Effects of inorganic nutrients and dissolved organic carbon on oxygen demand in select rivers in northern Utah

Presenter Information

Kristen Yeager

Location

Eccles Conference Center

Event Website

http://water.usu.edu/

Start Date

3-29-2011 10:30 AM

End Date

3-29-2011 10:35 AM

Description

The amount of sewage effluent, agricultural runoff, and atmospheric deposition has greatly increased the amount of nutrients (largely nitrogen and phosphorus) in surface water nationwide. Excess nutrients have been associated with algal blooms and dissolved oxygen depletion in many water bodies, but linkages between nutrients and dissolved oxygen have been largely correlative. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is a regulated water quality parameter that is aimed at describing the amount of oxygen consumed during the decomposition of organic matter. Despite the awareness that excess nutrients are linked to dissolved oxygen in rivers, few studies in the nutrient criteria literature discuss BOD measurements, as well as what leads to BOD.

Accordingly, we are using factorial experiments to test the effect of inorganic nutrients (as N, P and N+P) and dissolved organic matter on BOD measurements in Utah streams. The study design includes measurements in streams above and below nutrient point-sources (waste water treatment plants) and several reference sites. If nutrients are tied directly to dissolved oxygen depletion, we expect that reference sites and sites above nutrient point-sources should exhibit higher BOD in treatments with added nutrients compared to controls, and that this effect will not be observed below nutrient point-sources. Measurements will be made from winter through summer baseflow in 2011. Preliminary results show that BOD in winter responds to increases in carbon and ammonium. These results also show that sediments in the in the river bottom also contribute to BOD levels.

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Mar 29th, 10:30 AM Mar 29th, 10:35 AM

Effects of inorganic nutrients and dissolved organic carbon on oxygen demand in select rivers in northern Utah

Eccles Conference Center

The amount of sewage effluent, agricultural runoff, and atmospheric deposition has greatly increased the amount of nutrients (largely nitrogen and phosphorus) in surface water nationwide. Excess nutrients have been associated with algal blooms and dissolved oxygen depletion in many water bodies, but linkages between nutrients and dissolved oxygen have been largely correlative. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is a regulated water quality parameter that is aimed at describing the amount of oxygen consumed during the decomposition of organic matter. Despite the awareness that excess nutrients are linked to dissolved oxygen in rivers, few studies in the nutrient criteria literature discuss BOD measurements, as well as what leads to BOD.

Accordingly, we are using factorial experiments to test the effect of inorganic nutrients (as N, P and N+P) and dissolved organic matter on BOD measurements in Utah streams. The study design includes measurements in streams above and below nutrient point-sources (waste water treatment plants) and several reference sites. If nutrients are tied directly to dissolved oxygen depletion, we expect that reference sites and sites above nutrient point-sources should exhibit higher BOD in treatments with added nutrients compared to controls, and that this effect will not be observed below nutrient point-sources. Measurements will be made from winter through summer baseflow in 2011. Preliminary results show that BOD in winter responds to increases in carbon and ammonium. These results also show that sediments in the in the river bottom also contribute to BOD levels.

https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/runoff/2011/Posters/10