Draft 2: Effects of the Acton Lake Dam on Water Quality in Four Mile Creek

This topic submitted by Amanda Gibson, Whitney Smith, Abby Workman ( smithwa@muohio.edu ) on 2/23/03. [ Rivers Team: Amanda Gibson, Whitney Smith, Abby Workman-Section: Garrison/Green]

1. Introduction
a. Our group will be exploring the effects of damming on water quality in rivers, looking at how it affects water and soil (along the banks) chemistry, biodiversity (plant/animal life), and human use (recreational, agricultural, etc.). We will be using Acton Lake and the stretches of Four Mile Creek above and below the lake to test our hypothesis. Our hypothesis is that water in the reservoir and downstream will be of lower quality than water upstream, and that this will affect biodiversity of both plants and animals, as well as human usage below the Acton Lake Dam.
b. We plan to prove that water quality is poorer below a dam using measurements of dissolved oxygen, sediment load, hardness, temperature, and biodiversity (and possibly other things should measurement instruments become available). We also plan to prove that this poorer water quality has adverse effects on plants, animals, and human useage.
c. Our project ties directly to the course. We will be looking at the effects of human engineering on the environment, as well as different aspects of water quality (chemistry, biodiversity, etc.).

2. Relevance of your Research Question
a.
City of Oxford, Ohio water quality investigation. Columbus, Ohio: Burgess & Niple, 1989.
Water quality studies (“area planning studies) for Oxford, OH, January of 1989.

Seven Mile Creek watershed : a non-point source profile. Cincinnati, Ohio: Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments. 1985.
A look at water quality and water pollution in Butler County, OH, focusing specifically on the Seven Mile Creek watershed.

Boyd, Claude E. Water quality: an introduction. Boston, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 2000.
Gives an introduction to water quality, covering topics relevant to our study such as dissolved oxygen, hardness, and water quality regulations.

Camargo, Julio A. and Neal J. Voelz. “Biotic and Abiotic Changes Along the Recovery Gradient of Two Impounded Rivers with Different Impoundment Use.” ???? (1996): 143-158.
Effects of damming on the macroinvertibrates of the ColoradoRiver (Granby Dam) and the Durat—n River in Spain (Burgomillodo Dam), particularly in regard to downstream changes in water quality.

Fried, Gabriela and Alfred WŸest. “Disrupting biogeochemical cycles – Consequences of damming.” Aquatic Sciences 64 (2002): 55-65.
Effects of damming on rivers, and why these effects might be overlooked. Effects include biogeochemical cycles, nutrient balance, and thermal conditions.

Graf, William L. “Damage Control: Restoring the Physical Integrity of America’s Rivers.” Annals of the Association of American Geographers 91(1) (2001): 1-27.
Discusses the restoration of the natural physical integrity of rivers whose ecosystems have been damaged due to damming, and focuses on economic, cultural, and environmental aspects.

Mngomezulu, M. Michael. A descriptive study of water quality trends in the Great Miami subbasin, Ohio, 1979-1992. 1994.
Looks at water quality trends in the Miami River Basin over the course of 13 years (79-92).

Novotny, Vladimir. “Integrated Water Quality Management.” Water Science Technology 33 No 4-5 (1996): 1-7. 1996.
Discussion of water quality management using the Use Attainability Analysis (UAA), which is a combination of water body assessment, total maximum daily load process (natural vs. man-made problems), and socio-economic analysis.

Spang, John F. A study of nitrogen compounds in Four Mile Creek near Oxford, Ohio. 1971.
As stated in the title, it is a look at nitrogen compounds in Four Mile Creek, relevant to our study in that it is about our specific creek of study and is regarding water chemistry.

Spieker, Andrew Maute. Ground-water hydrology and geology of the lower Great Miami River Valley, Ohio. U.S. Govt. Printing Office. 1968.
Provides information on geological aspects of the Miami River Valley, as will as information on ground-water.

Waite, Thomas D Principles of water quality. Orlando, Fla: Academic Press. 1984.
Discusses water resources, water quality, and water quality management.

Ward, Robert C. “Development and use of water quality criteria and standards in the United States.” Regional Environmental Change 2 (2001): 66-72.
Definitions of water quality criteria and standards developed over the course of the last century, as well as a call for new methods of water quality management.

http://www.miamiconservancy.org/Great_Miami_River_Watershed/What_Is_A_Watershed/Images/Lower%20Great%20Infographic.pdf
A quick look at the biological health of the lower Great Miami River watershed.

http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/Publications/Short_Series/LakeReservoirs-1/5.asp
Discusses water quality and the differences between lakes and reservoirs, and between deep and shallow water bodies, as well as downstream effects of damming.

http://www.cleanwateract.org/pages/b9.htm
Explains application of the Clean Water Act to damming projects.

http://www2.privatei.com/~uscold/
Homepage of the United States Society on Dams, “dedicated to advancing the technology of dam engineering, construction, operation, maintenance and dam safety; to fostering socially and environmentally responsible water resources projects; and to promoting awareness of the role of dams in the beneficial and sustainable development of the nation's water resources.”

http://www.ies.wisc.edu/research/wrm00/educqual.htm
A guide to deciding whether to repair or remove a dam which has been damaged, looking at water quality, biology, timing, etc.

http://biology.usgs.gov/cro/98bor-4.htm
Looks at water quality in western river reservoirs, particularly the Lower Colorado River reservoirs.

http://www.soton.ac.uk/~engenvir/environment/alternative/hydropower/hydchan.htm
Looks at effects of dams on both water quality and on operation of downstream power plants.

http://www.smuc.ac.uk/RiversWEB/casestudies/threegorges.htm#Environmental%20impacts
A case study of China’s Three Gorges Dam project. Looks at benefits, detrimental effects, social impacts, human rights issues, etc.

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/huestonw.htm
DNR homepage for Hueston Woods State Park, including brief history of the Acton Lake Dam and general information on recreation in the area.

b. Although our experimentation is limited to Four Mile Creek and the Acton Lake dam, it can be applied to dams all over the world. Some of our research involves studies of the effects of other dams. At Glen Canyon Dam in Colorado, for example, a $200 million temperature control project was evaluated in the late 90’s, the object of this project being “to benefit native fish populations found in the Grand Canyon” (http://biology.usgs.gov/cro/98bor-4.htm), (which implies a previous detrimental effect on said populations due to the dam). Many detrimental environmental effects have been projected for the Three Gorges Dam on China’s Yangtze river, which is scheduled for completion in 2009. Projected effects include: negative effects on downstream ecosystems due to temperature and water quality changes; riverbed and bank erosion; and reduction/elimination of native species due to flooding of habitats (http://www.smuc.ac.uk/RiversWEB/casestudies/threegorges.htm#Environmental%20impacts). Assuming our hypothesis is correct, it will correlate with these other studies. Evidence from our study and from these other studies could reasonably be applied to any damming project on earth.

3. Interdisciplinary Approach (including cultural, social and scientific perspectives)
Cultural: We plan to take pictures of the area we are testing, both upstream and downstream of the dam, and to make a collage of these pictures which hopefully will help to illustrate and clarify the points made by our research and tests. We will be using information from interviews (mentioned below) to compare stories of the usage of Four Mile Creek from different decades, and how views of the creek have changed since the time before the Acton Lake Dam was built.
Social: To create the social aspect of our project, we will be looking at how the creek is used above and below the dam, as well as how Acton Lake is used, and whether this might affect the quality of the water. We will be interviewing people who have lived most/all of their lives near the creek to get a more historical perspective on water use and the politics surrounding the creation of the dam. We will also be interviewing park rangers for information on upkeep of the area of the dam as well as to obtain data on park visitation and water use in the creek and Acton Lake.
Scientific: We will be testing water chemistry, biodiversity, effects on humans, etc. to make up the scientific aspect of our project.

4. A Specific Research Design
In regard to water chemistry, we will be measuring sediment load, hardness, dissolved oxygen, and essentially whatever else we can find a kit for (will add to this statement at such time as we find out what testing kits are at our disposal). Soil along the banks above and below the dam will also be tested, and information regarding these tests will be included in our final project report. We will also be testing the biodiversity by using the “fish zapper” to stun fish so we can count the different species above and below the dam and by comparing types of plants found along the bank below the dam to those found above. We will research human activity and water usage in different areas, and include descriptions of physical characteristics of the creek and the land around it. Social and cultural aspects will be included through photography and research into recreation and other human use of the water through personal interviews and park use data. We have not yet created an interview format, but will be doing so soon. Finally, we will research the history both through our interviews and via the internet and published resources.

5. Materials and Methods
a. We currently know that we will be using the “fish zapper,” as well as the HACH kit and any other kits for testing water and soil chemistry. We also hope to find a digital camera, which will allow us to include pictures of both upstream and downstream areas in our report, as well as collage them more easily. (Barring a digital camera, we will use the best-quality camera we can find.) Also, we will be creating interview forms for park rangers and for residents of the area.
b. The group has decided that “we will work together in a loving and equal partnership, similar to marriage, but without the sex/offspring, and minus the potential for separation/divorce.” Basically, we will share the work as equally as possible and support each other in every way throughout the project, although each of us has specific strengths: Amanda is the photographer extraordinaire; Whitney is the mistress of statistics (StatView) and other math-based stuff; and Abby is the empress of the interview/journalism field. As for our specific ecosystem co-research team, our theory is that we will stay out of their way if they will stay out of ours, but we will also be perfectly willing to cooperate in any way which will make their job and ours easier.
c. Statistics regarding water/soil chemistry and biodiversity will be included. We will be using Statview to interpret our results, and provide comparisons between upstream and downstream areas.
d. Any pertinent data sheets will be entered in our final report.
e. Potential Rough Timeline
Week 7: heavy research using books and internet sources
Week 8: scout out testing areas, begin conducting interviews
Week 9: continue with interviews, begin water/soil chemistry testing
Week 10: continue with interviews and testing
Week 11: begin testing biodiversity (hopefully weather will be warmer now)
Week 12: continue testing, etc.
Week 13: “ “ “
Week 14: finish up with testing, do Statview and interpret results

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