10/04/2002

Researchers Engage New Plan to Protect Water Resources

AUBURN, Ala.—How clean is the Sougahatchee? Researchers in the Aquatic Resources Management Program--a part of Auburn University’s Peaks of Excellence Program--want to know. They are monitoring water quality in Sougahatchee Creek (referred to locally as Saugahatchee) and the pollutants that threaten aquatic ecosystems.

The goal of the research is to create a management plan to have sustainable development, which will allow growth in the area and protect aquatic resources at the same time. The researchers are using the 260-square-mile Sougahatchee Watershed as a model to gather information they hope can be applicable to larger areas as well.

"We are studying this local stream to learn more about managing streams this size and larger," said David Bayne, professor in Auburn University’s Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures and primary investigator of the Aquatic Resources Management Program. "We hope to expand our findings to a larger scale. For example, this information might be useful in the Chattahoochee Watershed."

Alabama Department of Environmental Management gives permits to businesses to legally dump waste into the watershed. Since the location of the specific pipes emitting waste can be identified, it is referred to as point source pollution. This is relatively easy to find and measure, and the researchers are monitoring three point sources on the Sougahatchee, including industrial and municipal waste treatment facilities.

To determine nonpoint sources of pollution, which includes runoff from the land surface in the watershed, scientists have placed 24 sampling stations along Sougahatchee Aquatic Resources Creek and its major tributaries.

The researchers take samples of the water bimonthly November through April and once a month the rest of the year, and analyze the samples and measure the amount found. The researchers use remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to determine the land cover and the uses for that land. This makes it possible for the researchers to know what pollutants flow into the stream from a specific area in the watershed.

Scientists are studying macroinvertebrates as well. Bottom-dwelling bugs and worms can point researchers toward the effects that pollutants have on stream life and the relative health of the stream.

"The data will allow Auburn, Opelika and Lee County to better plan and manage the land area that is within the Sougahatchee basin, and predict the effects that a proposed industry, waste management plant, farm or other operation will have on a stream," Bayne said.

It will also assist the state in determining the total maximum daily loads of pollutants a stream can take and limit the total of contaminants that can enter the stream, according to Bayne. With revised management plans, the county will be better able to locate plants, industries, etc., where the pollutants emitted will not have a permanent adverse effect on water quality.

The Peaks of Excellence program encompasses seven multi-disciplinary research areas that focus on national research and development needs.

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News from:

Office of Ag Communications & Marketing

Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)

Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu
Contact David Bayne, 334-844-9321 or baynedr@auburn.edu

By Aimee Malone
October 4, 2002