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Chemical and Geological Controls on the Composition of Waters And Chemical and Geological Controls on the Composition of Waters and Sediments in Streams Located within the Western Allegheny Plateau: The Shade River Watershed A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science Prosper Gbolo June 2008 2 This thesis titled Chemical and Geological Controls on the Composition of Waters and Sediments in Streams Located within the Western Allegheny Plateau: The Shade River Watershed by PROSPER GBOLO has been approved for the Department of Geological Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences by Dina L. Lopez Professor of Geological Sciences Benjamin M. Ogles Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 ABSTRACT GBOLO, PROSPER, M.S., June 2008, Geological Sciences Chemical and Geological Controls on the Composition of Waters and Sediments in Streams Located within the Western Allegheny Plateau: The Shade River Watershed (222 pp.) Director of Thesis: Dina L. Lopez The Western Allegheny Plateau Ecoregion (WAP) and Shade River Watershed in SE Ohio were investigated to determine the chemical composition of waters and sediments, and their relationship with geology, land-use and biological indices. Ninety-three sites were sampled within the WAP with twenty-two sites in the Shade River. Chemical concentration of the waters in the Shade River fell within the USEPA criteria for the protection of aquatic life except DO, iron, manganese and phosphate while the causes of impairment within the WAP included pH, DO, EC, alkalinity, phosphate, iron, manganese, nitrate and sulfate. The waters were Ca-HCO3 dominated with weathering being the main process controlling the water chemistry. Biological indicator such as Index of Biotic Integrity (fish) was sensitive to PO4 , Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cl and DO while Invertebrate Community Index (macroinvertebrate) correlated with pH, acidity and DO. Periphyton Index of Biotic Integrity (algae) showed no relationship with water chemistry. 4 Approved: _____________________________________________________________ Dina L. Lopez Professor of Geology 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Dina Lopez, for her guidance, help and encouragement throughout my stay in Ohio University. Her knowledge has been the basis for this thesis. I would also like to show my appreciation to members of my thesis committee, consisting of Dr. Greg Nadon, Dr. Keith Milam and my advisor for their excellent advice, comments and constructive criticism. I am grateful to my field assistants Josh Coe, Ashley Campbell, and Shannon Cook for their help, understanding and tolerance in the field. Support for this work was provided through by a United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) grant from the Science To Achieve Results (STAR) project. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. 5 LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ 12 LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 22 1.0 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 22 1.1 Objectives ....................................................................................................... 27 1.2 Significance..................................................................................................... 27 1.3 Reclamation laws ............................................................................................ 29 1.3.1 National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), 1969 ................... 29 1.3.2 Clean Water Act (CWA), 1972 ........................................................ 30 1.3.3 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA), 1977 ..... 31 1.3.4 Ohio legislation ................................................................................ 33 1.4 Biological Indicators ....................................................................................... 34 1.4.1 Index of Biotic Integrity ................................................................... 34 1.4.2 Invertebrate Community Index ........................................................ 35 1.4.3 Periphyton Index of Biotic Integrity (PIBI) ..................................... 35 CHAPTER TWO --- STUDY AREA ............................................................................... 36 2.0 Site Description ............................................................................................... 36 2. 1 Climate ........................................................................................................... 38 2.2 Topography ..................................................................................................... 40 7 2.3 Geology ........................................................................................................... 40 2.4 Soils................................................................................................................. 44 2.5 Land use and land cover ................................................................................. 47 2.6 WAP Groundwater Hydrology ....................................................................... 49 CHAPTER THREE --- BACKGROUND ........................................................................ 51 3.0 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 51 3.1 Bedrock Geology ............................................................................................ 51 3.2 Soil Types and Sediments ............................................................................... 52 3.3 Climate ............................................................................................................ 53 3.4 Land Use ......................................................................................................... 54 3.5 Urbanization or Anthropogenic Input ............................................................. 56 3.6 Summary of the Chemistry of Phase I (2005 data) ......................................... 56 CHAPTER FOUR--- METHODOLOGY ......................................................................... 60 4.0 Methodology ................................................................................................... 60 4.1 Selection of Sampling Points .......................................................................... 60 4.2 Field Parameters .............................................................................................. 63 4.3 Streambed Sediment Samples for Cations Analyses ...................................... 66 4.4 Streamwater Samples for Cations and Anions Analyses ................................ 67 4.4.1 Filtered Samples............................................................................... 68 4.4.2 Unfiltered Samples ........................................................................... 69 4.5 Laboratory Work ............................................................................................. 70 4.5.1 Sediment Samples Analyses ............................................................ 70 4.5.1.1 Sediment Organic Matter Determination .................................................. 71 4.5.1.2 Sediment Cation Determination ................................................................ 71 8 4.5.2 Water Samples Analyses .................................................................. 73 4.5.2.1 Cations ...................................................................................................... 73 4.5.2.2 Anions ....................................................................................................... 74 4.6 GIS Processing of Data ................................................................................... 79 4.7 Cation–Anion Balances (Error Calculation for the Streamwater Chemistry) 80 CHAPTER FIVE---RESULTS ......................................................................................... 81 5.0 Results ............................................................................................................. 81 5.1 Streamwater Chemistry ................................................................................... 81 5.1.1 Field parameters ............................................................................... 81 5.1.1.1 pH .............................................................................................................. 81 5.1.1.2 Temperature .............................................................................................. 84 5.1.1.3 Dissolved Oxygen (DO) ........................................................................... 84 5.1.1.4 Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) ................................................................... 87 5.1.1.5 Electric Conductivity ................................................................................ 89 5.1.1.6 Alkalinity .................................................................................................. 91 5.1.1.7 Acidity......................................................................................................
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