Patterns and Sources of Anthropogenic Contaminants in the Otter Creek Watershed, Madison County, Kentucky By Elijah D. Wolfe Submitted to Walter S. Borowski Department of Geosciences Eastern Kentucky University Undergraduate Thesis May

Stream systems are often affected by anthropogenic activities that affect water quality and stream ecosystems. Land use typically determines the type and quantity of anthropogenic contaminants entering natural waters. The Otter Creek watershed (170 km2; Madison County, Kentucky) consists predominantly of pasture and rural housing, with some cropland. The basin also receives runoff from the town of Richmond and a sewage treatment plant operates within the watershed. We measured concentrations of nutrients (phosphate, ammonium, nitrate) and fecal microbes to discover levels of anthropogenic contaminants affecting water quality and to identify contaminant sources. We sampled 4 times in the summer field season of 2015 over a variety of conditions. Nutrients were measured colorimetrically using established colorimetric methods. The abundance of Escherichia coli was quantified using IDEXX rapid-assay techniques. Phosphate (0 – 0.5 mg/L) and ammonium ( Both point- and non-point sources exist for contaminants. The sewage treatment plant is a definite point source for nitrate and less so for phosphate and ammonium. Non-point sources include high concentrations of nitrate, phosphate, and fecal microbes occur along Dreaming Creek, likely due to leaky sewage distribution pipes. Spikes in ammonium concentration are associated with cattle pasture, another non-point source. We also tested contaminant levels immediately before and after a rainfall event associated with tropical storm Bill (June 22). Phosphate and ammonium levels decreased, whereas nitrate increased significantly. E. coli counts also increased dramatically, after the rain event

Patterns and sources of anthropogenic contaminants in the Otter Creek Watershed, Madison County, Kentucky

Stream systems are often affected by anthropogenic activities that affect water quality and stream ecosystems. Land use typically determines the type and quantity of anthropogenic contaminants entering natural waters. The Otter Creek watershed (170 km2; Madison County, Kentucky) consists predominantly of pasture and rural housing, with some cropland. The basin also receives runoff from the town of Richmond and a sewage treatment plant operates within the watershed. We measured concentrations of nutrients (phosphate, ammonium, nitrate) and fecal microbes to discover levels of anthropogenic contaminants affecting water quality and to identify contaminant sources. We sampled 4 times in the summer field season of 2015 over a variety of conditions. Nutrients were measured colorimetrically using established colorimetric methods. The abundance of Escherichia coli was quantified using IDEXX rapid-assay techniques. Phosphate (0 – 0.5 mg/L) and ammonium (\u3c0.1 mg/L) concentrations were low for all sampling days, whereas nitrate was the dominant anthropogenic nutrient contaminant showing concentrations of 1 to 3 mg/L. Consistently higher levels of phosphate and nitrate were found in the waters of Dreaming Creek, which drains urban Richmond. High ammonium levels were sporadic and associated with pasture. High E. coli counts occurred in Dreaming Creek, the upper reaches of Otter Creek, and proximal to pastures. Both point- and non-point sources exist for contaminants. The sewage treatment plant is a definite point source for nitrate and less so for phosphate and ammonium. Non-point sources include high concentrations of nitrate, phosphate, and fecal microbes occur along Dreaming Creek, likely due to leaky sewage distribution pipes. Spikes in ammonium concentration are associated with cattle pasture, another non-point source. We also tested contaminant levels immediately before and after a rainfall event associated with tropical storm Bill (June 22). Phosphate and ammonium levels decreased, whereas nitrate increased significantly. E. coli counts also increased dramatically, after the rain event

Patterns of anthropogenic nutrient contaminants in the Otter Creek watershed, Madison County, Kentucky

We measured nutrient concentrations within the Otter Creek watershed (Madison County, Kentucky) to: (1) discover levels of anthropogenic contaminants affecting the water quality; (2) compare these measurements to a national data set; and (3) identify nutrient sources. The watershed mainly drains rural land characterized by cattle grazing, but also drains the town of Richmond. We sampled throughout the watershed to gain a representative perspective of nutrient levels and specifically targeted localities of suspected anthropogenic nutrient sources. Water samples were passed through a 0.45 mm filter, placed in pre-acidified vials, and measured one to two days after collection. Nutrients – ammonium, nitrate, and phosphate – were measured colorimetrically using the sodium hypochlorite, cadmium reduction, and ascorbic acid methods, respectively. Nutrients within the watershed show distinctively different concentration patterns. Ammonium and phosphate levels remain low for all sampling days. Higher ammonium concentrations are sporadic, but higher phosphate levels persist along Dreaming Creek, which drains Richmond. Nitrate consistently shows higher concentration levels of 4 to 7 mg/L and generally falls with the 25 to 50 percentile range as compared to impacted streams nationally. We sampled the watershed before and after a significant rain event. Ammonium and phosphate values changed little, but much larger amounts of nitrate entered Otter Creek afterward. We attribute higher nutrient values to several sources. A sewage treatment plant is a definite point source for nitrate and to lesser extent for phosphate. High nutrient values in Dreaming Creek are likely due leaky sewage pipes. The major non-point source is from cattle pasture

Patterns and sources of anthropogenic contaminants in the Otter Creek watershed, Madison County, Kentucky

Stream systems are often affected by anthropogenic contaminants that affect water quality and stream ecosystems. Land use determines the type and quantity of contaminants present in natural waters. The Otter Creek watershed (170 km2; Madison County, Kentucky) consists predominantly of pasture and rural housing, with some cropland. The basin also receives runoff from the town of Richmond and a sewage treatment plant operates within the watershed. We measured concentrations of nutrients (phosphate, ammonium, nitrate) and fecal microbes to discover levels of anthropogenic contaminants affecting water quality and to identify contaminant sources. We sampled 4 times in the summer field season of 2015 over a variety of conditions. Water samples for nutrient analysis were pressed through a 0.45 µm filter, placed in pre-acidified vials, and measured one or two days after collection. Nutrients were measured colorimetrically using established methods. Microbial samples were collected in sterile containers, placed on ice in the field, and then transported to the lab where they were spiked with Colilert-18 media. Samples incubated overnight at 35oC, and Escherichia coli were quantified using IDEXX rapid-assay techniques. Phosphate (0 – 0.5 mg/L) and ammonium (\u3c0.1 mg/L) concentrations were low for all sampling days, whereas nitrate was the dominant anthropogenic nutrient contaminant showing concentrations of 1 – 3 mg/L. Consistently higher levels of phosphate and nitrate were found in the waters of Dreaming Creek, which drains urban Richmond. High ammonium levels were sporadic and associated with pasture. High E. coli counts occurred in Dreaming Creek, the upper reaches of Otter Creek, and proximal to pastures. Both point- and non-point sources exist for contaminants. The sewage treatment plant is a definite point source for nitrate and less so for phosphate and ammonium. High concentrations of nitrate, phosphate, and fecal microbes occur along Dreaming Creek, likely due to leaky sewage distribution pipes. Spikes in ammonium concentration are sourced from cattle pasture. We also tested contaminant levels immediately before and after a rainfall event associated with tropical storm Bill. Phosphate and ammonium levels decreased, whereas nitrate increased significantly. E. coli counts also increased dramatically

American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research

McDonald D, Hyde E, Debelius JW, et al. American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research. mSystems. 2018;3(3):e00031-18

Correction to: An autosomal dominant neurological disorder caused by de novo variants in FAR1 resulting in uncontrolled synthesis of ether lipids (Genetics in Medicine, (2021), 23, 4, (740-750), 10.1038/s41436-020-01027-3)

In the original author list, Seth Perlman’s degrees were listed as MD, PhD. Dr Perlman’s degree is MD. The original version has been corrected