Monday, 6 October 2008

George R. Brown Convention Center, Exhibit Hall E

M.R. Bender, Dept. of Environmental and Technological Studies, St. Cloud State Univ., 720 4th Ave S, St. Cloud, MN 56301, A.K. Pradhananga, Dept. of Environmental and Technological Studies, St. Cloud State University, 702 4th Ave S, St. Cloud, MN 56301 and J.C. Galzki, Dept. of Soil, Water and Climate, University of Minnesota, 1991 Buford Cir., St. Paul, MN 55108

The Sauk River in the Upper Mississippi River Basin is listed as a fecal coliform impaired water. The 160 km river flows through areas densely populated with feedlots and dairies; however the river also flows through over a dozen lakes which contain many lake homes with un-maintained septic systems. In an effort to better understand the nature of the river's impairment, “snapshots” of the river are being utilized. A “snapshot” refers to a sampling technique in which the E. coli loading of the river is determined for a given day. During a snapshot, water is collected and processed in a single day from 17 established sites along the Sauk River. Thus far, eight snapshots have been collected between September 2006 and September 2008. The highest levels of E. coli loading shown in the snapshots occur when water temperature and/or flow were greatest. However, many more snapshots must be taken before concrete conclusions can be made regarding impairment.

See more of: Symposium --Biogeochemistry of Relationships Among Soil Nutrients, Organic Carbon, and Water Quality: I (includes Graduate Student Competition) (Posters)
See more of: A05 Environmental Quality

2008 Joint Annual Meeting (5-9 Oct. 2008): Using Snapshot Sampling to Characterize an Impaired Water.

538-10 Using Snapshot Sampling to Characterize an Impaired Water.