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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Hydrologic connectivity to streams increases nitrogen and phosphorus inputs and cycling in soils of created and natural floodplain wetlands

Greater connectivity to stream surface water may result in greater inputs of allochthonous nutrients that could stimulate internal nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycling in natural, restored, and created riparian wetlands. This study investigated the effects of hydrologic connectivity to stream water on soil nutrient fluxes in plots (n = 20) located among four created and two natural freshwater wetlands of varying hydrology in the Piedmont physiographic province of Virginia. Surface water was slightly deeper; hydrologic inputs of sediment, sediment-N, and ammonium were greater; and soil net ammonification, N mineralization, and N turnover were greater in plots with stream water classified as their primary water source compared with plots with precipitation or groundwater as their primary water source. Soil water-filled pore space, inputs of nitrate, and soil net nitrification, P mineralization, and denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) were similar among plots. Soil ammonification, N mineralization, and N turnover rates increased with the loading rate of ammonium to the soil surface. Phosphorus mineralization and ammonification also increased with sedimentation and sediment-N loading rate. Nitrification flux and DEA were positively associated in these wetlands. In conclusion, hydrologic connectivity to stream water increased allochthonous inputs that stimulated soil N and P cycling and that likely led to greater retention of sediment and nutrients in created and natural wetlands. Our findings suggest that wetland creation and restoration projects should be designed to allow connectivity with stream water if the goal is to optimize the function of water quality improvement in a watershed.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗

Calibration of paired basins prior to streambank fencing of pasture land

Streambank fencing is a best management practice that is targeted to reduce suspended sediment and nutrient inputs to streams by reducing direct inputs from animals, eliminating streambank trampling, and promoting streambank revegetalion. A paired basin study is being conducted in two small adjacent basins to determine the waler quality effects of streambank fencing. This article documents the 3-yr calibration period between control and treatment basins prior to fence installation. Approximately 70% of land adjacent to streambanks in the study area is used as pasture. Nutrient quantities applied as manure, benthic-macroinvertebrate communities, and the physical habitat of each stream were similar in both basins. Total N, P, and suspended sediment yields measured at the outlet of each basin averaged about 56, 2.8, and 2650 kg ha −1 on an annual basis. For both basins, about 90% of the total N yield was attributable to dissolved NO 3 -N and about 90% of the total N yield occurred during nonstormflow; conversely, about 90% of the total P yield was attributable to stormflow and 60 to 65% of the total P yield was suspended. Regression equations developed between both basins for low flow and stormflow samples for nutrients, suspended sediment, and discharge indicated a significant relation for most constituents. Pretreatment relation between basins for low flow and stormflow samples would need to change by 6 and 14% for total N concentrations and 24 and 9% for total P concentrations in order for streambank fencing to significantly affect water quality in the treatment basin.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗

Rice pesticide concentrations in the Colusa Basin Drain and the Sacramento River, California, 1990-1993

The pesticides molinate, thiobencarb, and carbofuran are applied to rice ( Oryza sativa L.) fields in the Sacramento Valley, California, each year during April through June. These pesticides are of concern because of their adverse effects on water quality and their potential adverse effects on aquatic life. Therefore, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (CRWQCB) mandated the holding of irrigation-return water in rice fields to increase pesticide degradation and dissipation before the water is released to the Sacramento River. The CRWQCB also established performance goals to maintain drinking water quality for the city of Sacramento and to protect the habitat for aquatic life. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of increased irrigation-return water holding times on rice pesticide concentrations and loads in the Colusa Basin Drain and the Sacramento River. Dissolved pesticide concentrations were measured in water samples collected in May through July during 1990–1993 at the Colusa Basin Drain at Road 99E near Knights Landing (Colosa Basin Drain) and at the Sacramento River at Sacramento. Pesticide concentrations and loads at both sites showed a decrease from 1990–1992 and an increase in 1993. This trend cannot be explained by the yearly holding time regulations but can be explained by the amount of yearly emergency releases. The yearly changes in pesticide concentration detected demonstrate that continued monitoring and management of pesticides is necessary to maintain water quality.

California↗

Alum amendment effects on phosphorus release and distribution in poultry litter-amended sandy soils

Increased poultry production has contributed to excess nutrient problems in Atlantic Coastal Plain soils due to land application of poultry litter (PL). Aluminum sulfate [alum, Al 2 (SO 4 ) 3 ·14H 2 O] amendment of PL effectively reduces soluble phosphorus (P) in the PL; however, the effects of these litters when added to acidic, sandy soils are not well understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of alum-amended poultry litter in reducing P release from three Delaware Coastal Plain soils: Evesboro loamy sand (Ev; excessively drained, mesic, coated Typic Quartzipsamments), Rumford loamy sand (Ru; well drained, coarse-loamy, siliceous, subactive, thermic Typic Hapludults), and Pocomoke sandy loam (Pm; very poorly drained, coarse-loamy, siliceous, active, thermic Typic Umbraquults). Long-term (25 d) and short-term (24 h) desorption studies were conducted, in addition to chemical extractions and kinetic modeling, to observe the changes that alum-amended versus unamended PL caused in the soils. The Ev, Ru, and Pm soils were incubated with 9 Mg ha −1 of alum-amended or unamended PL. Long-term desorption (25 d) of the incubated material resulted in approximately 13.5% (Ev), 12.7% (Ru), and 13.3% (Pm) reductions in cumulative P desorbed when comparing soil treated with unamended and alum-amended PL. In addition, the P release from the soil treated with alum-amended litter was not significantly different from the control (soil alone). Short-term desorption (24 h) showed 7.3% (Ev), 15.4% (Ru), and 20% (Pm) reductions. The overall implication from this study is that the use of alum as a PL amendment is useful in coarse-textured soils of the Coastal Plain. With increased application of alum-amended PL, more significant decreases may be possible with little or no effect on soil quality. textured soils of the Coastal Plain. With increased application of alum-amended PL, more significant decreases may be possible with little or no effect on soil quality.

Delaware↗

Interaction and influence of two creeks on Escherichia coli concentrations of nearby beaches: Exploration of predictability and mechanisms

The impact of river outfalls on beach water quality depends on numerous interacting factors. The delivery of contaminants by multiple creeks greatly complicates understanding of the source contributions, especially when pollution might originate up- or down-coast of beaches. We studied two beaches along Lake Michigan that are located between two creek outfalls to determine the hydrometeorologic factors influencing near-shore microbiologic water quality and the relative impact of the creeks. The creeks continuously delivered water with high concentrations of Escherichia coli to Lake Michigan, and the direction of transport of these bacteria was affected by current direction. Current direction reversals were associated with elevated E. coli concentrations at Central Avenue beach. Rainfall, barometric pressure, wave height, wave period, and creek specific conductance were significantly related to E. coli concentration at the beaches and were the parameters used in predictive models that best described E. coli variation at the two beaches. Multiple inputs to numerous beaches complicates the analysis and understanding of the relative relationship of sources but affords opportunities for showing how these complex creek inputs might interact to yield collective or individual effects on beach water quality.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗

Effects of watershed-scale land use change on stream nitrate concentrations

The Walnut Creek Watershed Monitoring Project was conducted from 1995 through 2005 to evaluate the response of stream nitrate concentrations to changing land use patterns in paired 5000-ha Iowa watersheds. A large portion of the Walnut Creek watershed is being converted from row crop agriculture to native prairie and savanna by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge (NSNWR). Before restoration, land use in both Walnut Creek (treatment) and Squaw Creek (control) watersheds consisted of 70% row crops. Between 1990 and 2005, row crop area decreased 25.4% in Walnut Creek due to prairie restoration but increased 9.2% in Squaw Creek due to Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grassland conversion back to row crop. Nitrate concentrations ranged between <0.5 to 14 mg L-1 at the Walnut Creek outlet and 2.1 to 15 mg L-1 at the downstream Squaw Creek outlet. Nitrate concentrations decreased 1.2 mg L-1 over 10 yr in the Walnut Creek watershed but increased 1.9 mg L-1 over 10 yr in Squaw Creek. Changes in nitrate were easier to detect and more pronounced in monitored subbasins, decreasing 1.2 to 3.4 mg L-1 in three Walnut Creek subbasins, but increasing up to 8.0 and 11.6 mg L-1 in 10 yr in two Squaw Creek subbasins. Converting row crop lands to grass reduced stream nitrate levels over time in Walnut Creek, but stream nitrate rapidly increased in Squaw Creek when CRP grasslands were converted back to row crop. Study results highlight the close association of stream nitrate to land use change and emphasize that grasslands or other perennial vegetation placed in agricultural settings should be part of a long-term solution to water quality problems. ?? ASA, CSSA, SSSA.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗

Factors driving nutrient trends in streams of the Chesapeake Bay watershed

Despite decades of effort toward reducing nitrogen and phosphorus flux to Chesapeake Bay, water-quality and ecological responses in surface waters have been mixed. Recent research, however, provides useful insight into multiple factors complicating the understanding of nutrient trends in bay tributaries, which we review in this paper, as we approach a 2025 total maximum daily load (TMDL) management deadline. Improvements in water quality in many streams are attributable to management actions that reduced point sources and atmospheric nitrogen deposition and to changes in climate. Nutrient reductions expected from management actions, however, have not been fully realized in watershed streams. Nitrogen from urban nonpoint sources has declined, although water-quality responses to urbanization in individual streams vary depending on predevelopment land use. Evolving agriculture, the largest watershed source of nutrients, has likely contributed to local nutrient trends but has not affected substantial changes in flux to the bay. Changing average nitrogen yields from farmland underlain by carbonate rocks, however, may suggest future trends in other areas under similar management, climatic, or other influences, although drivers of these changes remain unclear. Regardless of upstream trends, phosphorus flux to the bay from its largest tributary has increased due to sediment infill in the Conowingo Reservoir. In general, recent research emphasizes the utility of input reductions over attempts to manage nutrient fate and transport at limiting nutrients in surface waters. Ongoing research opportunities include evaluating effects of climate change and conservation practices over time and space and developing tools to disentangle and evaluate multiple influences on regional water quality.

Chesapeake Bay watershed↗

Complex hydrology and variability of nitrogen sources in a karst watershed

Streams draining karst areas with rapid groundwater transit times may respond relatively quickly to nitrogen reduction strategies, but the complex hydrologic network of interconnected sinkholes and springs is challenging for determining the placement and effectiveness of management practices. This study aims to inform nitrogen reduction strategies in a representative agricultural karst setting of the Chesapeake Bay watershed (Fishing Creek watershed, Pennsylvania) with known elevated nitrate contamination and a previous documented groundwater residence time of less than a decade. During baseflow conditions, streamflow did not increase with drainage area. Headwaters and the main stem lost substantial flow to sinkholes until eventually discharging along large springs downstream. Seasonal hydrologic conditions shift the flow and nitrogen load spatially among losing and gaining stream sections. A compilation of nitrogen source inputs with the geochemistry and the pattern of enrichment of δ 15 N and δ 18 O suggest that the nitrogen in streams and springs during baseflow represents a mixture of manure, fertilizer, and wastewater sources with low potential for denitrification. The pH and calcite saturation index increased along generalized flow paths from headwaters to springs and indicate shorter groundwater residence times in baseflow during the spring versus summer. Given the substantial investment in management practices, fixed monitoring sites could incorporate synoptic water sampling to properly monitor long-term progress and help inform management actions in karst watersheds. Although karst watersheds have the potential to respond to nitrogen reduction strategies due to shorter groundwater residence times, high nitrogen inputs, effectiveness of conservation practices, and release of legacy nutrients within the karst cavities could confound progress of water quality goals.

Pennsylvania↗

Quantifying background nitrate removal mechanisms in an agricultural watershed with contrasting subcatchment baseflow concentrations

Numerous studies have documented the linkages between agricultural nitrogen loads and surface water degradation. In contrast, potential water quality improvements due to agricultural best management practices are difficult to detect because of the confounding effect of background nitrate removal rates, as well as the groundwater-driven delay between land surface action and stream response. To characterize background controls on nitrate removal in two agricultural catchments, we calibrated groundwater travel time distributions with subsurface environmental tracer data to quantify the lag time between historic agricultural inputs and measured baseflow nitrate. We then estimated spatially distributed loading to the water table from nitrate measurements at monitoring wells, using machine learning techniques to extrapolate the loading to unmonitored portions of the catchment to subsequently estimate catchment removal controls. Multiple models agree that in-stream processes remove as much as 75% of incoming loads for one subcatchment while removing <20% of incoming loads for the other. The use of a spatially variable loading field did not result in meaningfully different optimized parameter estimates or model performance when compared with spatially constant loading derived directly from a county-scale agricultural nitrogen budget. Although previous studies using individual well measurements have shown that subsurface denitrification due to contact with a reducing argillaceous confining unit plays an important role in nitrate removal, the catchment-scale contribution of this process is difficult to quantify given the available data. Nonetheless, the study provides a baseline characterization of nitrate transport timescales and removal mechanisms that will support future efforts to detect water quality benefits from ongoing best management practice implementation.

Maryland↗

Microbial degradation of plant leachate alters lignin phenols and trihalomethane precursors

Although the importance of vascular plant-derived dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in freshwater systems has been studied, the role of leached DOC as precursors of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) during drinking water treatment is not well known. Here we measured the propensity of leachates from four crops and four aquatic macrophytes to form trihalomethanes (THMs)&mdash;a regulated class of DBPs&mdash;before and after 21 d of microbial degradation. We also measured lignin phenol content and specific UV absorbance (SUVA 254 ) to test the assumption that aromatic compounds from vascular plants are resistant to microbial degradation and readily form DBPs. Leaching solubilized 9 to 26% of total plant carbon, which formed 1.93 to 6.72 mmol THM mol C -1 However, leachate DOC concentrations decreased by 85 to 92% over the 21-d incubation, with a concomitant decrease of 67 to 92% in total THM formation potential. Carbon-normalized THM yields in the residual DOC pool increased by 2.5 times on average, consistent with the preferential uptake of nonprecursor material. Lignin phenol concentrations decreased by 64 to 96% over 21 d, but a lack of correlation between lignin content and THM yields or SUVA 254 suggested that lignin-derived compounds are not the source of increased THM precursor yields in the residual DOC pool. Our results indicate that microbial carbon utilization alters THM precursors in ecosystems with direct plant leaching, but more work is needed to identify the specific dissolved organic matter components with a greater propensity to form DBPs and affect watershed management, drinking water quality, and human health.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗

Challenges in linking soil health to edge-of-field water quality across the Great Lakes basin

To better understand agricultural nutrient losses, we evaluated relationships between management (e.g., manure and tillage), soil health measurements, and resulting edge-of-field (EOF) surface water quality. This work was conducted before or early into conservation implementation at 14 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative EOF sites spanning Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and New York. Analyses of site characteristics (hydroclimate, management, catchment properties) along with 3 yr of soil health measurements (chemical, biological, and physical properties) showed EOF-nutrient export depended on both site and soil properties. A pattern emerged whereby sites not receiving manure and sites with manure defined opposite ends of several gradients for soil and water data. Sites receiving manure had increased microbial activity, organic matter (3.2 vs. 2.7%), and soil test phosphorus (P) (2.8 times more) relative to sites without manure. Suspended sediments (SS), total P (TP), and total nitrogen (TN) in EOF surface runoff varied over three to five orders. Multivariate analysis among sites showed covariant linkages between soil nutrients, soil C, microbial properties, and nutrients in EOF water. There were positive univariate relationships between water-extractable soil P and annual EOF-water concentrations and yields of orthophosphate, TP, TN, and SS ( p < .01). Some soil physical properties (e.g., bulk density and infiltration) also covaried among sites but were not consistently related to runoff index or water yield variables. Given the observed among-site variability, we were not able to isolate desirable soil health signals on EOF surface water quality.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗

Causal factors for pesticide trends in streams of the United States: Atrazine and deethylatrazine

Pesticides are important for agriculture in the United States, and atrazine is one of the most widely used and widely detected pesticides in surface water. A better understanding of the mechanisms by which atrazine and its degradation product, deethylatrazine, increase and decrease in surface waters can help inform future decisions for water-quality improvement. This study considers causal factors for trends in pesticide concentration in streams in the United States and models the causal factors, other than use, in structural equation models. The structural equation models use a concomitant trend in corn and a latent variable model indicating moisture supply and management. The moisture supply and management latent variable incorporates long-term moisture conditions in the individual watersheds by using the Palmer Hydrologic Drought Index; human influence on the hydrologic cycle through the percent of the watershed drained by tile drains in 2012; and the base-flow contribution to streamflow, using the base-flow index. The structural equation models explain 77% and 38% of the variability in atrazine and deethylatrazine trends, respectively, across the conterminous United States. The models highlight future water-quality challenges, particularly in tile-drained settings where fall precipitation and heavy precipitation are increasing.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗

Comparing wastewater chemicals, indicator bacteria concentrations, and bacterial pathogen genes as fecal pollution indicators

The objective of this study was to compare fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) (fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli [EC], and enterococci [ENT]) concentrations with a wide array of typical organic wastewater chemicals and selected bacterial genes as indicators of fecal pollution in water samples collected at or near 18 surface water drinking water intakes. Genes tested included esp (indicating human-pathogenic ENT) and nine genes associated with various animal sources of shiga-toxin–producing EC (STEC). Fecal pollution was indicated by genes and/or chemicals for 14 of the 18 tested samples, with little relation to FIB standards. Of 13 samples with <50 EC 100 mL −1 , human pharmaceuticals or chemical indicators of wastewater treatment plant effluent occurred in six, veterinary antibiotics were detected in three, and stx 1 or stx 2 genes (indicating varying animal sources of STEC) were detected in eight. Only the EC eae A gene was positively correlated with FIB concentrations. Human-source fecal pollution was indicated by the esp gene and the human pharmaceutical carbamazepine in one of the nine samples that met all FIB recreational water quality standards. Escherichia coli rfb O157 and stx 2c genes, which are typically associated with cattle sources and are of potential human health significance, were detected in one sample in the absence of tested chemicals. Chemical and gene-based indicators of fecal contamination may be present even when FIB standards are met, and some may, unlike FIB, indicate potential sources. Application of multiple water quality indicators with variable environmental persistence and fate may yield greater confidence in fecal pollution assessment and may inform remediation decisions

Journal of Environmental Quality↗

Temporal trends of selected agricultural chemicals in Iowa's groundwater, 1982-1995: Are things getting better?

Since 1982, the Iowa Groundwater Monitoring (IGWM) Program has been used to sample untreated groundwater from Iowa municipal wells for selected agricultural chemicals. This long-term database was used to determine if concentrations of select agricultural chemicals in groundwater have changed with time. Nitrate, alachlor [2-chloro-2&prime;-6&prime;-diethyl- N -(methoxymethyl)-acetanilide], atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino- s -triazine), cyanazine [2-[[4-chloro-6-(ethylamino)-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl]amino]-2-methylpropionitrile)], and metolachlor [2-chloro- N -(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)- N -(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl) acetamide] were selected for this temporal analysis of the data. Conclusive temporal changes in frequency of detection and median chemical concentrations were found only for atrazine (decrease) and metolachlor (increase). The greatest temporal chemical changes occurred in the shallowest wells and in alluvial aquifers&mdash;both relating to groups of wells generally having the youngest groundwater age. The temporal patterns found for atrazine and metolachlor are consistent with their patterns of chemical use and/or application rates and are suggestive of a causal relation. Only continued data collection, however, will indicate if the trends in chemical concentrations described here represent long-term temporal patterns or only short-term changes in groundwater. No definitive answers could be made in regards to the question of overall improvements in groundwater quality with respect to agricultural chemical contamination and time, due to the inherent problems with the simplistic measurement of overall severity (summation of alachlor + atrazine + cyanazine + metolachlor concentrations) examined for this study. To adequately determine if there is an actual decreasing trend in the overall severity of contamination (improving groundwater quality), the collection of additional water-chemistry data and the investigation of other measures of severity are needed.

Iowa↗

Effects of highway construction on stream water quality and macroinvertebrate condition in a mid-Atlantic highlands watershed, USA

Refining best management practices (BMPs) for future highway construction depends on a comprehensive understanding of environmental impacts from current construction methods. Based on a before-after-control impact (BACI) experimental design, long-term stream monitoring (1997&ndash;2006) was conducted at upstream (as control, n = 3) and downstream (as impact, n = 6) sites in the Lost River watershed of the Mid-Atlantic Highlands region, West Virginia. Monitoring data were analyzed to assess impacts of during and after highway construction on 15 water quality parameters and macroinvertebrate condition using the West Virginia stream condition index (WVSCI). Principal components analysis (PCA) identified regional primary water quality variances, and paired t tests and time series analysis detected seven highway construction-impacted water quality parameters which were mainly associated with the second principal component. In particular, impacts on turbidity, total suspended solids, and total iron during construction, impacts on chloride and sulfate during and after construction, and impacts on acidity and nitrate after construction were observed at the downstream sites. The construction had statistically significant impacts on macroinvertebrate index scores (i.e., WVSCI) after construction, but did not change the overall good biological condition. Implementing BMPs that address those construction-impacted water quality parameters can be an effective mitigation strategy for future highway construction in this highlands region.

West Virginia↗

Impact of sampling techniques on measured stormwater quality data for small streams

Science-based sampling methodologies are needed to enhance water quality characterization for setting appropriate water quality standards, developing Total Maximum Daily Loads, and managing nonpoint source pollution. Storm event sampling, which is vital for adequate assessment of water quality in small (wadeable) streams, is typically conducted by manual grab or integrated sampling or with an automated sampler. Although it is typically assumed that samples from a single point adequately represent mean cross-sectional concentrations, especially for dissolved constituents, this assumption of well-mixed conditions has received limited evaluation. Similarly, the impact of temporal (within-storm) concentration variability is rarely considered. Therefore, this study evaluated differences in stormwater quality measured in small streams with several common sampling techniques, which in essence evaluated within-channel and within-storm concentration variability. Constituent concentrations from manual grab samples and from integrated samples were compared for 31 events, then concentrations were also compared for seven events with automated sample collection. Comparison of sampling techniques indicated varying degrees of concentration variability within channel cross sections for both dissolved and particulate constituents, which is contrary to common assumptions of substantial variability in particulate concentrations and of minimal variability in dissolved concentrations. Results also indicated the potential for substantial within-storm (temporal) concentration variability for both dissolved and particulate constituents. Thus, failing to account for potential cross-sectional and temporal concentration variability in stormwater monitoring projects can introduce additional uncertainty in measured water quality data. Copyright ?? 2010 by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. All rights reserved.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗

Salinity trends in surface waters of the Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado

Dissolved-solids data collected in the Upper Colorado River Basin upstream from Cameo, Colorado, and in the Gunnison River Basin were analyzed for trends in flow-adjusted dissolved-solids concentrations and loads for water years 1970 to 1993, 1980 to 1993, and 1986 to 1993. Trend results for flow-adjusted periodic dissolved-solids concentrations for the Colorado River Basin upstream from Cameo, CO, generally were downward or no trend was indicated. Trends in flow-adjusted monthly and annual dissolved-solids loads primarily were downward or absent. These trend results partly agree with the downward trends reported by a previous investigation for the Colorado River near Cameo site. In the Gunnison River Basin, trends in flow-adjusted dissolved-solids concentrations and loads were not detected for more than one-half of the site/analysis-period combinations. Of the trends that were present, most indicated decreases in concentrations and loads rather than increases. In both the Colorado River Basin upstream from Cameo, CO, and the Gunnison River Basin, trends in flow-adjusted dissolved-solids concentrations and flow-adjusted monthly and annual dissolved-solids loads may be affected by a variety of factors. These include channel evolution and hydrologic variation, water quality and flow rate of groundwater discharges and springs, sample size and period of record of dissolved-solids data, and changes in land use in the basin.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗