Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Judy Reservoir Monitoring Project 2013 Final Report, Robin A. Matthews, Joan Vandersypen

Judy Reservoir

The purpose of this study was to identify and count the phytoplankton and measure chlorophyll, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus levels in water samples collected from Judy Reservoir. Water quality and algal data have been collected on a weekly basis since October 2006; annual reports have been sent to the Skagit Public Utility District No. 1 in 2007, 2008, 2010 (January and December), 2011, and 2012. This project ended in 2013; the final chemistry sample was collected May 2, 2013 and the final algae sample was collected November 6, 2013.

Comparative Water Quality Of Cozine, Gooseneck And Mill Creeks, Shelby Hollenbeck, Emily Isaac, Suzannah Klaniecki, Zach Lea, Meghan Lockwood, Xavier Reed

Papers from ENVS 385 (Research Methods in Environmental Science)

The environmental research methods class of fall 2013 analyzed the water quality of three creeks in the Yamhill (Oregon) Watershed: Cozine, Gooseneck, and Mill Creeks. Our research builds on data collected by previous years' classes (Colahan et al. 2011; Weinbender and Crane 2011; Bailey et al. 2012). The goals of the project were to gain a better understanding of water quality at each site, see how the sites differ, determine causes for any differences, and examine changes in water quality over time. Because Cozine is surrounded by an urban environment, whereas both Gooseneck and Mill are in a rural setting, …

Mass Bays Resource Inventory: Summary And Findings From The Review Of Plans And Assessments, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The Massachusetts Bays Program (MBP) contracted with the Urban Harbors Institute (UHI) of the University of Massachusetts Boston to conduct a review of papers, presentations, reports, and other relevant material produced from 1996 (the last CCMP) to present, that might inform the MBP’s update of their Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). The review focused on five topics identified as priority topics by the MBP: water quality, invasive species, climate change/vulnerability, continuity of estuarine habitat, and estuarine habitat protection in the geographic region of the Mass Bays Program, particularly the 47 nearshore estuaries and embayments identified in the 2012 MBP …

Sources Of Nutrient And Fecal Microbe Pollution In Otter Creek, Madison County, Kentucky, Kandice L. Smith, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

We measured nutrient (nitrate, ammonium, phosphate) and fecal microbe concentrations in surface waters of the Otter Creek watershed, Madison County, Kentucky to access sources of these contaminants. The watershed is approximately 12.5 miles long covering ~169 km² (41,832 acres). The watershed includes East Fork, West Fork, and Dreaming Creek, all tributaries to the main trunk of Otter Creek. The upper portion of the main trunk and Dreaming Creek drain urban areas of Richmond, but 85% of total watershed area is agricultural land, used mainly for grazing cattle. Rural residential areas and woodlands also occur.

The principle contaminants are nutrients …

Getting Salmon Back In Salmon Creek: Systematizing Comparative Water Quality Analysis For Targeted Restoration, Zbigniew J. Grabowski, Sarah Janjua, Michael Swamer, Heejun Chang, Eric Watson

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

This presentation focuses on water quality restoration efforts in Salmon Creek

Reed Lake 2013 Aquatic Plant Survey, Samantha Merrick, Robin A. Matthews, Joan Vandersypen

Reed Lake

The main objective of this project was to collect and identify aquatic plants in Reed Lake, a small, shallow lake in Whatcom County. The project was undertaken with the assistance of volunteers from the Glenhaven Lakes community (Figure 1). Residents of the Glenhaven community have expressed concerns about the effects that aquatic plants are having on recreation in the lake. This report included maps showing the types of plants that were collected in the lake Figures 2–10 and estimated plant densities (Figures 11–13), with a short discussion of methods that might be useful for reducing aquatic plant densities in the …

Uncertainty In Climatic Change Impacts On Multiscale Watershed Systems, Olga V. Tsvetkova

Open Access Dissertations

Uncertainty in climate change plays a major role in watershed systems. The increase in variability and intensity in temperature and precipitation affects hydrologic cycle in spatial and temporal dimensions. Predicting uncertainty in climate change impacts on watershed systems can help to understand future climate-induced risk on watershed systems and is essential for designing policies for mitigation and adaptation. Modeling the temporal patterns of uncertainties is assessed in the New England region for temperature and precipitation patterns over a long term. The regional uncertainty is modeled using Python scripting and GIS to analyze spatial patterns of climate change uncertainties over space …

Pilot Study Of Greater Boston Drinking Water Quality Changes - Impacts Of Ozonation And Distribution System, Irvine W. Wei, Xin (Cindy) Huang, Windsor Sung

Irvine W. Wei

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) provides drinking water to 2.2 million people in Greater Boston. To ensure good water quality without filtration, the MWRA is about to replace chlorination with ozonation as the primary disinfection at the new Walnut Hill Water Treatment Plant, scheduled to be on-line in 2005. The objective of this study was to understand the influence of ozonation on monochloramine decay and pH change in the MWRA system. The influence of the distribution system, which consists of old cast-iron pipes, on the ozonated water was also investigated. A pilot plant, including a simulated distribution system with …

Understanding Basin Specific Life History Characteristics Of Lake Mead Quagga Mussels (Dreissena Bugensis) And A Potential Treatment Using Uv Radiation In Laboratory Studies, Melissa Thaw

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis) is an aquatic invasive species that is spreading throughout Lake Mead and other western waterways. Unlike their native waters in Eurasia, Lake Mead exhibits year round warm temperatures, high calcium levels and a lack of natural predators, all of which are very favorable conditions for their growth and spread. Dreissena bugensis reproduce and colonize hard surfaces rapidly, where they filter large amounts of water. They disrupt the aquatic food chain and interfere with infrastructure that is exposed to lake water. There is an urgent need to understand Dreissena bugensis life history characteristics within this new …

Slides: Is There A Dust Bowl In Our Future?: Projections For The Eastern Rockies And Central Great Plains, Dennis Ojima

Water, Climate and Uncertainty: Implications for Western Water Law, Policy, and Management (Summer Conference, June 11-13)

Presenter: Dennis Ojima, Senior Research Scientist, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University (NREL/CSU)

30 slides

Oak Orchard Creek Orleans County, New York, Joseph C. Makarewicz, Matthew J. Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Oak Orchard Creek is a major tributary of Lake Ontario, with a watershed straddling Orleans and Genesee counties. Surrounding land use is a mix of residential, small commercial businesses, and agriculture. The Elba and Oakfield sewage treatment plants are located along Oak Orchard Creek, as are three hydroelectric dams located in Oak Orchard, Glenwood, and Waterport (Zollweg et al. 2005). The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation lists fishing in Oak Orchard as threatened. There have been high measures of DDT, DDE, DDD, PAHs, and arsenic identified near Lyndonville, NY, at one of these sites (Makarewicz 2000). Nuisance algae, …

Irondequoit Bay Monroe County, New York, Joseph C. Makarewicz, Matthew J. Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Irondequoit Bay is approximately 4.2 miles long and 0.6 miles wide and is separated from Lake Ontario by a small barrier beach. Irondequoit Bay had been historically considered hypereutrophic when several sewage plants discharged directly into the bay; however, aggressive restoration by Monroe County has improved the eutrophic state of the bay. Restoration efforts included sealing the bottom sediments with alum, reducing both point and non-point sources of phosphorus, and the pumping of air into the hypolimnion to reduce phosphorus movement from the sediments into the water. Currently no direct sewage plant discharge is received, and phosphorus levels are approaching …

Sandy Creek Monroe/Orleans Counties, New York, Joseph C. Makarewicz, Matthew J. Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Sandy Creek is located in Monroe and Orleans Counties in New York State and drains 89 mi2 of land. Surrounding land use is predominantly agriculture, though there are also residential influences. The Orleans County Soil and Water Conservation District through the Water Quality Coordinating Committee (WQCC) has monitored nutrient loss from the watershed through continuous automated monitoring and event sampling. Sandy Creek was identified as moderately polluted, not as pristine as forested watersheds but not as polluted as streams receiving partially treated sewage. Soil loss was highest (75% of total) during precipitation events suggesting that agricultural runoff may play a …

Little Sodus Bay Cayuga County, New York, Joseph C. Makarewicz, Matthew J. Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Little Sodus Bay is a 728-acre embayment on the southern Lake Ontario shoreline, located in the Town of Fair Haven, New York. The bay has a mean depth of 22 feet, a maximum depth of 37 feet, and is not fed by any major tributaries. Little Sodus Bay connects to Lake Ontario through a narrow channel located in the northwest corner of the bay. The watershed surrounding the bay is composed of land roughly 20% agricultural, 18% developed land (mostly limited development), 61% forest, 1% wetlands, and 0.1% quarry (The Camdus Group 2007). Little Sodus Bay has nuisance algae and …

Chemical Analysis Of Water From Buttonwood, Larkin, Round Pond And Northrup Creeks, Lake Ontario Basin West: May 1987 - May 1988, Joseph C. Makarewicz

Joseph C Makarewicz

As the local contribution to the Rochester Embayment Remedial Action Plan, the Monroe County Health Department contracted with SUNY Brockport to extend the ongoing sampling program in order to obtain one full year of data. The general objectives of this study of Buttonwood, Larkin, Northrup and Round Pond Creeks were: 1. To compare the water quality of stream water from watersheds having different land-use patterns; 2. To compare the water quality of stream water above and below the Spencerport Sewage Treatment Plant; 3. To obtain time trend data on chemical and physical characteristics of runoff water of these creeks; 4. …

Eighteenmile Creek Niagara County, New York, Joseph C. Makarewicz, Matthew J. Nowak

Joseph C Makarewicz

Eighteenmile Creek drains 93 mi² of land as it travels 26 miles before emptying into Lake Ontario. Topography is generally flat and comprised primarily of agricultural and rural residential development, with most of the industrial influences concentrated in the City of Lockport. The creek is a Great Lakes Area of Concern and has a Remedial Action Plan currently headed by the Niagara County Soil and Water Conservation District. PCBs, specifically, represent the area of stress that receives the most attention. In addition to a history of industrial waste exposure, the Lockport Sewage Treatment Plant diverts treated sewage to the …

Water Quality Of Cayuga Lake 1991-1998, Joseph C. Makarewicz, Roger W. Ward Jr., Theodore W. Lewis

Joseph C Makarewicz

Cayuga and Seneca Lakes represent a major water resource of central New York State of considerable economic, recreational and aesthetic value. Maintenance of water quality, prevention of further deterioration of water quality and restoration of a lake’s health are major concerns of the public. Monitoring the water quality of Cayuga Lake has continued periodically from the early 1900's to the present. This report reviews data collected by the Seneca County Soil and Water Conservation District during the 1991- 1998 period from the north end of Cayuga Lake. The water quality data presented are the result of a new strategy to …

Evaluating Alternatives For Augmented Water Quality Improvement Utilizing Oyster Restoration As Best Management Practice (Bmp), Stephanie Roberts Long

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Due to several anthropogenic influences, the Chesapeake Bay has experienced a marked decrease in water quality since the colonists arrived at the Jamestown settlement in Virginia during the 1600s. Higher concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus have enriched the estuaries and coastal waters via point sources (sewage treatment plants and industrial wastes), nonpoint sources (agricultural run-off and septic tank discharges) and the atmosphere (Newell et al., 2005). Restoring oyster beds is considered a Best Management Practice (BMP) to improve water quality as well as provide physical habitat for aquatic species and a healthier estuarine system (USACE Native Oyster Restoration Master …

Water Supply, Demand, And Quality Indicators For Assessing The Spatial Distribution Of Water Resource Vulnerability In The Columbia River Basin, Heejun Chang, Il-Won Jung, Angela L. Strecker, Daniel Wise, Martin Lafrenz, Vivek Shandas, Hamid Moradkhani, J. Alan Yeakley, Yangdong Pan, Robert Allen Bean, Gunnar Johnson, Mike Psaris

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

We investigated water resource vulnerability in the US portion of the Columbia River basin (CRB) using multiple indicators representing water supply, water demand, and water quality. Based on the US county scale, spatial analysis was conducted using various biophysical and socio-economic indicators that control water vulnerability. Water supply vulnerability and water demand vulnerability exhibited a similar spatial clustering of hotspots in areas where agricultural lands and variability of precipitation were high but dam storage capacity was low. The hotspots of water quality vulnerability were clustered around the main stem of the Columbia River where major population and agricultural centres are …

Performance Of Human Fecal Anaerobe-Associated Pcr-Based Assays In A Multi-Laboratory Method Evaluation Study, Blythe A. Layton, Yiping Cao, Darcy L. Ebentier, Kaitlyn Hanley, Elisenda Balleste, Joao Brandao, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Reagan Converse, Andreas H. Farnleitner, Jennifer Gentry-Shields, Maribeth L. Gidley, Michele Gourmelon, Chang Soo Lee, Jiyoung Lee, Solen Lozach, Tania Madi, Wim G. Meijer, Rachel Noble, Lindsay Peed, Georg H. Reischer, Raquel Rodrigues, Joan B. Rose, Alexander Schriewer, Chris Sinigalliano, Sangeetha Srinivasan, Jill Stewart, Laurie C. Van De Werfhorst, Dan Wang, Richard Whitman, Stefan Wuertz, Jenny Jay, Patricia A. Holden, Alexandria B. Boehm, Orin Shanks, John F. Griffith

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

A number of PCR-based methods for detecting human fecal material in environmental waters have been developed over the past decade, but these methods have rarely received independent comparative testing in large multi-laboratory studies. Here, we evaluated ten of these methods (BacH, BacHum-UCD, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (BtH), BsteriF1, gyrB, HF183 endpoint, HF183 SYBR, HF183 Taqman^®, HumM2, and Methanobrevibacter smithii nifH (Mnif)) using 64 blind samples prepared in one laboratory. The blind samples contained either one or two fecal sources from human, wastewater or non-human sources. The assay results were assessed for presence/absence of the human markers and also quantitatively while …

A Review Of Environmental Impacts Of Salts From Produced Waters On Aquatic Resources, Aida M. Farag, David D. Harper

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Salts are frequently amajor constituent ofwastewaters produced during oil and gas production. These produced waters or brines must be treated and/or disposed and provide a daily challenge for operators and resourcemanagers. Some elements of salts are regulated with water quality criteria established for the protection of aquatic wildlife, e.g. chloride (Cl⁻), which has an acute standard of 860 mg/L and a chronic standard of 230 mg/L. However, data for establishing such standards has only recently been studied for other components of produced water, such as bicarbonate (HCO3 ⁻), which has acute median lethal concentrations (LC50s) ranging from …

Urban Impact Of Dissolved Metals In The Paso Del Norte Segment Of The Rio Grande, Sumayeh Ahmad Freiwan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Paso del Norte segment of the Rio Grande experiences two seasons per year; the (wet) irrigation season and the (dry) non-irrigation season. The goal of this study was to improve the understanding of occurrence and contribution of dissolved metals in this region during the non-irrigation season. The objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate the impact of anthropogenic sources of metals on the Rio Grande water quality during the non-irrigation season, and (2) estimate the metal loads carried by the flow to the downstream region of El Paso. In order to evaluate the surface water quality of the …