Emily UR - Conclusions

Well the time has come to use what I've learned these past two years and try to get paid for it! Graduating in a week will open so many doors through which I'll be able to work outside, doing what I love. That being said, it's time to review and conclude my semester long research regarding Nutrient Pollution in Stormwater Management Ponds (SMPs).

Stormwater Management Ponds are man-made ponds designed to prevent flooding and act as a reservoir for the rainwater as well as the surface runoff that fills them from the higher elevations surrounding. These ponds generally have a weak current, if any at all and absorb sunlight all day which allows perfect conditions for algae growth and eutrophication of the water body. Nutrients and other debris associated with surface runoff and atmospheric deposition become introduced into the pond and feed these algae. I became curious about these sources so I came up with the official scientific questions of:
1. Does the setting surrounding an SMP influence the input of nutrients by surface runoff?
&
2. Does atmospheric deposition play a role in nutrient input?

HPSMP

 So  the pond to the left, HPSMP, is the Halifax Plantation Stormwater Management Pond located in Ormond Beach.

Below, TPSMP, is the Tuscawilla Park Stormwater Management Pond located in Tuscawilla Park in Daytona Beach.

TPSMP

Difference of water quality seen at each site in HPSMP

I decided to study these two ponds because of their locations and the area surrounding them. HPSMP is surrounded by 4 houses to its North, a golf course to it's South and a small path for residents and golf carts to cross to the East. I decided to take three samples from each pond since each side is effected by different environments hoping I would find some sort of variance of nutrient concentrations at each site.
Materials I worked with include:

•  Field Journal
• 4 2-Gallon Pail w/Handle
• Hach 2100N Turbidimeter
• Hack DR/890 Colorimeter
• VWR Clinical 20 Centrifuge
• NOAA Surface Weather Maps
• 500mL Bottles for Water Samples
• AquaFluor Handheld Fluorometer
• Wide Mouth Quart-Size Mason Jars
• NOAA Hi-Def Radar App for iPhone
• Fisher Scientific MaximaDry Filter Pump

 My method used to answer my questions was rather simple; I wanted to see the difference of nutrient content before and after a storm to see how much content varied but I also wanted to see how much the rain itself contributed as well. So therefore my method was to:

1.      Three water samples from different sites in each pond were collected prior to a storm and brought to the lab to be tested for Total Inorganic Nitrogen using Method 10021 and Total Phosphates using Method 8048. Chlorophyll & Turbidity were analyzed using the AquaFluor and the Hach 2100N Turbidimeter, respectively.

 

2.      Tracking a storm using the NOAA Radar app, two buckets were placed around each pond to collect the rainwater associated with the later runoff. This water was jarred and stored in a cool, dark place for later analysis.

 
3.     Once the storm had passed, three new samples were collected from the same sites and stored in a cool, dark place for later analysis using the same methods listed earlier. 


My Results:

Measurements of Total Nitrogen

Measurements of Total Phosphates

Positive Correlation of Chlorophyll & Turbidity

 Very fun this experiment was. The storm that brought me the rainwater traveled across the Northwestern United States before it reached Florida as it is seen as the cold front (blue line with blue triangle) entering the state, proceeding on its way Southeast. I decided not to create a HYSPLIT model because it was an overcomplicated version of a regular surface radar map. Anyway, considering my results, I've determined that atmospheric deposition does play a role in nutrient input into the pond and that the setting surrounding a pond does play a role in nutrient runoff as well. Next time though, I'd like to collect a sample of surface runoff as it's entering the pond, for comparison.

Hope y'all enjoyed the ride!