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GROUNDWATER-STREAM INTERACTIONS AND WATER QUALITY OF FORMER DAM RESERVOIRS IN NORTHEAST, OHIO

Brown, Krista M.
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9230-5087
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1564530847224908

Abstract Details

2019, MS, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Earth Sciences.
Over the past decade, dam removals have become increasingly popular, as the water quality and ecological effects of impoundments are recognized and many dams near the end of their life expectancy. However, the hydrological functioning of former reservoirs has not been well documented. This study aims to develop understanding of groundwater-stream interactions and water quality in small, former reservoirs. In 2009, low head dams (~2 m) were removed from Plum Creek (Kent, Ohio) and Kelsey Creek (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio). Plum Creek reservoir underwent channel restoration in 2011, while Kelsey Creek reservoir is unrestored and consists of a stream channel flowing through a riparian wetland. From May 2013 to August 2014, water samples were collected semi-weekly upstream and downstream of the reservoirs for measurement of pH, temperature, specific conductance, oxygen stable isotopes and chloride, nitrate, sulfate and phosphate concentrations. At Kelsey Creek, 20 piezometers and 3 wells were installed in the stream and riparian areas, for hydraulic and water quality measurements. Upstream to downstream water quality measurements revealed no evidence of water quality changes as the streams flowed through the former reservoirs. Overall, water quality was higher at Plum Creek, which has a less urbanized watershed. At Kelsey Creek, specific conductance and chloride concentrations were elevated, with the highest concentrations occurring during the late winter months. Nitrate concentrations were also high for most of the year. At Kelsey Creek, hydraulic conductivity measurements ranged from 〖~10〗^(-4) to 10^(-8) m/s and the overall geometric mean for the site was determined to be 2.35 x10-5 m/s. Sediment samples were found to have a median grain size (d50) of 1.72 mm and were poorly sorted. Groundwater flux per unit cross-sectional area revealed values between 1.32-08 m/s to 9.04-08 m/s. Potentiometric surface maps show the groundwater is moving generally in westerly direction, while the surface water is moving north. This suggests that there is a limited potential for stream water quality changes due to interaction with groundwater in the riparian wetlands, but that surface water quality may influence groundwater to the west of the stream. Wells to the west of Kelsey Creek showed some differences in water quality. The well closest to the stream was most similar to stream water quality and isotopes, while there was a ~64-day lag time for flow to the furthest well, which also was the most dissimilar water quality. The Kelsey Creek and Plum Creek sites demonstrate that former reservoir reaches cannot mitigate watershed-level influences on water quality, especially in urban stream settings. Without channel restoration, the former reservoir at Kelsey Creek provides shallow groundwater recharge and interaction with a wetland area. This suggests that small, former reservoirs may have a greater impact on local groundwater quality than on stream water quality.
Anne Jefferson (Advisor)
Alison Smith (Committee Member)
David Hacker (Committee Member)
105 p.
Hydrologic Sciences; Hydrology; Water Resource Management
Groundwater-stream water interaction, low-head dam removal, water quality

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Brown, K. M. (2019). GROUNDWATER-STREAM INTERACTIONS AND WATER QUALITY OF FORMER DAM RESERVOIRS IN NORTHEAST, OHIO [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1564530847224908

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Brown, Krista . GROUNDWATER-STREAM INTERACTIONS AND WATER QUALITY OF FORMER DAM RESERVOIRS IN NORTHEAST, OHIO . 2019. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1564530847224908.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Brown, Krista . "GROUNDWATER-STREAM INTERACTIONS AND WATER QUALITY OF FORMER DAM RESERVOIRS IN NORTHEAST, OHIO ." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1564530847224908

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2019, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.