How Flooding Impacts Water Quality

After washing over land during flooding at high tides, floodwaters carry sediments, debris, nutrients, toxic materials, and bacteria as they recede into nearby waterways. These pollutants can cause direct human and pet health effects and lead to excess nutrient concentrations that contribute to the formation of harmful algae blooms that are a threat to aquatic ecosystems and fisheries. When these blooms decay, they create low oxygen zones that also threaten marine life and aquatic habitats.

Dr. Margaret Mulholland, a biological oceanographer at Old Dominion University, and graduate student Alphonso Macias Tapia developed a pioneering research project to quantify pollution inputs from tidal flooding. Called “Measure the Muck”, their initiative gathered students and volunteers during King Tides, the highest predicted high tides of the year, to collect water samples along the perimeter of the Lafayette River in Norfolk, Virginia. Results indicate that tidal flooding can be a significant source of nutrient enrichment and fecal contamination in local waterways, impacting efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay and posing a serious public health concern for the large and increasing human populations living in coastal areas.

-- Jackie Siegel, Chrysler Museum Intern