Nonpoint Source Pollution Impacts on Nearshore Health
Nonpoint Source Pollution Impacts on Nearshore Health
Nearshore and open waters provide drinking water for municipalities and habitat for numerous species of birds, fish, and other aquatic life. This is the area in which most residents and visitors experience the Great Lakes through swimming, boating, and other forms of recreation. Nearshore water quality has become degraded, as evidenced by eutrophication—the process by which a water body is enriched by nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, resulting in excessive growth of algae, depletion of the dissolved oxygen that aquatic species need to survive, beach closings, and other impacts. GLRI is supporting efforts to promote nearshore health. As part of this effort, USGS is evaluating best management practices, monitoring nutrient and sediment loadings and increasing the scientific understanding of the link between nutrients and HABs, to help managers make better informed decisions.
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Assessing stormwater reduction through green infrastructure: RecoveryPark (Detroit, Mich.)
The effectiveness of green infrastructure (including urban land conversion and bioswales) at reducing stormwater runoff is being assessed at RecoveryPark, a redeveloped urban farm in Detroit, Michigan. This study will monitor pre- and post-construction storm-sewer flow, groundwater levels, precipitation, and potential evapotranspiration (ET) to evaluate stormwater-volume reduction in response to...
Assessing stormwater reduction using green infrastructure: Gary City Hall (Gary, Ind.)
The effectiveness of green infrastructure (rain gardens and decreased impervious surface) at reducing stormwater runoff and capturing dissolved chloride is being assessed at a redevelopment project at Gary City Hall (Gary, Indiana). This study will evaluate pre- and post-construction hydrologic conditions using data collected by monitoring storm-sewer flow, groundwater levels, soil moisture, and...
Nutrient cycling in agricultural watersheds of the Great Lakes
Nutrients lost from agricultural areas in watersheds of the Great Lakes cause harmful algal blooms and hypoxia in some areas of the Great Lakes. Substantial efforts are being made in these watersheds to reduce the amount of nutrients entering the streams and rivers; however, additional work is needed to further reduce nutrient loads to meet international water quality standards. Limited research...
Nutrient Monitoring: Detroit River Monitoring
The Detroit River is a major contribution of flow to Western Lake Erie. However, difficulty in estimating the phosphorus load from the river has led to uncertainty in the phosphorus budget in Lake Erie. To reduce this uncertainty the USGS, in cooperation with the USEPA through GLRI, have begun depth and width integrated water-quality sampling of the Detroit River. The results of this sampling will...
HABs: Characterizing Zones of High Potential Nutrient Cycling in Agricultural Catchments
River sediments have the capacity to remove nutrients from the water column which lowers the nutrient load to downstream water bodies. The objectives of this project were to characterize rates of sediment nitrogen removal and phosphorus retention in river networks draining agricultural watersheds and to assess how land use and land management actions affect these rates. This information is helpful...
Urban Best Management Practices: Reporting Reductions of Untreated Urban Runoff as a Result of GLRI-funded Urban BMPs
The objectives of this project are to quantify reductions in the volume of urban stormwater runoff through implementation of green infrastructure practices, model stormwater characteristics to further explore our understanding of the hydrologic functions performed by green infrastructure and assess how green infrastructure may help or hinder sequestration of chloride from application of deicing...
Agriculture Best Management Practices: Quantification of In-Stream Phosphorus and Sediment Storage and Transport - Linking Land Use and Landscape Best Management Practices with Downstream Transport in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Priority Watersheds
As part of a coordinated effort with University of Minnesota (UMN) and US Forest Service (USFS), USGS will conduct sediment and phosphorus source tracking in two agricultural watersheds -- specifically corn and soybean production -- of Black Creek and Plum Creek, tributaries to the Maumee and Fox Rivers, respectively.
Nutrient Monitoring: Monitoring and Predicting the Impacts of Trees on Urban Stormwater Reduction
The effects of tree removal on the urban hydrologic cycle in order to measure the impact that trees have on stormwater runoff detention volume are being studied in two medium-density residential catchments in Fond du Lac, WI. A paired catchment statistical design and analysis of high-frequency measurements of storm event hydrographs and other monitoring data are being used to quantify stormwater...
GLRI Urban Stormwater Monitoring
The GLRI Urban Stormwater Monitoring effort brings together the expertise of the USGS with local and national partners to assess the ability of green infrastructure to reduce stormwater runoff in Great Lakes urban areas.
Edge-of-field monitoring
Edge-of-field monitoring focuses on identifying and reducing agricultural sources of excess nutrients which can threaten the health of streams, rivers, and lakes. Edge-of-field monitoring assesses the quantity and quality of agricultural runoff and evaluates the effectiveness of conservation practices that aim to reduce nutrient loss.
Assessing stormwater reduction using green infrastructure: Niagara River Greenway Project (Buffalo, NY)
The U.S. Geological Survey is assessing the effectiveness of green infrastructure at attenuating and reducing stormflow along a 2.26 mile corridor of Niagara Street in Buffalo, NY. This research is being conducted in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Buffalo Sewer Authority and University at Buffalo.
Edge-of-field monitoring: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative edge-of-field monitoring focuses on identifying and reducing agricultural sources of excess nutrients which threaten the health of the Great Lakes. The USGS supports these efforts by utilizing edge-of-field monitoring to assess the quantity and quality of agricultural runoff and evaluate conservation practices that aim to reduce sediment and nutrient loss.