Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Summer 1-1-2016 Analysis of the Water Quality of the Kiskiminetas River System and Its Impacts on the Allegheny River, Pennsylvania Emily Catherine Mashuda Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Recommended Citation Mashuda, E. (2016). Analysis of the Water Quality of the Kiskiminetas River System and Its Impacts on the Allegheny River, Pennsylvania (Master's thesis, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/101 This One-year Embargo is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ANALYSIS OF THE WATER QUALITY OF THE KISKIMINETAS RIVER SYSTEM AND ITS IMPACTS ON THE ALLEGHENY RIVER, PENNSYLVANIA A Thesis Submitted to the Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science By Emily Mashuda August 2016 Copyright by Emily Mashuda 2016 ANALYSIS OF THE WATER QUALITY OF THE KISKIMINETAS RIVER SYSTEM AND ITS IMPACTS ON THE ALLEGHENY RIVER, PENNSYLVANIA By Emily Mashuda Approved June 21, 2016 ____________________________________ ___________________________________ Dr. John Stolz Dr. Brady Porter Professor of Biological Sciences Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Committee Member Thesis Advisor ___________________________________ Dr. Beth Dakin Adjunct Professor of Environmental Sciences Committee Member ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Dr. John Stolz Dr. Philip Reeder Director, Center for Environmental Dean, Bayer School of Natural and Research and Education Environmental Sciences iii ABSTRACT ANALYSIS OF THE WATER QUALITY OF THE KISKIMINETAS RIVER SYSTEM AND ITS IMPACTS ON THE ALLEGHENY RIVER, PENNSYLVANIA By Emily Mashuda August 2016 Dissertation supervised by Brady Porter The Kiskiminetas River system, a major tributary of the Allegheny River, has a history of water quality impacts due to industrial activity. In conjunction with the program 3 Rivers QUEST, a comprehensive analysis was conducted on the water quality of the Kiskiminetas system and its impacts on the Allegheny River. Samples were collected biweekly from 8 sites in the Kiskiminetas watershed and the Allegheny River, from 2013 to 2015, and sent to a certified lab for analysis. Data was analyzed for concentrations of several anions and dissolved metals and for the chemical ratios between sites and compared to historic data. These parameters were analyzed in comparison to known potential pollutants to evaluate impacts on water quality of surface water. The data suggests an improvement in water quality from a reduction in abandoned mine drainage, but increases in bromide, chloride, and strontium indicate increasing impact from unconventional gas development. IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank all of those who played a role in making this project possible. First, I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Brady Porter, and Dr. Beth Dakin, who, without their guidance, this project could have never been accomplished. I would also like to thank my committee member, Dr. John Stolz, for his contributions throughout the entire process. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Dan Bain (Assistant Professor, Department of Geology & Environmental Sciences, University of Pittsburgh) for his involvement with analysis and Mike Koryak (retired water specialist with the Army Corps of Engineers- Pittsburgh) for his involvement in discussions and reference data regarding historic and current water quality of the Allegheny River. A great thank you to everyone involved in the 3 Rivers QUEST program, who allowed me to be a part of such an important initiative. Thank you to the administrators, Melissa O’Neal, Dr. Stanley Kabala, and Lisa Barreiro for including me in this project. Also, to all those who contributed to the collection of data at Duquesne: Dr. Beth Dakin, Maria Nagle, Lauren Drumm, Dr. Maria Wheeler, Oliver Dugas, Rob Dubas, and Lisa Barreiro. Thank you also to the Colcom Foundation for your funding to the amazing 3 Rivers QUEST program, you have made this all possible. Thank you to Dr. Tetiana Kondratyuk and the entire Stolz lab for their contributions of data for analysis. I would also like to thank all of the members of the Porter Lab for their support and feedback throughout the entire process. Thank you to the students and faculty in the Center for Environmental Research and Education for their support and for pushing me to finish and maintain my sanity. V Finally, thank you to my friends and family for always being there to support my latest endeavor. You have helped to make me who I am and have helped me accomplish so much, and for that I am forever grateful. VI TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................ IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................... V LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................................... X LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................................... XI LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................................... XII CHAPTER 1: 3 RIVERS QUEST ................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 About 3 Rivers QUEST (Quality Useful Environmental Study Teams) ............................................ 1 1.2 Data Produced by 3 Rivers QUEST .................................................................................................... 4 1.2.1 pH ................................................................................................................................................. 5 1.2.2 Acidity .......................................................................................................................................... 6 1.2.3 Alkalinity ...................................................................................................................................... 6 1.2.4 Temperature ................................................................................................................................. 7 1.2.5 Total Dissolved Solids .................................................................................................................. 8 1.2.6 Total Suspended Solids ................................................................................................................ 9 1.2.7 Aluminum ..................................................................................................................................... 9 1.2.8 Bromide ........................................................................................................................................ 9 1.2.9 Calcium ...................................................................................................................................... 10 1.2.10 Chloride ................................................................................................................................... 10 1.2.11 Iron ........................................................................................................................................... 11 1.2.12 Magnesium ............................................................................................................................... 12 1.2.13 Manganese ............................................................................................................................... 12 1.2.14 Sodium ...................................................................................................................................... 13 1.2.15 Strontium .................................................................................................................................. 13 CHAPTER 2: INTRODUCTION TO WATER QUALITY ISSUES IN THE PITTSBURGH REGION . 15 2.1 History of Pittsburgh ......................................................................................................................... 15 2.2 The Allegheny River and its Tributaries ........................................................................................... 18 2.3 Legacy Pollution Problem- Abandoned Mine Drainage ................................................................... 21 2.4 Legacy Pollution Problems- Road Salt Runoff ................................................................................. 29 2.5 Current Pollution Problems- Natural Gas Extraction ........................................................................ 35 2.5.1 Natural Gas and the Marcellus Shale ........................................................................................ 35 2.5.2 Conventional Drilling versus Unconventional Drilling ............................................................. 37 VII 2.5.3 The Hydraulic Fracturing Process ............................................................................................ 38 2.5.4 Potential