Date of Award:

5-2016

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Committee Chair(s)

R. Ryan Dupont

Committee

R. Ryan Dupont

Committee

Bethany T. Neilson

Committee

Joan E. McLean

Abstract

Nitrogen, a nutrient required for biological growth, is a common water quality parameter of concern as too much nitrogen can cause a strain on aquatic environments and even death of plants and animals. One way high levels of nitrogen are introduced into aquatic systems is by anthropogenic sources such as effluent from water reclamation facilities. A method was designed to observe the fate of nitrogen and measure the rates of its transformation into different nitrogen species within a stream receiving the effluent from the Silver Creek Water Reclamation Facility in Park City, Utah.

Sealed chambers were designed and installed along the streambed to create smaller, individual ecosystems across the width of the stream. Water, sediment, and plant samples were taken from the chambers to measure the concentration of nitrate, ammonium, and organic nitrogen within each compartment over time. The rate of production and/or loss of each nitrogen species was then calculated.

This study showed that the installation of chambers within a stream has the potential to produce the data needed to determine the transport and transformation of nitrogen within an aquatic system. Such studies could lead to a better understanding of how to control anthropogenic nitrogen sources and improve water quality in high mountain Utah streams.

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