What s In your Watershed Reeder Creek

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "What s In your Watershed Reeder Creek"

Leo Jenkins
6 years ago
Views:

1 What s In your Watershed Reeder Creek Stephen Penningroth, Ph.D. Executive Director, Community Science Institute, Ithaca, NY Three Brothers Winery, Geneva, NY October 29, 2015 Sponsored by the Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association

2 Community Science Institute Nonprofit tax exempt environmental organization founded in 2000 Staff: Four (4) full time, five (5) part time Budget: $205,000 in 2014 Environmental Testing Lab: NY State and EPA certified for chemistry and microbiology, including phosphorus and nitrogen nutrients, E. coli, sediment and a dozen other indicators; also certified for drinking water Biological stream monitoring: Two (2) staff are certified BMI taxonomists Online database: Public can view, search and download data free of charge Mission: Partner with local volunteer groups to better understand and protect local water resources by collecting and disseminating scientifically credible water quality data that inform management decisions by communities and their governments Lean, mean data generating machine for local streams!

4 Rte 96A Access Rd Reeder Creek Mouth North Patrol Rd Kendig Creek Kendaia Creek

5 No Evidence of Hazardous Substances in Reeder Creek N. Patrol Rd. Access Rd. Rte 96A Mouth Drinking Water Standard Gross Alpha Radioactivity (pci/l) Gross Beta Radioactivity (pci/l) pci/l pci/l Arsenic (mg/l) <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 < Beryllium (mg/l) <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 < Copper (mg/l) < Lead (mg/l) <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 < VOCs (58 total) (mg/l) < < < <

Living in Reeder Creek Benthic Macroinvertebrates (BMI) HUDSON BASIN RIVER WATCH MAY 10, 2015 Slight impact High density of organisms, 5,814 per sample May be linked to high nutrient levels 969

6 Living in Reeder Creek Benthic Macroinvertebrates (BMI) HUDSON BASIN RIVER WATCH MAY 10, 2015 Slight impact High density of organisms, 5,814 per sample May be linked to high nutrient levels 969 individual organisms identified, 1/6 of sample WAVE PROTOCOL SEPT 29, 2015 Five (5) Most Wanted Organisms were found 6 or more Most wanted indicates No Known Impact Four (4) Least Wanted Organisms were found 4 or more Least Wanted flag stream for further study

7 Why Aren t Nutrients Always a Good Thing? Algae and other plants need phosphorus and nitrogen to grow In freshwater lakes like Seneca Lake, phosphorus is generally the ratelimiting nutrient Too much phosphorus is a problem because it can lead to excessive plant growth including algal blooms this is called eutrophication Algae die and sink to the bottom of the lake where they are eaten by decomposer organisms The decomposers metabolize the dead algae aerobically, using up dissolved oxygen in the water If the oxygen concentration drops below about 3 mg/l, fish die

8 Eutrophication

9 A Very Brief Detour Through Phosphorus Chemistry Certified testing determines concentrations of two general classes of phosphorus: Total Phosphorus, which includes dissolved and particulate phosphorus; and Soluble Reactive Phosphorus, which includes only dissolved phosphorus Dissolved phosphorus is ~100% bioavailable to feed algae Particulate phosphorus in human and animal waste: It eventually breaks down, dissolves and becomes bioavailable Phosphorus bound to soil particles: It often stays attached to soil and does not become bioavailable As a rule, stormwater runoff increases total phosphorus in streams, because runoff is enriched in dirt and waste containing phosphorus

10 Phosphorus Concentration ( g/l) Seneca Army Depot 0 1. Average Base Flow Phosphorus Levels are extremely high, ~800 ug/l 2. Base Flow Phosphorus in Reeder Creek is ~100% dissolved, because Total Phosphorus = Dissolved Phosphorus 3. Phosphorus Concentration decreases as Reeder Creek flows downstream, showing phosphorus is being diluted by groundwater with lower phosphorus levels Dissolved Bioavailable Phosphorus Base Flow Total Phosphorus Base Flow Miles from North Patrol Rd Seneca Lake

11 Two Examples of Stormwater Runoff: Total Suspended Solids and Nitrate Levels Increase Substantially Downstream in Reeder Creek Nitrate + Nitrite (mg N/L) Base Flow Nitrate +Nitrite Nitrogen (as N) Stormwater Nitrate +Nitrite Nitrogen (as N) Base Flow Total Suspended Solids Stormwater Total Suspended Solids Stormwater Base Flow Total Suspended Solids (mg/l) 0 Seneca Army Depot Miles from North Patrol Rd 0 Seneca Lake

12 Another Example of Stormwater Runoff in Reeder Creek: E. Coli levels rise dramatically but they stay at ~same high level all the way downstream 12,000 10,000 E. Coli Base Flow E. Coli Stormwater E. Coli (colonies/100 ml) 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 Seneca Army Depot 0 North Patrol Rd Access Road Rt. 96 A Reeder Creek Mouth 235 Seneca Lake

13 Effect of stormwater runoff on phosphorus in Reeder Creek is to reduce, not increase, its concentration; typical behavior for groundwater constituents Total Phosphorus Base Flow Total Phosphorus Stormwater Total Phosphorus ( g/l) Seneca Army Depot North Patrol Rd Access Road Rt. 96 A Reeder Creek Mouth Seneca Lake

14 How Do Levels of Phosphorus and E. coli in Reeder Creek Compare to Other Seneca Lake Tributaries? Phosphorus Preview Base flow phosphorus averages more than recommended 20 g/l in all streams but is much higher in Reeder Creek, ~800 g/l vs. ~20 50 g/l in other streams Stormwater runoff results in dramatic increases in phosphorus in the Keuka Outlet and Big Stream, rivaling stormwater levels in Reeder Creek E. coli Preview Base flow E. coli is lower on average in Reeder Creek than in other streams Stormwater runoff results in extraordinary increases in E. coli in the Keuka Outlet and Big Stream, exceeding levels in Reeder and Catharine Creeks

15 Average Levels of Dissolved, Bioavailable Phosphorus in Seneca Lake Tributary Streams, Base Flow and Stormwater/Runoff Reeder Creek Mouth Kendig Creek Kendaia Creek Keuka Outlet Mouth Dissolved, Bioavailable Phosphorus Base Flow Dissolved, Bioavailable Phosphorus Stormwater Catherine Creek Mouth Big Stream Mouth Dissolved, Bioavailable Phosphorus ( g/l)

16 Average Levels of Total Phosphorus in Seneca Lake Tributary Streams, Base Flow and Stormwater/Runoff Reeder Creek Mouth Kendig Creek Kendaia Creek Total Phosphorus (as P) Base Flow Total Phosphorus (as P) Stormwater Keuka Outlet Mouth Catherine Creek Mouth Big Stream Mouth Total Phosphorus ( g/l)

17 Average Base Flow Levels of E. coli in Seneca Lake Tributary Streams Reeder Creek Mouth 128 Kendig Creek 380 Kendaia Creek 80 Keuka Outlet Mouth 270 Catherine Creek Mouth Big Stream Mouth Swimming guideline: 235 E. coli colonies/100 ml E.coli (colonies/100 ml)

18 Average Levels of E. coli in Seneca Lake Tributary Streams, Base Flow and Stormwater/Runoff Reeder Creek Mouth ,750 E. Coli Base Flow E. Coli Stormwater Kendig Creek 380 Kendaia Creek 80 Keuka Outlet Mouth ,500 Catherine Creek Mouth Big Stream Mouth ,170 34, ,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 E.coli (colonies/100 ml)

19 Conclusions: Reeder Creek 1. There is no evidence for hazardous or radioactive chemicals in Reeder Creek 2. The Reeder Creek ecosystem appears to be relatively healthy, based on two types of BMI analysis 3. Stormwater conditions result in a rise in E. coli levels from <235 colonies/100 ml to ~10,000 colonies/100 ml 4. Stormwater E. coli levels of ~10,000 colonies/100 ml are constant across all Reeder Creek sampling locations, implying a stormwater surge that originates upstream

20 Conclusions: Reeder Creek (cont d) 5. Base flow phosphorus levels are extraordinarily high, ~800 g/l 6. Base flow phosphorus is ~100% dissolved and presumably inorganic 7. Three lines of evidence suggest the source of dissolved phosphorus is groundwater inside the Seneca Army Depot a) Base flow phosphorus emerging from the Depot is progressively diluted by downstream groundwater entering Reeder Creek b) Base flow phosphorus is greatly diluted by stormwater runoff, which has a low concentration of phosphorus c) Base flow phosphorus concentrations are ~10x lower in nearby Kendig Creek, which is likely exposed to effluent from 5 Points wastewater 8. One possible explanation: Phosphorus ordnance was disposed of at the Seneca Army Depot; the phosphorus residue was not considered to be hazardous and therefore was not remediated; and eventually the residual phosphorus infiltrated into groundwater under the Depot

21 Seneca Lake Tributary Streams: Conclusions A. Average base flow phosphorus is elevated in all Seneca Lake tributary streams sampled to date compared to the NYSDEC s 20 ug/l guideline for total phosphorus B. With the exception of Reeder Creek, stormwater increases in phosphorus are remarkable in all Seneca Lake tributary streams; in the Keuka Outlet, the stormwater phosphorus increases are extraordinary. C. Average base flow E. coli levels exceed the threshold of 235 colonies/100 ml for contact recreation in three (3) of six (6) sampled streams D. Stormwater levels of E. coli are extraordinary in all sampled streams, averaging ~10x to ~100x greater than base flow E. coli levels Stormwater E. coli levels at the mouth of the Keuka Outlet on 9/30/15 were ~4x higher than E. coli at the mouth of Salmon Creek during Tropical Storm Irene on 9/8/11; Salmon Creek drains a heavily agricultural watershed

22 Thank you Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association Three Brothers Winery Carol Hardy CSI staff Michi Schulenberg Lab analyses Laura Dwyer Lab analyses, Power Point Adrianna Hirtler BMI Liz Carter, Becky Sims Volunteer training, coordination Abner Figueroa Database

Water Quality in Seneca Lake Tributary Streams

Water Quality in Seneca Lake Tributary Streams Stephen Penningroth, Director Community Science Institute Hobart and William Smith Colleges March 24, 2018 Community Science Institute Independent, nonprofit,