Nutrient Loads and Surface Water Health at Walden West, Tipton, Michigan
Abstract
Walden West is a 119-acre former recreational property that was recently acquired by Adrian College. It is a forested area that is host to a creek and spring-fed pond that ultimately flows into Evans Creek. The purpose of... [ view full abstract ]
Walden West is a 119-acre former recreational property that was recently acquired by Adrian College. It is a forested area that is host to a creek and spring-fed pond that ultimately flows into Evans Creek. The purpose of this study was to evaluate nutrient loads to determine the health of the surface water on the property. Water samples were collected for seven weeks during the Fall 2016 semester. Sample locations include: an upstream creek (WW-1), a natural spring (WW-2), the pond (WW-3), and the pond outflow (WW-4). While in the field an ExStik 2 was used to measure dissolved oxygen (DO) and a HANNA Instruments pHep meter was used to measure total dissolved solids (TDS) and temperature. Samples were collected in Nalgene bottles and brought back to the lab where they were tested for nitrate and phosphate concentrations. Phosphate was converted to total phosphorous (TP) and nitrate to total nitrogen (TN). TDS was consistent and not significantly high at all locations. TN at all locations ranged from low to high. Inflow creek TP levels were consistently high whereas pond and outflow were consistently in the low to moderate range. TP from the spring peaked in week 3 (9/10/2016) and may have resulted from extreme runoff as 1.59 inches of rain fell. The DO range is relatively consistent for each sample with the highest concentrations in the pond and lowest from the spring water. Low values in the spring water are likely the result of aerobic microbial activity consuming oxygen within the aquifer. The high phosphorous values in the creek are attributed to flushing of organic materials from the swampy region upstream of the pond. Low TP values within the pond and outflow are a result of dilution within the pond suggesting that most of the water entering the pond is from groundwater sources instead of the creek.
Authors
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Tanner Jones
(Adrian College)
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Sarah Hanson
(Adrian College)
Topic Area
Natural Science & Math
Session
Posters » Poster Session (11:45 - Wednesday, 5th April, Peelle Addition Lobby)