Development of Fecal Coliform TMDL Protocols for Bass and Cinder Creeks on Kiawah Island

2008 S.C. Water Resources Conference - Addressing Water Challenges Facing the State and Regio

Early role of vascular dysregulation on late-onset Alzheimer's disease based on multifactorial data-driven analysis

Multifactorial mechanisms underlying late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) are poorly characterized from an integrative perspective. Here spatiotemporal alterations in brain amyloid-β deposition, metabolism, vascular, functional activity at rest, structural properties, cognitive integrity and peripheral proteins levels are characterized in relation to LOAD progression. We analyse over 7,700 brain images and tens of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Through a multifactorial data-driven analysis, we obtain dynamic LOAD–abnormality indices for all biomarkers, and a tentative temporal ordering of disease progression. Imaging results suggest that intra-brain vascular dysregulation is an early pathological event during disease development. Cognitive decline is noticeable from initial LOAD stages, suggesting early memory deficit associated with the primary disease factors. High abnormality levels are also observed for specific proteins associated with the vascular system's integrity. Although still subjected to the sensitivity of the algorithms and biomarkers employed, our results might contribute to the development of preventive therapeutic interventions

Design of an environmental monitoring program for the Lake Allatoona/Upper Etowah River watershed

The proximity of the Upper Etowah River watershed to such a vast urban and urbanizing area (Atlanta, Georgia) makes proactive watershed management essential because there is critical need to balance water and wastewater demands with efforts to maintain and enhance overall ecological conditions. The monitoring program is intended to be comprehensive, help address multi-jurisdictional watershed management objectives, and focus on ecological condition at multiple spatial scales. Therefore, the purpose of this project is the development of a valid and technically defensible, long-term monitoring design for the Upper Etowah River watershed. The Lake Allatoona/Upper Etowah River Watershed Partnership specified a list of management objectives and questions that the data gathered under the monitoring program should address. The set of objectives required an approach that incorporates sites selected based on expected problems or issues (targeted), as well as sites from which data could be aggregated for assessments at broader spatial scales (probability-based). The resulting network design is a set of sites that will, in part, be sampled annually; intermittently; and as part of a regular, rotating-basin schedule. Constituents to be sampled include selected laboratory and field chemistry, various aspects of flow and physical habitat quality, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish. Over a 6-year period, these data will be gathered from approximately 400 locations throughout the upper basin. Implementation of the program will require training, tracking of data quality characteristics, and performing analyses focused on answering, with known confidence, the stated objectives of the program.Sponsored by: Georgia Environmental Protection Division U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Water Science Center U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Water Resources Institute The University of Georgia, Water Resources Facult

Dissolved Oxygen TMDL Development in Southern Georgia

Proceedings of the 2001 Georgia Water Resources Conference, April 26 and 27, 2001, Athens, Georgia.Dissolved Oxygen (DO) Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) were developed for 99 impaired stream segments in the southern Georgia 4 river basins include the Ochlockonee, Suwannee, Satilla, and St. Marys Rivers. The 4 river basins are characterized by low topographic relief, shallow blackwater streams, large organic loads from stream riparian areas, and extensive, low-lying floodplains and swamps. The DO concentrations typically fall well below Georgia's water, quality standard during the summer periods when precipitation and stream flow is at a minimum and water temperatures are high. The natural, organic load from detritus and leaf litter material in forest and wetland areas is a significant contributor to the low DO concentrations in most of the impaired segments. A watershed model was linked to an in-stream model to provide a framework for examining the sources of oxygen consumption in the impaired segments.Sponsored and Organized by: U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service, The University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of TechnologyThis book was published by the Institute of Ecology, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2202. The views and statements advanced in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not represent official views or policies of The University of Georgia, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Georgia Water Research Institute as authorized by the Water Resources Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-397) or the other conference sponsors

Watershed assessment of the Lake Allatoona/Upper Etowah River Basin

Proceedings of the 2009 Georgia Water Resources Conference, April 27, 28, and 29, 2009 Athens, Georgia.There are multiple, complex, and cumulative combinations of stressors throughout the Lake Allatoona/ Upper Etowah River watershed (LAUE). Recognition of their presence and specific effects on the stream biota in isolation from effects of all other potential stressors is often difficult. An understanding can be developed of the spatial and temporal characteristics of potential stressor sources, the likelihood that stressors produced would effect biological responses, and the variable magnitude of those responses. We used ecological monitoring and assessment results, combined with water quantity, quality, and land use/land cover data, to evaluate ecological condition as the response indicator, the physical, chemical, and hydrologic stressors effecting biological conditions, and point and nonpoint sources of those stressors. The Georgia multimetric index (MMI), a biological index using benthic macroinvertebrates, provided assessments at four spatial scales: the watershed overall, nested subwatersheds at two scales (10 and 12 digit hydrologic unit code [HUC]), and individual streams. Through the first 3 years of sampling (2006-07), approximately 44% of the basin has been assessed (n=158 sites, and 23 out of fifty-three 12 digit HUC subwatersheds); of that fraction, about 38% of the stream channel miles is degraded, that is, with biological assessment results as either “poor” or “very poor”. The most complete assessments thus far are for the Upper Etowah River (0315010401) and the Middle Etowah River (0315010403) subwatersheds at 62 and 63 percent complete, with 13.2 and 18.4% degraded stream miles, respectively. The Upper and Middle Etowah River and Amicalola Creek subwatersheds have the highest proportion of assessments falling as either “good” or “very good”; those subwatersheds having highest proportion as either “poor” or “very poor” are Lower Etowah River, Little River, and Upper and Lower Allatoona. Additional sampling and analysis in the final 3 years of this rotating basin monitoring program will ultimately result in 318 sites being assessed, and will likely necessitate modification of assessment results for some of the 10 digit HUC subwatersheds and the LAUE overall. Inventory of potential stressors and stressor sources found that there was a broad combination of point and nonpoint sources, including urban/suburban development, transportation corridors, combined animal feeding operations (CAFO), silvicultural and mining activities, and physical habitat degradation due to the reservoir impoundment itself. These sources result in potential elevated loadings of sediment (accelerated erosion), phosphorus and other nutrients, multiple aspects of physical habitat degradation to which the existing stream biota are exposed. The combined knowledge of biological degradation, most probable stressors, and the sources producing those stressors, is serving as the foundation of a watershed protection plan for the LAUE.Sponsored by: Georgia Environmental Protection Division U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Water Science Center U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Water Resources Institute The University of Georgia, Water Resources FacultyThis book was published by Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2152. The views and statements advanced in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not represent official views or policies of The University of Georgia, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Georgia Water Research Institute as authorized by the Water Research Institutes Authorization Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-307) or the other conference sponsors

Halfway home: three years’ of monitoring and assessment results in the Lake Allatoona/Upper Etowah River Watershed

Proceedings of the 2009 Georgia Water Resources Conference, April 27, 28, and 29, 2009 Athens, Georgia.The long-term environmental monitoring program for the Lake Allatoona/Upper Etowah River Watershed (LAUE) is probability-based and rotating basins, with sites randomly selected and stratified within nested 12- and 10-digit USGS HUC subwatersheds. Sampling and analysis for the ecological monitoring component of the WA began in December 2005 and years 2 and 3 in November/December 2006 and 2007, respectively. As a result, ecological assessments (based on physical habitat, geomorphology, water chemistry, and biology [benthic macroinvertebrates (i.e., aquatic insects, snails, and worms)]) have been completed for 158 stream and river locations distributed throughout the upper watershed, and at 11 sites targeted for different land use activities. Three years of ecological monitoring has resulted in a cumulative master list of 334 genera of benthic macroinvertebrates representing 124 families. Using a multimetric index (MMI) calibrated for Georgia Level 3 ecoregions, biological data were organized and interpreted in the context of composite characteristics (metrics) relative to reference conditions. Forty-two (42) percent of the sites were rated as either poor or very poor, which translates to 1,225 kilometers (km) of biologically degraded channel length in the LAUE. Overall, the LAUE is in need of stressor reduction; however, there are specific areas of the watershed (described as 10- and 12-digit HUC subwatersheds, and individual streams) that are in better condition, and would benefit from activities preventing or minimizing the introduction of new stressor sources; there are others in need of stressor reduction.Sponsored by: Georgia Environmental Protection Division U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Water Science Center U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Water Resources Institute The University of Georgia, Water Resources FacultyThis book was published by Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2152. The views and statements advanced in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not represent official views or policies of The University of Georgia, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Georgia Water Research Institute as authorized by the Water Research Institutes Authorization Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-307) or the other conference sponsors

Fish Passage in Georgia: Planning for the Future

Proceedings of the 2013 Georgia Water Resources Conference, April 10-11, 2013, Athens, Georgia.In 14 major watersheds and thousands of miles of rivers, Georgia’s waterways provide some of the highest levels of aquatic biodiversity in the United States. Hydrologic disconnection by dams, roads, water diversions, and other barriers have led to local declines in both migratory and resident fishes. To counteract these trends, numerous organizations and stakeholders have invested in fish passage structures and dam removal. Techniques for prioritizing barrier improvement, measuring passage efficacy, and designing passage structures are rapidly developing in both research and practice. We review the status of fish passage improvement in the state of Georgia as it relates to two key topics. First, what methods exist (or are being developed) to prioritize barrier improvement? Second, what lessons have been learned from recent fish passage and dam removal projects? We address these questions by way of example projects conducted by a variety of agencies and entities. We conclude by summarizing some emerging challenges and opportunities for future research in fish passage improvement.Sponsored by: Georgia Environmental Protection Division; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service; Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Water Resources Institute; The University of Georgia, Water Resources Faculty.This book was published by Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2152. The views and statements advanced in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not represent official views or policies of The University of Georgia, the Georgia Water Research Institute as authorized by the Water Research Institutes Authorization Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-307) or the other conference sponsors

Palladium-Mediated Synthesis of a Near-Infrared Fluorescent K⁺ Sensor

Potassium (K⁺) exits electrically excitable cells during normal and pathophysiological activity. Currently, K⁺-sensitive electrodes and electrical measurements are the primary tools to detect K⁺ fluxes. Here, we describe the synthesis of a near-IR, oxazine fluorescent K⁺ sensor (K_NIR-1) with a dissociation constant suited for detecting changes in intracellular and extracellular K⁺ concentrations. K_NIR-1 treatment of cells expressing voltage-gated K⁺ channels enabled the visualization of intracellular K⁺ depletion upon channel opening and restoration of cytoplasmic K⁺ after channel closing