2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
5/21/2019 | 10:15 AM - 10:30 AM | CAN BEAVERS MITIGATE NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION? | 250 AB
CAN BEAVERS MITIGATE NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION?
Non-point source (NPS) pollution remains high in many watersheds despite strategies aimed at reducing nutrient pollution. One solution for mitigating NPS pollution in mountain streams is via beaver (Castor canadensis) dams. Beaver activity converts lotic systems to semi-lentic, altering the fate of nutrients in streams by impounding stream flow and trapping sediments, which have a high affinity for nutrients and most pollutants. We measured phosphorous (total and orthophosphate), nitrogen (total, dissolved, particulate) and heavy metals (EPA regulated toxins) from the water column and sediments within three beaver ponds and adjacent upstream and downstream free-flowing reaches in three headwater streams. We sampled distinct geomorphic units to account for meso-habitat variability. Water column results suggest pond margin and backwater meso-habitats display higher nutrient concentrations than free-flowing reaches. Results from sediment cores indicate pond sediments may contain 2-4 times more heavy metals compared to free-flowing reaches. Nutrient budgets constructed from both water column and sediment data suggest beaver ponds may be both NPS sources and sinks, depending on pond age and dam maintenance. Overall, beaver ponds influence stream water quality through sediment-water interactions and burial, however their impact may vary spatially and interannually.
- Dams
- Water Quality
- Sediment
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Presenters/Authors
Deni Murray
(), Utah State University, Department of Watershed Sciences and the Ecology Center, deni_murray@yahoo.com;
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Bethany Neilson
(), Utah State University, bethany.neilson@usu.edu;
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Janice Brahney
(), Utah State University, jbrahney@gmail.com;
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