I. Project Summary
Students at Arcadia University are requesting a grant in order to restore the two streams on campus: Beaver Creek and Tookany Creek. Their objectives are to reduce the pollution and to prevent runoff as well as to restore and conserve the quality of the two streams. The students collected some data and saw small increases in nitrate and chlorine levels in the soil and water. Even though the concentrations of nitrate and chlorine are small, if not dealt with, the concentrations of both nitrate and chlorine will increase and cause many negative effects to the organisms living in the streams as well as the organisms that depend on the stream as a water source.
By funding their proposal it will allow them to collect more data to better understand the two streams in order to develop a more in depth restoration plan. In addition, they would switch the fertilizer placed on campus to a more organic one, which will lessen the concentration of nitrate in the soil and environment. Furthermore, the Glenside community and students of Arcadia University will benefit from the restoration of Beaver and Tookany Creek because they would be able to use it as an educational tool as well as a place to relax and enjoy nature.
II. Project
Objectives:
The restoration plan of Beaver Creak objectives is to reduce pollution and prevent runoff into the Tookany and Beaver Creek. In addition, we want to restore and conserve the quality of the stream for future students of Arcadia as well as for the local Glenside community. These objectives will take time to meet; however, by starting to implement restorative measures such as using riparian zones by planting more vegetation it will help reduce the effects of urbanization. ...
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Currently, the United State’s Gulf of Mexico experiences an annual, seasonal “dead zone” as a result of hypoxia. Hypoxia is a low level of dissolved oxygen (<2mg/L) in an area of water. Hypoxia is typically temporary and seasonal, but the low oxygen levels can be devastating to aquatic organisms. Hypoxia occurs in many oceanic waters worldwide, but there is a growing area of concern in our Gulf of Mexico coast. Hypoxia is largely caused by nitrogen fertilizer application for agriculture, with heavy concentrations coming from the Midwestern US. Nitrogen mobilizes as nitrate, and is transported via surface water runoff. The runoff enters tile-drain supported ditches, enters streams and joins the Mississippi river, eventually reaching the gulf. Nitrate mobilization is a problem for human health, and ag. runoff is also often attributed to the contamination of surface and well-water sources in rural areas. High levels of nitrates restrict the ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen. This can harm humans, and is the major cause of infant methemoglobinemia, or “blue baby syndrome”. The safe drinking level standard is 10mg/L.
In many cases diversions of freshwater inputs for irrigation or other human uses have resulted in diminished size and increased salinity (Jellison 1992). Diverting Mono Lake's streams has not only stirred political and environmental controversy over rights but has also led to the waters of Mono Lake being halved in lake volume, reduced by 45 ft.
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Aim: To determine what effect agricultural runoff has on surrounding environment, and to find what solutions can be made to reverse any damage.
Interestingly, these tests revealed strikingly high levels of phosphate and nitrate, two chemical compounds that exist naturally on the earth to aid the growth of organisms as nutrients. As the world’s agricultural needs transform, nitrates are often found in man-made fertilizers compared to its typical natural source . This increased use of fertilizers in farms
With regular maintenance, Dickson wetlands will continue to be a place for community to gather and for the environment to improve. With weeding and planting of more native flora, the wetlands will continue to improve water quality in the future. This is important for the future because if we can reuse water that is going through the stormwater drains to the wetlands, then there will be less of an issue watering areas such a sporting fields and parks.
Politicians are trying to make a plan to get the taxpayers, the majority of the voters, happy. Therefore they aren’t thinking about others and how it is going to affect them. For example, one negative impact of the restoration project is on paragraph 8 of “River Restoration Project Offers a Sprinkling of Hope” by Daniel Weintraub states that, “Those farms stand to lose as much as 20 percent of their water as the river is restored.” This demonstrates how the plan is to take away from the farmers. In summation, the limited amount of water will affect crops and make the farmer’s crops harder to grow. This will also consequently lead to higher food
One of the main challenges of keeping Lake Powell full is that the Sierra Club, a very powerful lobbyist in the specific area of environmental impact, now wants to empty the lake. The sierra club and other supporters have two main arguments in which they base their claim. (“Glen”) One is the saving of an ecosystem that is dying because of the filling of Glen Canyon; another is the loss of the beauty of the canyon and other sites of archeological and cultural importance.
The region surrounding the Columbia River is one of the metaphors that can be found for the term “Buffalo Commons”. In this region a serious debate is taking place over the removal of some of the dams along the river. By shifting the economic dependency on the river to alternative sources there is a hope that the Native Salmon will be able to re populate and flourish in an area were they had once been plentiful (Ka-bye).
The topic of this literature review is restoration of the lower Colorado River Delta; the review will focus on pulse water flows as a method of restoration. Pulse flows are planned water releases from dams following years of water and sediment buildup behind dams. Hydrologist and advocates of pulse water releases believe that by adding water to a dry system, they can restore riparian areas by germinating native plants and providing habitat for endangered species. Furthermore, these pulse water flows can increase the productivity of fisheries, benefiting the public in downstream regions of the river.
This is because only a small part of the population, particularly in developing countries, have access to water of acceptable quality. It is estimated that in some countries only 20% of the rural population has water of satisfactory quality. Based on these statistics, it is clear the urgent need for awareness about caring for water use. Almost without realizing it, we are seriously jeopardizing this essential resource, not for us but for our children's children and their generations, aware that in other parts o...
The gases contain many harmful chemicals and they smell terrible. Also, the animal waste can contaminate the drinking water supplies. For example, the nitrates from the lagoons can seep into the groundwater, which can cause deaths in infants, spontaneous abortions, and can increase the risk of blue baby syndrome. Blue baby syndrome is an illness that begins with large amounts of nitrate ingested into the digestive system then the nitrate reacts with oxyhemoglobin to form metheglobin, which cannot carry oxygen. When talking about the actual food that comes out of industrial farms there can be many health concerns. Poor sanitation and waste management of the animals can lead to contamination of the food supply with bacteria like e.coli and salmonella. Animal products are the primary source of saturated fat in the American diet. Saturated fat has been directly linked to heart disease and obesity. Also, antibiotic resistance stems from the use of antibiotics to promote growth and decrease disease within the farm. The Center for Disease Control estimates that each year two million people in the United Stats contract antibiotic-resistant infections. CDC also confirmed a link between the use of antibiotic in farm animals and the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which is responsible for the deaths of Americans each
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