Project Description
As part of an effort to address nutrient transport into the Neuse River, CSI/IMS researcher Dr. Michael Piehler and Dr. Hans Paerl investigated the nitrogen transport in forested and agricultural land in the lower Neuse River watershed. Their findings about the differences in the way these landuses behave have important implications for their management.
Pieler and Pearl developed a nitrogen mass balance from both agricultural land use as demonstrated in Open Grounds Farm, an 18,220 hectare row-crop farm growing primarily soybeans and corn and a nearby forested tract of land owned by the Weyerhauser Corporation. The N mass balances were developed by sampling stream water weekly for NH4, NO3, PO4 and TN. Automated flow-paced sampling was also used during storm events.
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..Background
When the state Environmental Management Commission (EMC) adopted the Neuse Nutrient Reduction Strategy in 1997 and 1998, multiple rules were put into place to reduce the nitrogen load by 30% from 1991-1995 levels. The Neuse River area has experienced water quality problems for over 100 years, with problems being noted in the record as early as the 1880s. Eutrophication became a significant problem in the 1970s, and the Neuse experienced large algal blooms. Attention was focused on controlling the point source discharges to the waters, and this helped to improve overall water quality over the next decades. The importance of non-point pollution inputs remained high, however, as other problems beset the waterways.
In 1995, an extremely large fish kill took place on the Neuse between New Bern and Minesott Beach. Millions of menhaden and many other fish such as flounder and croaker were killed by hypoxic (lack of oxygen) conditions only one or two meters below the surface (NCDWQ, 2002). Record rainfall contributed the large load of nutrients into the Neuse, but the concern was that these conditions could arise again. The magnitude of the fish kill convinced lawmakers and resource managers of the need to take action to restore and protect the waters of the Neuse by addressing non-point source pollution. The pollution is the result of a complex interaction of many factors—rainfall, hydrography, hydrology, temperature, land use, biological factors and chemistry— but the primary contributor was determined to be NPS.
Studies undertaken by the NC Division of Water Quality and university scientists determined that preventing eutrophication in the Neuse River depends on reducing the amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous entering the river. While banning the use of phosphate in detergent helped reduce eutrophication, other actions were necessary to achieve the needed water quality improvement.
The state Environmental Management Commission designated the Falls Lake area as nutrient sensitive waters (NSW) in 1983. The remainder of the watershed was designated as NSW in 1988, and the rules to manage this area became permanent in 1998 and 1999. The landmark Neuse River Basin Nutrient Sensitive Waters Strategy was designed as a blueprint to meet the water quality goals.
The rules enacted were designed to make mandatory gains in water quality by all types of land uses. The strategy required a 30% reduction in nitrogen load going into the system from non-point sources from 1991-1995 levels. It also mandates actions to be taken by different land user groups to control their nutrient output.
In 1995, an extremely large fish kill took place on the Neuse between New Bern and Minesott Beach. Millions of menhaden and many other fish such as flounder and croaker were killed by hypoxic (lack of oxygen) conditions only one or two meters below the surface (NCDWQ, 2002). Record rainfall contributed the large load of nutrients into the Neuse, but the concern was that these conditions could arise again. The magnitude of the fish kill convinced lawmakers and resource managers of the need to take action to restore and protect the waters of the Neuse by addressing non-point source pollution. The pollution is the result of a complex interaction of many factors—rainfall, hydrography, hydrology, temperature, land use, biological factors and chemistry— but the primary contributor was determined to be NPS.
Studies undertaken by the NC Division of Water Quality and university scientists determined that preventing eutrophication in the Neuse River depends on reducing the amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous entering the river. While banning the use of phosphate in detergent helped reduce eutrophication, other actions were necessary to achieve the needed water quality improvement.
The state Environmental Management Commission designated the Falls Lake area as nutrient sensitive waters (NSW) in 1983. The remainder of the watershed was designated as NSW in 1988, and the rules to manage this area became permanent in 1998 and 1999. The landmark Neuse River Basin Nutrient Sensitive Waters Strategy was designed as a blueprint to meet the water quality goals.
The rules enacted were designed to make mandatory gains in water quality by all types of land uses. The strategy required a 30% reduction in nitrogen load going into the system from non-point sources from 1991-1995 levels. It also mandates actions to be taken by different land user groups to control their nutrient output.
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Project Articles
Project Articles
Please click on the links below for the full article.
Phytoplankton uptake of ammonium,nitrate and urea in the Neuse River Estuary,NC,USA
Luke J.Twomey, Michael F.Piehler & Hans W.Paerl
Uptake rates of ammonium,nitrate and urea were measured during the spring,summer and autumn (2001) in the eutrophic,nitrogen (N)limited Neuse River Estuary (NRE),North Carolina.
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Piehler, MF, LJ Twomey, NS Hall and HW Paerl.
Impacts of inorganic nutrient enrichment on the phytoplankton community structure and function in Pamlico Sound, NC, USA