W&M ScholarWorks Reports 5-1985 Present and historical environmental survey of the Poquoson River, York County, Virginia and the Warwick River; Newport News, Virginia : with special reference to biotic communities and the effects of alum discharge Robert J. Diaz Virginia Institute of Marine Science Morris H. Roberts Jr. Virginia Institute of Marine Science Gene M. Silberhorn Virginia Institute of Marine Science Gary F. Anderson Virginia Institute of Marine Science Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/reports Part of the Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, and the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons Recommended Citation Diaz, R. J., Roberts, M. H., Silberhorn, G. M., & Anderson, G. F. (1985) Present and historical environmental survey of the Poquoson River, York County, Virginia and the Warwick River; Newport News, Virginia : with special reference to biotic communities and the effects of alum discharge. Special report in applied marine science and ocean engineering ; no. 276.. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary. https://doi.org/10.21220/V5J42G This Report is brought to you for free and open access by W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Reports by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 75° 74" 7?:." 39 39" ' t' ·"' ·'/ ( t_;. ·:· .... ::>'·. ::.1 ' Robert',J ,,,'If 'z ,~.Morris H. Rob rts, Jr., ,_ 9ene .~1. ,B;i!1 erhqrn, and Gary ". Anderson ' : '.' ,/ ..... ~ \~ . Yir:&~ntcf In titu,te of Marine cience I ) ;;>, ,•C,~l'te,ge of .. ilJ.iam and Mary · Schoot of M· r.:I.ne Science / ;l / 'GXo'u'ceste( .··oint, Virginia 23 62 ,• I I • I pi' '•,: I / ,·,::.:·;: ••, .. >:--~:;=u _> . ·----~-4-~--~~~~----4-----------------+-----------~M?:.7,; ' ' ' ,4Yi 1985 ( ~· \ \ i i : ,1 ••••• ·~ I ! I / : f ' 1. I:! • I: I .... ',, I:S~ecial Rep rt in Applied Mar ne Science -, \r.\ 1 \ I i! ;,: ~nd Ocean E gineering Number 76 ,.... ... ' ~ \ ~' .. -,J"I':,~,,h:;:/ f . I I 1 1 I ! t 1 \ ' I ~.\ \ i \ \ \: : \ \ ; \U \ ; I i ) \1 ~ 'i\J+-~;L._-----::.?... ;:;<:; t--~~r-7---··----l- ~~r..ep<J...L...!;;..U-Cl""-t.Q.__.L.....L..u..CJ..L.-...LU:;;.pl-u.....Lo..-.Lo.l.. l+----------+M36 '~;::t: \ : :;/ / ' \,j · , '! /The City Newport News ' ;;. \ ! Department f Public Utili tie ' ,'\) : 2{t00 Hash in ton Avenue Newport New. , Virginia 23607 ·-----------1----------t---~--~35 [__ . 74° 73" PRESENT AND HISTORICAL ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY OF THE POQUOSON RIVER, YORK COUNTY, VIRGINIA AND THE WARWICK RIVER, NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO BIOTIC COMMUNITIES AND THE EFFECTS OF ALUM DISCHARGE by Robert J. Diaz, Morris H. Roberts, Jr., Gene M. Silberhorn, and Gary F. Anderson Virginia Institute of Marine Science ' College of William and Mary School of Marine Science Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062 May, 1985 Special Report in Applied Marine Science and Ocean Engineering Number 276 Prepared as A Final Report to The City of Newport News Department of Public Utilities 2400 Washington Avenue Newport News, Virginia 23607 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Figures. • iv Table of Tables • • vi Introduction. 1 Objectives. 5 Materials and Methods • 6 Study Site Description • 6 Harwood's Mill, Poquoson River. 6 Lee Hall, Warwick River • 7 Sampling Locations • 8 Poquoson River. 8 Warwick River • 8 Physical Parameter Cores • •11 Radionuclide Analysis Methods. • 15 Biological Parameter Cores • • 15 Primary Production and Related Measurements. • 16 Phytoplankton Community • • 16 Benthic Algal Community • • 18 Evaluation of Tidal Marshes. • 19 STORM Model. • 19 Model Calibration • • 20 Application to the Reservoir Watersheds • • 21 Land Use Data • • 27 Rainfall Data • • 27 i TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Results and Discussion. • 28 Poquoson River. • 28 X-ray Stratigraphy. • 28 Al:Si Ratios. • 30 Sediment Particle Size. • 34 Sediments-Stratigraphy-Al:Si Ratios. .37 Radionuclide Distribution. ·37 Primary Production • .39 Benthic Invertebrate Communities • .49 Tidal Marshes. .57 STORM Model. .66 Warwick River • .70 X-ray Stratigraphy. • 70 Al:Si Ratios. • 74 Sediment Particle Size. • 76 Sediments-Stratigraphy-Al:Si Ratios. .78 Radionuclide Distribution. .so Primary Production • .82 Benthic Invertebrate Communities • .86 Tidal Marshes. .91 STORM Model. .98 Historical Depths. • 102 Poquoson River. • 102 Warwick River • • 102 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Historical Review of Published Literature. .106 Poquoson River. .106 Warwick River • .106 Conclusions. .108 Literature Cited • .111 Glossary • .ll8 iii TABLE OF FIGURES Figure Title Page No. No. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Chart of the Poquoson River showing the location of all stations, the Harwood's Mill Water Treatment Plant, and the Route 17 bridge which crosses the creek just below the discharge from the plant. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 9 2 Chart of the Warwick River showing the location of all stations, the Lee Hall Water Treatment Plant, and the Route 60 bridge which crosses the creek about 0.15 miles below the discharge from the plant. 10 3 Sediment descripters used in the characterization of cores from the Poquoson and Warwick Rivers, after Pettijohn (1957) . • . • • . • . ••••. 13 4 Schematic diagrams of x-ray cores from the Poquoson River. Horizontal or tilted lines indicate physical lamination within cores resulting from sediment bedding. Areas that are dotted tended to have high detritus content. Featureless areas were uniform layers of one type of sediment. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 29 5 Comparison of sediment particle type, stratigraphy, and Al:Si ratios in the Poquoson River. Left side of the core diagram is colored to indicate the sediment particle type. The right side of the core diagram is colored to represent specific ranges of Al: Si ratio • • • • • • • • • • • • 38 6 Map of the Poquoson River showing the areal extent of all marsh types from the Route 17 Bridge to the mouth of the river (copied from Silberhorn, 1974) ... 59 7 The relationship between pond volume (acre­ inches), inflow area (acres), and sediment trapping efficiency (%) of reservoirs (from Brune, 1953) . ........................ 71 iv 8 Schematic diagrams of x-ray cores from the Warwick River. Horizontal or tilted lines indicate physical lamination within cores resulting from sediment bedding. Areas that are dotted tended to have high detritus content. Featureless areas were uniform layers of one type of sediment. 72 9 Comparison of sediment particle type, stratigraphy, and Al:Si ratios in cores from the Warwick River. Left side of the core diagram is colored to indicate the sediment particle type. The right side of the core diagram is colored to represent specific ranges of Al:Si ratio ••••• 79 10 Map of the Warwick River showing the areal extent of all marsh types from the headwaters near the Route 60 bridge to Hoops Landing (copied from Moore, 1977) •••••• . 92 11 Reproduction of the 1868 U.S. Coastal Survey Boat Sheet for the Poquoson River showing the depths at mean low water (in feet) • . • • • • • • • • 103 12 Reproduction of the 1946 U.S. Coastal Survey Boat Sheet for the Warwick River showing the depths at mean low water (in feet) ••••••••••••• 105 v TABLE OF TABLES Table Title Page No. No. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 A comparison of annual suspended solids loads calculated by STORM with values reported in the literature . • . • . • • . 22 2 A comparison of annual BOD loads calculated by STORM with values reported in the literature • 23 3 A comparison of annual total nitrogen loads calculated by STORM with values reported in the literature • • . • • • . 24 4 A comparison of annual total phosphorus loads calculated by STORM with values reported in the literature • • . 25 5 Basin morphology parameters for the Lee Hall and Harwoods Mill water supply reservoirs. • . • • • 26 6 Aluminum:Silicon Ratios for sediments in cores collected in the Poquoson River, VA in March 1984. 32 7 Sediment type from Poquoson River cores, March 1984. Sand (SA), Silty Sand (SISA), Clayey Sand (CLSA), Silt (SI), Sandy Silt (SASI), Clay (CL), Clayey Silt (CLSI), and Sandy Clay (SACL). • • • • 35 8 Surface sediment type from biological collections, May, 1984. • • • • • . • • • • • • • 36 137 9 Net activity for cs (net counts/g dry sediment/hr) in cores collected in the Poquoson River, VA in March 1984. Zero values indicate that the true value was less than one 95% confidence interval from zero (see Materials and Methods for full explanation). • • • • • • 40 10 Plankton Productivity, Chlorophyll Concentration, and Assimilation Ratio in the Poquoson and Warwick Rivers during March and June, 1984 • • • • • • • • 41 vi 11 Comparison of phytoplankton productivity and standing crop (expressed as chlorophyll a concentration) in the Poquoson and Warwick Rivers to that at stations with similar salinity regimes in the Patuxent River, MD (Stross and Stottlemeyer, 1965) •••••••••••••••• 43 12 Benthic Algal Production at Upstream and Downstream Stations on the Poquoson and Warwick Rivers, VA during March and June ••• 46 .. 13 Sediment Chlorophyll Concentrations in mg/m2 (uncorrected for phaeophytin) at Stations in