Earth Sciences Commons^™

Soil Factors Influencing Eutrophication. In Soilguide. A Handbook For Understanding And Managing Agricultural Soils. (Ed. Geoff Moore), David Weaver, Robert Summers

Bulletins 4000 -

Eutrophication is essentially the nutrient enrichment of waterways leading to algal growth. It must be controlled to maintain sustainable agricultural systems and the main mechanisms of control are stabilising catchment processes and reducing nutrient output.

Eutrophication can be defined as 'the nutrient enrichment of waters which results in the stimulation of an array of symptomatic changes, among which increased production of algae and macrophytes, deterioration of water quality and other symptomatic changes, are found to be undesirable and interfere with water uses' (OECD 1982). The word eutrophic is a Greek word that means 'well fed'. The food referred to is …

Relationships Between Stream Order And Management Priority: A Water Quality Case Study, David Weaver, Adrian Reed, John Grant

Conference papers and presentations

Seagrass, which once dominated the habitat of Oyster Harbour on the south coast of Western Australia has been replaced by macroalgae because of increased nutrient and sediment discharge from the rural dominated catchment. Total Phosphorus (TP), Total Nitrogen (TN), Suspended Sediment (SS) and Electrical Conductivity (EC) concentrations from a catchment – wide (168 sites), event-driven snapshot, water quality monitoring program conducted from 1994 to 1996, were analysed in relation to stream order and published survey data on riparian zone condition. This analysis was performed to examine relationships between stream order, riparian zone condition and water quality, and implications for the …

Protecting Instream Flows In Prior Appropriation States: Legal And Policy Issues, Janet C. Neuman

Water and Growth in the West (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

17 pages.

Ground-Water Quality In Kentucky: Nitrate-Nitrogen, Philip G. Conrad, Daniel I. Carey, James S. Webb, James S. Dinger, Matthew J. Mccourt

Information Circular--KGS

No abstract provided.

Reconnaissance Water Quality Study Of The Dakota Aquifer In Lancaster County, Nebraska, J. Anderson, D. D. Gosselin

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Parameter Distributions On Uncertainty Analysis Of Hydrologic Models, C. Thomas Haan, Daniel E. Storm, T. Al-Issa, Sandeep Prabhu, George J. Sabbagh, Dwayne R. Edwards

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Increasing concern about the accuracy of hydrologic and water quality models has prompted interest in procedures for evaluating the uncertainty associated with these models. If a Monte Carlo simulation is used in an uncertainty analysis, assumptions must be made relative to the probability distributions to assign to the model input parameters. Some have indicated that since these parameters can not be readily determined, uncertainty analysis is of limited value. In this article we have evaluated the impact of parameter distribution assumptions on estimates of model output uncertainty. We conclude that good estimates of the means and variances of the input …

Spatial And Temporal Variability In Seepage Between A Contaminated Aquifer And Tributaries To The Ohio River, Alan E. Fryar, David L. Brown, David B. Wenner, Todd C. Rasmussen, Eric J. Wallin

KWRRI Research Reports

Because interactions between ground water and tributaries may influence contaminant loading to rivers, we delineated seepage along Little Bayou and Bayou Creeks in McCracken County, Kentucky, during a two-year period. From the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, on the divide between the creeks, trichloroethene and technetium-99 plumes extend several km toward the Ohio River. Gaining conditions occur where the creeks are incised into coarse sediments in the river's flood plain. Such conditions were marked by upward hydraulic gradients within the bed; maximum specific discharge (q) > 0.24 m d^-1; relatively narrow ranges of stream, piezometer, and bed temperatures; relatively cool …

Phosphorus In The Landscape: Diffuse Sources To Surface Waters. Land And Water Resources Research And Development Corporation. Occasional Paper 16/98, Richard Davis, Anne Hamblin, E O'Loughlin, Nic Austin, R Banens, P Cornish, P Hairsin, M Mcculloch, Phil Moody, J Olley, B Prove, I Smalls, David Weaver

All other publications

The National Eutrophication Management Program (NEMP) and Environment Australia convened a workshop to develop a coherent overview of the sources and transport of diffuse phosphorus in Australian catchments based on the latest knowledge. The Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation (LWRRDC) and the Murray–Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) jointly fund NEMP. A select group of scientists attended the workshop and developed a coherent statement about phosphorus sources and transport in Australian catchments. The group did not extend this statement to include recommended management practices. This paper reports the findings from the workshop. State governments have developed algal and nutrient …

Environmental Benefits Of Reoperation, Relicensing, Decommissioning And Recapture, Richard Roos-Collins

Dams: Water and Power in the New West (Summer Conference, June 2-4)

35 pages.

Contains footnotes.

Application Of Environmental Organic Petrology And Geochemistry To Fingerprint Organic Pollutants In The Recent Sediments Of Lake Ontario, Prasanta K. Mukhopadhyay, Michael A. Kruge, C.F. Michael Lewis

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Selected surface sediment samples (sediment depth 0-10 cm) collected in the Niagara basin (western Lake Ontario) were chosen for organic matter characterization using organic petrological and geochemical techniques normally reserved for the study of coal, petroleum source rock and crude oil. The study was performed to assess the effectiveness of these techniques in discriminating between natural and anthropogenic organic matter and to determine the extent of organic pollution of the lake sediments. The organic carbon contents of the samples vary from 1.5 to 3.5%, with upper layer (0-5 cm) samples have higher TOC values than those from the lower layer …

Effects Of Zebra, Mussel, Dreissena Polymorpha Infestation On Lake Dardanelle Water Quality, Charles J. Gagen, Joseph N. Stoeckel

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

Zebra mussels recently invaded southern waterways including the Arkansas River. Large-scale filtration of suspended particulate matter by dense populations could alter reservoir ecosystem function. Furthermore, they attach to hard surfaces, thereby threatening normal operations of artificial structures. We designed this study to provide baseline data prior to establishment of high population levels of zebra mussels in Lake Dardanelle. The characterization of spatial and temporal variability in water quality, zooplankton, phytoplankton, and macrophytes will allow testing of several hypotheses. We sampled zebra mussel veliger and settling juvenile densities and zooplankton densities at four fixed sites and the key water quality variables …

Modeling Transport Of Colloid-Bound Herbicides And Heavy Metals To Groundwater, Anastasios D. Karathanasis, R. E. Phillips, A. K. Seta

KWRRI Research Reports

Recent studies have suggested that contaminant transport to groundwater may be enhanced by association with colloidal particles. This study evaluated the role of water dispersible colloids with diverse mineralogical composition in co-transporting selected herbicides and heavy metals through intact soil columns. Colloid recovery in the eluents ranged from 45-90% for the herbicides and 10-60% for the heavy metals. The presence of colloids enhanced the transport of atrazine by 2-18%, and metolachlor by 8-30%. The corresponding increase for Cu and Zn was 2-150 and 5-30 times, respectively. For Pb, there was essentially no elution in the absence of colloids, suggesting nearly …

Quality Of Runoff From Four Northwest Arkansas Pasture Fields Treated With Organic And Inorganic Fertilizer, Dwayne R. Edwards, Tommy C. Daniel, John F. Murdoch, Philip A. Moore Jr.

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Long-term land application of animal manures, even at agronomic rates, can promote accumulation of soil phosphorus (P) which can, in turn, contribute to increased P loadings to downstream waters. The objective of this study was to assess the soil and runoff effects of replacing animal manure as a soil amendment with inorganic fertilizer (ammonium nitrate, NH₄NO₃) on fields that had been treated previously with animal manures. Runoff from two pairs of small fields (0.57 to 1.46 ha) was sampled from September 1991 to April 1994. All fields had been treated previously with animal manures; after runoff …

Poultry Litter-Treated Length Effects On Quality Of Runoff From Fescue Plots, Dwayne R. Edwards, Philip A. Moore Jr., Tommy C. Daniel, Puneet Srivastava

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Using experimental data and/or mathematical simulation models to identify practices that reduce pollution from manure-treated areas is sometimes perceived as limited by the unknown validity of extrapolating plot-scale data to larger areas and by uncertainties in modeling transport of various pollutants. The objectives of this study were to assess the effect of length of manure treatment on runoff concentrations of poultry litter constituents and to define the modes of transport (particulate versus soluble) for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), carbon (C), and solids. Poultry litter was applied to three 1.5- x 18.3-m fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) plots with runoff collection …

Application Of Simplified Phosphorus Transport Models To Pasture Fields In Northwest Arkansas, Dwayne R. Edwards, C. T. Haan, Andrew N. Sharpley, John F. Murdoch, Tommy C. Daniel, Philip A. Moore Jr.

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Runoff transport of phosphorus (P) is often predicted from simple equations with parameters determined from data applicable primarily to row-cropped and fallow cover conditions. The applicability, accuracy, and precision of such P transport prediction equations under pasture situations are less well defined. The objectives of this study were to determine parameters of simplified runoff P transport equations for pasture fields and to assess the accuracy and precision of the equations. Runoff, sediment yield, soluble P transport, and particulate P transport data were collected from four pasture fields in northwestern Arkansas. Runoff event enrichment ratios and extraction coefficients were computed, and …

The Debate: Are Water Rights And Sustainable Water Use Compatible?, Stuart L. Somach

Sustainable Use of the West's Water (Summer Conference, June 12-14)

12 pages.

Contains footnotes and references.

The Henry’S Fork: Finding Mutual Interest In The Watershed, Janice M. Brown, Dale L. Swensen

Sustainable Use of the West's Water (Summer Conference, June 12-14)

9 pages.

Contains references.

Agenda: Water Organizations In A Changing West, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Water Organizations in a Changing West (Summer Conference, June 14-16)

Conference organizers, faculty and/or moderators included University of Colorado School of Law professors Lawrence J. MacDonnell, David H. Getches and James N. Corbridge, Jr.

Water organizations in the western United States range from small, traditional acequia associations to large metropolitan water suppliers. What do these vastly different kinds of organizations have in common? All are feeling the pressures of change in the region--growing urban populations, environmental concerns, and calls for public participation.

This year's summer program will examine how water organizations are adapting to these pressures for change. Speakers drawn from urban, agricultural, and community organizations will share their experiences …

Correlating Soil Test Phosphorus Losses In Runoff, D. H. Pote, T. C. Daniel, P. A. Moore Jr., D. J. Nichols, D. R. Edwards, A. N. Sharpley

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

Phosphorus in agricultural runoff is often a major cause of accelerated eutrophication of lakes and streams. Previous research has indicated that the amount of dissolved P (DP) in runoff is directly related to P content of the surface soil. Decades of fertilizer application at rates exceeding those of crop uptake have elevated soil test P (STP) levels in areas of intensive crop and livestock production, making this the major source of DP loss in runoff. The objective of our experiment was to relate STP content of Captina silt loam to P concentration and loss in runoff, and determine which STP …

Water Quality And Fecal Indicator Bacteria, Mark S. Coyne

Soil Science News and Views

How can you tell if water is fit to drink? Color and taste aren't reliable guides for water safety. Clear water can be contaminated with chemicals or microorganisms the senses can't detect. One of the principle qualities of potable (drinkable) water is its freedom from microbial contaminants. This article will describe some criteria and methods that are used to determine the microbial quality of water.

The Fecal Coliform/Fecal Streptococci Ratio (Fc/Fs) And Water Quality In The Bluegrass Region Of Kentucky, Mark S. Coyne, J. M. Howell

Soil Science News and Views

In the mid 70' s, someone noticed that the ratio of two indicator bacteria in fecal wastes - fecal coliforms (FC) and fecal streptococci (FS) - was characteristic of particular animal wastes. In human wastes, the fecal coliform/fecal streptococci ratio (FC/FS ratio) was greater than 4. In domesticated animals, like cattle, the ratio was between 0.1 and 4.0. In wild animals, the ratio was less than 0.1. Since that time, many attempts have been made to use the ratio to determine the source of fecal bacteria in contaminated ground water.

Water Issues Facing Acequia Associations, Dennis Chavez

Water Organizations in a Changing West (Summer Conference, June 14-16)

4 pages.

The Influence Of Reservoir Basin Morphometry On Phytoplankton Community Structure, Richard L. Meyer, G. Keith Trost

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

The research protocol was designed to compare three reservoirs with similar physical environments but different morphometry. Three reservoirs on the western edge of the Ozark uplift were selected because of their similar substrate and climatic condition. The reservoirs primarily differed in morphometry. Two of the reservoirs were of identical size, Bob Kidd and Prairie Groves Lakes, but of different configuration, semicircular and linear, respectively. The bifurcated lake, Lincoln Lake, was of smaller size. Each lake is dimictic. Each of the lakes were nitrate-N limited while soluble reactive phosphorus-P is available and not restricting the growth of phytoplankton. Although the pattern …

Effect Of Drying On Cyromazine Loss From Surface-Applied Caged-Layer Manure, T. C. Daniel, D. H. Pote, D. R. Edwards

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

In Arkansas, much of the environmental concern related to water quality has focused on the high volume of poultry fecal waste spread on the surf ace of local pastures to fertilize forage grass. Cyromazine (N-cyclopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6- triamine), a feed-through larvicide used to control house flies (Musca domestica), is often a component of caged-layer manure. Cyromazine is quite soluble and stable in water, and previous research has shown that it can be readily washed from pasture plots by intense rainfall. Therefore, a study was conducted to evaluate increased drying time as a best management practice technique for reducing cyromazine runoff losses from …

Quality Of Private Ground-Water Supplies In Kentucky, Daniel I. Carey, James S. Dinger, O. Barton Davidson, Richard E. Sergeant, Joseph L. Taraba, Thomas W. Ilvento, Steve Coleman, Rayetta Boone, Laura M. Knoth

Information Circular--KGS

About 3.7 million people live in Kentucky, of which 1.9 million (52 percent) live in urban areas (roughly defined as any community with 2,500 or more people) and 1.8 million (48 percent) live in rural areas (University of Kentucky, 1993). Figure 1 summarizes sources of drinking water for Kentucky residents. About 70 percent of Kentuckians get their daily supply of water from surface-water sources - lakes and streams; about 25 percent get their water from ground-water wells; and about 5 percent get their water from other sources - springs, cisterns, ponds, or hauled water.

Evaluation Of The Water Quality Impacts Of Land Application Of Poultry Litter, T. C. Daniels, D. R. Edwards

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

Evaluating the effect of land application of animal waste on water quality is fraught with inherent variability due to differing infiltration rates, slope, rainfall intensity and etc . Simulated rainfall technology has been used in erosion research for decades. Generally, this technology is used on plots of sufficient size (25 x 5 m) to develop rill and interrill erosion. The object of this investigation was to adapt and modify existing rainfall simulation technology used in soil erosion research for use in evaluating water quality impacts of land application of animal waste, and to test, evaluate and demonstrate it's scientific validity. …

Effect Of Land Application Of Poultry Waste On Pesticide Loss, T. C. Daniel, D. R. Edwards

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

The poultry industry in Arkansas is a large, concentrated, growing industry that produces a high volume of fecal waste. Most of this waste is surface applied as pasture fertilizer. Pesticides are commonly used in the poultry industry for fly and litter beetle contro land are often a component of the surface-applied poultry waste. No information exists in the scientific literature regarding the transport of this pesticide component to nearby water supplies.Our research focused on cyromazine, a feed-through larvicide used to control flies in caged-layer hen houses. Tetrachlorvinphos and carbaryl are also used in poultry waste, but these pesticides have a …

Water Quality In The Kentucky River Basin, Daniel I. Carey

Information Circular--KGS

Data gathered up to 1990 suggest that water pollution problems existed throughout the Kentucky River Basin. Fecal coliform bacteria in streams was a widespread problem because of the inadequate treatment of municipal wastes, failing septic systems, and agricultural runoff. Iron, lead, manganese, mercury, and silver exceeded State standards and Federal guidelines for drinking water and aquatic life at most of the sample sites for a majority of samples. Aquatic life in many smaller streams in the Knobs region was reduced by chloride discharges from oil and gas operations, according to the Kentucky Division of Water. Organic enrichment and high nutrient …

Kinetics And Mechanisms Of Atrazine Adsorption And Desorption In Soils Under No-Till And Conventional Management, V. P. Evangelou, W. W. Witt, E. Portig, Mike Barrett

KWRRI Research Reports

Both soils (Maury silt loam and Sadler) exhibited three apparent mechanisms of atrazine adsorption. The first two mechanisms were very rapid (10 minutes) and were assigned to soil-clay surface adsorption reactions via hydrogen bonding. The quantity of atrazine involved in these two reactions for the 0.5 mg/1 solution atrazine varied, depending on the soil, from 67 μg/100 g clay to 219 μg/100 g clay. The reason there were two possible atrazine sinks in this range of atrazine adsorption was believed to be the presence of two types of reactive surfaces, the clay inorganic phase and the organic carbon phase. The …

Regulation Of Ground Water In Salt Lake Valley, Robert L. Morgan

Innovation in Western Water Law and Management (Summer Conference, June 5-7)

24 pages (includes illustrations and maps).

Contains references.