Catawba River Basin

Introduction: The purpose of this research is to determine whether there has been a change in the overall water quality of the Lake Tarpon Basin, and if so, whether the quality has improved or worsened. The variables that will determine whether the quality has changed are: nutrients (phosphates and nitrates) and dissolved oxygen (DO). The expected changes are lower dissolved oxygen levels (from the already low levels), higher nitrogen levels (from the already high nitrogen levels), and the state qualifications still are not met for nutrients and dissolved oxygen (Levy, Flock, Burnes, Myers, Weed, River 2010). This topic relates to environmental management because the changes in water quality would be due to pollution, which relates to the question “How does human activity lead to the pollution of water stores?” The hypothesis that will be tested is that Lake Tarpon’s water quality will have worsened since the last measurements by Levy, Flock, Burnes, Myers, Weed, and Rivera in 2010.

The Chattahoochee River has become increasingly along the years. The Chattahoochee's pollution problem increases due to the many components such as the construction site sediment that runs off the north Georgia mountains as well as irrigation field runoff from farms. Bacteria, oil, grease, metal, and trash are picked up from the runoff and flow to the Chattahoochee, which has detrimental effects on the ecosystem. Also the sewer system has served a part in the pollution of the Chattahoochee, because the sewer system in Atlanta isn’t at the level where it can accommodate the growing population and its water

Through our research we aimed to determine if there were any differences in water quality of both the north and south forks of Strawberry Creek. As time progresses and the environment changes it is important to keep track of how certain species are being impacted by these features, and how they cope with change. We hypothesized that due to the lack of pollution, the south fork will promote a greater diversity of macroinvertebrates. This was due to the fact that there was less runoff and trash that could be introduced to the water in the south fork, than there was in the north fork. We gathered data by analyzing the different organisms living in both forks. We collected a total of fifty vials composed of five organisms from each fork, and inspected them under microscopic view. After gathering data and identifying the different kinds of organisms living in the different forks we assessed whether the organisms from the samples could live in high or low resolution water. We also took a t-test to assess the probability of these differences being due to relevant factors or by chance. Our major findings suggest that organisms in the south fork showed a higher demand to living in cleaner water indicating that our hypothesis was correct.

Scene in Fig. 1.1., the Chesapeake Bay is substantial in size; at roughly 64,000 miles, it contains roughly fifty rivers and thousands of streams and creeks. It encompasses parts of 6 states, including all of Washington, DC. The Chesapeake Bay is what is known as a watershed, an area that contributes to the drainage to a water body, stream, river, lake or ocean. Rainwater that falls within the 64,000 square miles that is the Chesapeake Bay will subsequently travel through many streams and rivers, eventually making its way into the largest estuary system in the United States.

Due to the large bodies of water in the county, there is a high risk for drowning. Water quality pollutants in the county come from fertilizers, bacteria from animal feces, sediment from land that are being cleared and stream channel erosion. When the rain falls into farms, parking lots, construction sites, and lawns the water collects pollutants and they get carried to the stream and then eventually end up in the Chesapeake Bay. In 2010 10 out of 15 streams sampled were rated far to poor, E-Coli, dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform, Chlorophyll-A and Polychlorinated Biphenyls were noted in the samples (2013 Natural Resource Indicator Report, 2014). C & R Battery Company Inc. and the Defense General Supply Center DLA were found on the national priority list for the most hazardous waste sites identified by the Environment Protection Agency because it is a risk to human and/or the environment (Virginia Superfund Sites, 2013).

The Neuse River has played a vital role throughout much of the history of North Carolina. In recent decades however the river has seen degradation of its health and ecology via massive amounts of point and non-point source pollution. The result has been numerous events of eutrophication, resulting in the ecological “dead zones” found throughout the river. Notable contributors of this pollution have been industrial plants and agriculture, most notably power plants and hog farms. As a result, federal and state agencies have enacted strict regulations and water quality standards and procedures to monitor the tributaries, estuarine areas, and main stem of the greater Neuse River watershed.

Our watershed, the chesapeake bay stretches more than 64,000 square miles and is home to about 18 million people.The bay provides us with a lot of things like fishes,salt and water for farming etc. But, the bay is starting to get polluted and many organisms in the bay are dying because of sediments, algae blooms etc.

A centerpiece of the water quality battle is the North Raccoon, where the water runoff from farms is ruining the river. In the article, “The North Raccoon: A River of Controversy and Undiscovered Beauty,” Mike Kilen (2017) claims, Steve Roe of Panora

About two hundred forty one thousand two hundred twelve people live in Cumberland County, and all of those people somehow pollute the Conodoguinet Creek. The Conodoguinet Creek is a tributary to the Susquehanna river, which is the longest river on the American East Coast, spanning 464 miles long and draining into the Atlantic ocean. Many things, such as livestock, construction sites, fossil fuels and fertilizers, all go into the Conodoguinet creek. Now, that is A LOT of pollution that can (or will) go into the creek. This does not just affect the Conodoguinet Creek, but everything that the creek drains into, like the Susquehanna river, then the Chesapeake bay, and then the Atlantic ocean, which covers over 20% of thie whole globe! As you

Hydrologic studies has always been the subdiscipline of environmental science that has most intrigued me; probably because the eco- and geological systems that comprise surface and shallow groundwater systems are so inexorably entwined and very delicate. Both of the virtual labs were interesting, and paint a clear picture of how we affect our hydrosphere and how that, in turn, affects us. Spotsylvania County and the city of Fredericksburg share four water treatment facilities that pull water from the Mott's Run Reservoir, the Ni River, and the Rappahannock River, which is the largest river in the local area, the other two being smaller tributaries that feed into it. The Rappahannock River is a significant body of water, providing the potable water for roughly a quarter-million people. Toward the coast the river sees mostly recreational and some light industrial use, and further upstream it is affected by many small to midsized agricultural operations that take place on the land adjacent to the river.

They filter out pollutants and excess nutrients, trap runoff and sediments, provide habitat for terrestrial and aquatic species, encourage biodiversity, act as wildlife corridors, regulate the temperature of the water, stabilize stream banks, and reduce the risk of flooding (Cunningham). However, such benefits cannot be yielded with buffers that are too small for the size of the stream they are protecting. To maximize the potential for a healthy river, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd order streams, or headwaters, must be thoroughly protected (Hawes). Thus, we have determined two minimum widths for riparian buffers in Andrews. 1st and 2nd order streams will have a minimum of 50 feet of riparian buffer because it is the legal North Carolina minimum (Kulz). A width of 100 feet was chosen for 3rd order streams and larger because this is the practice observed in Buncombe County, which is located in a similar geological landscape to Cherokee County, where Andrews is located. No development will be permitted within the minimum measurements for these riparian buffers.

Through research and data collected within primary and secondary sources, I have found many similar trends. For my primary research I designed a survey, using questions surrounding peoples water usage in homes and their knowledge of Warragamba Dam, Sydney’s main supply of water. Through my survey I found many questions had similar answers. As I was surveying fellow peers all 10 of them understood what Warragamba Dam was and its owners and history, due to learning about it previously in class. The opposing answers found were in the questions about each student’s water usage at home. For example, I found that 50% of peers had a 10-15 minute shower each day and the other 40% more were having showers for 15+ minutes, 10% of peers to be having only a 5-10 minute shower. This data was interesting to analyse as another question I mentioned included how aware students were with their water usage. 70% of students said they were conscious about their

The St. Johns River is suffering from a significant environmental disaster because of toxic substances from municipal and industrial wastewater, fertilizer runoff, failing septic tanks, and stormwater. Consequently, over 55% of the river miles, 80.4% of acres of large water bodies, 59.4 % of estuaries, and 31.4% of coastline miles do not meet water quality standards in Florida (Florida Department of Environmental Protection 119). For that matter, studying those pollution problems that the river faces is vital since one can use this information to salvage the natural resource which is at the brink of destruction.

This spring, record breaking floodwaters along the Mississippi River caused massive damage in nine states, totaling over $25 billion dollars in damage (Watts, 2011). In most areas the floodwaters have receded, however there is concern that even a little rain could cause more flooding due to the already saturated land. As cities and towns are beginning the restoration process, one thing caused by the flooding waters cannot be restored. Pollutants’ such as nitrogen from fertilizer, due to this area being primarily composed of farming land, is making its way toward the Gulf of Mexico. Every year pollutants traveling in the Mississippi River enter the Gulf and contribute to the Coastal Dead Zone; however, this year the Dead Zone in the Gulf

1. Is the company correct in its practice of not manufacturing standard model compressors on Sundays because of the accounting loss incurred on each unit?