Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- Eutrophication; Phosphorus cycle (Biogeochemistry); (1)
- Soil erosion--Iowa--Cedar Falls--Prevention; Best management practices (Pollution prevention)--Iowa--Dry Run Creek (Black Hawk County); (1)
- Water quality--Measurement; (1)
- Water--Government policy--Iowa; (1)
- Water--Pollution--Iowa--Dry Run Creek (Black Hawk County); Land cover--Iowa--Dry Run Creek (Black Hawk County); (1)
- Publication
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 6 of 6
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Development Of A Water Quality Index Calculation Tool Using Excel, Rowan Mccarthy, Mohammad Iqbal Ph.D.
Development Of A Water Quality Index Calculation Tool Using Excel, Rowan Mccarthy, Mohammad Iqbal Ph.D.
Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium
With many parameters by which water can be measured, it can be difficult to understand whether water is high quality or low quality. To solve this problem, many water quality indices have been developed over the last 60 years. The UNI Hydrology Lab uses the National Sanitation Foundation Water Quality Index (NSFWQI). This index provides a methodology by which Dissolved Oxygen, Fecal Coliform, pH, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Temperature Change, Total Phosphate, Nitrate, Turbidity, and Total Solids can be combined to provide a single number indicative of the overall water quality. In previous years, when WQI calculations were needed, the bulk …
Muddied Waters: Exploring Iowa's Water Policy And Practices, Jorgen D. Rose
Muddied Waters: Exploring Iowa's Water Policy And Practices, Jorgen D. Rose
Honors Program Theses
Clean, usable fresh water is a precious and valuable resource, but it is one that we often mistreat and misuse. Surface water in particular is extremely vulnerable to human actions and influences; nowhere is this more apparent than in agricultural states like Iowa, where nonpoint-source pollution (runoff) has a dramatic effect on our rivers, lakes, and streams. However, despite this continuing decline in the quality of Iowa’s water, there exists very little public policy aimed at dealing with the problems of nutrient contamination and other forms of nonpoint-source pollution. Furthermore, what policy does exist is either ineffective or insufficient. The …
A Bank Erosion Hazard Index (Behi) Study Of Dry Run Creek, Cedar Falls, Iowa, Cara Wright
A Bank Erosion Hazard Index (Behi) Study Of Dry Run Creek, Cedar Falls, Iowa, Cara Wright
Honors Program Theses
Dry Run Creek is a watershed located in Cedar Falls; Iowa and it is on a list of the state's impaired waterways. One reason it may be impaired is that there is excessive erosion in the stream. This study assessed the Bank Erosion Hazard Index of portions of the creek to determine erosion hotspots. The majority of the banks in all the branches had a Low score, meaning that the BEHI was less than 11.9. The minimum BEHI score is O and the maximum score is 40. The lower the score, the better the condition of the bank. Portions of …
Understanding The Critical Role Of A Wetland In Maintaining The Ecosystem: A Case Study, Sushil Tuladhar
Understanding The Critical Role Of A Wetland In Maintaining The Ecosystem: A Case Study, Sushil Tuladhar
Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Beaver Valley Wetland in north-east Iowa was studied to determine its functionality in filtering incoming contaminants from the surrounding agricultural fields. The study was conducted from May through November of 2011. Altogether 78 water samples (from 13 sites), 84 soil samples (from 14 sites), and some sediment samples were collected for chemical analysis. Heavy metals in three different soil categories, such as surface, 6” deep, and sediments were found to be at or below the acceptable concentrations, indicating no immediate concern for metal toxicity in the wetland environment. The chemical tracers that were used to study the sub-surface flow regime …
Temporal Dynamics Of Nutrient Flux Across Hydrologic Unit Boundaries, Md. Aminul Haque
Temporal Dynamics Of Nutrient Flux Across Hydrologic Unit Boundaries, Md. Aminul Haque
Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
The study was done in Dry Run Creek watershed, a small sub-urban watershed in the northwestern part of Black Hawk County, Iowa. Different hydrologic units like, wetland, agricultural area, urban area, and stream channels were compared in terms of nutrient transport. Soil, surface water, and groundwater samples were collected from May, 2012 to October, 2012. Among the hydrologic units, agricultural land has the highest organic matter percentages, infiltration rate, soil nitrate, and total phosphorus. High infiltration rate and amount of nutrients in agricultural soil made those areas more vulnerable to vertical infiltration of pollutants. Agricultural and urban soils had similar …
The Modeling Of Phosphorus Dynamics In A Lake System, Todd N. Swift
The Modeling Of Phosphorus Dynamics In A Lake System, Todd N. Swift
Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)
We have constructed a basic closed stock and flow model of lake phosphorus cycling that includes three stock concentrations: inorganic phosphorus, phosphorus in living organic material, and phosphorus in dead organic material. Stocks are connected by flows that are made stock dependent in a plausible manner. The model exhibits two equilibrium points, one stable and the other unstable, with an interesting crossover between them. Below a certain total phosphorus threshold, stable equilibrium is characterized by all of the phosphorus stock residing in the inorganic form, suggesting the collapse of the biological system. Above the threshold, this is not true. We …