Nitrate Relationships between Stream Baseflow, Well Water, and Land Use in the Tomorrow-Waupaca Watershed
We examined the use of stream baseflow water quality as a representative measure of mean ground water quality in the Tomorrow-Waupaca Watershed in central Wisconsin and the relationship between agricultural land use and watershed water quality. From 1997 to 1999, 38 stream sites were sampled for nit...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2001-01-01
|
| Series: | The Scientific World Journal |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2001.294 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832565191528677376 |
|---|---|
| author | Henry Lin Rebecca Cook Byron Shaw |
| author_facet | Henry Lin Rebecca Cook Byron Shaw |
| author_sort | Henry Lin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We examined the use of stream baseflow water quality as a representative measure of mean ground water quality in the Tomorrow-Waupaca Watershed in central Wisconsin and the relationship between agricultural land use and watershed water quality. From 1997 to 1999, 38 stream sites were sampled for nitrate during winter and summer baseflow conditions. Some sites have been sampled during winter baseflow conditions since 1994. The land area contributing ground water to each stream sampling site was delineated, resulting in 38 sub-basins. In addition, over 3500 test results from private wells in the watershed were compiled and mapped using a Geographic Information System (GIS). Nitrate concentrations in stream baseflow and well waters were found to have strong positive correlation in the sub-basins of second order or higher. This indicates that stream baseflow may be valid for monitoring mean ground water quality in watersheds predominantly fed by ground water, where much of the stream nitrate is believed to originate from ground water. Analysis of seasonal variation in the stream data showed that winter nitrate concentrations were higher than summer concentrations, implying that winter stream monitoring may be more critical for the assessment of overall ground water quality in the watershed. We also found that, as the amount of agricultural land increased in each sub-basin, average nitrate concentrations in the well and stream waters also increased, suggesting a connection between agricultural land use and nitrate contamination of water resources in the watershed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b4dbee00beba435f8079ed0a6d64dc88 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1537-744X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2001-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Scientific World Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-b4dbee00beba435f8079ed0a6d64dc882025-02-03T01:09:00ZengWileyThe Scientific World Journal1537-744X2001-01-01118719310.1100/tsw.2001.294Nitrate Relationships between Stream Baseflow, Well Water, and Land Use in the Tomorrow-Waupaca WatershedHenry Lin0Rebecca Cook1Byron Shaw2Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802, USADepartment of Crop and Soil Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802, USADepartment of Crop and Soil Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802, USAWe examined the use of stream baseflow water quality as a representative measure of mean ground water quality in the Tomorrow-Waupaca Watershed in central Wisconsin and the relationship between agricultural land use and watershed water quality. From 1997 to 1999, 38 stream sites were sampled for nitrate during winter and summer baseflow conditions. Some sites have been sampled during winter baseflow conditions since 1994. The land area contributing ground water to each stream sampling site was delineated, resulting in 38 sub-basins. In addition, over 3500 test results from private wells in the watershed were compiled and mapped using a Geographic Information System (GIS). Nitrate concentrations in stream baseflow and well waters were found to have strong positive correlation in the sub-basins of second order or higher. This indicates that stream baseflow may be valid for monitoring mean ground water quality in watersheds predominantly fed by ground water, where much of the stream nitrate is believed to originate from ground water. Analysis of seasonal variation in the stream data showed that winter nitrate concentrations were higher than summer concentrations, implying that winter stream monitoring may be more critical for the assessment of overall ground water quality in the watershed. We also found that, as the amount of agricultural land increased in each sub-basin, average nitrate concentrations in the well and stream waters also increased, suggesting a connection between agricultural land use and nitrate contamination of water resources in the watershed.http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2001.294 |
| spellingShingle | Henry Lin Rebecca Cook Byron Shaw Nitrate Relationships between Stream Baseflow, Well Water, and Land Use in the Tomorrow-Waupaca Watershed The Scientific World Journal |
| title | Nitrate Relationships between Stream Baseflow, Well Water, and Land Use in the Tomorrow-Waupaca Watershed |
| title_full | Nitrate Relationships between Stream Baseflow, Well Water, and Land Use in the Tomorrow-Waupaca Watershed |
| title_fullStr | Nitrate Relationships between Stream Baseflow, Well Water, and Land Use in the Tomorrow-Waupaca Watershed |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nitrate Relationships between Stream Baseflow, Well Water, and Land Use in the Tomorrow-Waupaca Watershed |
| title_short | Nitrate Relationships between Stream Baseflow, Well Water, and Land Use in the Tomorrow-Waupaca Watershed |
| title_sort | nitrate relationships between stream baseflow well water and land use in the tomorrow waupaca watershed |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2001.294 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT henrylin nitraterelationshipsbetweenstreambaseflowwellwaterandlanduseinthetomorrowwaupacawatershed AT rebeccacook nitraterelationshipsbetweenstreambaseflowwellwaterandlanduseinthetomorrowwaupacawatershed AT byronshaw nitraterelationshipsbetweenstreambaseflowwellwaterandlanduseinthetomorrowwaupacawatershed |