The Richmond County Mosquito Control program's mission statement is to incorporate strategies... more The Richmond County Mosquito Control program's mission statement is to incorporate strategies of integrated mosquito control management that are effective, practical, and environmentally safe and protect the health of Richmond County residents, as well as promote public education, in order to prevent large mosquito populations and the diseases that they transmit. To this end, the program coordinates efforts with other county agencies in order to provide better service. This is a small program with limited resources, so in an effort to provide better integrated mosquito management, the mosquito control program and the Phinizy Center for Water Sciences joined efforts to trap mosquitoes at sites across the county, identify the species, and send the mosquitoes off for viral testing. These data help determine locations of disease-carrying mosquitoes so the county can more efficiently control the mosquito populations and reduce the risk of West Nile virus transmission.
Abstract. The use of constructed wetlands for tertiary wastewater treatment is emerging as a cost... more Abstract. The use of constructed wetlands for tertiary wastewater treatment is emerging as a cost-effective wastewater treatment technology. Constructed wetlands are theoretically designed and operated so that the target constituents have ample time to interact with wetland substrates and microbiota to effect constituent removal necessary to achieve water quality discharge limits. Unfortunately, engineering natural systems is complicated and operational criteria are poorly defined. Long-term research is needed that compares design configurations as well as performance since each constructed wetland system is subjected to a variety of stochastic events (i.e. wind speed and direction, sedimentation due to pulsed rain events, plant dispersal and plant succession). The 650-acre constructed wetland system in Augusta, Georgia was developed in three phases, beginning with a 60-acre pilot study that evaluated use of the technology for ammonia and BOD removal. The pilot study was operated fr...
Stable isotopes have proven to be a highly useful tool for gaining insight into the complex hydro... more Stable isotopes have proven to be a highly useful tool for gaining insight into the complex hydrological and ecological processes within rivers where isotopic signatures of source endmembers remain relatively constant. This consistency allows for endmember tracking as various sources mix and undergo processing along a river study reach. Insight from such analysis is only improved when a Lagrangian sampling approach (following a parcel of water as it flows downstream) is used to collect consecutive samples. We analyzed seston monthly for δ 13 C, δ 15 N, and C:N values in order to determine particulate organic matter (POM) dynamics and food web connectivity at nine mainstem and three creek locations within the middle and lower Savannah River watersheds. For three months, we analyzed δ 18 O and δ 2 H values on filtered water from each station as well in order to achieve a better understanding of the complex hydrology of the highly regulated and impounded middle and lower Savannah River...
Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy conducted a two-year intensive water quality study within t... more Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy conducted a two-year intensive water quality study within the middle and lower Savannah River Basin between 2006 and 2008. We monitored nine mainstem river stations and three major tributaries to determine effects of the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) on water quality. Multiparameter sondes were used to collect continuous temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, and turbidity data at 15-minute intervals. Monthly discrete aqueous chemistry samples and several storm/stochastic event samples were collected and analyzed for major inorganic and organic constituents. Several sediment samples were also collected and analyzed for metals, mercury, pesticides, herbicides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). We also monitored aquatic macroinvertebrate populations bimonthly. Continuous monitoring indicated that river water quality was well above state standards for dissolved oxygen, with exceptions at stations downstream of J. Strom Thurmond D...
The Richmond County Mosquito Control program's mission statement is to incorporate strategies... more The Richmond County Mosquito Control program's mission statement is to incorporate strategies of integrated mosquito control management that are effective, practical, and environmentally safe and protect the health of Richmond County residents, as well as promote public education, in order to prevent large mosquito populations and the diseases that they transmit. To this end, the program coordinates efforts with other county agencies in order to provide better service. This is a small program with limited resources, so in an effort to provide better integrated mosquito management, the mosquito control program and the Phinizy Center for Water Sciences joined efforts to trap mosquitoes at sites across the county, identify the species, and send the mosquitoes off for viral testing. These data help determine locations of disease-carrying mosquitoes so the county can more efficiently control the mosquito populations and reduce the risk of West Nile virus transmission.
Aquatic ecosystems are dynamic mixtures of physical, chemical, biological, geological, and meteor... more Aquatic ecosystems are dynamic mixtures of physical, chemical, biological, geological, and meteorological elements. Understanding how that mixture produces the observed water quality at a given location is one of our greatest challenges. To a large degree, our understanding has been limited by the availability of tools and by our research approach. Advances within the last two decades have allowed us to go beyond synoptic sampling (data collection from many sites without regard to travel time) to multiple site, continuous sampling efforts (high frequency data from multiple fixed locations). While those data are important for assessing regulatory water quality, fixed position sampling (Eulerian perspective) falls short of providing a true understanding of aquatic ecosystem function because of the significant spatiotemporal gaps between data collection sites. Continuous data from multiple locations increases data resolution but connecting those data within the context of advective tra...
Constructed wetlands are designed to remove specific wastewater constituents. As a result, they a... more Constructed wetlands are designed to remove specific wastewater constituents. As a result, they are theoretically “sized” so that the mass of target constituent has ample time to contact wetland substrates, plants, and microbiota in order to improve effluent water quality. The amount of time wastewater remains within the cell (residence time) is critical to treatment efficiency (Dierberg et al., 2005). Unfortunately, engineering effective natural treatment systems is complicated. Many elements impact flow within the constructed wetland cell and can lead to the creation of preferential flow patterns and stagnant zones. These mechanisms create a significant deviation from the designed residence time and ultimately have an effect on treatment removal efficiency. The goal of this study was to determine the flow characteristics of constructed wetland cells with varying morphological characteristics in order to understand features that cause deviation from theoretical or plug flow. Flow c...
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is a regulatory parameter that is used to determine how much oxyg... more Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is a regulatory parameter that is used to determine how much oxygen will be consumed by a particular natural or manmade discharge to a water body. Over the past six years, we have assessed oxygen demand dynamics within this river system by applying multiple methods, experiments, and analysis approaches. By using a Lagrangian sampling approach (sampling according to travel time) from 2006-2008, we found that the river acts as a conduit for dissolved organic material in the winter but undergoes moderate organic matter loss in the summer. Using the EPA approved Long Term Biochemical Oxygen Demand method, we found large seasonal intra-site variability (20% to 90% coefficient of variation) for all sampled sites but also found that the oxygen consumption rate used in the Total Maximum Daily Load calculations for the Savannah Basin underestimates the fast kinetic rate and overestimates the slow kinetic rate used in the current modeling effort. Using a real-t...
In compliance to the Clean Water Act, each US state compiles a list of water bodies not meeting r... more In compliance to the Clean Water Act, each US state compiles a list of water bodies not meeting regulatory criteria. The most common impairment in US water bodies is elevated pathogens measured by fecal indicator bacteria (FIB). Reasons for this prevalence probably include the true magnitude of pathogen contamination, monitoring bias from human health concern, inaccuracy of FIB monitoring compared to other parameters, and difficulty estimating background condition. In practice, identification and citation of impairment is extensive, while development of plans that identify the source with certainty and implement highprobability remediation lags behind. The difficulty in confidently identifying sources of impairment is an impediment to the protection of water bodies and increases the cost of remediation due to the need for casting a wider net of lower probability solutions. With a high proportion of resources directed to pathogen contamination, it is important to confidently identify...
Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy has initiated a two year comprehensive study to assess the ... more Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy has initiated a two year comprehensive study to assess the upstream impacts on water quality in the Savannah River with emphasis on the Augusta urban corridor. One of the driving forces of the study is characterization of the upstream contribution of oxygen demanding substances to the Savannah Harbor. The ongoing study began in January 2006 and encompasses the physical, chemical, and biological domains of limnology. We have employed both Eulerian and Lagrangian approaches through continuous collection of data from static multiparameter probe stations and through flow based chemistry sampling events, respectively, with stations spanning from River Mile 148 (near Plant Vogtle) to River Mile 215 (above Augusta, GA). This presentation represents a portion of the first 6 months of collected Eulerian and Lagrangian
Water resources are facing increasing pressures that range from local changes in hydrology due to... more Water resources are facing increasing pressures that range from local changes in hydrology due to urbanization and the effects of pollution and increasing needs of growing populations to shifts in rainfall patterns associated with global climate change. Within the next decade, due to the increasing and competing demands for water, real-time data will be necessary to optimize water withdrawal, waste-load allocation, and hydropower generation while preserving the ecology of our rivers and streams. In addition, real-time networks will support research to better understand the response of hydrology as the landscape is altered due to development. A remote data acquisition system is essential to establish long-term water quality trends, monitor flow, track land-use changes, document pollution impacts, and effectively manage major rivers using real-time data. The Intelligent RiverTM is developing a hydrological cyberinfrastructure to support research, monitoring and critical management in ...
The use of constructed wetlands for tertiary wastewater treatment is emerging as a cost-effective... more The use of constructed wetlands for tertiary wastewater treatment is emerging as a cost-effective wastewater treatment technology. Constructed wetlands are theoretically designed and operated so that the target constituents have ample time to interact with wetland substrates and microbiota to effect constituent removal necessary to achieve water quality discharge limits. Unfortunately, engineering natural systems is complicated and operational criteria are poorly defined. Long-term research is needed that compares design configurations as well as performance since each constructed wetland system is subjected to a variety of stochastic events (i.e. wind speed and direction, sedimentation due to pulsed rain events, plant dispersal and plant succession). The 650-acre constructed wetland system in Augusta, Georgia was developed in three phases, beginning with a 60-acre pilot study that evaluated use of the technology for ammonia and BOD removal. The pilot study was operated from 1997 - ...
Open pit mining usually results in a void that, over time, fills with water and becomes a pit lak... more Open pit mining usually results in a void that, over time, fills with water and becomes a pit lake. The goal for pit lakes is to create sustainable systems that positively contribute to local and regional watersheds. However, development of these manmade systems is driven by maximization of safe resource extraction, physical reclamation, and cost minimization, not future pit lake sustainability. As a result, the goal of sustainable pit lakes is not often achieved. One long-standing hypothesis for attaining the goal of sustainability has been to create and maintain meromictic lakes (lakes that do not completely mix on a yearly cycle). It is believed that meromixis minimizes atmospheric oxygen exposure to pit walls and concomitant acid generation and minimizes reentrainment of metals to the upper waters during seasonal mixes. This seems to be a reasonable goal but few lakes achieve and maintain meromixis so it is not clear whether this should be the sustainable goal for pit lakes. The...
In 2014, Rocky Creek was 305(b)/303(d) listed for fish, macroinvertebrate communities, and fecal ... more In 2014, Rocky Creek was 305(b)/303(d) listed for fish, macroinvertebrate communities, and fecal coliform bacteria. Although the city of Augusta has implemented Total Maximum daily Load (TMDL) plans, they may not account for geomorphic responses, which are fundamental in driving habitat types. Many available stream assessments used for identifying and installing best management practices (BMPs) are insufficient when assessing urban streams. These assessments lack parameters for channel stability and geomorphic responses to disturbance (aggradation, widening, and degradation), use baselines from systems not located in urban settings, and/or use qualitative scales. Therefore, we developed and piloted the Augusta Creek Walk Protocol for Rocky Creek, which addresses these issues and decreases subjectivity with a binary or presence/absence scale. This assessment was conducted over 17 transects spaced at approximately 609.6 meters (2,000 ft.) intervals and covering approximately 6.7 miles...
The Richmond County Mosquito Control program's mission statement is to incorporate strategies... more The Richmond County Mosquito Control program's mission statement is to incorporate strategies of integrated mosquito control management that are effective, practical, and environmentally safe and protect the health of Richmond County residents, as well as promote public education, in order to prevent large mosquito populations and the diseases that they transmit. To this end, the program coordinates efforts with other county agencies in order to provide better service. This is a small program with limited resources, so in an effort to provide better integrated mosquito management, the mosquito control program and the Phinizy Center for Water Sciences joined efforts to trap mosquitoes at sites across the county, identify the species, and send the mosquitoes off for viral testing. These data help determine locations of disease-carrying mosquitoes so the county can more efficiently control the mosquito populations and reduce the risk of West Nile virus transmission.
Abstract. The use of constructed wetlands for tertiary wastewater treatment is emerging as a cost... more Abstract. The use of constructed wetlands for tertiary wastewater treatment is emerging as a cost-effective wastewater treatment technology. Constructed wetlands are theoretically designed and operated so that the target constituents have ample time to interact with wetland substrates and microbiota to effect constituent removal necessary to achieve water quality discharge limits. Unfortunately, engineering natural systems is complicated and operational criteria are poorly defined. Long-term research is needed that compares design configurations as well as performance since each constructed wetland system is subjected to a variety of stochastic events (i.e. wind speed and direction, sedimentation due to pulsed rain events, plant dispersal and plant succession). The 650-acre constructed wetland system in Augusta, Georgia was developed in three phases, beginning with a 60-acre pilot study that evaluated use of the technology for ammonia and BOD removal. The pilot study was operated fr...
Stable isotopes have proven to be a highly useful tool for gaining insight into the complex hydro... more Stable isotopes have proven to be a highly useful tool for gaining insight into the complex hydrological and ecological processes within rivers where isotopic signatures of source endmembers remain relatively constant. This consistency allows for endmember tracking as various sources mix and undergo processing along a river study reach. Insight from such analysis is only improved when a Lagrangian sampling approach (following a parcel of water as it flows downstream) is used to collect consecutive samples. We analyzed seston monthly for δ 13 C, δ 15 N, and C:N values in order to determine particulate organic matter (POM) dynamics and food web connectivity at nine mainstem and three creek locations within the middle and lower Savannah River watersheds. For three months, we analyzed δ 18 O and δ 2 H values on filtered water from each station as well in order to achieve a better understanding of the complex hydrology of the highly regulated and impounded middle and lower Savannah River...
Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy conducted a two-year intensive water quality study within t... more Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy conducted a two-year intensive water quality study within the middle and lower Savannah River Basin between 2006 and 2008. We monitored nine mainstem river stations and three major tributaries to determine effects of the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) on water quality. Multiparameter sondes were used to collect continuous temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, and turbidity data at 15-minute intervals. Monthly discrete aqueous chemistry samples and several storm/stochastic event samples were collected and analyzed for major inorganic and organic constituents. Several sediment samples were also collected and analyzed for metals, mercury, pesticides, herbicides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). We also monitored aquatic macroinvertebrate populations bimonthly. Continuous monitoring indicated that river water quality was well above state standards for dissolved oxygen, with exceptions at stations downstream of J. Strom Thurmond D...
The Richmond County Mosquito Control program's mission statement is to incorporate strategies... more The Richmond County Mosquito Control program's mission statement is to incorporate strategies of integrated mosquito control management that are effective, practical, and environmentally safe and protect the health of Richmond County residents, as well as promote public education, in order to prevent large mosquito populations and the diseases that they transmit. To this end, the program coordinates efforts with other county agencies in order to provide better service. This is a small program with limited resources, so in an effort to provide better integrated mosquito management, the mosquito control program and the Phinizy Center for Water Sciences joined efforts to trap mosquitoes at sites across the county, identify the species, and send the mosquitoes off for viral testing. These data help determine locations of disease-carrying mosquitoes so the county can more efficiently control the mosquito populations and reduce the risk of West Nile virus transmission.
Aquatic ecosystems are dynamic mixtures of physical, chemical, biological, geological, and meteor... more Aquatic ecosystems are dynamic mixtures of physical, chemical, biological, geological, and meteorological elements. Understanding how that mixture produces the observed water quality at a given location is one of our greatest challenges. To a large degree, our understanding has been limited by the availability of tools and by our research approach. Advances within the last two decades have allowed us to go beyond synoptic sampling (data collection from many sites without regard to travel time) to multiple site, continuous sampling efforts (high frequency data from multiple fixed locations). While those data are important for assessing regulatory water quality, fixed position sampling (Eulerian perspective) falls short of providing a true understanding of aquatic ecosystem function because of the significant spatiotemporal gaps between data collection sites. Continuous data from multiple locations increases data resolution but connecting those data within the context of advective tra...
Constructed wetlands are designed to remove specific wastewater constituents. As a result, they a... more Constructed wetlands are designed to remove specific wastewater constituents. As a result, they are theoretically “sized” so that the mass of target constituent has ample time to contact wetland substrates, plants, and microbiota in order to improve effluent water quality. The amount of time wastewater remains within the cell (residence time) is critical to treatment efficiency (Dierberg et al., 2005). Unfortunately, engineering effective natural treatment systems is complicated. Many elements impact flow within the constructed wetland cell and can lead to the creation of preferential flow patterns and stagnant zones. These mechanisms create a significant deviation from the designed residence time and ultimately have an effect on treatment removal efficiency. The goal of this study was to determine the flow characteristics of constructed wetland cells with varying morphological characteristics in order to understand features that cause deviation from theoretical or plug flow. Flow c...
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is a regulatory parameter that is used to determine how much oxyg... more Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is a regulatory parameter that is used to determine how much oxygen will be consumed by a particular natural or manmade discharge to a water body. Over the past six years, we have assessed oxygen demand dynamics within this river system by applying multiple methods, experiments, and analysis approaches. By using a Lagrangian sampling approach (sampling according to travel time) from 2006-2008, we found that the river acts as a conduit for dissolved organic material in the winter but undergoes moderate organic matter loss in the summer. Using the EPA approved Long Term Biochemical Oxygen Demand method, we found large seasonal intra-site variability (20% to 90% coefficient of variation) for all sampled sites but also found that the oxygen consumption rate used in the Total Maximum Daily Load calculations for the Savannah Basin underestimates the fast kinetic rate and overestimates the slow kinetic rate used in the current modeling effort. Using a real-t...
In compliance to the Clean Water Act, each US state compiles a list of water bodies not meeting r... more In compliance to the Clean Water Act, each US state compiles a list of water bodies not meeting regulatory criteria. The most common impairment in US water bodies is elevated pathogens measured by fecal indicator bacteria (FIB). Reasons for this prevalence probably include the true magnitude of pathogen contamination, monitoring bias from human health concern, inaccuracy of FIB monitoring compared to other parameters, and difficulty estimating background condition. In practice, identification and citation of impairment is extensive, while development of plans that identify the source with certainty and implement highprobability remediation lags behind. The difficulty in confidently identifying sources of impairment is an impediment to the protection of water bodies and increases the cost of remediation due to the need for casting a wider net of lower probability solutions. With a high proportion of resources directed to pathogen contamination, it is important to confidently identify...
Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy has initiated a two year comprehensive study to assess the ... more Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy has initiated a two year comprehensive study to assess the upstream impacts on water quality in the Savannah River with emphasis on the Augusta urban corridor. One of the driving forces of the study is characterization of the upstream contribution of oxygen demanding substances to the Savannah Harbor. The ongoing study began in January 2006 and encompasses the physical, chemical, and biological domains of limnology. We have employed both Eulerian and Lagrangian approaches through continuous collection of data from static multiparameter probe stations and through flow based chemistry sampling events, respectively, with stations spanning from River Mile 148 (near Plant Vogtle) to River Mile 215 (above Augusta, GA). This presentation represents a portion of the first 6 months of collected Eulerian and Lagrangian
Water resources are facing increasing pressures that range from local changes in hydrology due to... more Water resources are facing increasing pressures that range from local changes in hydrology due to urbanization and the effects of pollution and increasing needs of growing populations to shifts in rainfall patterns associated with global climate change. Within the next decade, due to the increasing and competing demands for water, real-time data will be necessary to optimize water withdrawal, waste-load allocation, and hydropower generation while preserving the ecology of our rivers and streams. In addition, real-time networks will support research to better understand the response of hydrology as the landscape is altered due to development. A remote data acquisition system is essential to establish long-term water quality trends, monitor flow, track land-use changes, document pollution impacts, and effectively manage major rivers using real-time data. The Intelligent RiverTM is developing a hydrological cyberinfrastructure to support research, monitoring and critical management in ...
The use of constructed wetlands for tertiary wastewater treatment is emerging as a cost-effective... more The use of constructed wetlands for tertiary wastewater treatment is emerging as a cost-effective wastewater treatment technology. Constructed wetlands are theoretically designed and operated so that the target constituents have ample time to interact with wetland substrates and microbiota to effect constituent removal necessary to achieve water quality discharge limits. Unfortunately, engineering natural systems is complicated and operational criteria are poorly defined. Long-term research is needed that compares design configurations as well as performance since each constructed wetland system is subjected to a variety of stochastic events (i.e. wind speed and direction, sedimentation due to pulsed rain events, plant dispersal and plant succession). The 650-acre constructed wetland system in Augusta, Georgia was developed in three phases, beginning with a 60-acre pilot study that evaluated use of the technology for ammonia and BOD removal. The pilot study was operated from 1997 - ...
Open pit mining usually results in a void that, over time, fills with water and becomes a pit lak... more Open pit mining usually results in a void that, over time, fills with water and becomes a pit lake. The goal for pit lakes is to create sustainable systems that positively contribute to local and regional watersheds. However, development of these manmade systems is driven by maximization of safe resource extraction, physical reclamation, and cost minimization, not future pit lake sustainability. As a result, the goal of sustainable pit lakes is not often achieved. One long-standing hypothesis for attaining the goal of sustainability has been to create and maintain meromictic lakes (lakes that do not completely mix on a yearly cycle). It is believed that meromixis minimizes atmospheric oxygen exposure to pit walls and concomitant acid generation and minimizes reentrainment of metals to the upper waters during seasonal mixes. This seems to be a reasonable goal but few lakes achieve and maintain meromixis so it is not clear whether this should be the sustainable goal for pit lakes. The...
In 2014, Rocky Creek was 305(b)/303(d) listed for fish, macroinvertebrate communities, and fecal ... more In 2014, Rocky Creek was 305(b)/303(d) listed for fish, macroinvertebrate communities, and fecal coliform bacteria. Although the city of Augusta has implemented Total Maximum daily Load (TMDL) plans, they may not account for geomorphic responses, which are fundamental in driving habitat types. Many available stream assessments used for identifying and installing best management practices (BMPs) are insufficient when assessing urban streams. These assessments lack parameters for channel stability and geomorphic responses to disturbance (aggradation, widening, and degradation), use baselines from systems not located in urban settings, and/or use qualitative scales. Therefore, we developed and piloted the Augusta Creek Walk Protocol for Rocky Creek, which addresses these issues and decreases subjectivity with a binary or presence/absence scale. This assessment was conducted over 17 transects spaced at approximately 609.6 meters (2,000 ft.) intervals and covering approximately 6.7 miles...
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