Pennsylvania's streams and small rivers: examining surface water quality for anthropogenic impacts

Keywords: Surface water quality, Pennsylvia streams, anthropogenic impacts, physicochemical parameters, water quality data
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Saturday
Session Start / End Time: 2/26/2022 11:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/26/2022 12:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 22

Abstract

Globally, the quality of surface water and groundwater resources is increasingly threatened by human activity. Near agricultural lands, storm-driven surface runoff and infiltration convey chemical compounds into receiving streams, rivers, lakes, and groundwater sources. Elsewhere, mining activities, oil and natural gas exploitation, among other anthropogenic forces, similarly threaten the quality of surface and subsurface water bodies. This research examines surface water quality data from over 100 monitoring stations on streams and small rivers spanning 22 counties, mostly within central and northern Pennsylvania. Physicochemical parameters including temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, chloride, sulfate, magnesium, barium, and bromide, were analyzed for spatial and temporal trends. The data were obtained from the water quality portal of the National Water Quality Monitoring Council and the Susquehanna River basin Commission (SRBC). Results obtained were examined against land use/ land cover maps and known areas of hydraulic fracturing and mining, to attribute sources of observed anomalies.