Laura E Hubbard
Biography
EDUCATION
M.S. Geology, concentration in Hydrology, Indiana University, 2007. Thesis: "The impact of storm characteristics and land use on nutrient export in two glaciated watersheds in central Indiana, USA"
B.S. Geological Sciences, Certificate in Environmental Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2004. Senior Research: "Field study to determine the lawn length needed to reduce runoff from rooftop downspouts for various rainfall intensities"
RESEARCH AREAS
- Contaminants of emerging concern
- Restored and native oxbow nutrient retention
- Water-quality data collection and analysis
- Nonpoint evaluation in both agricultural and urban areas
CURRENT PROJECTS
- Pathogens and other contaminants in groundwater and surface water proximal to poultry facilities in the Midwest
- Development of regressions for nutrient and sediment load computation in Great Lakes tributaries
- A landscape-scale experiment to quantify the hydrological, chemical, and biological effects of eliminating a wastewater treatment plant discharge into an urban stream ecosystem
- Chemical and Microbial Contaminants Derived from Animal Feeding Operations: Phase I - National Assessment of Relative Contaminant Contributions to Streams
Science and Products
Dairy-impacted wastewater is a source of iodinated disinfection byproducts in the environment
Iodinated disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are among the most toxic DBPs, but they are not typically measured in treated water. Iodinated DBPs can be toxic to humans, and they also have the potential to affect aquatic communities. Because of the specific use of iodine and iodine-containing compounds in dairies, such livestock operations can be a...
Hladik, Michelle; Hubbard, Laura E.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Focazio, Michael J. Effect of variable annual precipitation and nutrient input on nitrogen and phosphorus transport from two Midwestern agricultural watersheds
Precipitation patterns and nutrient inputs affect transport of nitrate (NO3-N) and phosphorus (TP) from Midwest watersheds. Nutrient concentrations and yields from two subsurface-drained watersheds, the Little Cobb River (LCR) in southern Minnesota and the South Fork Iowa River (SFIR) in northern Iowa, were evaluated during 1996–2007 to...
Kalkhoff, Stephen J.; Hubbard, Laura E.; Tomer, Mark D.; James, D.E. 2013 Survey of Iowa groundwater and evaluation of public well vulnerability classifications for contaminants of emerging concern
Studies in Iowa have long documented the vulnerability of wells with less than 50 feet (15 meters) of confining materials above the source aquifer to contamination from nitrate and various pesticides. Recent studies in Wisconsin have documented the occurrence of viruses in untreated groundwater, even in wells considered to have little...
Hruby, Claire E. ; Libra, Robert D.; Fields, Chad L. ; Kolpin, Dana W.; Hubbard, Laura E.; Borchardt, Mark R.; Spencer, Susan K.; Wichman, Michael D. ; Hall, Nancy; Schueller, Michael D. ; Furlong, Edward T.; Weyer, Peter J. Genes indicative of zoonotic and swine pathogens are persistent in stream water and sediment following a swine manure spill
Manure spills to streams are relatively frequent, but no studies have characterized stream contamination with zoonotic and veterinary pathogens, or fecal chemicals, following a spill. We tested stream water and sediment over 25 days and downstream for 7.6 km for: fecal indicator bacteria (FIB); the fecal indicator chemicals cholesterol and...
Haack, Sheridan K.; Duris, Joseph W.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Fogarty, Lisa R.; Johnson, Heather E.; Gibson, Kristen E.; Focazio, Michael J.; Schwab, Kellogg J.; Hubbard, Laura E.; Foreman, William T. Riverbank filtration potential of pharmaceuticals in a wastewater-impacted stream
Pharmaceutical contamination of shallow groundwater is a substantial concern in effluent-dominated streams, due to high aqueous mobility, designed bioactivity, and effluent-driven hydraulic gradients. In October and December 2012, effluent contributed approximately 99% and 71%, respectively, to downstream flow in Fourmile Creek, Iowa, USA. Strong...
Bradley, Paul M.; Barber, Larry B.; Duris, Joseph W.; Foreman, William T.; Furlong, Edward T.; Hubbard, Laura E.; Hutchinson, Kasey J.; Keefe, Steffanie H.; Kolpin, Dana W. Mycotoxins: diffuse and point source contributions of natural contaminants of emerging concern to streams
To determine the prevalence of mycotoxins in streams, 116 water samples from 32 streams and three wastewater treatment plant effluents were collected in 2010 providing the broadest investigation on the spatial and temporal occurrence of mycotoxins in streams conducted in the United States to date. Out of the 33 target mycotoxins measured, nine...
Kolpin, Dana W.; Schenzel, Judith; Meyer, Michael T.; Phillips, Patrick J.; Hubbard, Laura E.; Scott, Tia-Marie; Bucheli, Thomas D. Chemical contaminants in water and sediment near fish nesting sites in the Potomac River basin: determining potential exposures to smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
The Potomac River basin is an area where a high prevalence of abnormalities such as testicular oocytes (TO), skin lesions, and mortality has been observed in smallmouth bass (SMB, Micropterus dolomieu). Previous research documented a variety of chemicals in regional streams, implicating chemical exposure as one plausible explanation for these...
Kolpin, Dana W.; Blazer, Vicki; Gray, James L.; Focazio, Michael J.; Young, John A.; Alvarez, David A.; Iwanowicz, Luke R.; Foreman, William T.; Furlong, Edward T.; Speiran, Gary K.; Zaugg, Steven D.; Hubbard, Laura E.; Meyer, Michael T.; Sandstrom, Mark W.; Barber, Larry B. Phytoestrogens and mycotoxins in Iowa streams: An examination of underinvestigated compounds in agricultural basins
This study provides the first broad-scale investigation on the spatial and temporal occurrence of phytoestrogens and mycotoxins in streams in the United States. Fifteen stream sites across Iowa were sampled five times throughout the 2008 growing season to capture a range of climatic and crop-growth conditions. Basin size upstream from sampling...
Kolpin, Dana W.; Hoerger, Corinne C.; Meyer, Michael T.; Wettstein, Felix E.; Hubbard, Laura E.; Bucheli, Thomas D. Changes in the character of DOC in streams during storms in two Midwestern watersheds with contrasting land uses
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) dynamics in streams is important, yet few studies focus on DOC dynamics in Midwestern streams during storms. In this study, stream DOC dynamics during storms in two Midwestern watersheds with contrasting land uses, the change in character of stream DOC during storms, and the usability of DOC as a hydrologic tracer in...
Vidon, P.; Wagner, L.E.; Soyeux, E.