Nitrogen Biogeochemistry in the Binghamton Urban Ecosystem
Stephanie Craig, Ben Eisenkop, Michael MacAllister, Weixing Zhu
Introduction:
Nitrate Concentrations of Eight Urban Streams
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Nitrogen is a crucial nutrient, and also a pollutant in urban
ecosystems
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Changes in the nitrogen cycle caused by urban environments
affect the living quality of people (water quality, nitrates) and
non-human populations (biodiversity, invasive species).
(mg/L)
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Inputs include food, fertilizer used in lawns, feed for domestic
animals, atmospheric deposition (higher in urban
environments because of automobile traffic).
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Outputs include wastewater treatment plant discharge, and
discharge from landfills, groundwater, and river flow to water
bodies downstream.
Objectives:
1. Examine the nitrogen output from streams vs. the
wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) which both drain into
the Susquehanna River, and
Water samples were analyzed on the Lachat Autoanalyzer
for nitrogen (ammonia and nitrate) and chloride
concentrations.
Choconut
Tracy
Nanticoke
Upstream
Paterson
LC
Downstream
Figure 3.
Upstream and downstream nitrate concentrations in eight streams in the
Binghamton urban area.
Figure 1.
A map of the Binghamton urban ecosystem including eight perennial
streams and the Binghamton-Johnson City WWTP.
Stream Nitrogen and WWTP
Nitrogen Concentrations
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Concentration (mg/L)
Water samples and flow measurements were taken twice per
month from upstream and downstream sites on the following
perennial streams: Fuller Hollow, Pierce, Willow Run,
Choconut, Tracy, Nanticoke, Paterson, and Little Choconut;
plus from the Binghamton-Johnson City WWTP (Figure 1).
WR
Location
2. Examine nitrogen concentration at upstream and
downstream sites along eight perennial streams.
Methods:
Pierce
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Discussion:
Nitrogen concentrations from the wastewater treatment plant are
much higher than concentrations from urban streams. Ammonia is
the dominant form of nitrogen in wastewater treatment plant effluent
and nitrate is the dominant form of nitrogen in streams. Ammonia in
streams is negligible. (Figure 2).
Nitrate concentrations are generally higher in water samples taken
from downstream locations (urban) from Fuller Hollow, Pierce,
Patterson and Little Choconut; Willow Run, Choconut, Tracey and
Nanticoke exhibited higher nitrate concentrations upstream. (Figure
3).
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Future Work:
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1. Quantify dissolved organic nitrogen levels and compare to
inorganic nitrogen,
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2. Quantify nitrogen contributed from areas of combined sewage
overflow, and
Date
average nitrate concentrations in streamwater
Figure 2
average nitrate concentrations in effluent
average ammonia concentrations in effluent
Figure 2.
Average nitrate concentration in eight urban streams and average nitrate
and ammonia concentrations in WWTP effluent. Ammonia concentrations
in the streams are negligible.
3. Quantify hydrologic flows from streams and create a nitrogen
mass-balance budget for the Binghamton Urban Ecosystem.