Investigating the Effect of Row-Crop Runoff on Water Quality in the Big Walnut Creek Watershed

Peter Steiner, Sarah White, Nick Meszaros, and Amelia Wilson-Wright

Faculty advisor: Jeanette Pope

What is Agricultural Runoff?

What is Agricultural Runoff?

Nonpoint Source Pollution

Eutrophication

Why?

What is Agricultural Runoff?

Local agricultural runoff contributes toward a national problem

Concerns from Agricultural RunoffNitrogen and Phosphorus

Eutrophication is the driving force behind the Gulf hypoxia crisis

Schematic diagram developed by Tulane University and available at http://images.universityherald.com/data/images/full/5788/hypoxia.png?w=600

What is a Watershed?

A watershed is the area of land that drains to a particular point along a

stream

Subwatershed

Catchment

What is Big Walnut Creek Watershed?

Why does Land Usage Matter?

VS.

Where are we Sampling?

What is our Field Methodology?

Collection by hand sample

Collection via “bridge sampler”

How Does Our Lab Work?Concentrations of chemical species will be measured using a ICS 2000 Ion Chromatography System.

What Results Can We Get?

Questions?