land use impact on water quality
TRANSCRIPT
Land Use Impact on Water Quality
ENV 4800
Group 4: Aimee Aquino, Brian Dedeian, Matt Heye, Brian Johnson, Joe Miller
Abstract:
This 4-lake water quality study was conducted to test how land use factors altered
the water quality of lakes. Each lake had different levels of human involvement from
recreation to natural buffer zones. A multi-parameter and temporal study was done to give
clear indication on how land use affects water quality. In the results, there seems to be a
correlation between different amounts of human use and the declination of water quality.
The study displayed higher levels of phosphates, nitrates, and trace metals (except for
chromium) in sample sites categorized as urban residential areas compared to buffer
zones. The lakes with the highest levels of potential pollutants also saw the most human
altered land use factors. These levels indicate that anthropogenic changes between lakes
have a negative impact on the water quality in these lakes.
Key Words: Trace Metals, Eutrophication, Land Use Factors, Nitrates, Phosphates
1. Introduction:
Land use factors can play a major role in the overall health of a body of water. These
factors include residential/urban zoning, vegetative buffer zones, and recreational areas
for human use. The area of this study includes 4 separate lakes with different land use
factors. The categories that were tested were open water locations, vegetative buffer
locations, and urban/residential locations. From these sample locations, multiple
parameters were tested to give a general distinction on the effects of human land use
delegations on water quality. The four lakes tested are located in Northern New Jersey in
Passaic County. The sample sites are within 5 miles of each other, which gives them the
same climate. Surprise Lake is a glacial lake on top of a mountain between Greenwood Lake
and Upper Greenwood Lake. It is in a remote location, which gets very little human use
besides day hikers/campers. Greenwood Lake and Upper Greenwood Lake have similar
rules and regulations for recreation such as boating speed limits and boat size limitations.
These two lakes have the most residential land percentage out of the sample sites. The
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation classifies Greenwood Lake as a
303d site meaning it fails to meet Clean Water Act standards in some way; in this case
Greenwood Lake fails to meet the standards set for phosphorus levels. (New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation, 2005). Wawayanda Lake is Northwest of
Upper Greenwood Lake and is part of the National Park Service. It has strict rules and
regulations, including no swimming zones and electric motor/human power only
limitations for boaters.
Improper land use and anthropogenic pollution can have many effects on a lake
ecosystem. The presence of pharmaceuticals in a lake can be caused by an influx of
wastewater from the surrounding houses. Estrogenic steroids can alter the reproductive
ability of fish, and can throw off the hormonal balance of fish. Multi-sex organisms can be a
consequence of this type of pollution (Burkinaa, 2015). It was also found that land use can
directly impact the concentration of metals such as iron, magnesium, and copper in a lake.
Lakes associated with mining, urban, and agricultural areas generally have more dissolved
metals than forested and arctic lakes. Lakes with a lot of dissolved organic matter are likely
to have less dissolved metals due to the metal-organic matter complex that could form;
lower pH will affect this complex (Das, 2009). Additionally, studies have shown that lakes
respond more to external forcings than internal forcings, especially in shallower, deeper
lakes (Diebel et. al.,2008). It has been shown that lakes are a function of land use in a
watershed, and proximity of a stream to a non-point pollutant source has an effect on
stream nutrient loads (Sen et al., 2014). Studies also show that specific metals are affected
by land use, and other from natural resources. A study in Beijing showed that metals like
cadmium, lead, copper and zinc were different throughout the city. Metals that are from
natural sources are chromium and nickel. Roadside metal concentration was the greatest,
and the concentration was correlated with urbanization (Xia, 2011). Metals that end up in
water will also end up in the soil in any given watershed. Metal in soils can affect plants,
and a soil's cation exchange capacity (CEC) can measure how much metal is able to be
taken in by plants (Gerrard, ). Plants can be put in to oxidative stress if the concentration of
metal ions is too high. They depend on chelation to reduce the amount of metal ions
circulating (Yadav, 2010). Heavy metals will also persist in soils, and they are non-mobile,
possibly leading to their accumulation. Figure one shows the multiple effects that metals
can have on human health.
Phosphates in water are an important factor in determining water quality.
Phosphorus can enter the water form urban and agricultural settings as run off from
fertilized fields/areas. It attaches to soil particles and moves into surface waters as via
runoff. Phosphorus can also migrate with groundwater flows, as shown by the study done
on Cape Cod, Massachusetts (USGS 2015). In Atlanta, phosphorus entering the water from
point sources is mainly due to wastewater treatment plants. The sign of this problem is an
increase in algal blooms in the water. State laws implemented to reduce phosphorus from
the wastewater of these treatment plants have shown to be a large agent in the drastic
reduction. The laws prohibited the use of phosphorus detergents. The reduction has been
substantial from the Chattahoochee River, south of Atlanta.
(USGS 2015)
Phosphorus is important for plant life, however, if there is too much, it could speed
up eutrophication of rivers and lakes. Eutrophication is a problem on Greenwood Lake in
West Milford, NJ. Weed control methods have been under great debate as the Greenwood
Lake Commission weighs the possible treatment options for this growing problem.
Regardless of this debate on the best option for removing weeds, all agree that the water
quality health depends on pollution prevention. Officials are educating the public on septic
system maintenance and the use of phosphorus free fertilizers and cleaning supplies.
Accumulation of metals can be tested using the flame emission spectrophotometer.
Testing of chromium, iron and magnesium will be performed. Metal content can also be
analyzed by looking at dissolved cations and anions, which will be measured in the Dionex.
Concentration of those ions will show how land use affects heavy metal concentration. It is
hypothesized that metal concentration will be greatest in Greenwood Lake, where there is
the most urban activity. Surprise Lake is the most pristine lake, and is expected to have the
lowest concentration of heavy metals. The data collected from all four sites will show the
overall effects, if any, of human land use factors on the water quality of lakes.
(Singh, 2011)
2. Methods:
2.1 Field Sampling:
Field Sampling was conducted during the course of about a month. At each sample
site, the water was tested using the YSI-55 for dissolved oxygen, the YSI-556 for pH,
temperature, and specific conductivity, and the LaMotte 2020 for turbidity. A water sample
was placed into a bottle and brought back to the lab for further testing. A sterile bottle was
also used to obtain a bacterial analysis of chosen locations from each sample site.
2.2 NJDEP
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has taken measurements
from multiple sample locations on each of the lakes in the study. These measurements
include temperature, pH, conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, nitrate content, and
phosphorus content. For the purpose of this study, only Upper Greenwood Lake,
Greenwood Lake, and Wawayanda NJDEP data was used due to multiple sampling sites to
represent temporal trends of the mentioned parameters.
2.3 Hach:
Phosphorus (P) was measured in all sample sites for each water body. The Standard
Ascorbic Acid method was used to detect intensity of colored molybdenum-blue complexes.
A Hach DR 4000 spectrophotometer was used to measure intensity at 880nm in 1cm path
cuvettes. A Phosphorus standard was created using known concentrations of P producing
an r2 value of 0.9998. All samples where tested five minutes after being exposed to
reagent.
2.4 Flame Emission:
5 multi-elemental standards were made using Iron, Magnesium and Chromium. The
standard concentrations were set to 1ppm, 3ppm, 5ppm, 15ppm, and 30ppm. On
11/17/15, the sequence was set up using the Wizard AA software. All samples were
filtered using vacuum filtration and placed into 15mL sampling tubes. The sampling rack
was filled with samples in a specific order and placed into the fridge. On 11/18/15, the
samples were tested on the Shimadzu Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer to analyze for
trace metals.
2.5 Dionex:
The Dionex was used to test for dissolved anions in all water samples. The Dionex
tests water for anions by running the water through a tube, and testing the retention time
and amount of ions. The retention time must be matched to specific ions manually, and
standards must be created to find out which retention times correspond to which anions.
On 11/16/2015, each sample of water was loaded into the sampling rack. It was stored in
the Environmental Science Lab fridge. On 11/18/2015, the standards were placed in the
sampling rack and the racks were set up in the Dionex. Then, the Dionex ran the samples
one after another. It took fifteen minutes to test each sample, and another five minutes to
switch between samples. This time interval was a good medium between accuracy of
measurements and realistic runtime. The longer Dionex runs each sample, the more
accurate the results.
2.6 Biologic:
To complete biological testing of the sites, water samples were obtained at each of
the lakes in a sterile container and directly transported in a cooler to the lab. Easy gel ECA
Check and Easy gel Coliscan solutions were used for biological testing. 10 mL of each
sample was mixed with each of the solutions and poured into a labeled petri dish. The petri
dishes were put into an oven at 37 degrees Celsius. All of the samples were removed after 1
day in the oven except for the Surprise Lake samples due to no growth. These samples
were left in the oven for an additional day. Upon removal of each sample, a digital picture
was taken for a later count of bacterial species.
2.7 GIS
Data and map sets were collected from the NJDEP database system. A base map was
created for both lakes and a 100-meter buffer was created surrounding the two lakes. Then
land use data was intersected with the base maps to show acres of land use within the 100-
meter buffer zone. Land use types were then condensed into three categories: open water,
residential and vegetative. Total acreage was then used to create a percent land use for
both lakes and their respective buffer type.
3. Results:
3.1 Field Measurements:
Each measurement from the 4 lakes in this study were broken down and
categorized into one of three land use factors. These categories were urban residential,
buffer zones, and open water locations respectively. Each lake had different sample
locations that fit in the above categories; some lakes did not contain all three categories.
Surprise Lake had 3 sample sites that were all classified as buffer zones. Wawayanda Lake
had 3 sample sites; 2 categorized as buffer zones and 1 urban residential. Upper
Greenwood Lake had a total of 6 sampling sites; 4 urban residential, 1 open water, and 1
buffer zone.
Figures 1-4 show dissolved oxygen levels from each of the 4 lakes in this study.
Surprise Lake had only buffer zone categories and a measured average value was 90.3%
saturation. Wawayanda Lake had urban residential and buffer zone categories. The
average dissolved oxygen measurements for the urban residential areas were 89.5%
saturation while the buffer zone measurements were 81.2% saturation. Upper Greenwood
Lake had all 3 land use categories. The urban residential areas had an average dissolved
oxygen level of 94.5% saturation. The buffer zones from Upper Greenwood Lake had an
average value of 90.8% saturation. The open water location had a value of 93.4%
saturation.
Figures 5-8 display the observed measurements of specific conductivity for each
lake. The measurements for Surprise Lake had a specific conductivity of 0.017us/cm.
Wawayanda Lake had an average value of 0.288us/cm for urban residential sites and
0.2895us/cm for buffer zone sites. The urban residential areas of Upper Greenwood Lake
gave a mean value of 0.342us/cm. The buffer zones on this lake had an average value
of .313us/cm and the open water category had a conductivity of .318us/cm. On Greenwood
Lake, the urban residential sites had a measurement of 0.274us/cm. The buffer zones
measured 0.269us/cm and the open water sites measured 0.2685us/cm.
Figures 9-12 display observed pH from each lake in the study. The buffer zones on
Surprise Lake had an observed pH of 5.46. The urban residential locations on Wawayanda
Lake measured a pH value of 6.56 and the buffer zones measured 5.75. The urban
residential sites from Upper Greenwood Lake measured an average pH of 6.74, the buffer
zones at 6.5 pH, and the open water at 6.62. The urban residential sites on Greenwood
Lake measured pH to be 6.66, the buffer zones to be 6.75, and the open water sites to be
6.87 pH.
Figures 13-16 display turbidity measurements from each lake in the study. The
turbidity measurements from Surprise lake buffer zones recorded values of 1.037 NTU.
The urban residential locations from Wawayanda Lake had a turbidity of 0.77 NTU. The
buffer zones had a measurement of .235 NTU. The urban residential areas from Upper
Greenwood Lake had a turbidity of 1.34 NTU, the buffer zones had a value of 1.43 NTU, and
open water sites had a value of 1.12 NTU. The urban residential areas from Greenwood
Lake had a value of 2.69 NTU, the buffer zones had a turbidity of 1.62 NTU, and the open
water sites had a value of 3.05 NTU.
Figure 1: Dissolved Oxygen from Surprise Lake categorized into land use factor zones.
Figure 2: Dissolved Oxygen from Wawayanda Lake categorized into land use factor zones.
Figure 3: Dissolved Oxygen from Upper Greenwood Lake categorized into land use factor
zones.
Figure 4: Dissolved Oxygen from Greenwood Lake categorized into land use factor zones.
Figure 5: Specific Conductivity from Surprise Lake categorized into land use factor zones.
Figure 6: Specific Conductivity from Wawayanda Lake categorized into land use factor
zones.
Figure 7: Specific Conductivity from Upper Greenwood Lake categorized into land use
factor zones.
Figure 8: Specific Conductivity from Greenwood Lake categorized into land use factor
zones.
Figure 9: pH from Surprise Lake categorized into land use factor zones.
Figure 10: pH from Wawayanda Lake categorized into land use factor zones.
Figure 11: pH from Upper Greenwood Lake categorized into land use factor zones.
Figure 12: pH from Greenwood Lake categorized into land use factor zones.
Figure 13: Turbidity from Surprise Lake categorized into land use factor zones.
Figure 14: Turbidity from Wawayanda Lake categorized into land use factor zones.
Figure 15: Turbidity from Upper Greenwood Lake categorized into land use factor zones.
Figure 16: Turbidity from Greenwood Lake categorized into land use factor zones.
3.2 NJDEP Data:
Data from each lake in different seasons was received from a representative from
the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The use of this NJDEP data
represents temporal analysis for the lakes in this study. For the study, only data from
Upper Greenwood Lake, Greenwood Lake, and Wawayanda were represented. Figures 17-
19 represent dissolved oxygen data from the NJDEP sampling locations over different
seasons. Figures 20-22 display the conductivity data from the NJDEP sample sites. Figures
23-25 displays observed pH values for each NJDEP sample location in different seasons.
Figures 26-28 represents turbidity data from each NJDEP sample location. Figures 29-31
displays Inorganic Nitrogen content from the NJDEP sites. Figures 32-34 shows
Phosphorus content from each NJDEP site.
Figure 17: Dissolved Oxygen from Upper Greenwood Lake NJDEP locations in different
seasons.
Figure 18: Dissolved Oxygen from Greenwood Lake NJDEP locations in different seasons.
Figure 19: Dissolved Oxygen from Wawayanda Lake NJDEP locations in different seasons.
Figure 20: Conductivity from Upper Greenwood Lake NJDEP locations in different seasons.
Figure 21: Conductivity from Greenwood Lake NJDEP locations in different seasons.
Figure 22: Conductivity from Wawayanda Lake NJDEP locations in different seasons.
Figure 23: pH from Upper Greenwood Lake NJDEP locations in different seasons.
Figure 24: pH from Greenwood Lake NJDEP locations in different seasons.
Figure 25: pH from Wawayanda Lake NJDEP locations in different seasons.
Figure 26: Turbidity from Upper Greenwood Lake NJDEP locations in different seasons.
Figure 27: Turbidity from Greenwood Lake NJDEP locations in different seasons.
Figure 28: Turbidity from Wawayanda Lake NJDEP locations in different seasons.
Figure 29: Phosphate concentration from UGL NJDEP locations in different seasons.
Figure 30: Phosphate concentration from Greenwood Lake NJDEP locations in different
seasons.
Figure 31: Phosphate concentration from Wawayanda Lake NJDEP locations in different
seasons.
3.3 Hach:
Phosphorus concentration for all sample sites was analyzed for each buffer type.
Measurements were averaged for buffer type for all lakes and shown in ppm. Surprise
Lake, comprised of only vegetative buffer type had 0.001 ppm, Wawayanda Lake was
below detection limit for vegetative and open water, while residential buffers had
0.025ppm. Lastly, Upper Greenwood Lake showed 0.003ppm for vegetative buffers,
0.006ppm for open water, and 0.004ppm for residential buffers. Upper Greenwood Lake
showed the highest values in all categories. Greenwood Lake was below detection limit for
all sample sites. An average of all lake buffer types show vegetative buffers had an average
of 0.002ppm, residential had 0.0145ppm and open water had 0.006ppm.
Figure 32: Phosphorus concentration from all sample sites. (sites with values below
detection levels are not shown)
3.4 Flame Emission:
The magnesium concentration in urban residential locations had a higher
measurement than the other land use factor zones. The open water locations gave slightly
lower values and buffer zones gave the least concentrations. The measurements from
Surprise Lake are minimal compared to the other lakes. Wawayanda Lake had the highest
concentration of magnesium in all the samples with values of 5ppm. Greenwood Lake had
magnesium concentrations of 4.48ppm in urban residential areas, 4.44ppm in open water
locations, and 4.41ppm in buffer zones. Upper Greenwood Lake had magnesium
concentrations of 4.86ppm in urban residential areas, 4.78 in open water locations, and
4.82 in buffer zones.
The chromium levels in open water locations were highest with a concentration of
1.54ppm. The urban residential areas had the lowest concentrations at 1.49ppm. Surprise
Lake had the highest levels of chromium in the samples with a concentration of 1.64ppm.
Wawayanda Lake had a chromium concentration of 1.55ppm in urban residential areas and
1.54 in buffer zones. Greenwood Lake had a chromium concentration of 1.53ppm in urban
residential areas, 1.535ppm in open water locations, and 1.555ppm in buffer zones. Upper
Greenwood Lake had a chromium concentration of 1.38ppm in urban residential areas,
1.55ppm in open water locations, and 1.44ppm in buffer zones.
The iron concentrations in urban residential areas on the lakes had a measurement
at 1.29ppm, open water locations had 1.28ppm, and buffer zones had 1.23ppm. Surprise
Lake had iron levels of 1.10ppm. The iron levels for urban residential areas and buffer
zones both had a concentration of 1.25ppm. Greenwood Lake had iron levels of 1.28ppm in
urban residential areas, 1.24ppm in open water locations, and 1.23ppm in buffer zones.
Upper Greenwood Lake had iron concentrations of 1.30ppm in urban residential areas,
1.32ppm in open water locations, and 1.33ppm in buffer zones.
Figure 33: Magnesium concentrations from Surprise Lake categorized into land use
factors.
Figure 34: Magnesium concentrations from Wawayanda Lake categorized into land use
factors.
Figure 35: Magnesium concentrations from Upper Greenwood Lake categorized into land
use factors.
Figure 36: Magnesium concentrations from Greenwood Lake categorized into land use
factors.
Figure 37: Chromium concentrations from Surprise Lake categorized into land use factors.
Figure 38: Chromium concentrations from Wawayanda Lake categorized into land use
factors.
Figure 39: Chromium concentrations from Upper Greenwood Lake categorized into land
use factors.
Figure 40: Chromium concentrations from Greenwood Lake categorized into land use
factors.
Figure 41: Iron concentrations from Surprise Lake categorized into land use factors.
Figure 42: Iron concentrations from Wawayanda Lake categorized into land use factors.
Figure 43: Iron concentrations from Upper Greenwood Lake categorized into land use
factors.
Figure 44: Iron concentrations from Greenwood Lake categorized into land use factors.
3.5 Dionex:
Figures 45-50 shows a comparison of all sample sites and their receptive levels of
phosphates, nitrates, chlorides, fluorides, and sulfates. It can be seen that UGL DEP site 1
had the largest values of chlorine and sulfate. It also had the largest values of nitrates and
phosphates. Because the ion concentration values for this site were much larger than all the
other concentration values, the site was taken out of the averages and all site comparisons
for nitrate and phosphate concentrations. This large difference in concentration values
skews the averages seen in figures 48-50, so it was determined that it would be best if the
data was removed from the averages.
Figure 45 shows that fluorine ion concentrations were greatest the Upper
Greenwood Lake boat ramp and the Surprise Lake MSL. Figure 4 shows that concentration
of chlorine was the greatest at site UGL DEP1 by roughly 75 parts per million. Figure 46
shows that nitrates are greatest at sites UGL DEP2 and GL DEP2. The values were lowest at
the Wawayanda buffer site. Phosphate levels were so low in most of the sites that the
Dionex did not detect any values. Figure 47 shows that only six concentrations were
obtained, the greatest of which was from the UGL DEP2 and SL NE sites. Figure 48 shows
the sulfate ion concentrations. The sulfate concentrations for sites UGL DEP1, GL DEP4 and
GL SSM were much greater than all other sites.
Figures 49-50 show the phosphate and nitrate concentrations averaged across the
different site classifications for all sites. Figures 49-50 showed that the concentrations of
nitrogen and phosphate ions were greater in the open water sites than in the urban and
buffer based sites.
Figure 45: Fluorine ion concentration from all sample locations.
Figure 46: Nitrate ion concentration from all sample locations.
Figure 47: Phosphate ion concentration from all sample locations.
Figure 48: Sulfate ion concentration from all sample locations.
Figure 49: Phosphorus Content Averaged and Compared Based On Location Types
Figure 50: Nitrogen Content Averaged and Compared Based On Location Type
3.6 Biologic:
The results from the biological testing (Figure 51) showed that both locations of
sampling at Upper Greenwood Lake had extensive colony growth of all tested species. The
samples taken at Upper Greenwood Lake contained the most cultures, the sample taken at
Wawayanda Lake contained the second highest amount of colony growth, the samples from
Greenwood Lake had the third highest amount of colony growth, and the sample taken at
Surprise Lake contained the least amount of colony growth. The sample from Surprise Lake
produced only one general coliform.
Location Coliscan ECA Check
Upper Greenwood Lake
MC
45 Non-Fecal Coliform
3 E. Coli
17 Teal CFU
23 General Coliform
548 E. Coli
15 Aeromonas
Upper Greenwood Lake BL 17 Non-fecal Coliform
1 E. Coli
4 General Coliform
3 E. Coli
0 Teal CFU 40 Aeromonas
Greenwood Lake SSM 8 Non-fecal Coliform
0 E. Coli
0 Teal CFU
4 General Coliform
4 E. Coli
15 Aeromonas
Greenwood Lake BP 18 Non-fecal Coliform
1 E. Coli
0 Teal CFU
4 General Coliform
2 E. Coli
6 Aeromonas
Surprise Lake 0 cultures 1 General Coliform
Wawayanda Lake 45 Non-fecal Coliform
1 E. Coli
2 Teal CFU
5 General Coliform
1 E. Coli
38 Aeromonas
Figure 51: Biological testing colony counts for Upper Greenwood Lake, Greenwood Lake,
Surprise Lake, and Wawayanda Lake.
3.7 GIS
A visual analysis of buffer type was done on Upper Greenwood Lake and Greenwood
Lake. Two mapping programs were used; ArcGIS and GEOweb using public NJDEP data.
Results show that Greenwood lake is comprised of 3.44% open water 18.69% residential
buffer and 77.87% vegetative buffer. Upper Greenwood lake is comprised of 21.50%
vegetative buffer, 5.32% open water, and 73.18% residential buffer.
Figure 52: Geoweb analysis of Upper Greenwood Lake
Figure 53: GIS analysis of Greenwood Lake
4. Discussion:
4.1 Field Measurements
The urban residential locations averaged from all 4 lakes collectively had a higher
dissolved oxygen measurement at approximately 87.9% saturation. The buffer zones had a
lower value at approximately 83.4% saturation. The open water locations had a dissolved
oxygen reading of about 85.5% saturation. The differences in dissolved oxygen could be
attributable to the lack of moving water at the buffer zone locations. The urban locations
were in the main channel of the lake that was prone to wind currents moving the water and
increasing the dissolved oxygen values. The open water locations tested didn’t have as
much current influence yet had dissolved oxygen values slightly below those from urban
residential sites. This concludes that wind and current patterns play a major role in the
dissolved oxygen measurements observed on each lake.
The specific conductivity of the lakes was highest in urban residential sites with
open water locations just below them. The buffer zones were lower than both by about
0.8ug/L. The urban residential sites were near many areas that had outside influence on
water quality. These included the sites where heavy septic use was present. The urban
residential locations from Upper Greenwood Lake and Greenwood Lake contributed to the
high values for the 4-lake average. The locations on Wawayanda Lake and Surprise Lake
contributed mostly to the buffer zone category. The specific conductivity from the open
water locations were close to the urban residential which would account for the similarly
high observed readings. It seems that all the categories affect each other in some way, but
each site has its own characteristics.
The pH of the buffer zones in the 4-lake average was significantly lower than urban
residential and open water sites at a value of 6.1. The urban residential and open water
sites were closest to a neutral pH with values of 6.61-6.78. The observed measurements
could be attributable to the chemical components in the water, which would alter the pH
values significantly and explain the results. Depending on the chemicals that are
introduced into the water by runoff, it could shift the pH to more neutral values if basic
pollutants are added to the water. In the case of Surprise Lake, the water was stagnant and
the weathering of the granite bedrock would give a lower, acidic pH value, which altered
the overall average results for buffer zone locations.
4.2 NJDEP
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection conducted onsite
monitoring of the 4 lakes in this study over different seasons. The dissolved oxygen levels
from the field measurements represented the fall season for Upper Greenwood Lake. These
measurements were higher at each location than both spring and summer. The greatest
variance between seasons was at Location 3. The most similar location was at Location 4.
Wawayanda Lake had only two sampling sites. The spring and fall data was almost
identical with an increasing trend of dissolved oxygen. The summer data showed a
decreasing trend in dissolved oxygen. On Greenwood Lake, the spring data showed the
greatest level of variance between sample locations while the summer, fall, and field
measurements remained fairly identical with an increasing trend.
The conductivity measurements from Upper Greenwood Lake locations showed an
increasing trend between locations. Spring and fall data was fairly similar with higher
values than the summer data. The Wawayanda Lake conductivity data increased from
location in each season. Summer conductivity was higher than all other seasons with
spring being the lowest. The conductivity measurements from Greenwood Lake remained
fairly steady at each location yet fluctuated at different seasons. The highest values were
seen in the field data. The seasonal data showed higher values in the spring and lowest in
the fall.
Upper Greenwood Lake pH values remained fairly stable between locations, but the
seasonal differences were variable. The spring data had the highest pH values at all
locations while the fall data had more acidic pH levels. The summer data from Upper
Greenwood Lake seemed to have the most neutral levels of pH. The pH of the sample sites
on Wawayanda Lake showed an increasing trend of pH in the spring and summer data, but
a very stable pH in the fall. The spring data showed a higher pH compared to both summer
and fall. Greenwood Lake had the most variable pH levels of all the lakes in the study. The
spring season showed the greatest seasonal variability compared to the rest. The summer,
fall, and field measurements of pH gave all fairly neutral readings to slightly basic levels.
The spring season data had highly basic pH values.
Phosphorus content on Upper Greenwood Lake had the highest values in the
summer and the lowest in the fall. This could be due to the amount of human traffic on the
lake during the summer months. In this season, most boaters are out and there is a higher
potential for phosphorus leaching into the water from fuel leaks and agricultural means.
The fall had the least levels of phosphorus. On Wawayanda Lake, the fall had the highest
levels of phosphorus and the summer had the least. The spring levels remained the same
for both sample sites while in the summer and fall, there was an increase in phosphorus
content between the two sites. Wawayanda is a controlled lake where only electric motor
boats are allowed. The area has farms and agricultural fertilizers and they harvest most of
the fields in the late summer, early fall (apples and assorted berries), which would support
the higher phosphorus data observed on this lake in that season. On Greenwood Lake, the
highest phosphorus data was observed in the summer season. The spring data started out
higher than the other seasons but then dropped and increased once again, showing higher
variability between locations. The summer months having higher phosphorus content
could show a similar cause as seen in Upper Greenwood Lake; the more boat traffic on the
lake, the higher levels of phosphorus in the water. Also, during the summer months, many
people run hoses to water the lawn and various other activities that put strain on septic
systems. These septic systems could have leaks or overflows that would explain higher
phosphorous content in the water samples obtained in the urban residential sample sites.
4.3 Hach
Phosphorus (P) analysis for all sample sites show on average residential buffers test
at higher concentrations than the control sites. Greenwood Lake (one of the two high
residential use areas) was below detection limit, which is most likely caused by the lakes
higher volume of water compared to all other lakes. A second possible reason could be the
mitigation efforts associated with Greenwood Lake have lowered P levels enough to offset
the high residential use. This reason is less likely due to the Nitrate analysis showing still
high levels, which have a high correlation with each other due to their use as nutrients in
fertilizers. The highest levels were seen in Wawayanda residential buffer. This can be from
a combination of multiple sources including the nearby parking lot, heavy beach use in the
summer, and the composition of the lake bottom. The impermeable surface from the
parking lot will cause increased runoff bringing contaminants such as phosphorus from the
lot to the lake. The composition of the beach sediment is mainly sand, making phosphorus
stay in the water column instead of settling into the soil. The capacity and affinity of iron
and aluminum oxides, organic matter and clay minerals for P absorption comes about
because of the high surface area and charged surface. Phosphorus in sands and sand-over-
clay soils is severely limited because the amount of constituents that contribute to both
capacity and affinity is also limited (Ritchie,1993). This is the most likely cause of the
higher levels shown for this area. Upper Greenwood Lake was the only lake to show
significant P levels in all buffer types. The open water had the highest average of the three
followed by residential and vegetative buffers showing the lowest values (Figure 32). This
is most likely due to a combination of the high residential use and the partial draining of
the lake. The high residential use can be a source of P from fertilizers and older septic
systems. The decrease in water volume most likely caused a higher concentration of P in
the lake as well. Upper Greenwood Lake also had the highest overall residential land use.
4.4 Flame Emission
Data from the Flame Emission tests are represented in figures 33-44. The levels of
iron in the water samples from all lakes were highest in urban residential zones. However,
the urban residential zones from Greenwood Lake had relatively lower iron concentrations.
This could be due to organic material from the water bonding to the metals and not being
able to be recorded by the instruments. The chromium levels on the lakes were recorded to
be lower in urban residential areas compared to buffer zones and open water locations.
This could be attributable to chemical properties of chromium and precipitates that form
at high temperatures. The levels of chromium in the water might not be truly represented
by the data observed due to levels of precipitates. Magnesium content in the water samples
averaged from all lakes was highest in urban residential areas and lowest in buffer zones.
Most of the magnesium content was contributed from Upper Greenwood Lake, Greenwood
Lake, and Wawayanda Lake. The levels from Surprise Lake were very low compared to the
other values. The levels on Wawayanda Lake were highest of all lakes with Upper
Greenwood Lake only slightly lower. The data extrapolated from the flame emission
procedure is does not seem to be indicative of how land use factors affect the water quality
of lakes. The data does not show a clear relationship of how human activity disrupts the
natural processes determining lake water quality. Surprise Lake had the highest levels of
chromium (an arguably human involved pollutant) and iron, yet almost undetectable
amounts of magnesium. This questions the validity of using Surprise Lake as a control for
this experiment.
4.5 Dionex
The levels of nitrates and phosphates compared through all lakes in figures 50 and
51 shows that Greenwood Lake and Upper Greenwood Lake had, in general, a greater
amount of dissolved ions compared to the two control lakes, Wawayanda Lake and
Surprise Lake. For phosphates, only one of the control lake sites had a concentration high
enough to achieve a reading. That site was SL NE, and although it had a high concentration,
it is most likely due to a natural source because of Surprise Lake distance from any kind of
anthropogenic structures. Greenwood Lake, the lake that was listed as a 303(d) site, had
only one site that had a high enough concentration of phosphorus to register on the Dionex.
This could imply that remediation efforts have paid off, and leakage from septic tanks could
have been reduced. Four out of the six Upper Greenwood Lake sites had levels of
phosphorus that registered on the Dionex, and the largest phosphorus concentration
occurred at site UGL DEP2. This means that efforts may need to be taken to reduce septic
tank leakage and phosphorus leaching from soils in the area surrounding the lake.
For nitrates, multiple control lake sites registered values on the Dionex. All of the
Wawayanda Lake Sites had traceable nitrate levels, meaning Wawayanda could be more
affected by nitrate soil leaching than Surprise Lake. Most of the higher concentrations were
seen at Upper Greenwood Lake and Greenwood Lake sites, which mean that anthropogenic
sources of loading, such as farms, lawns, and impermeable surfaces, could affect these two
lakes. It makes sense then that Wawayanda and Surprise Lake have lower values of
nitrates; as anthropogenic affects less affect their surrounding land. The lakes with more
urban land use are more prone to nitrate loading due to fertilizer application and other
land use factors.
The values for dissolved anions in the Dionex imply that the largest amount of
dissolved nitrates and phosphates is in open water parts of a lake. Figures 53 and 54
illustrate this. The buffer part of a lake usually has the least amount of dissolved nitrates
and phosphates. The buffer part of a lake likely has a lot of plant development happening,
due to the nature of buffer zones near lakes. Plants require nitrates and phosphates for
development, so in areas where there is a lot of shrubbery, it is expected that there will be
lower values in ambient nitrates and phosphates in the water. In the open water, these
nitrates and phosphates can accumulate, because there is no shrubby and aquatic plant life
to take the ions up. An excess of phosphates and nitrates is bad, and it can lead to algal
blooms, which can lower the dissolved oxygen levels in lakes and lower the overall lake
health.
For sulfate and fluoride ion concentrations, values were recorded at all almost all
sites across all lakes. Fluoride is usually a by-product of parent material and bedrock the
lake is based on, but it can also be affected by acid rain (Skjelkvåle, 1994). Because there
are peaks of fluoride concentration in both control lakes and anthropogenic lakes, it can be
concluded that fluoride isn`t affected much by anthropogenic land use. Lakes can see an
increase of sulfate concentration from acid rain, surface runoff, or mine drainage (Orem,
2011). Because three different peaks of sulfate were recorded, all three at Greenwood Lake
or Upper Greenwood Lake, it can be concluded that anthropogenic effects, such as land use,
could cause this increase. Values of sulfate concentration at all other locations were low
compared to the three peaks.
4.6 Biologic
The high level of E. Coil at Upper Greenwood Lake implies that there is a lot of
microbiological activity at the lake. Large amounts of E. Coil present in a water sample can
be indicative of sewage being drained into the lake. Large amounts of E. Coil also make the
water undrinkable, and even non-swimmable. In swimmable beaches, levels of E. Coil
should not exceed eighty-eight colonies in a one hundred milliliter sample of water (EAI
Labs, 2011). This indicates that Upper Greenwood Lake could be unsafe to swim in, and
especially to drink from. This also indicates that sewage and wastewater may be dumped
into the lake, leading to an excess of bacteria colonies. If sewage is dumped into the lake,
disease-cause bacteria could be present. The high level of E. Coil found at Greenwood Lake
can be correlated to its land use. Because most of the area is urban, a possible cause of the
increased bacteria concentrations could be wastewater from anthropogenic sources. The
type of medium used to grow the bacteria could have an affect on the colonies seen. ECA
Check and Coliscan was used as a growth medium, and different mediums could provide
different amounts of bacteria.
4.7 GIS
GIS and GEOWEB analysis showed a much larger percentage of land is used as
residential buffers in Upper Greenwood Lake compared to Greenwood Lake. This is most
likely a difference in the overall land use of the two lakes, in that Upper Greenwood Lake is
used primarily for residential property while Greenwood Lake has more commercial
property that is separated by vegetative buffers. Also, Upper Greenwood Lake’s buffer
percentage mostly came from wetland areas which are much more delicate than forested
buffers that are seen on Greenwood lake. Only the section of Greenwood Lake on the New
Jersey side was analyzed due to the size of the lake and separate data sets. Also, Surprise
Lake and Wawayanda were assumed to be close to 100% vegetative buffer due to time
constraints of the research. Further analysis should be done to distinguish optimal buffer
size to maximize land use in the area to balance buffer capacity.
4.8 Future Improvements
Due to certain availability constraints, timing of outside factors, and human error
different areas of the project could be improved to yield stronger results. An improvement
considered would be to conduct all measurements and sampling on one day. Sampling and
measurements took place over multiple days with varying conditions thus potentially
altering the results. Another aspect for future improvement would be sampling and
measuring Upper Greenwood Lake at its normal level. During the sample period, Upper
Greenwood lake was lowered approximately 3 feet.
Group Delegations:
All group members were responsible for field sampling, report writing, and
presentation generation. Throughout the course of the project, different members broke
into smaller teams to perform data analysis. Matt Heye and Brian Johnson were
responsible in data prep/analysis using the Flame Emission Spectrophotometer. Brian
Dedeian was responsible for the data prep/analysis using the Hach for phosphorus content
from the water samples. Aimee Aquino and Joe Miller were responsible for data
prep/analysis of the water samples using the Dionex for cations and anions. Once all data
analysis was completed, all members got together to build the report and presentation.
References:
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USGS. “Phosphorus and Water.” The USGS Water Science School. Nov. 6, 2015.
(New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 2005)
Skjelkvåle, Brit Lisa. “Factors influencing fluoride concentrations in Norwegian lakes.”
Water, Air, and Soil Pollution. September 1994. Springer.
Orem et al. Sulfate as a Contaminant in Freshwater Ecosystems: Sources, Impacts, and
Mitigation. USGS, 2001.
EAI Analytic Labs. “Bacteria in Surface Waters” 2011.
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Burkinaa, Viktoriia et al. “Effects of pharmaceuticals present in aquatic environment on
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Das, Biplop et al. “Watershed Land Use as a Determinant of Metal Concentrations in
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Diebel, Matthew W., Jeffrey T. Maxted, Dale M. Robertson, Seungbong Han, and M. Jake
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Sen, Ranen et al. “Measuring the Impacts of Land Use on Water Quality Influenced by Non-
Point Sources.” Current Science. 25 November 2014.
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Acknowledgments:
Dr. DaSilva for cooperation with the lab equipment and insight into testing parameters.
Johannus Franken of the NJDEP for supplying field data on all four lakes in our study area.
Dr. Davi and Dr. Griffiths for feedback on testing sites and methods.