embedded within coldwater sections of warmwater rivers are spatially constrained by habitat availability. Tailwater fish contend with fluctuating river discharges and density-dependent processes associated with fish stocking and exploitation. Salmonid populations sustained through stocking versus natural reproduction may respond differently to changes in hydrologic patterns (e.g., hydropeaking) as well as declines in fish abundance. We assessed differences between stocked (Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss) and naturalized (Brown Trout Salmo trutta) trout populations in Greers Ferry tailwater, Arkansas, regarding (1) spatial and …

Mapping The Impact Of A Trailway System On The Amount Of Trash Present Within Two Watersheds Of Lynchburg City, Virginia, Lillian Smith

Student Scholar Showcase

Transportation of trash debris within water systems is a prominent occurrence which has been linked to natural and artificial processes such as wind, rain, and littering. Recreational areas, such as activities along greenway trails, have been determined to be a source of debris found in waterways. This study examines whether the presence of an established recreational trail system limits trash accumulation in the entirety of a watershed. Trash data collected at Blackwater Creek, which contains an established trail system, was compared to trash data collected at Fishing Creek, containing a non-established trail system, to answer this hypothesis. A distance of …

Using Field Scale Electrical Data To Understand Real-Time Agricultural Water Delivery, Bradley Dowell

Dissertations & Theses in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Areas across the High Plains (Ogallala) Aquifer region are experiencing unsustainable groundwater level declines and impacts to streamflow due to increasing human influence, posing challenges for sustaining future agricultural economies and groundwater resources. State and local agencies manage water using groundwater models, which are not at the same temporal and spatial scale as water management on farms. Well-informed agricultural water usage cannot be achieved without reliable and cost-effective water use at farm scale. Water meters are expensive and rarely installed unless required by the state or other regulatory agency; however, most center pivots have their own power supply, which reports …

A Mixed Methods Case Study: Effects Of Instructors’ Beliefs On Incorporation Of Sustainability Curriculum At A Midwestern University, Anna Oetting

Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources

The degree to which sustainability is taught is often varied and inconsistent across colleges, departments, and higher education institutions. However, educating students and future generations regarding the different pillars of sustainability, including economic, social, and environmental topics, is increasing in importance and urgency. A mixed methods case study utilized surveys and interviews to investigate why instructors incorporate sustainability, what impacts course incorporation of sustainability, and barriers that instructors face. This study found that instructors’ beliefs regarding the importance of sustainability relate to the extent to which sustainability is incorporated into their curriculum. Topics of sustainability incorporated into a class are …

When High-Water-Use Neighbors Move In: Farming Pecans In Valencia County, New Mexico, Tylee M. Griego

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

Valencia County, comprised of a collection of farming communities in the Middle Rio Grande of central New Mexico, is undergoing a fundamental change in its irrigated agriculture. Historically, over recent decades, it has had many smaller-sized farms, or “hobby farms”, with fewer larger commercial enterprises, and with alfalfa as its dominant crop. But in recent years, it has seen a significant expansion of acreage devoted to pecan orchards – a higher value commercial crop that also is substantially higher in water use. Some of these orchards have been planted on land not previously irrigated. The Rio Grande flows through the …

Nm Stat § 7-36-20: Disconnected Land And Water Policy In A Climate-Altered Peri-Urban Fringe, Annalise Porter

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

New Mexico (NM) passed a land use law in 1967 that offers tax subsidies to agricultural landowners and is implemented at the county level. This law illustrates a stark disconnect between land and water policy: there are water policy implications because of it, but it has never been discussed accordingly. With a focus on New Mexico’s primary urban county, this study estimates that in 2020, Rio Grande surface flows were used to irrigate 4,388 acres of Bernalillo County land that received the special tax valuation offered through the law. This represents a potential use of nearly 11,000 acre-feet of water, …

Casting Pearls Before Swine: Why The Public's Darling Right To Pollute Should Have Been Overturned In Recent Scova Decision, Thummim Park

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

This Note calls for the Virginia Supreme Court to recognize that a city’s right to freely pollute the public waterways is no longer valid under the Virginia Constitution, and to recognize that the line of Darling cases granting municipalities the public right to pollute waterways should have been overturned.

Part I will set out the foundation for this Note. It will discuss the background of Johnson v. City of Suffolk, laying the context for this Note’s discussion. Part II will engage in an analysis of the rationale for Darling. It will contextualize and compare it to current understandings …

Quality Control: Potomac Riverkeeper V. Wheeler & Standards For Qualitative Citizen Water Quality Data In Virginia, Jacqueline Goodrum

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

This Article explores the issue of quality of citizen data through the lens of Potomac Riverkeeper v. Wheeler, a recent impaired waters listing case concerning the Shenandoah River in Virginia. Part I of this Article provides a brief overview of citizen science data in regulation and policymaking under the CWA. Part II discusses Potomac Riverkeeper v. Wheeler, examining Virginia’s water quality-related data standards and DEQ’s use (and non-use) of citizen water quality-related data and information in that case. Finally, Part III argues that Virginia should establish clear, reasonable, and specific data quality standards for qualitative citizen data so …

Safe Water For All: A Multi-Modal Approach To North Alabama's Water Resources, Elijah Walker

Theses

Environmental degradation is a destructive force produced by the human disturbance of pollution. It is a phenomenon that gradually evolves landscapes over time resulting in irreversible outcomes. Environmental degradation physically affects spaces’ resources, objects, and inhabiting humans. This study observes the impacts of pollution beyond physical boundaries and how it affects human identity/sense of place through the utilization of geographic information systems. Specifically, it examines cultural identity developed through human experiences and connections to landscapes containing water resources. Following, pollution contaminates water resources disrupting experiences and connections thus causing the cultural identity to disappear. The case study applied to this …

Diatom Response To Different Hydrologic Sources In Alpine Streams: A Teton Range Case Study, Shannon Weld

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

Alpine stream diversity is due in part to different hydrological sources including snowpack, surface glaciers, and rock glaciers; climate change threatens to homogenize these sources. Surprisingly little is understood about algal communities in these stream types. We characterized algal communities and water chemistry among ten alpine streams from these sources in the Teton Range, Wyoming, USA. Late summer sampling (2019-2021) included diatoms, anions, cations, and water quality parameters. Data were analyzed using one- and two-way analysis of variance, principal component analysis, and nonmetric multidimensional scaling. There were statistically significant differences among some or all hydrologic sources for temperature, dissolved oxygen, …

A Remote Sensing And Machine Learning-Based Approach To Forecast The Onset Of Harmful Algal Bloom (Red Tides), Moein Izadi

Dissertations

In the last few decades, harmful algal blooms (HABs, also known as “red tides”) have become one of the most detrimental natural phenomena all around the world especially in Florida’s coastal areas due to local environmental factors and global warming in a larger scale. Karenia brevis produces toxins that have harmful effects on humans, fisheries, and ecosystems. In this study, I developed and compared the efficiency of state-of-the-art machine learning models (e.g., XGBoost, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine) in predicting the occurrence of HABs. In the proposed models, the K. brevis abundance is used as the target, and 10 …