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Land Use & River WQ

Land Use & River WQ. Land use determines quantities and types of nutrients (N,P), sediment, bacteria, metals, and organic residues entering receiving waters

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Land Use & River WQ

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  1. Land Use & River WQ • Land use determines quantities and types of nutrients (N,P), sediment, bacteria, metals, and organic residues entering receiving waters • Just as for crops, lawns, gardens, and forests, plants in creeks, ponds, lakes, rivers, and estuaries rely on nutrients & light for growth • Too much nutrient leads to excessive aquatic plant (algae) growth & possible hypoxia • Too much sediment increases P & limits light penetration to reduce attached plants K.G. Sellner, WQ in the Monocacy

  2. 2018 MDE Monocacy WQ Assessment • Portions of Monocacy River and tributaries are impaired (not-meeting state WQ standards) for • Temperature • PCBs and Mercury in fish tissue • E. coli • Total Phosphorus • Total Suspended Solids K.G. Sellner, WQ in the Monocacy

  3. And the Monocacy? K.G. Sellner, WQ in the Monocacy

  4. Our County is the Source of NO3 Doubling K.G. Sellner, WQ in the Monocacy

  5. Future Monocacy • Analyze historical data to discover ‘hot’ river segments • Future climate • More intense storms separated by dry periods • High erosion • Larger nutrient & sediment loads • Greater transport to the Potomac & Bay • Requires changes in land use to trap contaminants before entering waterways K.G. Sellner, WQ in the Monocacy

  6. Monocacy Unknowns • Organic contaminants: Ft. Detrick, WWTP & Drinking Water facility treatment by-products, crop pesticides, herbicides, & fungicides • Emerging ‘contaminants of concern’ • Just how hot is hot for inducing changes in soil & stream bottom biogeochemistry? • Microplastics • Land use changes with population increases & new terrestrial species MUCH TO BE DONE & UNDERSTOOD! K.G. Sellner, WQ in the Monocacy

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