Recipient Organization
STATE UNIV OF NEW YORK
(N/A)
SYRACUSE,NY 13210
Performing Department
Environmental & Forest Biology
Non Technical Summary
The New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has done a preliminary analysis of the Mohawk River and found elevated levels of nutrients in the water. Elevated levels of nutrients in the waters of the Mohawk River can lead to eutrophication and potentially toxic blue-green algal blooms. In a proactive approach to the problem NYSDEC in cooperation with the US Geological Survey (USGS) collected a wide variety of water quality samples from April to October 2016 at numerous locations along the Mohawk River. These data were collected as the first step in assessing the condition of the river by determining concentrations of nutrients and other constituents to provide necessary data for the development and calibration of a water quality model for the Mohawk River. The Clean Water Act of 1972 (US Environmental Protection Agency, 1972) mandated that a plan should be put in place that limits the total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for impaired surface-water bodies. A Total Maximum Daily Load refers to a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive on a daily basis and still meet water quality standards. TMDLs are implemented on a state by state basis. The USEPA has placed the responsibility of developing TMDLs and ambient water quality standards for the waters of New York on the NYSDEC.The assimilative capacity of the Mohawk River is complex and is affected by many interactions including several impoundments behind lock and gate structures. Computer modeling techniques will be used to estimate changes in water quality conditions in the Mohawk River using water quality sample data, streamflow data, discharge and withdrawal data, land use classifications, and point source concentration data from WWTPs to develop a defensible justification, in the form of a TMDL, for better watershed management practices and phosphorus load reduction that will result in improved water quality conditions and the removal of segments of the Mohawk River from the 303 ( d) list.Presently the following segments of the Mohawk River are listed on the 303(d) list:303(d) Part 1 -Requiring a TMDLSegment #1201-0010 - floatables, pathogens, and low dissolved oxygen303(d) Part 3b-TMDL Deferred - Verification of Pollutant/Sources neededSegment # 1201-0094 - floatables, copper, pathogen, and low dissolved oxygenDevelopment of a TMDL for the Mohawk River is a multistep process and requires determining potential sources of the contaminants and quantifying the loads of contaminants entering the waterway. The primary steps in this process include the 1) identifying all existing water quality data in the watershed 2) development of hydraulic and water quality simulation models to estimate the flow volumes and contaminant concentrations along the river to simulate current conditions and 3) calibrating the models to help in the development of a TMDL.Awarded Start Date: 8/20/18Sponsor: NYS-Department of Environmental Conservation
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
100%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
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Project Methods
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