Abstract/Description/Artist Statement
Tidal flooding is common in the City of Norfolk, VA due to high rates of sea rise in the region, as well as the region’s subsidence. This has led to increases in flooding at high tide, especially during the spring tide portion of the tidal cycle. At high tide water from the Elizabeth and Lafayette Rivers can flood the landscape directly or can rise out of storm drains. This floodwater often stays on land for long periods of time and can deliver contaminants back into the rivers. To determine the amounts of nutrients and Enterococcus, a fecal indicator, delivered to the Elizabeth and Lafayette rivers, we collected samples from multiple floodwater sites across the span of multiple days to test them for Enterococcus, total dissolved nutrients (TDN), nitrate plus nitrite, and ammonium concentrations. Enterococcus concentrations in most floodwater samples far exceed the Virgina Department of Health’s recommendation for safe contact. Floodwater contained concentrations of TDN, nitrate, nitrite and ammonium that exceeded levels in the river, suggesting that floodwater is a source of these compounds to the Elizebeth and Lafayette rivers.
Keywords: Enterococcus, nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, nutrients, tidal flooding
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Margaret Mulholland
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Email
mmulholl@odu.edu
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department
Ocean & Earth Sciences
College/School Affiliation
College of Sciences
Student Level Group
Undergraduate
Presentation Type
Poster
Included in
Norfolk Flooding and its Effect on Nutrient and Enterococcus Levels
Tidal flooding is common in the City of Norfolk, VA due to high rates of sea rise in the region, as well as the region’s subsidence. This has led to increases in flooding at high tide, especially during the spring tide portion of the tidal cycle. At high tide water from the Elizabeth and Lafayette Rivers can flood the landscape directly or can rise out of storm drains. This floodwater often stays on land for long periods of time and can deliver contaminants back into the rivers. To determine the amounts of nutrients and Enterococcus, a fecal indicator, delivered to the Elizabeth and Lafayette rivers, we collected samples from multiple floodwater sites across the span of multiple days to test them for Enterococcus, total dissolved nutrients (TDN), nitrate plus nitrite, and ammonium concentrations. Enterococcus concentrations in most floodwater samples far exceed the Virgina Department of Health’s recommendation for safe contact. Floodwater contained concentrations of TDN, nitrate, nitrite and ammonium that exceeded levels in the river, suggesting that floodwater is a source of these compounds to the Elizebeth and Lafayette rivers.
Keywords: Enterococcus, nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, nutrients, tidal flooding