Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Biochar Applications To The Remediation Of Lead And Polychlorinated Biphenyl Contaminated Water, Victory Itua Igberase

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the performance of biochar materials as adsorbents to remove Pb and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) in aqueous solutions. Batch adsorption and column experiment packed with biochar and geomaterials (pumice) in 1:1 volume ratio was evaluated to address the efficacy of biochar in removing Pb while only batch adsorption was employed for PCB removal with biochar materials. Overall, PT biochars performed the best (42–53 mg g−1) followed by BE biochars (10–32 mg g−1) and AB biochars (17–27 mg g−1) while high temperature biochars were favored in terms of maximum Pb adsorption capacity. Column Pb breakthrough showed similar results, with …

Butte Treatment Lagoons Daily Pts Field Dump, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Butte Treatment Lagoon System, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Butte Treatment Lagoon System, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Npl Site Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Factors Controlling Circulation At The Terminus Of A Shallow Seagrass-Dominated Estuary, Fort Desoto Bay, West-Central Florida, Charles Gray Vickery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fort DeSoto Bay is a shallow seagrass-dominated estuary located landward of Mullet Key that is home to the most extensive seagrass beds in all of Tampa Bay. During a period of development in the 1950s and early 1960s, the bay underwent extensive physical modifications, including the construction of earthen causeways and dredged channels, which altered the bathymetry of the seafloor and changed natural circulation patterns. The stagnation of water in the southern bay and increased estuarine residence time led to elevated summer temperatures, reduced dissolved oxygen levels, and die-offs of seagrasses. Two 40-foot circulation bridges were installed on each causeway …

Heavy Metal Contamination In Drinking Water And Its Connection To Superfund Site Related Environmental Injustice, Emily Caruso

Honors Theses

Equal access to clean, potable drinking water is crucial for our society’s health and advancement. In 2014, the infamous water crisis in Flint, Michigan, shed light on the widespread water quality issues impacting numerous communities in America. In response to the Flint water crisis, Union College established the Union College Water Initiative, providing free drinking water analyses to the public. This initiative aims to raise awareness and educate people by analyzing heavy metals commonly found in drinking water—specifically lead, copper, and zinc.

As a part of this initiative, I collected over 300 cold drinking water samples from residences, schools, and …

Hydrochemical Assessment Of Groundwater Around Lapite Dumpsite For Irrigation Water Quality In Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria, Oluwatoyin Opeyemi Akintola, Gabriel Oladapo Adeyemi, Adewunmi Idayat Bodede, Oluwatoyin Oluwatoyin Adekoya, Kekinde O. Babatunde

Journal of Bioresource Management

Due to the increase in population and industrialization growth, most countries in the world depend on groundwater to meet agriculture demands for food production. The increase in water contamination due to indiscriminate solid wastes has necessitated the assessment of water quality and its suitability for agricultural usage. Twenty four groundwater and ten stream water samples were randomly collected from the downslope and upslope side of the dumpsite for all the major physio-chemical parameters. The pH of water samples indicates slightly acidic to alkaline in nature. High concentrations of nitrate, total dissolved solids and electrical conductivity suggest the impact of the …

Distribution And Frequency Of Aquatic Oomycetes Throughout Marin County In Relation To Physical Chemical Water Parameters, Franki Crites

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Biological Sciences Master's Theses

Oomycetes, also known as water molds, belong to the kingdom Stramenopila and are a well-known group of plant pathogens and saprophytes. Important species include Phytophthora ramorum (causal agent of sudden oak death), Pythium aphanidermatum (root rot), and Phytophthora infestans (late potato blight), all major threats to the environment, agriculture, and the economy. Although many oomycete species have been found in various water sources, little is known about the correlation between the distribution and frequency of oomycetes in aquatic environments and physical chemical water parameters. The objective of this study was to detect and identify aquatic oomycetes from Marin County using …

Development Of A Python Library To Facilitate Wqx Dataset Exchanges, Jonathan Musselwhite, Fernando Rojano

Presentations

The assistance of programming tools to speed up the exchange of water quality datasets are necessary. These tools reduce and simplify the steps currently needed to transfer datasets from water quality monitoring stations to public databases. Here it is presented a library developed in Python that programmatically covers the steps related to the upload of datasets following the framework of the Water Quality Exchange (WQX) of the US EPA. This library is mainly characterized by its ability to efficiently connect and transfer data formatted as CSV or XLSX files via the WQX to the National STORET Data Warehouse by mostly …

Evaluating Impacts Of Anthropogenic Disturbance To Wetland Water Quality Functions, Sindupa De Silva, Jim Anderson, Jason A. Hubbart, Michael P. Strager, Elliott Kellner, Christopher T. Rota, Elizabeth A. Byers

Presentations

Wetland ecosystems play fundamental roles in regulating our freshwater resources, yet they are not comprehensively protected from degradation and loss. West Virginia, USA has wetlands across diverse landscapes and geography that feed into both the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico. The state is also comprised of diverse anthropogenic land-use practices. We are assessing 200 wetlands over 2 years to evaluate how anthropogenic disturbance impact wetland water quality functions. Select water quality parameters (20), and relative diversity and abundance of vegetation and macroinvertebrates will be used as bioindicators. They will be compared with GIS assessments of watershed land cover/ land-use …

Epa Applications To Identify Headwater Watershed Changes And Best Management Practices In The San Bernardino National Forest, Sandra Ukaru

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The human-environmental landscape influences water quality across highly variable spatiotemporal scales. One such example is the human-environmental landscape in California, which has changed dramatically over the past several decades leading to a multitude of environmental issues including the reduction and impairment of water resources. This study compares surface water quality at four headwater streams in the San Bernardino National Forests using multiple assessment tools including in situ data, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPAs) Model My Watershed Tool and multiple databases within a GIS framework. These collective efforts enabled headwater watershed landscape changes and the extent of impacts to soil erosion …

Development Of A Cyberinfrastructure For Assessment Of The Lower Rio Grande Valley North And Central Watersheds Characteristics, Linda Isabel Navarro Navarro

Theses and Dissertations

Due to an increase in urbanization in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV), there have been substantial modifications to hydrology causing a decline in water quality to the Laguna Madre watershed. The major concern is the inflow of freshwater from the North and Central waterways released to the Lower Laguna Madre which is designated as an impaired watershed for high concentrations of bacteria and low dissolved oxygen. The objective of this study is to perform a watershed characterization to determine potential pollution sources of each watershed by developing a cyberinfrastructure and collect a wide inventory of data. The objective will …

Coastal Natural And Nature-Based Features (Nnbfs) Ranked: Co-Benefits For Coastal Buildings And Target Areas For The Creation Of New Or Restoration Of Nnbfs In Coastal Virginia, Pamela Mason, Jessica Hendricks, Julie Herman

Data

Community resilience to storm-driven coastal flooding is improved with the presence of natural and nature-based features (NNBFs) such as wetlands, wooded areas, living shorelines, and beaches. These natural and created features can provide multiple benefits for a local community, including mitigating the impacts of storm surge and sea-level rise and allowing communities to take advantage of programmatic incentive programs like FEMA’s Community Rating System and nutrient reduction crediting.

As part of a NOAA-funded project NA17NOS4730142, an exportable geospatial protocol and NNBF ranking methodology was developed with the goal of incentivizing the protection and creation of NNBFs across Chesapeake Bay localities …

Water Quality In Accomack County Freshwater Streams 2020, Richard A. Snyder, Paige G. Ross

Reports

Expansion of poultry house operations and use of litter as a soil amendment in Accomack County Virginia has raised concerns for water quality impacts on both seaside and bayside of the Eastern Shore of Virginia (ESVA). This ongoing investigation is examining freshwater stream water quality in Accomack Virginia to identify water quality impairments from poultry operation storm water runoff. Previous sampling data from 2019 has been integrated into this report. Sampling in 2020 followed an extended drought period (base flow) and two inch rainfall events (storm flow) in streams at road crossings in Accomack County Bayside and Seaside drainages. Dissolved …

Surface Water Nitrogen Attenuation From The Accomack County, Va Southern Landfill Groundwater Discharge - Final Report, Richard A. Snyder, Paige G. Ross

Reports

Previous sampling of the stream crossing Bobtown Road (Rt 178) near the intersection of Hollies Church Road (Rt. 620), had indicated high levels of nitrogen in the stream flow (Snyder and Ross, 2019a). The proximity of the retired Accomack County Landfill upstream of the site triggered a higher resolution sampling of the stream in an attempt to isolate a source of the nitrogen loading (Snyder and Ross, 2019b). Accomack County has requested repeated sampling of this stream segment to monitor nutrient attenuation trends from the site, and stations were established for that purpose. This Final Report provides a summary of …

Best Management Practices For Firefighting In The Karstic Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) Aquifer Of South-Central Texas, Geary M. Schindel, Rudolph A. Rosen

Water Resources Science and Technology Faculty Publications

Karst aquifers are vulnerable to contamination from hazardous pollutants that can harm drinking water supplies, species inhabiting aquifers and springs, and other karst water resources. This paper presents best management practices (BMPs) designed for use by first responders, and for use in developing training curricula and tools to assist first responders in protecting karst water resources. Training and tools based on the BMPs will help first responders prevent or reduce runoff of potentially hazardous materials that can rapidly enter an aquifer during firefighting and other responses to emergencies in locations where hazardous materials are stored, such as in retail centers, …

Mussel Musings On The Powell River, Aggy Vanderpool

Cumberland Mountain Naturalist

No abstract provided.

A Data Repository For Extent And Causes Of Chesapeake Bay Warming, Kyle E. Hinson, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, Pierre St-Laurent

Data

This data repository is a permanent archive of the results presented in the associated publication (Hinson et al. 2021, Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.12916

The Quantitative Assessment Of Pond Scum: An Examination Of The Biogeochemistry Of Phosphorus Cycling In The Belgrade Lakes, Abbey M. Sykes

Honors Theses

The internal recycling phosphorus in freshwater lake bottom sediments represents a significant source of hypolimnetic phosphorus (P) release for many of Maine’s lakes. In summer months, Maine lakes often thermally stratify and the lake hypolimnion develops anoxia, leading to a reduction in redox potential at the sediment-water interface. These reducing conditions facilitate the reductive dissolution of ferric iron, and, since phosphorus is often present in freshwater lake sediments as solid FeOOH-PO₄ complexes, results in release of soluble phosphorus into the water column. Our current study presents field and laboratory data from sediment fractionation extractions designed to quantify concentrations of …

Impacts Of Multiple Environmental Changes On Long‐Term Nitrogen Loading From The Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Shufen Pan, Zihao Bian, Hanqin Tian, Yuanzhi Yao, Raymond G. Najjar, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, Eileen E. Hofmann, Rongting Xu, Bowen Zhang

CCPO Publications

Excessive nutrient inputs from land, particularly nitrogen (N), have been found to increase the occurrence of hypoxia and harmful algal blooms in coastal ecosystems. To identify the main contributors of increased N loading and evaluate the efficacy of water pollution control policies, it is essential to quantify and attribute the long‐term changes in riverine N export. Here, we use a state‐of‐the‐art terrestrial–aquatic interface model to examine how multiple environmental factors may have affected N export from the Chesapeake Bay watershed since 1900. These factors include changes in climate, carbon dioxide, land use, and N inputs (i.e., atmospheric N deposition, animal …

Water Quality Monitoring In The Upper Poteau River Watershed, Abbie Lasater, Brian E. Haggard

Technical Reports

The Upper Poteau River Watershed (UPRW) has been listed as a priority watershed in Arkansas since 1998 due to nutrient and sediment enrichment from point and nonpoint sources (NPS). According to the Arkansas NPS pollution management plan, the goals for the UPRW are to reduce pollutant levels that will restore all designates uses and target subwatersheds where implementation of management practices can have the greatest impact. Over the last several years, many 319(h) projects have been implemented and point sources have been reduced in order to improve water quality in the UPRW. The purpose of this study was to monitor …

A Data Repository For Effects Of Reduced Shoreline Erosion On Chesapeake Bay Water Clarity, Jessica Turner, Pierre St-Laurent, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, Carl T. Friedrichs

Data

This data repository is a permanent archive of the results presented in the associated publication (Turner et al. 2020, Science of the Total Environment, doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145157).

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of shoreline erosion on water clarity in the Chesapeake Bay. To this end, we used the Chesapeake Bay ROMS Estuarine Carbon and Biogeochemistry (ChesROMS-ECB), a biogeochemical model embedded in the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). Using this model, we simulated a Chesapeake Bay estuary from 2001-2005 with varying magnitudes of sediment inputs from shoreline erosion and varying seabed erodibility conditions. Model results were compared …

Effects Of Tidal Flooding On Estuarine Biogeochemistry: Quantifying Flood-Driven Nitrogen Inputs In An Urban, Lower Chesapeake Bay Sub-Tributary, Alfonso Macías-Tapia, Margaret R. Mulholland, Corday R. Selden, J. Derek Loftis, Peter W. Bernhardt

OES Faculty Publications

Sea level rise has increased the frequency of tidal flooding even without accompanying precipitation in many coastal areas worldwide. As the tide rises, inundates the landscape, and then recedes, it can transport organic and inorganic matter between terrestrial systems and adjacent aquatic environments. However, the chemical and biological effects of tidal flooding on urban estuarine systems remain poorly constrained. Here, we provide the first extensive quantification of floodwater nutrient concentrations during a tidal flooding event and estimate the nitrogen (N) loading to the Lafayette River, an urban tidal sub-tributary of the lower Chesapeake Bay (USA). To enable the scale of …

Effects Of Multiple Stressors On Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Communities In A Mixed-Land-Use Watershed, Joellen Stivala

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

As urbanization continues, there is a need to identify and understand environmental stressors that impact stream condition in mixed-land-use watersheds. This study analyzed four years of aquatic macroinvertebrate community and environmental data collected from ten sites located at the mouths of first-order tributaries and along the main stem creek of a 23-km², mixed-land-use watershed in central Appalachia. The main objectives were to 1) determine stream ecological integrity by analyzing stream macroinvertebrate taxonomic and trait-based composition and 2) assess which of 23 environmental variables explained significant variability in common community composition metrics (WVSCI, GLIMPSS, Biotic Index, % clingers, etc.). …

Tree Canopy Effects On Roof-Harvested Rainwater In East Texas, Kimberly Gamez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nine experimental metal roofs with rainwater harvesting systems were constructed and water quality parameters were measured in 2016-2017 in order to evaluate the effects of arboreal overhang on roof-harvested rainwater quality collected in East Texas. Three treatments were evaluated: Rainwater collected from roofs without any overhanging tree vegetation, rainwater collected from roofs under predominantly Southern yellow pine tree cover, and rainwater collected from roofs under predominantly hardwood tree cover. Rainwater was collected from these roofs for one year. The effects of canopy cover on water quality parameters, comparison to drinking water standards, first-flush efficiency, and seasonal effects were evaluated.

Significant …

Water Quality In Terms Of Metals During Flooding In Two Ecosystems Of The Conchos Watershed, Mexico: Rangeland‐Forest And Urban Areas, H. Rubio, J. Jiménez, K. Wood, M. Gutierrez

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of Grazing Management On Cattle Distribution And Non‐Point Source Pollution From Pastures In The Central United States, M. Haan, J. Russell, D. Bear, D. Morrical

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

No abstract provided.

Grassland And Water Resources: Recent Trends And Future Challenges In Temperate Zones, Benoît Marc

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

No abstract provided.

Essays On Environmental And Health Economics., Prachi Singh Dr.

Doctoral Theses

This thesis consists of three empirical essays that investigate issues in environmental and health economics. The main focus of this thesis is to study how environmental degradation or interventions in this domain can affect demographic and health outcomes of the population in developing countries. The first chapter explores the effect of an information campaign about arsenic contamination in Bangladesh on marriage market outcomes. This study finds that providing information about negative effects of arsenic consumption had an unintended consequence in the marriage market. Specifically, information about lower fertility, skin lesions, cancers and higher mortality related to arsenic exposure induced individuals …