Illinois State University ISU ReD: Research and eData Theses and Dissertations 2-8-2016 The effects of tile-drain input on a low-gradient agricultural stream in central Illinois: Using a thermal end member mixing model and a statistical analysis approach Zachary David Kisfalusi Illinois State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd Part of the Geology Commons, and the Hydrology Commons Recommended Citation Kisfalusi, Zachary David, "The effects of tile-drain input on a low-gradient agricultural stream in central Illinois: Using a thermal end member mixing model and a statistical analysis approach" (2016). Theses and Dissertations. 576. https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/576 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ISU ReD: Research and eData. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ISU ReD: Research and eData. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE EFFECTS OF TILE-DRAIN INPUT ON A LOW-GRADIENT AGRICULTURAL STREAM IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS: USING A THERMAL END MEMBER MIXING MODEL AND A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS APPROACH Zachary D. Kisfalusi 49 Pages Tile-drains remove excess water from agricultural fields and channel it directly to the nearest surface water body decoupling the system from the natural flow paths. One way to measure the effects tile-drains have on streams is to monitor the alterations in discharge and the thermal energy both upstream and downstream of the input. In the temperate climate, a stream’s thermal signature experiences large fluctuations seasonally along with small diurnal changes. In contrast, groundwater temperature does not show these small- scale changes, and the seasonal changes are often muted and lagged in comparison to surface water. This project aimed to quantify any thermal change to the stream caused by the additional flow from a tile-drain with a drainage basin 3% of the total watershed. Thermal signatures of the streambed, tile-water and groundwater were measured using data loggers recording 15-minute intervals for a year. Temperature readings were collected throughout a 60-meter stretch of the streambed and within the hyporheic zone. The tile has shown a more constant temperature (5-25°C) than streambed temperatures (nearly 0-30°C) over data collection from January to December of 2015 with a lack of diurnal effects, however, seasonal cycles are visible. The streambed temperatures show a spatially consistent relationship throughout the array, which represents uniform thermal conditions in equilibrium. Collectively, the data suggests the tile-drain has no thermal effect on the stream at the discharge rates present at T3. Investigation into the hyporheic zone showed a consistent temperature regime from a depth of 0.1-0.4 m beneath the streambed; 5-10°C at the coldest and 16-26°C at their warmest. The hyporheic zone temperatures are not controlled by the groundwater (12-16°C) with colder temperatures throughout the winter and warmer ones during the summer. These data indicate that the hyporheic zone is controlled by surface water processes and less by upwelling from the groundwater with spatial heterogeneities of the streambed present. KEYWORDS: Agriculture, Anthropogenic Impacts, Conduction, Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions, Hyporheic Zone, Streams, Temperature, Tile-Drains THE EFFECTS OF TILE-DRAIN INPUT ON A LOW-GRADIENT AGRICULTURAL STREAM IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS: USING A THERMAL END MEMBER MIXING MODEL AND A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS APPROACH ZACHARY D. KISFALUSI A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Geography-Geology ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY 2016 © 2016 Zachary D. Kisfalusi THE EFFECTS OF TILE-DRAIN INPUT ON A LOW-GRADIENT AGRICULTURAL STREAM IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS: USING A THERMAL END MEMBER MIXING MODEL AND A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS APPROACH ZACHARY D. KISFALUSI COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Eric Peterson, Chair Catherine O’Reilly Dagmar Budikova ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer wishes to thank many people. First, I would like to thank the Illinois State University Department of Geography-Geology for believing in my abilities as a scientist when accepted in the spring of 2014. Without the support of the faculty and staff, my experience at ISU would not have been as fulfilling. Many of you have been helpful in classes, with my project, or in the field. Special thanks to Jonathan Thayn for help with my heat map. Thank you to Karen Dunton for always telling it like it is and encouraging me to push my limits. Thank you goes to my committee: Eric Peterson, Catherine O’Reilly, and Dagmar Budikova. I have appreciated the feedback and support that each of you have shown me throughout my two years in the program. I must thank my advisor, Eric Peterson, separately. I have appreciated all the time and effort you have poured into my project and into me personally. I will look back fondly upon how many conversations about hydrogeology and sports. I am very grateful for applying to this program and having you as my mentor. Here is to a round of golf in the future. I’d also like to thank my undergraduate advisor, Patricia Beddows of Northwestern University, for helping me through the process of graduate school applications and furthering my abilities as a scientist. Many of the things that you taught me for my undergraduate thesis set the foundation for this stage of my life. i This project would also not be possible without the financial and field support I received. Thank you to the Geological Society of America, the Illinois Groundwater Association, the Illinois State University Graduate School, and the Illinois State University Department of Geography-Geology for funding my project. Many people have helped me in the field from graduate students to undergraduates. I thank all of you for your support inside the stream. A special thank you goes to the T3 team which worked tirelessly during the summer 2015: Kelly Sanks, Tyler Rothschild, and Tamru Taye. Tamru you have been everything I could have imagined as a field partner and more importantly as a friend. Thank you to all my friends, both near and far, who have kept me sane and allowed me to forget the stress of my thesis from time to time. Special thanks to all the graduate students in the Hydrogeology program over the last two years that have made my time in Normal wonderful. Here is to all the good time inside and outside of Felmley. Lastly, I must thank my parents and my brother for supporting me in this endeavor to further my education and listening to all my stories about temperature and streams. I can never thank the three of you enough, but I hope this is a start. Z. D. K. ii CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS i CONTENTS iii TABLES v EQUATIONS vi FIGURES vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 1 Background 1 Statement of the Problem 7 Research Questions 10 II. METHODS 12 Site Description 12 Data Obtainment 14 Data Analysis 18 III. RESULTS 22 Stream Discharge 22 Stream Temperature 29 Thermal Impact of Tile-Water 31 Thermal Impact of Groundwater 33 IV. DISCUSSION 35 Hydrologic Influence 35 Thermal Impact of Tile-Water 36 Thermal Impact of Groundwater 39 iii V. CONCLUSIONS 43 REFERENCES 45 iv TABLES Table Page 1. Descriptive Statistics for Discharge Data for Both Tile-Flow Conditions 23 2. Regression Statistics for Tile Flow and Non-Tile Flow Models 26 3. Paired T-Test Results of Significance Between Upstream and Downstream Discharge for Tile Flow and Non-Tile Flow Models 26 v EQUATIONS Equation Page 1. Thermal Mass Balance Equation 20 2. Algebraic Alteration to Find Theoretical Mixing Temperature 20 3. Algebraic Alteration to Find Theoretical Tile-Discharge 20 vi FIGURES Figure Page 1. Conceptual Model of How Stream Water and Groundwater Mix and Interact in the Hyporheic Zone 4 2. Model Shows the Thermal Impacts on the Hyporheic Zone 5 3. Conceptual Model of How Tile-Drain Flow Impacts the Hydrologic Cycle in Agricultural Areas 10 4. T3 Study Site and Watershed Location in Central Illinois 14 5. Schematic of Study Site and Locations of Data Collection 17 6. Schematic of Hyporheic Zone Wells 18 7. Comparison of Stream Discharge in the Absence or Presence of Tile Flow at Upstream and Downstream Locations 24 8. Correlation Between the Upstream and Downstream Discharge 25 9. Linear Regression of Downstream Discharge Predicting Upstream Discharge During Tile Flow Conditions 27 10. Linear Regression of Downstream Discharge Predicting Upstream Discharge During Non-Tile Flow Conditions 28 11. Comparison of the Difference in Stream Discharge Between the Upstream (Qu) and the Downstream (Qd) Dependent on Tile Flow 29 12. Heat Map Depicted by Set Color Ranges Along Streambed 30 13. Time Series Compilation of Precipitation, Air Temperature, Stream Temperature, Groundwater Temperature, and Tile-Drain Temperature 32 14. Thermal Envelopes Show the Coldest and Warmest Temperatures for the Three Hyporheic Wells 34 vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Background Water resources are an ever-growing concern for our world today as both the quality and quantity of the supply are decreasing as a result of human development and interference (WWAP, 2012). Land-use, population growth, climate change, contaminant transport, and economic policy continue to impact how humans look at water resource management (Maguffin, 2006). Water quality is decreased from anthropogenic influences, such as contaminant runoff of chloride or nitrate, entering an aquifer or surface water body; therefore, understanding the amount of runoff and its effect on the drinking supply must be understood (Poole and Berman, 2001; Winter, 1999; Keery et al., 2007; Sophocleous, 2002; Contant Jr., 2004; Harris, 2008). The hydrologic cycle around streams is decoupled from its natural paths through flood prevention and the channelization of streams, depletion of groundwater aquifers, and creation of artificial lakes.