Annual Grant Competition
Request for Research Proposals Fiscal Year 2017
The Water Resources Center (WRC) is pleased to announce its annual grant competition for fiscal 2017. This competition is supported with funding authorized by Section 104(b) of the federal Water Resources Research Act. As Minnesota’s designated Water Resources Research Institute, the WRC manages funds for statewide research grants provided by Congressional appropriation through the US Geological Survey (USGS). Additional funds for the competition may be provided from the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, through allocations to support research addressing agricultural impacts on water quality.
Full Request for Proposals and instructions (pdf.)
Antibiotic Losses in Runoff and Drainage from Manure-applied Fields
Antibiotic Losses in Runoff and Drainage from Manure-applied Fields
Principal Investigator: Satish Gupta, Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate
Additional Staff: Ashok Singh, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory; Kuldip Kumar, Anita Thompson, and David Thoma, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104G National Grants Competition
September 2001 - September 2003
The objective of this research is to quantify the effects of liquid swine manure application on antibiotic and nutrient (N and P) losses via surface runoff and subsurface drainage under a conventional (moldboard plowing) and a conservation (chisel plowing) tillage system. The field experiment is set up at the University of Minnesota Southwest Research and Outreach Center, Lamberton, Minnesota.
Characterizing the Fate of Nitrogen Feriltilizer to Improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Irrigated Potato Production
Characterizing the Fate of Nitrogen Feriltilizer to Improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Irrigated Potato Production
Carl Rosen, Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate; Michael Russelle, Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate; and Satish Gupta, Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 1999 - February 2000
Potato crops in central Minnesota are highly dependent upon nitrogen fertilizers. These fertilizers are highly soluble, and nitrate leaching into the groundwater is high. Carl Rosen, Michael Russelle, and Satish Gupta were awarded a grant to evaluate the efficiency of urea-based POC N fertilizers in reducing nitrate, to increase tuber yield and quality in a glacial outwash soil under irrigated potato production in central Minnesota, and to determine the fate and recovery of N from POC urea in comparison to conventional urea fertilizers using the 15N-enrichment method.
Estrogens and Estrogenic Activity in Swine Manure
Estrogens and Estrogenic Activity in Swine Manure
Kuldip Kumar, Research Associate, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, Satish Gupta, Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, and Ashok K. Singh, Associate Professor, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2005 - February 2006
Conference Proceedings
Kumar, K., S. Gupta, A. Singh, S.C. Gupta, Y. Chander, L. Hundal, A. Cox, and T. Granato. 2006. Occurance of Estrogenic Compounds in Manures and Biosolids. Invited Paper at the Special Symposium on Emerging Contaminants and Land−applied Biosolids and Manures: State of the Science and regulatory implications. ASA−CSSA−SSSA International Annual Meetings. November 12−16, 2006.
Kumar, K. S. Gupta, A.K. Singh, S.C. Gupta, and Y. Chander. 2006. Estrogens in Swine Manure. Minnesota Water 2006 and Annual Water Resources Joint Conference Oral Presentation. October 24−25, 2006, Brooklyn Center, MN.
Estrogen hormones are one of many emerging contaminants that are attracting public attention because at low concentrations these pollutants can adversely affect the reproductive biology of vertebrate species such as fish, turtles, frogs, wild animals, and humans. One source of these contaminants to water bodies is from runoff from manure-applied field. The potential impact of these chemicals present in manure on the quality of surface and ground waters, and aquatic ecosystems remains to be elucidated. However, as a start, there is a lack of research data on the scope of estrogen levels, especially conjugated estrogens and their estrogenic activity in various types of manure. Minnesota ranks third in hog production in the United States with 6.4 million pigs. This is the equivalent of 9.1 million tons of manure production annually. The goal of this research is to quantify the levels of various forms of estrogens and their activity in various types of swine waste facilities in Minnesota. This would provide a baseline data base in the extent of estrogen levels in swine manure and how these levels and the estrogenic activity varies with age of pigs, different production style (farrow-to-feeder; feeder-to-finish; and farrow-to-finish), different waste management plans (open lagoons vs covered lagoons; aerobic vs. anaerobic lagoons) and seasons (spring, summer, fall/winter). To be successful in protecting the water quality in Minnesota lakes, rivers, and aquifers, risk identification and assessment need to precede mitigation plans. Thus, this project will provide the baseline data for estrogen levels and estrogenic activity in various swine facilities in Minnesota. This research is relevant to the concern of public health and ecological impact. The data generated in this study will be useful to state and federal agencies for environmental risk assessment.
Evaluation of Bank Erosion Inputs to the Blue Earth River with Airborne Laser Scanner
Evaluation of Bank Erosion Inputs to the Blue Earth River with Airborne Laser Scanner
Principal Investigators: Satish Gupta, Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate; Marvin Bauer, Professor, Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota
Additional Staff: David Thoma, Ph.D. student, Water Resources Science Program, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2000 - February 2001
Development of effective pollution management practices requires knowing what pollution sources are the largest contributors. Sediment and nutrient pollution in the Minnesota River result from a variety of sources, including upland erosion from agricultural areas and stream bank collapse. The relative contributions from these sources, however, are not well understood. Satish Gupta, Marvin Bauer, and David Thoma were been awarded a grant to determine how accurately airborne scanning laser altimetry can measure stream bank mass failure rates and phosphorus inputs on the Blue Earth River, a tributary to the Minnesota River. If results are favorable, this technology will be an important tool for resource managers to determine which projects have the greatest potential for pollution abatement and to assess the effectiveness of current control efforts.
Feasibility of Controlled Drainage for Mitigating Nutrient Loss from Tile Drainage Systems in South-central Minnesota
Feasibility of Controlled Drainage for Mitigating Nutrient Loss from Tile Drainage Systems in South-central Minnesota
Principal Investigators: Gary Sands, Assistant Professor, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering; David Mulla, Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate; Lowell Busman, Extension educator, WRC, and Steven Taff
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 1999 - February 2001
Recent data suggest that the Upper Mississippi River Basin contributes more than one-half of the total nitrate-N load in the entire Mississippi while contributing less than one-fourth of the total water. Intensive row crop production that is dependent on artificial drainage systems is the leading contributor to nitrate load. In order to reduce nutrient loadings into the Mississippi, it is imperative that strategies be developed to mitigate the effects of these drainage systems. Gary Sands, David Mulla, and Lowell Busman, were awarded a grant to develop a facility for controlled drainage research and demonstration and provide an initial assessment of the controlled drainage’s feasibility in south central Minnesota.
In-situ Measurement of Denitrification in Agricultural Streams
In-situ Measurement of Denitrification in Agricultural Streams
Principal Investigators: Patrick Brezonik, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota; and L. K. Hatch, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Macalester College
Additional Staff: B. O’Connor, Research Assistant, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104G National Competitive Grants Program
September 2000 - August 2002
Nitrate contamination of ground water and streams is common in landscapes dominated by agricultural activities. Associated impacts of this pollution range from local violations of drinking water standards designed to prevent methemoglobinemia to national concerns (e.g., Gulf of Mexico hypoxia). Significant quantities of nitrate are exported from agricultural lands through drainage ditches and low-order natural streams, but our understanding of nitrogen transport and transformation in these agricultural streams is far from complete. Denitrification may be an important mechanism for nitrate removal in these streams, and this would mitigate water quality and health hazards downstream. Several methods can be used to measure denitrification, but the most common ones involve laboratory experiments with sediment cores, where conditions are not conducive to obtaining in situ rates. Our research is comparing several methods used to assess in situ denitrification rates in agricultural streams and evaluating their accuracy. We also are evaluating how variations in key environmental factors may affect the importance of this process as a nitrogen sink.
Investigation of the Abiotic Reduction of the Herbicides Trifluralin and Pendimethalin
Investigation of the Abiotic Reduction of the Herbicides Trifluralin and Pendimethalin
Principal Investigator: William Arnold, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2000 - February 2001
Trifluralin and pendimethalin are dinitroaniline herbicides commonly used in Minnesota for agricultural purposes. As a result, low concentrations of both herbicides have been detected as contaminants in groundwater, surface water, and air. The EPA classifies them as persistent-bioaccumulative toxins, but their environmental impact and potential threat to public health are not well understood. To investigate their fate in groundwater, William Arnold, assistant professor, Department of Civil Engineering, was awarded a grant to evaluate the potential role of abiotic reduction as a sink for these compounds under a variety of groundwater conditions. He also will identify transformation products resulting from such reactions so that the potential environmental and human health effects of these compounds on the environment can be better understood.
Runoff Water Quality and Crop Response to Variable Manure Application Rate
Runoff Water Quality and Crop Response to Variable Manure Application Rate
Principal Investigators: Neil Hansen, Assistant Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate; and Sagar Goyal, Professor, Department of Veterinary Diagnostic Medicine
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2000 - February 2001
Incorrectly applied manure can lead to water quality problems such as reduced oxygen levels and high levels of fecal coliform bacteria. Studies have shown that applying manure at rates based on the crop requirements for nitrogen can improve infiltration and reduce runoff. Applying manure at phosphorus-based rates, which are lower than nitrogen-based rates, may improve water quality, but has yet to be investigated. Neil Hanson and Sagal Goyal were awarded a grant to evaluate the effects of applying manure at various phosphorus-based rates on soil hydraulic properties, the loss of nutrients in surface runoff, the presence of pathogens in runoff water, and crop production.
The Influence of Drainage on Biogeochemical Cycling of Carbon in Agricultural Ecosystems
The Influence of Drainage on Biogeochemical Cycling of Carbon in Agricultural Ecosystems
Principal Investigators: Jennifer King, Assistant Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate; Jacques Finlay, Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; David Mulla, Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate University of Minnesota
Additional Staff: Brent Dalzell, Post-Doctorial Researcher, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2007 - February 2008
Conference Proceedings
Dalzell, B.J. 2008. Climate change as a factor in export of dissolved organic matter from agricultural watersheds. Invited Oral Presentation. Global Climate Change and Agriculture: Interactions, Land−Use Patterns, and Educational Connections Symposium, 93rd Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America. August 3−8, 2008. Milwaukee, WI.
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in streams represents the biogeochemical transition between upland source and its fate via burial in sediments or respiration as CO2 in the atmosphere. The ultimate fate DOM is determined by qualitative characteristics of DOM which are controlled by processes such as microbial and fungal degradation in soils and its selective transport through soil mineral phases. The role of selective transport is especially likely to influence the quality of DOM in agricultural ecosystems owing to the predominance of drainage ditches and subsurface tile drainage systems which are employed to reduce uncertainty and improve yield in row crop agriculture. Agricultural land use represents over 60% of land cover in the Mississippi River Basin, yet our understanding of landscape-scale controls of dissolved organic carbon export is generally limited to historic (pre-settlement) land cover patterns. The abundance and quality of DOM in agricultural waterways can also influence water quality by affecting denitrification rates. While the effects of improved drainage practices are relatively well-understood with respect to export of non-point source pollutants such as nitrate, phosphorous, and sediment, their influence on biogeochemical cycling of carbon and its interaction with water quality is poorly understood.
Our long term objective is to understand and quantify how artificial drainage influences environmental quality and the biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous, which are increasingly impacted by human activities. The objective of this study is to understand how different spacing and depths of agricultural tile drainage systems affect the nature and extent of organic carbon export. This research is critical for understanding how past and future land use changes influence biogeochemistry at the landscape scale. Our proposed study will investigate how subsurface tile drainage practices affect biogeochemical cycling of carbon and will address the relative lack of understanding of DOM dynamics at the field scale. We propose to address two primary objectives:
Objective 1: Determine the effect of depth and spacing of subsurface tile drainage in agricultural ecosystems on the magnitude of dissolved organic carbon export. Our working hypothesis is that increased tile drainage intensity will increase dissolved organic carbon fluxes mainly through control of water discharge.
Objective 2: Determine the influence of subsurface tile drainage systems on qualitative characteristics of DOM that will, in turn, affect the fate of DOM. Our working hypothesis is that DOM exported from systems with deeper drainage will exhibit lower molecular weight that drainage which followed a shallower flow path. We also expect that DOM in drainage will become less bioavailable with increasing contact time with mineral soil (e.g. deeper drainage).
Results of this research will enable us to identify how agricultural drainage influences the quality and quality of DOM export. Knowledge of how subsurface tile drainage systems influence the export of DOM is critical for understanding the role that agricultural ecosystems play in biogeochemical carbon cycling in agricultural landscapes. This knowledge of carbon cycling dynamics is also essential for understanding the movement of nitrogen across the landscape, due to the tight coupling of carbon and nitrogen cycling.
Water Quality Monitoring Strategy Based on Agroecoregion Boundaries in the Minnesota River Basin
Water Quality Monitoring Strategy Based on Agroecoregion Boundaries in the Minnesota River Basin
Principal Investigator: David J. Mulla, Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2005 - February 2006
- To measure the export of nutrients and sediment in minor watersheds across three different agroecoregions (Rolling Morraine, Wetter Blue Earth Till, Wetter Clays and Silts) making up the Blue Earth, Le Sueur, and Watonwan watersheds of south central Minnesota.
- To evaluate the variability in export of nutrients and sediment in minor watershed within three agroecoregions (Rolling Morraine, Wetter Blue Earth Till, Wetter Clays and Silts) of south central Minnesota.
The project hypothesized that water quality impairment is primarily driven by factors accounted for by agroecoregion boundaries, including major cropping system types, slope steepness, soil internal drainage, and mean annual precipitation. Within agroecoregion boundaries, at the scale of minor watersheds (watersheds encompassed by an 8-digit HUC), water quality impairment will vary primarily in response to the spatial variability in slope steepness, and density of animal units in feedlots. We hypothesize that the variability in water quality is greater for minor watersheds across different agroecoregions than for minor watersheds within agroecoregions.
The Role of Local Stakeholders in Water Resource Management: Characterization & Diffusion of MN Lake Improvement Districts
The Role of Local Stakeholders in Water Resource Management: Characterization & Diffusion of MN Lake Improvement Districts
Principal Investigator: Dennis Becker, Assistant Professor, Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2007 - February 2008
Conference Proceedings
Steiger-Meister, K. 2009. The Drama of the Commons and its Impact on Adaptive Management: A Social Science Perspective on the Slippery Nature of Water Policy. Oral Presentation. American Water Resources Association Specialty Conference: Adaptive Management of Water Resources II, June 29 – July 1, 2009, Snowbird, UT.
Steiger-Meister, K. 2009. Minnesota’s Lake Improvement Districts. Lakes and Rivers Conference hosted by Minnesota Waters, May 6-9, 2009. Rochester, MN.
Steiger-Meister, K. 2008. When ripples become waves: Building synergy among local stakeholders to affect top-down water policy. 14th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management (ISSRM), June 10-14, 2008, University of Vermont in Burlington, VT.
According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, as of 2006 there were 1,013 lakes listed as impaired waters, up from 920 in 2004. A large number are impacted by human development, recreation, and pollution leading to unsafe conditions for swimming or fishing, excessive algal blooms, and high levels of mercury transferred throughout the food chain. Despite progress since passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972, more MN lakes are contaminates than at any time in history. Because they are an integral part of community economies and lifestyle of MN citizens, alternative methods of management solutions are required that capitalize on existing planning efforts and initiatives. The development of policy tools to enable and facilitate management actions at the local level is paramount. The research seeks to assess the effectiveness of existing MN programs that empower citizens to affect water quality solutions in the places they live. IN particular, the research will assess use and diffusion of Lake Improvement Districts (LIDs), where local units of government organized to enhance water quality by securing grants and taxing landowners to support mitigation activities within a lake district. Diffusion of the LID program has been slow in MN. Only 24 have been created since 1976, compared to more than 200 in Wisconsin. The research will characterize existing LIDs including funds secured, staff resources, partnerships formed, and accomplishments relative to state priorities. We will identify barriers to diffusion and effective utilization of similar forms of stakeholder engagement in resource management to affect water quality. Finally, we will explore the role of stakeholder engagement in resource management activities focusing on how state programs can better facilitate on-the-ground accomplishments. Recommendations for incorporating stakeholder initiatives into statewide management activities and policy development will be provided. The cumulative impact of such could dramatically decrease the number of impaired waters in Minnesota.
Effects of Endocrine Disrupters from St. Paul Sewage Treatment Plant on Sperm Viability and Testicular Development in Fish
Effects of Endocrine Disrupters from St. Paul Sewage Treatment Plant on Sperm Viability and Testicular Development in Fish
Principal Investigators: Peter Sorensen, Professor, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology; Heiko Schoenfuss, Research Associate, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology; Ira Adelman, Professor and Head, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology; and Deborah L. Swackhamer, Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 1998 - February 2001
The objective of this study is to determine whether fish exposed to compounds found in the effluent of the St. Paul (Minnesota) Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) experience sex reversal and suffer from reduced sperm viability as a result of exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs).
Schoenfuss, H. L., J. T. Levitt, G. Van Der Kraak, and P. W. Sorensen. 2002. Ten week exposure to treated sewage effluent discharge has small, variable effects on reproductive behavior and sperm production in goldfish. Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry 21 (10): 2185-2190.
Choenfuss, H.L., D. Martinovic, and P.W. Sorensen. 2001. Effects of exposure to low levels of water-borne 17b-estradiol on nest holding ability and sperm quality in fathead minnows. Water Resources Update 120: 49-55.
The objective of this study is to determine whether fish exposed to compounds found in the effluent of the St. Paul (Minnesota) Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) experience sex reversal and suffer from reduced sperm viability as a result of exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). This study was part of a larger effort to identify the effects of endocrine disrupters on the reproductive health of fish populations. EDCs are man-made or naturally occurring compounds that are found in the environment and disrupt hormonal pathways causing harm to the exposed organisms or their offspring.
Conference Proceedings
Martinovic, D.,P.W. Sorensen and H.L. Schoenfuss. 2003. Low levels of water-borne estrogen suppress androgen levels and the ability to male fathead minnow to reproduce in the competitive spawning scenario. In: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Pharmaceuticals and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals In Water, R. Masters (ed.), Minneapolis, MN, March 19-21, 2003, pp. 125-133.
Levitt, J. T., H. L. Schoenfuss, I. R. Adelman. 2001. Possible Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds on Walleye, Stizostedion vitreum, near the Metro Sewage Treatment Plant, Saint Paul, MN. Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Pharmaceutics and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Water, D. Guth (ed.), Minneapolis, MN, October 9-11, 2001, pp. 191-202.
Schoenfuss, H.L. 2003.The need for novel approaches in assessing the biological impact of biologically active compounds. In: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Pharmaceuticals and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals In Water, R. Masters (ed.), Minneapolis, MN, March 19-21, 2003, pp. 103-121.
Characterization of Nitrifying Bacterial Populations in Wastewater Treatment Plants
Characterization of Nitrifying Bacterial Populations in Wastewater Treatment Plants
Principal Investigator: Timothy LaPara, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2002 - February 2004
Excessive nitrogen loading to the Mississippi River basin has been recently linked to the development of large hypoxic zone in the northern Gulf of Mexico. As a result, there is renewed interest in achieving complete nitrogen removal from municipal and industrial wastewater. One of the most critical challenges that must be addressed before complete nitrogen removal can be consistently achieved is to reduce and eliminate upsets in the nitrification process. Nitrifying bacteria are well known to be susceptible to numerous factors such as temperature, pH, and toxic compounds. One of the problems with eliminating nitrification upsets is that there is virtually a complete lack of knowledge regarding the community dynamics of nitrifying bacteria. The research will track both nitrifier community structure and total biomass at a municipal wastewater treatment facility for a period of one year. This research will identify the specific nitrifying bacteria that are associated with excellent nitrification efficiency, thereby leading towards the development of specific operational strategies to promote the growth of these nitrifying bacteria. In summary, this research will be an important step in reducing the total nitrogen loading to the Mississippi River basin and northern Gulf of Mexico.
Enhanced Degradation of Stormwater Petrochemicals within the Rhizosphere of Raingarden Bioretention Cells
Enhanced Degradation of Stormwater Petrochemicals within the Rhizosphere of Raingarden Bioretention Cells
Principal Investigator: Paige Novak, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2008 - February 2009
Conference Proceedings
Hozalski, R., G.LeFevre, J. Gulliver. Assessment of the Stormwater Infiltration and Pollutant Removal Capacities of Rain Gardens. EWRI/ASCE Thailand 09: An International Perspective on Environmental and Water Resources, January 5−7, 2009, Bangkok, Thailand.
Nelson, D. and P. Novak. 2007. Fermentation as a Method to Enhance Dissolution of Hydrophobic Compound. Poster Presentation. Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors Interactions at the Interface Conference July 28 – August 1, 2007, Blacksburg, VA.
Other Publications
Weiss, P., G. LeFevre, J. Gulliver. June 23, 2008. Contamination of Soil and Groundwater Due to Stormwater Infiltration Practices: A Literature Review. University of Minnesota, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory Project Report No. 515.
Traditional approaches to stormwater management, such as curb and gutter, fail to provide infiltration or water quality improvements and can act as conduits for pollutants. More municipalities and developers are turning to Low Impact Development (LID), which promotes on-site infiltration as alternative stormwater management approaches. Rain gardens (small, on-site, vegetated depressions to which runoff is directed) as a popular Best Management Practice (BMP) for urban stormwater quality. However, there is concern that contaminants present in the runoff may accumulate and cause pollution of soil or groundwater. Little research has been done to examine the fate of hydrocarbons in alternative stormwater systems or to understand rain gardens as a pollution control device. In order to truly be effective as a pollution control BMP, a rain garden must not only trap and detain, but degrade petrochemicals routed to them. Because most rain gardens are vegetated, It is also vital to understand the role of plants in pollution control applications of rain gardens.
We propose to create simulated rain garden systems in columns and analyze the fate of benzene and toluene (gasoline components), and to determine what effects varying vegetation have upon the degradation capacity of these hydrocarbons. It is our hypothesis that legumes, which posses an enhanced microbial community in the rhizosphere of their roots, will facilitate an environment leading to greater biodegradation of these compounds.
Photochemical Fate of Pharmaceutical Compounds Discharged and Detected in Natural Waters
Photochemical Fate of Pharmaceutical Compounds Discharged and Detected in Natural Waters
Principal Investigators: William Arnold, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering; K. McNeill, Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota
Additional Staff: J. L. Packer, Research Assistant, Department of Civil Engineering; D. E. Latch, and A. L. Boreen, Research Assistants, Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104G National Grants Competition
September 2001 - August 2003
Recent studies have detected numerous pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in US surface waters. The potential environmental impact of these chemicals will be dictated by their persistence in the environment and the biological activity of any degradation products. One potential loss process for pharmaceuticals and personal care products is photodegradation. In this work, the direct photolysis and indirect photolysis (hydroxyl radical mediated and singlet oxygen mediated) of selected PPCPs was investigated. To date, the fate of the antacids cimetidine and ranitidine hydrochloride and the antimicrobial compounds triclosan and chlorophene have been studied. All the compounds studied react with hydroxyl radical at nearly diffusion limited rates, but given the low concentration of hydroxyl radical in natural waters, other processes appear to be more important. The heterocyclic groups in cimetidine and ranitidine hydrochloride are susceptible to attack by singlet oxygen. Ranitidine hydrochloride is subject to direct photolysis while cimetidine is not. Direct photolysis occurs rapidly for triclosan and chlorophene when these compounds are present in the deprotonated phenolate form. These compounds also react with singlet oxygen, but preliminary results indicate that direct photolysis is the dominant photo-initiated loss process. The direct photolysis of triclosan at pH >8.0 leads to the formation of 2,8-dichlorodibenzodioxin in yields ranging from 1-10%. This result underscores the importance of identifying the transformation products and not just the degradation rates. (Findings from this research were featured in the Minneapolis Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press on April 14, 2003.)
Photochemistry of Antibiotics and Estrogens in Surface Water: Persistence and Potency
Photochemistry of Antibiotics and Estrogens in Surface Water: Persistence and Potency
Principal Investigators: Kristopher McNeill, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, William Arnold, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, and Deborah L Swackhamer, Professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Co-Director of the Water Resources Center, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104G National Grants Competition
September 2003 - August 2005
Books and Book Chapters
Arnold, W. A., and K. McNeill. 2007. Transformation of pharmaceuticals in the environment: Photolysis and other abiotic processes In M. Petrovic and D. Barcelo, Eds. Analysis, Fate and Removal of Pharmaceuticals in the Water Cycle, Volume 50. Amsterdam, Netherlands, Elsevier Science. 600 pp.
Refereed Scientific Journal Articles
Werner, J. J., K. H. Wammer, M. Chintapalli, W. A. Arnold, and K. McNeill. 2007. Environmental photochemistry of tylosin: efficient, reversible photoisomerization to a less−active isomer, followed by photolysis. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(17): 7062−7068.
Werner, J.J., W.A. Arnold., and K. McNeill. 2006. Water Hardness as a Photochemical Parameter: Tetracycline Photolysis as a Function of Calcium Concentration, Magnesium Concentration, and pH.Environmental Science & Technology 40: 7236−7241.
Edhlund, B. L., W. A. Arnold, and K. McNeill. 2006. Aquatic Photochemistry of Nitrofuran Antibiotics, Environmental Science & Technology 40: 5422−5427.
Wammer, K. H., T. M. LaPara, and K. McNeill, W. A. Arnold, D. L. Swackhamer. 2006. Changes in Antibacterial Activity of Triclosan and Sulfa Drugs due to Photochemical Transformations. Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry, 25: 1480−1486.
Boreen, A. L., W. A. Arnold, and K. McNeill. 2005. Triplet−sensitized photodegradation of sulfa drugs containing six−membered heterocyclic groups: Identification of an SO2 extrusion photoproduct,Environmental Science & Technology 39: 3630−3638.
Werner, J.J., K. McNeill, and W. A. Arnold. 2005. Environmental photodegradation of mefenamic acid. Chemosphere 58: 1339−1346.
Latch, D. E., J. L. Packer, B. L. Stender, J. VanOverbeke, W. A. Arnold and K. McNeill. 2005. Aqueous photochemistry of triclosan: Formation of 2,4−dichlorophenol, 2,8−dichlorodibenzo−p−dioxin and oligomerization products,Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry. 24(3): 517−525.
Boreen, A. L., W. A. Arnold and K. McNeill. 2004. Photochemical fate of sulfa drugs in the aquatic environment: Sulfa drugs containing five−membered heterocyclic groups,Environmental Science & Technology, 38: 3933−3940
Theses and Dissertations
Latch D. E. 2005. Environmental photochemistry: Studies on the degradation of pharmaceutical pollutants and the microheterogeneous distribution of singlet oxygen. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 2005, 256 pp.
Boreen, A. L. 2006. Enhanced photolysis in natural waters: naturally occurring sensitizers and substrates and application to the fate of aquatic pollutants. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 263 pp.
Werner, J. J. 2006. The environmental photochemistry of pharmaceutical compounds in aqueous solution and on a clay surface. Ph.D. Dissertation, Graduate Program in Water Resources Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 119 pp.
Conference Proceedings
Werner, J.J., W. A. Arnold, K. McNeill. 2006. Environmental photochemistry of the antibiotic compound tetracycline: dependence on acid−base and metal binding speciation. Paper presented at the Minnesota Water 2005 and Annual Water Resources Joint Conference, Brooklyn Center, MN, October 25−26, 2006.
Werner, J.J., W.A. Arnold, K. McNeill. 2006. The environmental photochemical kinetics of tetracycline as a function of pH and water hardness. Presented in Environmental Chemistry Awards, Environmental Chemistry Division, American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September, 2006.
Edhlund, B.L., W.A. Arnold, K. McNeill. 2006. Aquatic Photochemistry of Nitrofuran Antibiotics. Poster Presentation. Environmental Sciences: Water Gordon Research Conference, Plymouth, NH, June 25−June 30, 2006.
Arnold, W.A. and H. Dolliver. 2006. Pharmaceuticals in Groundwater: Fate, Transport, and Effects. Minnesota Groundwater Spring 2006 Conference, St. Paul, MN, April 12, 2006.
Werner, J.J., and K. McNeill. 2005. Water Hardness as a Critical Photochemical Parameter: The Case of Tetracycline Antibiotics, Pacifichem 2005 Congress,Symposium on Environmental Contaminants of Emerging Concern: Anticipating, Understanding and Intercepting Future Environmental Crises, Honolulu, HI, December 15, 2005.
Edhlund B.L., W.A. Arnold, K. McNeill. 2005. Aquatic Photochemistry of Nitrofuran Antibiotics. Poster Presentation. Minnesota ACS Meeting, St. Paul, MN, November 2005.
Edhlund, B.L., W.A. Arnold, K. McNeill. 2005. Aquatic Photochemistry of Nitrofuran Antibiotics. Poster Presentation. Minnesota Water 2005 and Annual Water Resources Joint Conference, Brooklyn Center, MN, October 2005.
Edhlund, B.L., W.A. Arnold, K. McNeill. 2005. Aquatic Photochemistry of Nitrofuran Antibiotics. Poster Presentation. ENVR, 230th ACS National Meeting, Washington, DC, August 2005.
McNeill, K. 2005. Photochemical approaches to environmental pharmaceutical pollutants, American Chemical Society ACS National Meeting Symposium: Strategies and Molecular Mechanisms of Contaminant Degradation Chemistry,Washington, D.C., August 28−Sept. 1, 2005.
Werner, J.J., K. McNeill, W.A. Arnold. 2004. Speciation−dependent photochemistry of tetracycline antibiotics: acid−base speciation and metal−binding effects. Oral Presentation. Midwest Environmental Chemistry Workshop, Madison, WI, October 16−17, 2004.
McNeill, K., W.A. Arnold. 2004. Contribution of photochemistry to the fate of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in surface waters. Oral Presentation. ENVR, Presented at the special symposium on Environmental aspects of pharmaceuticals and personal care products at the 228th ACS National Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, August 2004.
Boreen, A.L., W.A. Arnold, K. McNeill. 2004. Photochemical fate of sulfa drugs in the aquatic environment. Oral Presentation. ENVR, Presented at the special symposium on Environmental aspects of pharmaceuticals and personal care products at the 228th ACS National Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, August 2004.
Wammer, K.H., K. McNeill, T.M. LaPara, W.A. Arnold, D.L. Swackhamer. 2004. Changes in potency of antibacterials in the environment due to photochemical transformations. Poster Presentation. ENVR, Presented at the special symposium on Environmental aspects of pharmaceuticals and personal care products at the 228th ACS National Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, August 2004.
Werner, J.J., K. McNeill, W.A. Arnold. 2004. Kinetics of the environmental photodegradation of mefenamic acid. Poster Presentation. ENVR, Presented at the special symposium on Environmental aspects of pharmaceuticals and personal care products at the 228th ACS National Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, August 2004.
Arnold, W.A., J.J. Werner, K. McNeill. 2004. Kinetics of the environmental photodegradation of mefenamic acid. Poster Presentation. Environmental Sciences: Water Gordon Research Conference, Plymouth, NH, June 27−July 2, 2004.
McNeill, K. 2004. Photochemical fate of pharmaceutical pollutants. Gordon Research Conference, Environmental Sciences: Water, June 27−July 2, 2004.
Wammer, K.H., D.L. Swackhamer, W.A. Arnold, K. McNeill. 2004. Photochemical transformations of antibacterial compounds. Poster Presentation. Environmental Sciences: Water Gordon Research Conference, Plymouth, NH, June 27−July 2, 2004.
Boreen, A.L., W.A. Arnold, K. McNeill. 2004. Photochemical fate of pharmaceuticals in the environment: Sulfa drugs. Oral Presentation. 9th Biennial MN Water Conference, Minneapolis, MN, March 23, 2004.
Werner, J.J., K. McNeill, W.A. Arnold. 2004. Photochemical fate of pharmaceuticals in the environment. Poster Presentation. 9th Biennial MN Water Conference, Minneapolis, MN, March 23, 2004.
Other Publications
Werner, J.J., A.L. Boreen, B. Edhlund, K.H. Wammer, E. Matzen, K. McNeill, W.A. Arnold. 2005. Photochemical transformation of antibiotics in Minnesota waters, CURA Reporter 35(2): 1−5.
Other Presentations
Edhlund, B.L., W.A. Arnold, K. McNeill. 2006. Aquatic Photochemistry of Nitrofuran Antibiotics. Celebrating Women Chemists Luncheon, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, February, 2006.
McNeill, K. 2006. Phototransformation Reactions of Antibiotic Pollutants, Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy Symposium on Degradation and Treatment of Pharmaceuticals in the Environment, Orlando, FL, March 12−17, 2006.
McNeill, K. 2005. Photosensitized reactions in natural waters: Implications for pollutant degradation and the carbon cycle, University of Minnesota−Morris, Department of Chemistry, October 27, 2005.
McNeill, K. 2005. Photosensitized reactions in natural waters: Implications for pollutant degradation and the carbon cycle, University of Minnesota, Department of Chemistry, September 20, 2005.
McNeill, K. 2005. Photo−generated Reactive Species and the Degradation of Pharmaceutical Pollutants, Stanford University, Civil and Environmental Engineering Student Seminar Series, May 20, 2005.
McNeill, K. 2005. Mechanistic Environmental Chemistry: Photo−generated Reactive Species and Pollutant Degradation, Cornell University, Department of Chemistry, March 7, 2005.
McNeill, K. 2005. Mechanistic Environmental Chemistry: Photo−generated Reactive Species and Pollutant Degradation, University of Rochester, Department of Chemistry, March 4, 2005.
McNeill, K. 2005. Mechanistic Environmental Chemistry: Photo−generated Reactive Species and Pollutant Degradation, University of California, Berkeley,Department of Chemistry, February 25, 2005.
McNeill, K. 2005. Mechanistic Environmental Chemistry: Photo−generated Reactive Species and Pollutant Degradation, Northwestern University, Department of Chemistry, February 18, 2005.
McNeill, K. 2004. Mechanistic Environmental Chemistry: Photo−generated Reactive Species and Pollutant Degradation, 3M, November 12, 2004.
Boreen, A.L., W.A. Arnold, K. McNeill. 2004. Photochemical fate of sulfa drugs in the aquatic environment. Physics and Chemistry Colloquium, Concordia College, Moorhead, MN, November, 2004.
Boreen, A.L., W.A. Arnold, K. McNeill. 2004. Photochemical fate of sulfa drugs in the aquatic environment. Celebrating Women Chemists Luncheon, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, September, 2004.
Antibiotics and estrogens are two classes of wastewater contaminants that have been detected in US surface waters. The potentially adverse effects of these pollutants on water quality are unknown, but will be determined in part by their persistence. The proposed study will assess the effectiveness OD photochemical reactions initiated by sunlight to degrade different classes of antibiotics and estrogens and to modulate their biological activity. Specifically, the goals of this proposal are to determine the importance of photolysis as a loss process for a representative set of antibiotics and estrogens, to assess changes in the antibiotic activity and estrogenicity that occur during photolysis, and to identify the major reaction products and photolysis pathways involved. These goals will be achieved through laboratory kinetic studies, antibiotic activity and estrogenicity assays, as well as product identification through spectroscopic methods, isolation and independent synthesis. The results of this work will provide the scientific basis for informed decisions regarding antibiotic and estrogen pollution and the stewardship of our freshwater resources. The potential recipients of the benefits of this research include state and federal regulatory agencies, utilities responsible for water treatment operations, researchers focusing on treatment processes and toxicologists interested in potential biological effects of these compounds and their impacts on ecosystems.
A Rapid Bioassessment Approach for Integrating Biological Data into TMDL Development for Organic Enrichment of streams
A Rapid Bioassessment Approach for Integrating Biological Data into TMDL Development for Organic Enrichment of streams
Principal Investigator: Leonard Ferrington Jr., Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2005 - February 2006
Section 303d of the Clean Water Act focuses on ambient water quality standards, requires states
- to identify surface waters not meeting ambient water quality standards appropriate for their designated use categories, and
- to define the pollutants and their sources that are responsible for non-attainment od the ambient water quality standards.
Section 303d further requires states to establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) for pollutants impairing surface waters and to develop strategies for reducing both point and non-point sources of the pollutants in order for non-attaining water bodies to meet ambient water quality standards.
Biological data are typically integrates into the above process at the front-end input, being used
- to assist in development of designated use categories and
- in monitoring efforts to ensure that ambient water quality standards are met.
However, prediction of biological responses that are likely to result from implementation of TMDL plans is not a fundamental element of the TMDL process. In a recent overview of the TMDL approach to water quality management requested by the US Congress, the National Research Council made several recommendations for integration of biological data into the TMDL process. Among the recommendations, the report states EPA should promote the development of models that can more effectively link environmental stressors (and control actions) to biological responses. Monitoring and data collection programs need to be coordinates with anticipated water quality and TMDL monitoring requirements. This proposal is to employ a newly tested rapid bioassessment technique developed for assessing organic enrichment in urban areas of Minneapolis/Saint Paul (Minnehaha Creek) in a second watershed (Vermillion River catchment) that is undergoing rapid urban development.
Arsenic in Minnesota Groundwater and its Impact on Drinking Water Supply
Arsenic in Minnesota Groundwater and its Impact on Drinking Water Supply
Principal Investigator: Randal Barnes, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
Additional Staff: Mindy Erickson, Research Assistant, Water Resources Science Program
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2003 - February 2004
In 2001 the United States' federal drinking water standard, or Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), was decreased from 50 mg/L to 10 mg/L. Public water supplies have until January 1, 2006 to comply with the new standard. Nationwide, the change in the MCL will have significant economic impact on public water supplies that exceed the new MCL. In Minnesota alone, 67 (12%) of Minnesota's public water supplies have arsenic in excess of 10 mg/L. A recent western-Minnesota study found that over 50% of the 900 sampled private drinking water wells had arsenic over 10 mg/L. Statewide, almost 15% of wells sampled exceed 10 mg/L arsenic.
The proposed research project's key components involve creating a useful database from existing data; field work, including groundwater and solids sampling; laboratory analyses of groundwater and solids samples; and data analysis/model building to provide the following information:
- Characterization of the sampling and temporal variability of arsenic concentration in wells.
- Determination of how many samples are enough to be confident that the arsenic concentration is actually below the MCL.
- Determination of the relationship between arsenic concentration in geologic material and arsenic concentrations in water.
- Determination of likely mechanisms.
- Characterization of the changes in arsenic concentration in new wells. Specifically, determining how the well's presence changes the arsenic concentration in the water.
Assessing the Ecotoxicology of 4-nonylphenol Mixtures Across the Aquatic Food Chain
Assessing the Ecotoxicology of 4-nonylphenol Mixtures Across the Aquatic Food Chain
Principal Investigators: Heiko Schoenfuss and Matthew Julius, Assistant Professors, Department of Biological Sciences, St. Cloud State University, Kathy E. Lee US Geological Survey, Mounds View, MN, and Larry B. Barber Ph.D. Water Resources Division, US Geological Survey, Boulder, Colorado
Addtional Staff: Travis Bistodeau, Roberto Cediel, and Angela Allen, Department of Biological Sciences, St. Cloud State University
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
September 2004 - February 2006
Refereed Scientific Journal Articles
Schoenfuss, H.L., S. E. Bartell, T. B. Bistodeau, R. A. Cediel, K. J. Grove, K. E. Lee, L. B. Barber. 2008. Impairment of the reproductive potential of male fathead minnows by environmentally relevant exposures to 4−nonylphenolf. Aquatic Toxicology 86(1): 91–98.
Bistodeau, T.J., L.B. Barber, S.E. Bartell, R.A. Cediel, K.J. Grove, J. Klaustermeier, J.C. Woodard, K.E. Lee and H.L. Schoenfuss. 2006. Larval exposure to environmentally relevant mixtures of alkylphenolethoxylates reduces reproductive competence in male fathead minnows. Aquatic Toxicology 79: 268−277.
Conference Proceedings
Schoenfuss, H.L., T.J. Bistodeau, and L.B. Barber. 2006. Larval exposure to environmentally relevant mixtures of alkylphenolethoxylates reduces reproductive competence in male fathead minnows. SETAC North America 27th Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, November 5−9, 2006. Abstract #333 pg. 73.
Schoenfuss, H.L. and T.J. Bistodeau. 2006. Effects of Alkylphenol Polyethoxylates AP Alone and in Mixture on Two Life Stages of the Fathead Minnow Pimephales promelas. Minnesota Water 2006 and Annual Water Resources Joint Conference, Brooklyn Center, MN, October 24−25, 2006.
Allen, A.K., T. Loes and H.L. Schoenfuss. 2006. Assessing two species of cypriniform fish for signs of endocrine disruption in a historically estrogenic wastewater outfall. Poster Presentation. 2006 Midwest SETAC Meeting, St. Cloud, MN March 20−22, 2006.
Gamble, C., A. Gikineh and M.L. Julius. 2006. The effects estradiol and nonylphenol on Melosira varians, a common tycho planktonic diatom. Oral Presentation. 2006 Midwest SETAC Meeting, St. Cloud, MN March 20−22, 2006.
Koch, J.K., M. Minger, and H.L. Schoenfuss. 2006. Education as environmental stewardship: Developing inquiry−based learning modules for high school science teachers. Poster Presentation. 2006 Midwest SETAC Meeting, St. Cloud, MN March 20−22, 2006.
Schoenfuss, H.L. and T.J. Bistodeau. 2006. Effects of alkylphenol polyethoxylates AP alone and in mixture on two life stages of the fathead minnow Pimephales promelas. Oral Presentation. 2006 Midwest SETAC Meeting, St. Cloud, MN March 20−22, 2006.
Bistodeau, T.J., Cediel, R.A., Grove, K.J., Klaustermeier, J.A. and Schoenfuss, H.L. 2005. The reproductive consequences of an environmentally relevant exposure of alkylphenol polyethoxylates on fathead minnow larvae. SETAC North America 26th Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, November 13−17, 2005. Abstract # WP022 pg. 285.
Schoenfuss H. L. 2005.Concentration dependent effects of 4−nonylphenol on male fathead minnows in a competitive reproductive assay. 2005 MN Water Conference Oral Presentation, Minneapolis, MN, October 25−26, 2005.
Schoenfuss H. L. 2005.Concentration dependent effects of 4−nonylphenol on male fathead minnows in a competitive reproductive assay. 2005 MN Water Conference Oral Presentation, Minneapolis, MN, October 25−26, 2005.Concentration Dependent Effects of 4−Nonylphenol on Male Fathead Minnows in a Competitive Reproductive Assay. Oral Presentation. 2005 Midwest SETAC Meeting, Madison, WI, April 5, 2005.
Bistodeau, T., R. Cediel, K. Groove, J. Klaustermeier, H. L. Schoenfuss. 2005. Reproductive Consequences of Environmentally Relevant Exposures of Fathead Minnow Larvae to a Mixture of Alkylphenol Ethoxylates. Poster Presentation. 2005 Midwest SETAC Meeting, Madison, WI, April 5, 2005.
Schoenfuss, H.L. 2005. Biological Effects of Biologically Active Compounds: Experimental Considerations in the Study of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals. Symposium Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Oil Chemists Society, Salt Lake City, UT, May 3, 2005.
Other Presentations
Schoenfuss, H.L. 2004. Simple Questions − Complex Answers: Investigating the Effects of Alkylphenols on Aquatic Organisms. Invited Seminar, University of Nebraska, Omaha.
Environmental estrogens have been identified as an important source of endocrine disruption aquatic wildlife. In addition to potent natural and synthetic estrogens (estrone, estradiol, ethynylestradiol), alkylphenolic surfactants based on the parent compound 4-nonylphenol have been suggested as contributing to the estrogenicity of treated wastewater effluents and ultimately surface waters in the US. In this study, we developed sensitive methodology to assess the estrogenicity in two tiers of the aquatic food chain, a primary producer and a secondary consumer to determine whether exposure to 4-nonylphenol at environmentally relevant concentrations has adverse effects on aquatic organisms. The abundance and chemical nature of 4-nonylphenol suggests that organisms at different levels of the trophic cascade may experience differential effects that may be estrogen receptor independent (diatoms) or estrogen receptor mediated (fathead minnow). We chose Melosira varians as the primary producer for this study as this diatom is commonly found in North American surface waters and is a preferred food source for invertebrates (an intermediate step in the aquatic food chain) and fingerling fishes. The fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas was chosen as the other model organism for this study as it is a tier one screening organism for endocrine disrupting compounds by the US EPA as it reproduces year round and as it has several behavioral traits that facilitate the assessment of endocrine disrupting effects in this species. We used three parameters in an effects matrix to assess exposure effects of 4-nonylphenol on the diatom: cell growth, chlorophyll A content and lipid concentration after a 10-day stagnant exposure experiment. We calculated the lipid : chlorophyll A ratio for each exposure as it is well established that environmental pollution will stress diatoms and result in increased chlorophyll A production at the expense of lipid reserves. We chose a suite of endpoints to assess the effects of 4-nonylphenol on the fathead minnow. These included plasma vitellogenin induction, secondary sex characteristics, gonadal histology, and nest holding ability in direct competition with unexposed control males. We conducted several rounds of exposures at concentrations bracketing environmental concentrations of 4-nonylphenol in treated wastewater effluent for both model organisms. Our results indicate that 4-nonylphenol alters lipid : chlorophyll A content in diatoms at environmental concentrations of >80 μg/L 4-nonylphenol. Concentrations of 4-nonylphenol >10μg/L resulted in rapid vitellogenin mRNA induction in male fathead minnows and reducing nest holding ability in exposed male fathead minnows. Similar results were achieved when larval fathead minnows were exposed to nonylphenol for 60 days and then raised in clean water to adulthood. In summary, our study indicates that 4-nonylphenol at concentrations approaching environmental relevance can alter organisms in two tiers of the aquatic food chain and reduce the reproductive potential of exposed fathead minnows.
Biodiversity in Urban Ponds and Lakes: Human Effects on Plankton Populations
Biodiversity in Urban Ponds and Lakes: Human Effects on Plankton Populations
Principal Investigator: Robert Sterner, Professor and Head, Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2002 - February 2004
This project addressed two sorely neglected aspects of water resources
- urban habitats, and
- biodiversity of small inconspicuous species
In this project, zooplankton and phytoplankton communities were surveyed of 100 ponds and lakes within the seven-county metropolitan area of the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Sites werr categorized as urban based on land use information. Traditional water quality data were gathered at the same time. The goal was to determine if planktonic biodiversity correlates with the degree of urbanization using statistical approaches, such as testing for differences in the species area curves as a function of land use. There has been little attention paid to water resources closest to the large proportion of today's society that lives in urban environments. By undertaking serious study of biodiversity in urban ponds and lakes, this project will establish whether the combined influences of urbanization are deleteriously affecting the majority of the biodiversity within those habitats.
Controls on Biomass: Nutrient Ratios in Streams and Rivers
Controls on Biomass: Nutrient Ratios in Streams and Rivers
Principal Investigator: Robert Sterner, Professor, Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Behavior, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104G National Grants Competition
September 1998 - August 2000
In this project, experiments and measurements were performed to assess how the balance of light and nutrients influences the ratio of biomass:nutrients in streams from several regions in Minnesota. Experiments manipulated levels of light and nutrients, and periphyton responses were recorded. In addition, light, nutrients, and periphyton stoichiometry were surveyed in several regions in the state, and statistical models were used to explore these couplings.
Determination of Appropriate Metrics for Sediment-related Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)
Determination of Appropriate Metrics for Sediment-related Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)
Principal Investigators: Anne Lightbody, Research Associate; Patrick Belmont, Postdoctoral Research Associate; Jeffrey Marr, Research Fellow; Cailin Orr, Postdoctoral Research Associate; St. Anthony Falls Laboratory and Chris Paola, Professor, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
The most common cause of impaired rivers and streams in the United States is sediment pollution. High levels of fine suspended sediment reduce aquatic health in numerous ways, including a reduction in light transmission, interference with aquatic organisms, and reduction in benthic habitat quality following deposition on the bed. There are many ways of measuring suspended sediment levels, including both direct measurements of concentration and indirect measures such as turbidity. Measurements of total suspended solids concentrations are obtained from water samples, which are then filtered and processed in a laboratory. Turbidity, on the other hand, is an expression of the optical property of a sample of water, in which the amount of light scattered by a given water sample is compared with that scattered by a standard sample.
It is possible to develop robust relationships between turbidity and suspended sediment concentrations in a river reach or system where the sediment distribution and its range are spatially and temporally constant. However, when the optical properties of the water and sediment mixture differ, which occurs as a result of changes in watershed slope, soil type, geology, precipitation, and other factors, then turbidity readings will also change, even if the overall sediment concentration remains the same. In many systems, particle size characteristics change rapidly both temporally and spatially, so turbidity does not always correlate well with suspended sediment concentrations.
Sediment impacts on stream systems result from both its effect on water clarity and its physical characteristics. Many states, however, including Minnesota, have a water quality criterion based on turbidity alone. It is possible that stream habitat quality is being reduced by sediment pollution effects that are not captured by an analysis of water clarity alone. In fact, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) itself notes that much additional work is needed to better define the factors causing aquatic life impairment due to turbidity-associated factors.
Here, we asked the question of what is the most important aspect of sediment pollution. We will test the null hypothesis that turbidity is the most important factor by experimentally manipulating turbidity levels within an outdoor stream ecosystem and observing impacts of turbidity on this system. We will introduce water with different compositions of suspended load (e.g., different proportions of fine sand, silt, mud. and different levels of organic matter and nutrients) but the same turbidity level into the Outdoor StreamLab facility at St. Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL), and compare the ecosystem response. Trials will be performed under high flow conditions, which often accompany high turbidity levels and typically exert substantial stress on aquatic ecosystems. The results will indicate whether turbidity (i.e., NTU) most closely correlates with benthic habitat quality, or whether another metric or combination of metrics (e.g., suspended sediment concentration, transparency, net sedimentation, or embeddedness) provides a better understanding of the effect on benthic habitat. These results are needed by federal and State agencies to modify their TMDL program and better protect the water quality of Americas rivers and streams.
Development of a Rapid Bioassessment Technique for Integrating Biological Data into TMDL Assessments in Urban Streams
Development of a Rapid Bioassessment Technique for Integrating Biological Data into TMDL Assessments in Urban Streams
Principal Investigator: Leonard Ferrington Jr., Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2004 - February 2005
Refereed Scientific Journal Articles
Bouchard, R.W. Jr., M.A. Carrillo, and L.C. Ferrington Jr. 2006 Lower Lethal Temperature for Adult Male Diamesa mendotae Muttkowski Diptera: Chironomidae , a Winter−Emerging Diamesinae. Aquatic Insects. 28(1): 57−66.
Bouchard, R.W. Jr., M.A. Carrillo, S.A. Kells &L.C. Ferrington Jr. 2006. Freeze tolerance in larvae of the winter−active Diamesa mendotae Muttkowski Diptera: Chironomidae: a contrast to adult strategy for survival at low temperatures. Hydrobiologia 568(1): 403−416.
Conference Proceedings
Ferrington, L.C., Jr. and R.W. Bouchard. 2006. TMDL for trout streams: Winter dynamics matter. Oral Presentation. Minnesota Water 2006 and Annual Water Resources Joint Conference, October 24−25, 2006, Brooklyn Center, MN.
The Federal Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500), as supplemented by the Clean Water Act of 1977 and the Water Quality Act of 1987, serve as the foundation for protecting the quality of US surface waters. Present-day implementation of Section 303d of the Clean Water Act focuses on ambient water quality standards, and requires states to identify surface waters that are not meeting ambient water quality standards appropriate for their designated use categories, and to define the pollutants and their sources that are responsible for non-attainment of the ambient water quality standards. Section 303d further requires states to establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) for pollutants impairing the surface waters and to develop strategies for reducing both point and non-point sources of the pollutants in order for the non-attaining water bodies to meet ambient water quality standards. In a recent overview of the TMDL approach to water quality management requested by the US Congress, the National Research Council (2000, text available at http://nap.edu/openbook/0309075793/html/6.html) made several recommendations for integration of biological data into the TMDL process. Among the recommendations, the report states "EPA should promote the development of models that can more effectively link environmental stressors (and control actions) to biological responses" and "Monitoring and data collection programs need to be coordinated with anticipated water quality and TMDL modeling requirements". This proposal is for developing and refining a rapid bioassessment technique for integrating biological data into a current TMDL study of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed in Carver and Hennepin counties, Minnesota. The technique relies on an innovative approach to use collections of surface-floating pupal exuviae of Chironomidae as the primary sampling protocol. Protocols developed from this research will be tested independently in urban streams of Baltimore, Maryland. Based on results of the Minnesota and Maryland studies, the protocols will be fine tuned as a generalized model for gathering and integrating biological data into TMDL assessments of urban streams in major metropolitan areas.
Development of DNA Marker Gene System to Determine Sources of Fecal E. Coli in Watersheds
Development of DNA Marker Gene System to Determine Sources of Fecal E. Coli in Watersheds
Principal Investigator: Michael Sadowsky, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2006 - February 2008
Refereed Scientific Journal Articles
Yan, T., M. Hamilton, and M. J. Sadowsky. 2007. High throughput and quantitative procedure for determining sources of Escherichia coli in waterways using host−specific DNA marker genes. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 73:890–896.
Conference Proceedings
Sadowsky, M. J. 2006. Alternate source and sinks of Pathogens in the Environment. ASA/CSSA/SSSA Annual Meetings, Indianapolis, IN. November 12−16, 2006.
Other Presentations
Sadowsky, M.J. 2008. Microbial Source Tracking Methods: Myths and Realities. Oral Presentation. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, St. Paul, MN.
Sadowsky, M.J. 2007. Development and Use of Marker Genes to Determine Sources and Sinks of Fecal Bacteria and Pathogens in the Environment. Oral Presentation. University of Montana Missoula, MT.
Sadowsky, M.J. 2007. Library−Dependent Genotypic Methods for MST Studies. Oral Presentation. EpiNet, Chicago, IL.
Sadowsky, M. J. 2006. Development and Use of a High−Throughput Robotic Method to Determine Sources of E. coli in the Environment, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.
Sadowsky, M. J. 2006. Has Human Activity Outstripped the Environments Ability to Rid Itself of Fecal Bacteria? Albrecht Lecture, Earth Day, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.
The contamination of waterways with fecal material remains a persistent threat to public health. Identification of sources of fecal contamination is a vital component for abatement strategies and in the determination of sources of total maximum daily loads. While phenotypic and genotypic techniques have been used to determine potential sources of fecal bacteria in surface waters, most methods require the construction of large source-know libraries, and often fail to adequately differentiate among environmental isolates originating from diverse animal sources. In contrast, library-dependent, gene probe methods may provide a cost-effective approach to determine sources of environmental isolates originating from different animal sources. In this proposal, we will use the suppression subtractive hybridization technique to enrich fro host-specific DNA markers for E. coli originating from cows an humans. We have previously used this approach to identify DNA markers for E. coli in Lake Superior. The second objective of the proposed research is to use the newly identified DNA markers (and the existing goose marker gene) as gene probes to determine sources of E. coli in the Minneopa Creek watershed. Analyses will be done using a recently developed high throughput, automated, macroarray screening procedure. The identified markers will provide a quantitative, cost-effective, and accurate library-independent method to determine sources of genetically diverse E. coli for use in source tracking studies.
Ecological Stoichiometry and Microbial Biodiversity Effects on Water Quality in Minnesota Lakes
Ecological Stoichiometry and Microbial Biodiversity Effects on Water Quality in Minnesota Lakes
Principal Investigators: James Cotner, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior and Timothy LaPara, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2006 - February 2008
Conference Proceedings
Ling A., K. Holzmiller, T.M. LaPara. 2007. Resolving sample bias when using ARISA to characterize bacterial community composition. Oral Presentation. Annual meeting of the North−Central Branch of the American Society for Microbiology, October 5 – 6, 2007 Marshfield, WI.
Cotner, J.B. 2007. The microbial role in littoral zone biogeochemical processes: Why Wetzel was right. Special symposium to honor Robert G. Wetzel. Societas Internationalis Limnologiae SIL , August 12−18, 2007, Montreal, Canada.
Cotner, J.B., T. LaPara, A. Amado, M. Funke, A.Wiley. 2007. Bacterial diversity and its effects on nutrient and carbon cycling in lakes. American Museum of Natural History Conference on Microbial Conservation, New York, NY, April 26−27, 2007.
Cultural eutrophication is one of the most important issues facing water quality managers sin Minnesota. Most of the nutrient loading into Minnesota waterways are focused on limiting phosphorous (P) availability because of large quantities of this potentially limiting nutrient's contributing to excessive plant growth and low (hypoxic) or anoxic conditions and fish kills. Heterotrophic bacteria are important competitors with plants for P in north temperate lakes. Furthermore, they typically have low growth efficiencies leading to high rates of carbon decomposition. When these high rates of decomposition occur in the surface waters rather than hypolimnion, the high rates of oxygen consumption can be replenished through photosynthesis and mixing with atmospheric oxygen. Heterotrophic bacteria, therefore, are a key component to carbon decomposition and P cycling in surface waters. Yet, very little is known about the efficiencies at which these processes operate. Our work has shown that the biomass stoichiometry of microbial communities can play a key role in these processes and the work proposed here will address the relationships among carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and P content of bacteria and how that affects water quality. Furthermore, this study will examine potential interactions among microbial diversity and stoichiometry, and ecosystem stability. We hypothesize that high microbial diversity may promote stability and increased water quality by increasing decomposition rates in the epi- rather than the hypolimnion. Specific hypotheses tested are that (a) individual strains of bacteria are strongly homeostatic and (b) variable microbial community stoichiometry is achieved through variability in community composition. It is further hypothesized that (c) the efficiency at which nutrients are remineralized by the microbial community is directly dependent on the diversity present in a given lake/ecosystem. Bacterial strains will be isolated from several lakes and characterized with respect to their stoichiometry under conditions of varying nutrients, resources ratios, and growth rates. Bacterial diversity will be ascertained using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments (detects ~ 99% of bacterial community without cultivation). It is expected that higher diversity increases the potential for a given system to respond to various resource ratios. More diverse communities are likely to demonstrate a low degree of community homeostasis, i.e., little change in biomass stoichiometry with large changes in substrate stoichiometry.
Effect of Riparian Forest Harvest on Instream Habitat and Fish and Invertebrate Communities
Effect of Riparian Forest Harvest on Instream Habitat and Fish and Invertebrate Communities
Principal Investigators: Ray Newman, Bruce Vondracek, and James Perry, Professors, Fisheries,Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2002 - May 2005
Refereed Scientific Journal Articles
Laudon, M. C., B. Vondracek, J.K.H. Zimmerman. 2005. Prey Selection by Trout in a Spring-Fed Stream: Terrestrial Versus Aquatic Invertebrates, Journal of Freshwater Ecology, 20(4): 723-734.
Best management practices for timber harvest are often implemented to allow forest harvest while protecting the aquatic resource, however, the effectiveness of these practices is rarely evaluated. The aim of the proposed research is to evaluate site-based effects associated with applying various riparian management practices (varying density of residual standing trees within a standard RMZ and filter strip width) aquatic habitat, macroinvertebrates, and fish. We will use an experimental manipulation to apply four levels of riparian harvest (riparian control, low riparian harvest, moderate riparian harvest, and high riparian harvest) to replicate five stream sites. At these sites we will evaluate effects of riparian forest harvest on fish and invertebrate habitat (temperature, sediment composition and embeddedness, depth, width, cover, bank stability, canopy coverage, woody debris, etc.), benthic macroinvertebrates (rapid bioassessment protocol) and stream fish communities (relative abundance, species richness and an Index of Biotic Integrity). Sites will be sampled above, within and below the treatment area the year prior to harvest and the year after harvest to provide an initial assessment of the effects of harvest treatment and to establish a baseline for longer-term assessment. These results will be used to determine the effects of different levels of riparian harvest on instream processes and to inform water quality managers and policy makers of the efficacy of current and alternative forest harvest best management practices to protect aquatic resources.
Enhanced Contaminant Remediation: Fermentation as a Method to Enhance Dissolution of Hydrophobic Compounds
Enhanced Contaminant Remediation: Fermentation as a Method to Enhance Dissolution of Hydrophobic Compounds
Principal Investigator: Paige Novak, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2007 - February 2008
Recently researchers have been working to develop innovative technologies to address both sorbed phase contaminants and non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) source areas in situ. Among these technologies are Surfactant-Enhanced Aquifer Remediation and cosolvent flooding. Both of these technologies involve the injection of chemicals into an aquifer in a manner designed to flood the impacted zone, thereby mobilizing sorbed contaminant mass and NAPL (ITRC, 2002). The mobilized contaminant is subsequently extracted and treated ex situ. Although effective, these methods depend on our ability to adequately contact the contaminants with surfactants or cosolvents. This can be a challenge, and it typically addresses by adding large quantities of chemical in the hope that this will facilitate contact. A novel, and perhaps a better method of cosolvent and/or biosurfactant delivery, is through the stimulation of naturally occurring organisms that produce various cosolvents and biosurfactants in situ through fermentative processes. These processes can be stimulated by the addition of readily degradable carbon sources (i.e. sugars) to the aquifer. Multiple fermentation pathways exist, each yielding a particular set of end products, including alcohols, ketones, volatile fatty acids, and gases. It is hypothesized that the combination of cosolvents and biosurfactants that are produced in situ during fermentation can contribute to the release of sorbed contaminants and aid in the dissolution of NAPL present within the aquifer. In the case of trichloroethene (TCE), application of a carbon source will also promote enhanced reductive dechlorination, a process in which TCE is reduced to benign end products through microbial degradation. Therefore the application of carbon will achieve two objectives: (1) aid in the dissolution of NAPL and sorbed mass, and (2) stimulate the indigenous microbial community to degrade the released mass. Although a great deal of research has focused on the later, no laboratory studies have addressed the former. We propose that an accelerated cleanup of lingering source areas can be achieved by optimizing the production of cosolvents and biosurfactants via fermentation processes. Therefore, we propose to investigate how the supply of various carbon sources to soil impacts the production of cosolvents and biosurfactants through fermentation. The effect of these compounds on the solubility of a common hydrophobic contaminant, TCE, will also be determined through simple solubility experiments.
Eutrophication and Remediation in Context: High Resolution Study of the Past 200 Years in Sedimentary Record of Lake McCarrons
Eutrophication and Remediation in Context: High Resolution Study of the Past 200 Years in Sedimentary Record of Lake McCarrons
Principal Investigator: Emi Ito, Professor, Limnological Research Center, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota
Additional Staff: Amy Mybro, Research Assistant, Department of Geology and Geophysics University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
April 2001 - February 2003
Lake McCarrons, Ramsey County, Minnesota, is an alkaline, eutrophic urban lake whose bottom waters become anoxic soon after ice-out and frequently remain anoxic throughout the year. A remediation effort to reduce phosphorus loading was undertaken in 1985 with little reduction in nutrient input seen. This study will produce an annual resolution, 200-year record of lake water quality variability from a 1-2 meter core from the deepest part of the basin. In addition, samples will also be taken from a 4.1 meter core taken in 1999. The study will comprise a detailed sedimentology of the cores, along with geochemical and stable isotopic measurements of individual (annual) layers. Initial results from the 4.1 meter core indicate that Lake McCarrons was experiencing eutrophication before human impacts to the system. The sediment study will provide long-term records unattainable through monitoring or modeling and aid lake managers and agencies in remediation efforts by providing the context of natural variability from the effects of human impacts to the system.
Factors Affecting Revegetation Success in Lakeshore Restorations
Factors Affecting Revegetation Success in Lakeshore Restorations
Principal Investigator: Susan Galatowitsch, Department of Horticultural Science, University of Minnesota
Additional Staff: Dana Vanderbosch, Research Assistant, Water Resources Science, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2006 - February 2008
Revegetating aquatic zones is crucial to the overall success of lakeshore restoration since improving fish habitat and reducing wave impacts depends on the development of emergent plant beds. Currently, there is little understanding of why aquatic plantings fail while a few succeed. Information based on experimental findings, rather than anecdotal observations) is needed on the importance of the effects of planting time, water depth, and kind of transplant used. Although aquatic plantings often include several species. Scirpus validus (soft-stem bulrush) is likely the most commonly used species in the northern freshwater lakes because of its tolerance to a wide range of environmental conditions. This study is a within-lake experiment of bulrush transplant survival and establishment. Within 5 lakes in the Minneapolis- St. Paul metropolitan area, a split-split plot experimental planting will be conducted in 2006. A 30 m length of lakeshore within each lake will be divided into two depth zones, 0-35 cm, 36-70 cm. Within each zone, transplanting of two types of propagules (large containers and mats) will be installed at monthly intervals. Data on the number and conditions of shoots will be collected prior to planting, 30 days after planting (initial success), and after winter (in summer 2007). We expect to identify combinations of factors that can increase the chances of transplant survival and post-planting expansion. Without such basic information, the recent widespread efforts to restore lakeshores will likely result in minimal change and interest may not be sustained.
Flourochemicals in Minnesota Waters: An Emerging Environmental Issue
Flourochemicals in Minnesota Waters: An Emerging Environmental Issue
Principal Investigator: Matt F. Simcik, Assistant Professor, Division of Environmental & Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
Additional Staff: Kelly J. Dorweiler, Research Assistant, Division of Environmental & Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2001 - February 2003
Perfluorochemicals are an emerging class of global concern. To date the only established methods for their determination in environmental samples have been LC/MS/MS and 19F NMR, requiring expensive equipment. In order to open the field of investigation to a broader range of environmental laboratories, we developed a single quadrupole LC/MS method for the determination of perfluorochemicals in environmental samples employing a fluorous silica gel column for the removal of chromatographic intereference. This method has been validated for fish tissue and surface water samples. In addition to method development we have collected water, sediment and fish tissue samples to test several hypotheses. Our overall hypothesis is that the global distribution of perfluorochemicals is due to atmospheric transport. We therefore sampled a group of small lakes that are expected to only be subject to atmospheric sources. Preliminary results indicate the presence of one perfluorochemical, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), in livers from northern pike from Agnes Lake, supporting our hypothesis that atmospheric deposition is responsible for transport of perfluorochemicals to the environment. We have also collected water samples from several lakes, rivers and waste water treatment plants to determine spatial distributions in Minnesota waters and identify specific sources such as waste water treatment plants and/or urban areas.
Integrating Biological Data into TMDL Assessments: Refining a Model to Determine Target Levels for Dissolved Oxygen
Integrating Biological Data into TMDL Assessments: Refining a Model to Determine Target Levels for Dissolved Oxygen
Principal Investigator: Leonard Ferrington Jr., Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2008 - February 2009
Reduced levels of dissolved Oxygen (DO) can have severe and unacceptable consequences for productivity and biological diversity in surface waters. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has identified 64 stream/river segments with unacceptable DO conditions in their 2008 draft TMDL listing document (available on-line). All require development of a TMDL strategy to restore and protect productivity and diversity of aquatic organisms. Quantitative models are required in order to determine target levels of DO that wil1 protect pre-determined percentages of aquatic organisms. This proposal is designed to continue developing models for integrating and interpreting data derived from a newly tested rapid bioassessment technique developed for assessing Chironormidae and using them as surrogates to measure biological conditions in streams that are listed for TMDL based on reduced DO conditions. Species thermal preferenda will be developed and related to thermal patterns in stream segments that are controlled by groundwater/surface water interactions. In this project 20 stream segments from the MPCA 2008 draft list that are all warm-water segment, are listed for reduced DO, and have TMDL start dates of 2006, 2007 or 2008 will be modeled. All streams occur in the Upper Mississippi, Minnesota River, Saint Croix River or Lake Superior drainage units. These models will serve to inform decisions about target levels for DO developed in the TMDL program and are constructed to allow predictions of the percentage of species that will be protected. The approach used to analyze data from this research project is patterned on concepts formulated by Posthuma et al. 2001 (and papers contained within) and is based on species sensitivities distributions derived from field data. This modeling approach relies on relationships of daily mean temperature to equilibrium saturation DO concentrations. The utility of the model derives from the ability to pre-determine a percentage of the chironomid community that is defined as the potentially affected fraction (PAP). In this modeling approach, the PAP is the percent of the total species that could potentially be affected (or extirpated) if water temperatures exceed their individual species preferenda during their emergence periods. Once the patterns of thermal preferenda are quantified, it will be possible to identify taxa that are extirpated, but should be present based on thermal regime, and develop predictive statements about species that should re-colonize a given stream if the TMDL results in improved DO conditions. This project will enable these species to be identified, and they can then be considered as species that will be indicators of improving DO conditions. This will enable and independent measure of improvement in biological conditions in addition to relying on physical and chemical indicators.
Investigation of a Novel Biomolecule Active in Degradation of Common Groundwater Contaminants
Investigation of a Novel Biomolecule Active in Degradation of Common Groundwater Contaminants
Principal Investigator: Paige Novak, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 1999 - February 2000
Elemental iron (Fe0) has recently been investigated as an alternative in situ support of anaerobic organisms capable of dehalogenation. During the incubation of the methanogen M. thermophila with Fe0, it was discovered that the organism excreted a biomolecule capable of the rapid transformation of many common groundwater contaminants. Paige Novak was awarded a grant to study the excreted catalyst produced by M. thermophila in order to explore its use in bioremediation.
Investigation of Factors Affecting the Removal of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts in Porous Media Filters
Investigation of Factors Affecting the Removal of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts in Porous Media Filters
Principal Investigator: Raymond Hozalski, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
Additional Staff: Xiaojun Dai, Research Associate, Department of Civil Engineering
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 1999 - February 2001
Giardia and Cryptosporidium are pathogenic protozoa commonly found in drinking water supplies obtained from surface sources. Their removal from water is highly dependant on the performance of filters. Raymond Hozalski was awarded a grant to compare particle removal in "clean" filters and in filters containing biofilm to determine if the presence of biofilm aids in the removal of these protozoa.
Paleohydrologic Response of the Mississippi Headwater Watershed to Holocene Climate Change
Paleohydrologic Response of the Mississippi Headwater Watershed to Holocene Climate Change
Principal Investigators: Howard Mooers, Associate Professor, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Minnesota-Duluth; and Philip C. Larson, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Minnesota-Duluth
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2001 - February 2003
The Mississippi Headwaters watershed, a 7000 km2 area of north-central Minnesota is occupied in part my three large lakes: Cass, Leech, and Winnibigoshish. Mid-Holocene aeolian sediment is associated with Winnibigoshish, but not Cass or Leech Lakes, despite the fact that all three lakes lie within the same watershed, and have synchronously had essentially the same climate, vegetation, geology and topography throughout the Holocene. The synchronous differences in the sediment records between the Headwater Lakes promises to be a sensitive record of climate change in north-central Minnesota. In contrast to previous studies that focused on interpretation of sediment records of small lakes in small watersheds, the large lakes will dominantly record regional-scale changes.
Photochemical Reactions and Organic Matter Binding of Mercuric Ion and Methylmercury in Surface Water
Photochemical Reactions and Organic Matter Binding of Mercuric Ion and Methylmercury in Surface Water
Principal Investigators: Paul R. Bloom, Department of Soil Water, and Climate, College of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences; Patrick L. Brezonik, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Institute of Technology, University of Minnesota
Additional Staff: Abdul R. Khwaja, Research Assistant, Water Resources Science Program, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 1998 - February 2001
Mercury (Hg) pollution is a global-scale problem with both ecological and human health implications. Thousands of lakes in Europe, Canada, and the United States, many in remote and pristine areas, contain fish with methylmercury concentrations above public health guidelines for human consumption. In spite of significant advances made over the past decade, critical gaps remain in our understanding of Hg sources, transport, and cycling processes in aquatic and terrestrial systems. Among the water chemistry factors thought to be responsible for differences in lake responses, interactions between Hg forms and natural organic matter are probably the most important. Our understanding of these interactions is based mostly on qualitative observations and statistical correlations. Quantitative, mechanistic information is lacking on this key issue.
This study will quantify the strength of binding (chemical complexation) of Hg2+ and CH3Hg+ to natural dissolved organic matter (NDOM) and determine the chemical nature of the binding. A competitive-ligand technique will be used to determine binding constants of Hg2+ and CH3Hg+ with NDOM isolated from surface waters in the Marcell Experimental Forest in northern Minnesota, a region where high Hg concentrations in fish have resulted in fish consumption advisories. The results will greatly aid in modeling of the behavior of Hg in water and in understanding the bioavailability of Hg bound to NDOM.
Phyto-enhanced Remediation: A Wetland Treatment System for Surface Water Protection
Phyto-enhanced Remediation: A Wetland Treatment System for Surface Water Protection
Principal Investigators: William Arnold, Assistant Professor and Timothy LaPara, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2004 - February 2006
Refereed Scientific Journal Articles
DeJournett, T.D., J.M. Fritsch, K. McNeill, and W.A. Arnold. 2005. Preparation of 14C−cis−1,2−dichloroethylene from 14C−trichloroethylene using a cobalt porphyrin catalyst. Journal of Labelled Compounds and Radiopharmeceuticals, 48(5): 353−357.
Theses and Dissertations
DeJournett, T.D. 2006. Removal of cis−1,2−dichloroethylene from groundwater using a restored wetland. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 140 pp.
Contamination of groundwater by chlorinated solvents represents one of the most pervasive and difficult remediation challenges. Phyto-enhanced remediation is a potentially low cost and aesthetically pleasing remediation alternative. Phyto-enhanced remediation is a burgeoning technology that utilizes living plants to help remove contaminants from the environment. Natural of engineered wetlands are one phyto-enhanced remediation option for chlorinated solvents. Deep portions of wetlands are anaerobic and facilitate the partial reductive dechlorination of contaminants. In the near surface sediments, where the waters tent to contain dissolved oxygen introduced by the wetland plants, the partially dehalogenated species can be mineralized to non-toxic products by methanotrophic organisms. The wetland, however, is a complicated ecosystem, and the specific roles of the plants and microorganisms in contaminant degradation in such a scheme have yet to be determined. In addition, the extent to which the wetland plants may stimulate or alter microbial activity by introducing oxygen and root exudates into the near surface sediments has yet to be investigated. The overall goal of the proposed research is to establish engineered wetlands as a practicable technology for removal of chlorinated ethylenes at the groundwater/surface water interface. It is hypothesized that the wetland plant and soil bacteria will work synergistically to rapidly mineralize contaminants. Specific objectives include:
- determining the ability of wetland plants to stimulate the growth of methanotrophic bacteria populations, and
- elucidation of the specific roles of the soil and plant and the impact of plant-microbial interactions in the removal of chlorinated ethylenes.
A team with a diverse skill set has been assembled to conduct the highly interdisciplinary research.
By determining the mechanisms of interaction between the wetland plant community and the soil microbial community through the proposed research, the important removal/degradation mechanisms for the treatment of chlorinated ethylenes in the wetland will be discerned. THe proposed multidisciplinary study will evaluate both field data from mesocosm cells installed in an engineered wetland in Mound, Minnesota, and laboratory data from experiments focusing on specific removal/degradation mechanisms and interactions between system components. The field studies will allow direct observations od the effect of the plants on contaminant removal and methanotrophic biomass in the wetland and will serve as a feasibility study for wetland technology. A comparison will be made between the planted and unplanted cells to determine the effects of the plants. In the laboratory, plant evapotranspiration and degradation rates of cis-dichloroethylene will be determined using microcosms. In addition, the capability of the plants to stimulate methanotrophic activity in wetland soils will be evaluated. The microcosm laboratory experiments will result in rate expressions for the microbial and plant assisted removal/degradation of cis-dichloroethylene in the wetland.
Cultivation, Characterization, & Detection of Bacteria that Biodegrade Haloacetic Acids in Drinking Water Distribution Systems
Cultivation, Characterization, & Detection of Bacteria that Biodegrade Haloacetic Acids in Drinking Water Distribution Systems
Principal Investigators: Raymond Hozalski, Associate Professor, and Tim LaPara, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2008 - February 2009
The disinfection of drinking water and wastewater is needed for the protection of public health. Typically, chlorine is used to disinfect drinking water and wastewater because of its effectiveness and low cost, but chlorination also leads to the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs), the most common of which are trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). Many of these compounds are known or suspected carcinogens and some have suggested other deleterious effects such as increased risk of spontaneous abortion. Numerous full-scale monitoring campaigns have demonstrated that THM levels generally increase with residence time in water distribution systems. Conversely, HAAs have been observed to decrease along the distribution systems in some cases. Based on these reports in the technical literature, the principal investigators hypothesized that HAAs (unlike THMs) would be biodegradable within drinking water distribution systems when the concentration of residual disinfectant declined to a level that permitted bacteria to become established (typically < 0.5 mg/L as Cl2). This HAA biodegradation is potentially beneficial because it would reduce the exposure of some water consumers to these compounds of concern. Thus, research is needed to understand the fate of HAAs in distribution systems and the role of bacteria in determining their fate. Relatively little information on the aerobic biodegradation of HAAs and even less information on the biodegradation of HAAs at the very low concentrations that occur in drinking water distribution systems (i.e., -10-100 parts per billion). In fact, most of what we know about HAA-degrading bacteria is based on studies of soil and wastewater systems at relatively high concentrations of HAAs, such as those found at spill sites. The long term goal of our research, therefore, has been to better understand the biodegradation of HAAs in drinking water distribution systems so that these processes can be optimized. During our preliminary research, we have determined that the HAA-degrading bacteria in drinking water distribution systems are substantially different than those previously isolated, thus complicating the cultivation-independent analysis of these important bacteria. The goals of the proposed project, therefore, are to isolate and to characterize HAA-degrading bacteria within drinking water distribution systems.
The Effects of Long-term Low-level Antibiotic Exposure on the Development of Antibiotic Resistance
The Effects of Long-term Low-level Antibiotic Exposure on the Development of Antibiotic Resistance
Principal Investigator: Kristine Wammer, Post-Doctoral Associate, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2004 - February 2005
Conference Proceedings
Wammer, K.H., T.M. LaPara, L.J. Onan. 2006. The effects of long−term low−level antibiotic exposure on the development of antibiotic resistance. Poster Presentation. Minnesota Water 2005 and Annual Water Resources Joint Conference, Brooklyn Center, MN, October 24−25, 2006, Brooklyn Center, MN.
Antibiotics have been observed in the environment at low, subtherapeutic levels. The proposed study is designed to test whether the presence of antibiotics at these levels may lead to proliferation of antibiotic resistance among exposed microorganisms. The main objective of the project is to determine if the proportion of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics increases with long-term exposure at the low levels found in the environment. Experiments to test the connection between low-level exposure and development of resistance will be preformed in chemostats; bacteria obtained from a pristine environment will be exposed for a period of one year to four antibiotics at concentrations that have been observed in natural waters. Enumeration of the proportion of bacteria from the chemostats exhibiting antibiotic resistance will be performed periodically using heterotrophic plate counts. A secondary objective is to explore whether any observed increases in resistance are likely due to selection of intrinsically resistant organisms or development of resistance by new organisms. Genetic analysis tools will be used to identify resistant bacteria if changes in resistant phenotypes are observed over time. The results of this work will help with evaluation of the acceptability of the current levels of these compounds in natural waters.
Triclosan and Triclosan-derived Dioxins in the Mississippi River Sediment Record
Triclosan and Triclosan-derived Dioxins in the Mississippi River Sediment Record
Principal Investigators: Kristopher McNeill, Associate Professor and William Arnold, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2007 - February 2008
Books and Book Chapters
Arnold, W.A., K. McNeill. 2007. “Transformation of Pharmaceuticals in the Environment: Photolysis and Other Processes” In M. Petrovic and D. Barcelo (eds). An Analysis, Fate and Removal of Pharmaceuticals in the Water Cycle. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Pages 361 – 383.
Conference Proceedings
Buth, J.M., W.A. Arnold, K. McNeill. 2009. Formation and Occurrence of Chlorinated Triclosan Derivatives (CTDs) and their Dioxin Photoproducts. Micropol & Ecohazard 2009. 6th IWA/GRA Specialized Conference on Assessment and Control of Micropollutants/Hazardous Substances in Water, June 8-10, 2009, San Francisco, CA.
Steen, P.O., Grandbois, M., McNeill, K., Arnold, W.A. 2009. Photolysis of Hydroxylated Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers. Micropol & Ecohazard 2009. 6th IWA/GRA Specialized Conference on Assessment and Control of Micropollutants/Hazardous Substances in Water, June 8-10, 2009, San Francisco, CA.
Steen, P.O., Grandbois, M., Arnold, W.A., McNeill, K. 2008. Hydroxylated Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether Photolysis: Quantum Yields and Product Identification. Oral Presentation. Minnesota Water Conference, October 27-28, 2008, St. Paul, MN.
Steen, P.O., M. Grandbois, W.A. Arnold, K. McNeill. 2008. Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ether photolysis quantum yields and product identification. Oral Presentation Environmental Chemistry Division, ACS National Meeting, August 17-21, 2008, Philadelphia, PA, 48(2), 608-611.
Buth, J.M., Arnold, W.A., McNeill, K. 2008. Photochemical Fate of Chlorinated Triclosan Derivatives. Poster Presentation. Gordon Research Conference, Environmental Sciences: Water, June 22 – 28, 2008, Holderness, NH.
Other Publications
McNeill, K., 2009. Incineration or liquid handsoap: Which is the larger source of dioxins to the aquatic environment? College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, MN.
McNeill, K., 2009. Incineration or liquid handsoap: Which is the larger source of dioxins to the aquatic environment? Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN.
Arnold, W.A., 2008. Pharmaceutical Photolysis and Impacts: Tetracycline and Triclosan. ETH-Zurich, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Zurich, Switzerland.
Arnold, W.A., 2007. Solar photochemistry of pharmaceutical compounds. American Water Works Association Water Quality Technology Conference, Advanced Oxidation Technologies in Water Treatment: Fundamentals and Applications Workshop, November 4, 2007.
This project is focused on establishing whether triclosan has been and continues to be a source of dioxins to the aquatic environment. It is hypothesized that triclosan, a widely used antimicrobial found in consumer products, is transformed into toxic dioxin compounds through chlorination of triclosan-containing wastewater and sunlight exposure in rivers that receive chlorinated wastewater. It is further hypothesized that triclosan and its products will associate with the sediment downstream of point of discharge and their release to the environment thus will be recorded in the sediment record. To determine the historical inputs of triclosan and its products in to the Upper Mississippi river from Minnesota’s largest wastewater treatment plant, the Metro Plant, in St. Paul, sediment cores from Lake Pepin will be analyzed. It is expected that triclosan and its products will not be found in pre-1960 sediment, it will be at low levels between 1960 and 1990 when its use was limited, and will be at the highest levels after 1990 following its widespread use in liquid handsoap and toothpaste. The results of this study will further our understanding of micropollutants in wastewater and will provide specific information about the appropriateness of chlorination disinfection for triclosan-containing waters.
Use of Arthrobacter aurescens for Remediation of Groundwater Contaminated with Triazine Herbicides
Use of Arthrobacter aurescens for Remediation of Groundwater Contaminated with Triazine Herbicides
Principal Investigators: Michael Sadowsky, Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, Lawrence Wackett, Professor, Department of Biochemistry, and Marc G. von Keitz, Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2005 - February 2006
Research Presentations
Sadowsky, M. J. 2006. Genomic Insights into the Degradation and Bioremediation of s−Triazine Herbicides. IERC Workshop, Gwangju, Korea.
Sadowsky, M. J. 2006. Genomic Insights for the Degradation and Bioremediation of s−Triazine Herbicides. Osaka University−San Francisco Office Lecture, San Francisco, CA.
Modern agriculture production practices rely heavily on the use of herbicides to control weed populations. Atrazine and simazine are widely used herbicide for the control of broad-leaf weeds in corn, sorghum, sugarcane, and other crops. Due to their widespread use over 50 years, these s-triazine herbicides are often detected in groundwater, sediments, and soils at levels exceeding the maximal concentrations set by the U.S. EPA. Remediation of pollutant-impacted environments is time-consuming, technically difficult and often cost-prohibitive, especially for herbicides making their way into groundwater aquifers . We have isolated and identified a gram-positive bacterium, Arthrobacter aurescens TCI that has the ability to degrade over 25 s-triazine compounds, including the herbicides atrazine, simazine, and ametryn. In doing so, this bacterium detoxifies these herbicides thereby ridding them from the environment. The research proposed here will be done in conjunction with studies funded by the University of Minnesota Biocatalysis Initiative, which will be used to develop a stable, highly-reactive biocatalyst formulation for groundwater clean-up. Initial studies done indicate that the production of such biocatalytical particles is feasible. In the studies proposed here, we will investigate the application and the use of these formulated bacteria to clean-up s-triazine ring compounds in groundwater and sediments, using both batch and column-based aquifer model studies. The results of this study will also be integrates in tan ongoing project by Dr. Patrick Hamilton, Director of Environmental Science and Earth-system Science at the Science Museum of Minnesota. His group will be making hands-on research displays demonstrating atrazine biodegradation to children for use at the Science Museum of Minnesota. The experimental plan focuses on integrating research efforts in microbial biology and engineering.
Wireless Technologies Applied to Environmental Variables and Nutrient Loadings
Wireless Technologies Applied to Environmental Variables and Nutrient Loadings
Principal Investigators: Miki Hondzo, Associate Professor and William Arnold, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota
Additional Staff: Jeremiah D. Jazdzewski, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 2005 - February 2006
Conference Proceedings
Jazdzewski, J.D., M. Hondzo and W.A. Arnold. 2006. Stream Water Quality Monitoring using Wireless Embedded Sensor Networks. Poster Presentation. Minnesota Water 2006 and Annual Water Resources Joint Conference, October 24−25, 2006, Brooklyn Center, MN.
Hondzo, M., Arnold, W.A., Novak, P.J., Hozalski, R.M. 2006. Wireless technologies and embedded networked sensing: application to integrated urban water quality management. ASCE World Environmental and Water Resources Congress. Oral Presentation, Omaha, NE, May 21−26, 2006.
Both spatial and temporal heterogeneities in the environment influence a variety of processes of interest to environmental engineers, geochemists, hydrologists, and policy makers. These spatially an temporally distinct events can only be detected with a real-time embedded networked sensing. The objective of proposed research is to develop a platform for small-scale sensor networks that wirelessly provide real-time data for selected environmental conditions and concentrations. Specifically, we will use recently commercially available sensor boards and processors to measure and transfer environmental parameters, including temperature, light, humidity, wind velocity, pressure, and precipitation along the Mississippi River. Additionally, we will link a commercially available nitrate biosensor to the boards and processors. Through wireless communication, the real-time data will be transferred via the Internet. Without a thorough understanding of how external and environmental conditions/variables affect chemical and biological processes, accurate estimations of concentrations of chemicals and their effects on biota cannot be accurately predicted. Real-time sensing can provide the necessary data to improve such estimations and can be used to propose meaningful best management practices in the environment. The experience developed and data collected from this work will be useful in developing and deploying larger networks. The purchase of the sensors, the development of a small, trial network, and the resulting expertise developed by personnel are all long-term financial and intellectual investments in the University of Minnesota.