Stream Water Quality Summary, 2000-2015

Summary of stream water quality data collected from 2000 through 2015

Stream Water Quality Summary, 2015

Summary of stream water quality data collected in 2015.

The Iowa water quality initiative : better water for a better Iowa, 2000

An overview on how to maintain an efficient food production system while protecting Iowa's natural resources.

Variation in composition of macro-benthic invertebrates as an indication of water quality status in three bays in Lake Victoria

Knowledge of how biota can be used to monitor ecosystem health and assess impacts by human alterations such as land use and management measures taken at different spatial scales is critical for improving the ecological quality of aquatic ecosystems. This knowledge in Uganda is very limited or unavailable yet it is needed to better understand the relationship between environmental factors at different spatial scales, assemblage structure and taxon richness of aquatic ecosystems. In this study, benthic invertebrate community patterns were sampled between June 2001 and April 2002 and analysed in relation to water quality and catchment land use patterns from three shallow near-shore bays characterized by three major land uses patterns: urban (Murchison Bay); semi-urban (Fielding Bay); rural (Hannington Bay). Variations in density and guild composition of benthic macro-invertebrates communities were evaluated using GIS techniques along an urban-rural gradient of land use and differences in community composition were related to dissolved oxygen and conductivity variation. Based on numerical abundance and tolerance values, Hilsenhoff's Biotic Index ofthe invertebrates was determined in order to evaluate the relative importance of water quality in the three bays. Murchison Bay supported a relatively taxa-poor invertebrate assemblage mainly comprising stenotopic and eurytopic populations of pollution-tolerant groups such as worms and Chironomus sp. with an overall depression in species diversity. On the contrary, the communities in Fielding and Hannington bays were quite similar and supported distinct and diverse assemblages including pollution-intolerant forms such as Ephemeroptera (mayflies), Odonata (dragonflies). The Hilsenhoff Biotic Index in Murchison Bay was 6.53. (indicating poor water quality) compared to 6.34 for Fielding Bay and 5.78 for Hannington Bay (both indicating fair water quality). The characterization of maximum taxa richness balanced among taxa groups with good representation of intolerant individuals in Hannington Bay relative to Fielding and Murchison bays concludes that the bay is the cleanest in terms of water quality. Contrary, the dominance of few taxa with many tolerant iqdividuals present in Murchison Bay indicates that the bay is degraded in terms of water quality. These result are ofimportance when planning conservation and management measures, implementing large-scale biomonitoring programs, and predicting how human alterations (e.g nutrient loading) affect water ecosystems. Therefore, analysis of water quality in relation to macro-invertebrate community composition patterns as bio-indicators can lead to further understanding of their responses to environmental manipulations and perturbations.

Water quality assessments in the Opeta-Bisina wetland systems and Mburo-Nakivale wetland systems

It is located in eastern Uganda, the wetland system is characterized by open water that is clear with some emergent vegetation mainly of sedges and floating vegetation dominated by the day water lily Nymphaea sp and submerged water weeds. Some patches of Cyperus papyrus exist in areas with minimal agricultural encroachment. The main inflow into the Opeta system is through River Sironko.

A framework for better understanding drinking-water quality in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador: Implications for optimization and protection of municipally supplied water

This research project was driven by the recurring complaints and concerns voiced in the media by residents living in the Valley area of the community of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador. Drinking water in this town is supplied by two water treatment plants (a municipality treatment plant and a DND treatment plant), which use raw water from two different sources (groundwater from multiple wells versus surface water from Spring Gulch brook) and use two different processes of drinking-water treatment. In fact, the drinking water supplied in the Valley area has a unique distribution arrangement. To meet demand, the Valley area is served by a blend of treated waters from a storage reservoir (Sandhill reservoir), which is fed by both water treatment plants. Most of the time, treated water from the municipal treatment plant dominates in the mixture. As water travels through the distribution system and household plumbing, specific reactions can occur either in the water itself and/or at the solid–liquid interface at the pipe walls; this is strongly influenced by the physical and chemical characteristics of the water. These reactions can introduce undesirable chemical compounds and/or favor the growth of bacteria in the drinking water, causing the deterioration of the quality of water reaching the consumer taps. In the distribution system in general, these chemical constituents and bacteria may pose potential threats to health or the water’s aesthetic qualities (smell, taste or appearance). Drinking water should be not only safe, but also palatable.

Design investigation of the Lake Calumet Complex: improving water quality to regenerate local industrial, community, and ecosystem resources

This design thesis is an inquiry of the highly industrialized urban landscape of the Lake Calumet Complex on the South Side of the City of Chicago. It examines geologic and anthropogenic strata within this region as waste used for staging various social, industrial, and ecological systems. Today, these social, industrial, and ecological systems are not responsive to each other and certainly do not possess resilient attributes that would allow them to interact within the landscape in perpetuity. The resulting design strategy seeks to re-think the treatment of waste in the landscape into a new framework for future park design. This park will serve as grounds to interweave these complex systems in order to rehabilitate ecosystem functions and improve water quality. Additionally the park hybridizes many social and ecological functions to improve community recreational opportunities and gain public acceptance and appeal.

Water quality trading: credit stacking and ancillary benefits

Ecosystems can provide many services. Wetlands, for example, can help mitigate water pollution from point sources as well as non-point sources, serve as habitat for wildlife, sequester carbon and serve as a place for recreation. Studies have found that these services can have substantial value to society. The sale of ecosystem credits has been found to be a possible way to finance construction investments in wetlands and easements to farmers to take their land out of production. At the same time, selling one ecosystem service credit may not always be enough to justify the investment. Traditionally market participants have only been allowed to sell a single credit from one piece of land, but recently there have been discussions about the possibility of selling more than one credit from a piece of land because it potentially could lead to more efficient ecosystem service provision. Selling multiple credits is sometimes referred to as credit stacking. This paper is an empirical study of the potential for credit stacking applied to the services provided by wetlands in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, specifically nitrogen, phosphorus and wildlife credits. In the setting of our study where costs are discrete rather than continuous we found that wetlands are a cost-effective way to reduce the nitrogen loads from wastewater treatment plants and that stacking nitrogen, phosphorus and wildlife credits may improve social welfare while leading to a higher level of ecosystem services. However, for credit stacking to be welfare improving we found that there needs to be a substantial demand for the credit that covers the majority of the investment in wetlands, while the credit aggregator has a choice between what ecosystem projects to undertake. If the credit that covers the majority of investment is sold first and is the sole basis of the investment decision and the objective is to improve welfare, a sequential implementation of ecosystem credits is not recommended; it would not lead to an increase in the total amount of ecosystem services provided though it would increase profit for the credit producer.

Effects of an introduced clam (Corbicula) on water quality in the Tennessee River Valley. Presented before the second annual Sanitary Engineering Conference, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn., May 30-31, 1963.

Mode of access: Internet.

Physicochemical properties of water quality of Imeh, Edegelem and Chokocho communities located along Otamiri-oche River in Etche Ethnic Nationality of Rivers State, Nigeria

Some physiochemical properties of water quality of Otamiri-oche River which runs through Imeh, Edegelem and Chokocho Communities in Etche ethnic nationality of Rivers State, Nigeria were investigated. Samples were collected in triplicate from the three different locations along the river in both rainy and dry seasons. Each sampling points is located 500m away from the successive one, and the samples were taken from the open river at the zone extending beyond the shoreline. Samples were stored in ice packs and immediately taken to the laboratory to investigate some selected physico-chemical characteristics. Also, bacteriological study was carried out on the samples. The laboratory results of the selected physico-chemical parameters when compared with the world health organization (WHO) standard showed that all the selected physico-chemical parameters were within the world health organization (WHO) permissible in both rainy and dry season except pH. For rainy season, the pH values were 5.00±0.00, 5.40 ±0.40, and 5.40± 0.30 for Imeh, Edegelem and Chokocho respectively. For the dry season, the pH values were 5.83± 0.01, 5.56±0.01, 5.90±0.01 for Imeh, Edegelem and Chokocho respectively. Also magnesium hardness exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) permissible limit in rainy season only. The results of bacteriological study showed that all the sampling locations contained high numbers of coliform bacteria in both rainy and dry seasons. The number of coliform bacteria during rainy season was 25.00±0.00, 25.00±0.00, and 35.00±0.00 for Imeh, Edegelem and Chokocho respectively. Those of dry season were 93.00±3.55, 56.66±4.49, and 35.60±4.17 for Imeh, Edegelem and Chokocho respectively. The difference between the rainy and dry season was tested statistically using the t-test. The results of the statistical analyses showed a significant difference (p<0.05) between the rainy and dry seasons.

Ambient Air Quality Monitoring in Metropolitan City of Lagos, Nigeria

Twenty one sampling locations were assessed for carbon monoxide (CO), carbondioxide (CO2), oxygen (O2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen oxide (NO), suspended particulate matter (SPM) and noise level using air pollutants measurement methods approved by ASTM for each specific parameter. All equipments and meters were all properly pre-calibrated before each usage for quality assurance. Findings of the study showed that measured levels of noise (61.4 - 101.4 dBA), NO (0.0 - 3.0 ppm), NO2 (0.0 - 3.0 ppm), CO (1.0 – 42.0 ppm) and SPM (0.14 – 4.82 ppm) in all sampling areas were quite high and above regulatory limits however there was no significant difference except in SPM (at all the sampling points), and noise, NO2 and NO (only in major traffic intersection). Air quality index (AQI) indicates that the ambient air can be described as poor for SPM, varied from good to very poor for CO, while NO and NO2 are very good except at major traffic intersection where they were both poor and very poor (D-E). The results suggest that strict and appropriate vehicle emission management, industrial air pollution control coupled with close burning management of wastes should be considered in the study area to reduce the risks associated with these pollutants.

Agriculture, Environmental Incentive Payments, and Water Quality in the Chesapeake Bay

Nonpoint sources (NPS) pollution from agriculture is the leading source of water quality impairment in U.S. rivers and streams, and a major contributor to lakes, wetlands, estuaries and coastal waters (U.S. EPA 2016). Using data from a survey of farmers in Maryland, this dissertation examines the effects of a cost sharing policy designed to encourage adoption of conservation practices that reduce NPS pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This watershed is the site of the largest Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implemented to date, making it an important setting in the U.S. for water quality policy. I study two main questions related to the reduction of NPS pollution from agriculture. First, I examine the issue of additionality of cost sharing payments by estimating the direct effect of cover crop cost sharing on the acres of cover crops, and the indirect effect of cover crop cost sharing on the acres of two other practices: conservation tillage and contour/strip cropping. A two-stage simultaneous equation approach is used to correct for voluntary self-selection into cost sharing programs and account for substitution effects among conservation practices. Quasi-random Halton sequences are employed to solve the system of equations for conservation practice acreage and to minimize the computational burden involved. By considering patterns of agronomic complementarity or substitution among conservation practices (Blum et al., 1997; USDA SARE, 2012), this analysis estimates water quality impacts of the crowding-in or crowding-out of private investment in conservation due to public incentive payments. Second, I connect the econometric behavioral results with model parameters from the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program to conduct a policy simulation on water quality effects. I expand the econometric model to also consider the potential loss of vegetative cover due to cropland incentive payments, or slippage (Lichtenberg and Smith-Ramirez, 2011). Econometric results are linked with the Chesapeake Bay Program watershed model to estimate the change in abatement levels and costs for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment under various behavioral scenarios. Finally, I use inverse sampling weights to derive statewide abatement quantities and costs for each of these pollutants, comparing these with TMDL targets for agriculture in Maryland.