Current Research

For a complete listing of our research projects please visit http://ncwqr.heidelberg.edu.

Title
(and funding agency if applicable)

Purpose

The Honey Creek Targeted Watershed Program (U.S. EPA Targeted Watershed Program) This program will launch implementation of the Sandusky River Watershed Coalition’s Honey Creek Watershed Action Plan. The specific objectives of the grant include (1) achieve a 25% reduction in phosphorus export from the watershed, (2) reduce by 50% the duration of time nitrate exceeds drinking water standards at the Melmore gaging station, and (3) improve stream habitats, hydrology and biota through the cumulative effects of upland erosion control, winter cover and buffer strips. Partners in this project include the Crawford, Huron and Seneca Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and the University of Toledo. Starts in 2008 and continues for five years.

A Phosphorus Soil Test Metric for Reducing Dissolved Phosphorus Loads (Great Lakes Protection Fund) Vertically stratified soil testing will be used throughout the Sandusky River Watershed to identify fields with high surficial phosphorus soil tests. These fields will be targeted for best management practices aimed at reducing dissolved phosphorus loading to Lake Erie from agricultural watersheds. The project team includes: extension and research staff from The Ohio State University, Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin; state and federal agency staff, certified crop advisors; area farmers; soil testing laboratory scientists; soil and water district personnel; and agricultural organizations. Starts in 2007 and continues for five years.

Tributary Loading Studies of the Tiffin River, the Blanchard River and Lost Creek (Environmental Defense, Center for Conservation Incentives) The NCWQR will expand its tributary loading program to include studies for the Blanchard and Tiffin rivers and for a tributary to Lost Creek in Defiance County. This monitoring data will be used to support and evaluate special programs launched by Environmental Defense to accelerate farmer utilization of U.S. Department of Agriculture Programs (Lake Erie CREP and EQIP) in the Maumee River Watershed. Starts in 2007 and continues for four years.

Trends in Bioavailable Phosphorus Loading to Lake Erie (Ohio Lake Erie Protection Fund) In this project, samples from a sub-set of storm events in the Maumee R., Sandusky R., Cuyahoga R. and Honey Creek will be analyzed for additional forms of phosphorus to better characterize trends in bioavailable phosphorus loading to Lake Erie. Starts in 2007 and concludes in 2008.

Biological Assessment of Over-Wide Ditch Construction (USEPA 319, ODNR) Assess the water chemistry and aquatic invertebrate communities of McKibben Ditch and Riffle Creek, both tributaries of the Olentangy River, before and after construction of an "over-wide" ditch in McKibben Creek.

Extent of Hypoxia in Nearshore Areas of Lake Erie's Central Basin (Ohio Sea Grant – Ohio Lake Erie Commission) Measure shoreward intrusions of oxygen-depleted bottom water into shallow regions of the central basin during the period of summer thermal stratification. This information is expected to help explain the absence of Hexagenia mayflies, zebra and quagga mussels (Dreissenidae), and various other "clean-water" invertebrates from most of the shallow sedimentary areas of the basin.

Pictorial Atlas of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates
(NOAA through ODNR Division of Wildlife) Contribute multiple chapters of a pictorial atlas of the aquatic flora and fauna of the Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve and State Nature Preserve near Huron, Ohio: midges (Chironomidae), mayflies (Ephemeroptera), and dragonflies (Odonata), (Hemiptera), aquatic earthworms (Oligochaeta), and planktonic crustaceans (copepods and water fleas).

Forecasting the Causes, Consequences, and Potential Solutions for Hypoxia in Lake Erie (NOAA)     Create, test, and apply models to forecast how anthropogenic (land use, invasive species) and natural (climatic variability) stresses influence hypoxia formation and ecology in Lake Erie, with an emphasis on fish production potential. A major project involving colleagues at U. Michigan, NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, and several other institutions

Intergovernmental Agricultural Modeling Project.
For: Army Corps of Engineers, USDA, EPA    This project has the goal of linking small- scale field drainage models, specifically DRAINMOD, with larger basin-scale models such as AnnAGNPS (USDA) and GSSSHA (ACOE), which currently model tile drainage inadequately if at all

Land Use and Water Quality Trends in Rock Creek Watershed (Seneca Co.,Ohio), 1982-2005: Impact of Core-4 Conservation Practices
For: USDA -CREES Assess trends in land use and water quality based on water quality data from NCWQR sampling station on Rock Creek; develop input datasets for AnnAGNPS land use/water quality model and use it to assess a wide range of management issues regarding placement of Best Management Practices in watersheds, interactions between practices, and time lag between installation of such practices and resulting water quality changes.

Lake Erie Tributary Loading Data: Access, Analysis, and Interpretation
For: Lake Erie Protection Fund, Ohio
Lake Erie Commission
(also funded by National Machinery) The purpose of this project is to make the water quality data that the NCWQR has collected on Lake Erie Tributaries available on the Web in the form of Excel files. In addition, a User’s Guide to the data sets, in the form of a set of tutorials, will be produced to aid users in the analysis and interpretation of the data. An Excel Analysis Template will be provided to facilitate the production of various types of plots and summary reports. The website is now available.

Quantifying Hydrological "Flashiness" Develop and evaluate an index of short-term fluctuations in river and stream flow, apply it to upper Midwest streams, evaluate
resulting geographic patterns and temporal trends, and examine its use as a measure of hydromodification. Publication in press Journal of the American Water Resources Association.

Development of an SOP for Load Estimation for US EPA Region VIII
For: US EPA Region VIII
Estimation of Pollutant Loads in Rivers and Streams: A Guidance Document for NPS Programs Develop programs and instructions for calculating tributary loads, analyze states' nutrient data, and provide statistical assistance to states within Region VIII.

Ohio Tributary Monitoring Program
For: Ohio Dept of Natural Resources
Tributary Monitoring Reports Monitor major Ohio tributaries for sediment and nutrient loads.

Ohio Lake Erie CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program)
For: Ohio Dept of Natural Resources
Operate station on Vermilion River, interpret progress of Ohio Lake Erie CREP program towards its water quality goals.

Sediment and Nutrient Concentrations in the River Raisin
For: Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality Install and operate an autosampler-based monitoring station on the River Raisin at Monroe, in connection with the Michigan CREP.

Factors Controlling the Distribution and Abundance of Burrowing Mayflies in Lake Erie, and Contributions to the Mayfly Metric of Ohio’s Lake Erie Quality Index
For: Ohio Lake Erie Commission and Ohio Sea Grant    Mayfly Reports Continue studies, begun in 1993, of the return of Hexagenia mayflies to the western basin of Lake Erie and the factors preventing their colonization of the central basin on a large scale.

Comparative Macroinvertebrate Survey at Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve
For: Ohio Dept of Natural Resources Compare invertebrate communities that were present in the coastal wetland in the early 1990s when Lake Erie had historically high water levels with the communities present in the early 2000s under much lower water levels.

Response of Macroinvertebrates to Dam Removal in a Lake Erie Tributary
For: Ohio Dept of Natural Resources As part of a larger collaborative study, document and interpret changes in macroinvertebrate communities of riffles and pools in the Sandusky River of Ohio upstream and downstream of an 85-year-old dam that was removed in 2003.

Erie Comprehensive Collaborative Study – Distribution, Abundance, and Biomass of Zebra/Quagga Mussels and Other Invertebrates With the University of Windsor and University of Waterloo, map the distribution, abundance, and biomass of dreissenid mussels, burrowing mayflies, midges, and other major groups of invertebrates at 283 stations allocated to 26 depth-basin-substratum classes throughout Lake Erie. This study is expected to aid understanding of possible causes and consequences of increased hypoxia in the central basin of the lake.

Pesticide monitoring in Lake Erie and Ohio River tributaries
For: Various manufacturers
Reports from the Ohio Tributary Monitoring Program, 4 Operate a detailed sampling program for current use pesticides in Ohio, and interpret the results in the contexts of ecological and human health risks.

Groundwater studies

Groundwater Research Publications List
Operate a voluntary program for analysis of water from private wells, and interpret the results in the contexts of shallow groundwater quality and human health risks from contaminants in well water.

Title (and funding agency if applicable)	Purpose
The Honey Creek Targeted Watershed Program (U.S. EPA Targeted Watershed Program)	This program will launch implementation of the Sandusky River Watershed Coalition’s Honey Creek Watershed Action Plan. The specific objectives of the grant include (1) achieve a 25% reduction in phosphorus export from the watershed, (2) reduce by 50% the duration of time nitrate exceeds drinking water standards at the Melmore gaging station, and (3) improve stream habitats, hydrology and biota through the cumulative effects of upland erosion control, winter cover and buffer strips. Partners in this project include the Crawford, Huron and Seneca Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and the University of Toledo. Starts in 2008 and continues for five years.
A Phosphorus Soil Test Metric for Reducing Dissolved Phosphorus Loads (Great Lakes Protection Fund)	Vertically stratified soil testing will be used throughout the Sandusky River Watershed to identify fields with high surficial phosphorus soil tests. These fields will be targeted for best management practices aimed at reducing dissolved phosphorus loading to Lake Erie from agricultural watersheds. The project team includes: extension and research staff from The Ohio State University, Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin; state and federal agency staff, certified crop advisors; area farmers; soil testing laboratory scientists; soil and water district personnel; and agricultural organizations. Starts in 2007 and continues for five years.
Tributary Loading Studies of the Tiffin River, the Blanchard River and Lost Creek (Environmental Defense, Center for Conservation Incentives)	The NCWQR will expand its tributary loading program to include studies for the Blanchard and Tiffin rivers and for a tributary to Lost Creek in Defiance County. This monitoring data will be used to support and evaluate special programs launched by Environmental Defense to accelerate farmer utilization of U.S. Department of Agriculture Programs (Lake Erie CREP and EQIP) in the Maumee River Watershed. Starts in 2007 and continues for four years.
Trends in Bioavailable Phosphorus Loading to Lake Erie (Ohio Lake Erie Protection Fund)	In this project, samples from a sub-set of storm events in the Maumee R., Sandusky R., Cuyahoga R. and Honey Creek will be analyzed for additional forms of phosphorus to better characterize trends in bioavailable phosphorus loading to Lake Erie. Starts in 2007 and concludes in 2008.
Biological Assessment of Over-Wide Ditch Construction (USEPA 319, ODNR)	Assess the water chemistry and aquatic invertebrate communities of McKibben Ditch and Riffle Creek, both tributaries of the Olentangy River, before and after construction of an "over-wide" ditch in McKibben Creek.
Extent of Hypoxia in Nearshore Areas of Lake Erie's Central Basin (Ohio Sea Grant – Ohio Lake Erie Commission)	Measure shoreward intrusions of oxygen-depleted bottom water into shallow regions of the central basin during the period of summer thermal stratification. This information is expected to help explain the absence of Hexagenia mayflies, zebra and quagga mussels (Dreissenidae), and various other "clean-water" invertebrates from most of the shallow sedimentary areas of the basin.
Pictorial Atlas of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates (NOAA through ODNR Division of Wildlife)	Contribute multiple chapters of a pictorial atlas of the aquatic flora and fauna of the Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve and State Nature Preserve near Huron, Ohio: midges (Chironomidae), mayflies (Ephemeroptera), and dragonflies (Odonata), (Hemiptera), aquatic earthworms (Oligochaeta), and planktonic crustaceans (copepods and water fleas).
Forecasting the Causes, Consequences, and Potential Solutions for Hypoxia in Lake Erie (NOAA)	Create, test, and apply models to forecast how anthropogenic (land use, invasive species) and natural (climatic variability) stresses influence hypoxia formation and ecology in Lake Erie, with an emphasis on fish production potential. A major project involving colleagues at U. Michigan, NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, and several other institutions
Intergovernmental Agricultural Modeling Project. For: Army Corps of Engineers, USDA, EPA	This project has the goal of linking small- scale field drainage models, specifically DRAINMOD, with larger basin-scale models such as AnnAGNPS (USDA) and GSSSHA (ACOE), which currently model tile drainage inadequately if at all
Land Use and Water Quality Trends in Rock Creek Watershed (Seneca Co.,Ohio), 1982-2005: Impact of Core-4 Conservation Practices For: USDA -CREES	Assess trends in land use and water quality based on water quality data from NCWQR sampling station on Rock Creek; develop input datasets for AnnAGNPS land use/water quality model and use it to assess a wide range of management issues regarding placement of Best Management Practices in watersheds, interactions between practices, and time lag between installation of such practices and resulting water quality changes.
Lake Erie Tributary Loading Data: Access, Analysis, and Interpretation For: Lake Erie Protection Fund, Ohio Lake Erie Commission (also funded by National Machinery)	The purpose of this project is to make the water quality data that the NCWQR has collected on Lake Erie Tributaries available on the Web in the form of Excel files. In addition, a User’s Guide to the data sets, in the form of a set of tutorials, will be produced to aid users in the analysis and interpretation of the data. An Excel Analysis Template will be provided to facilitate the production of various types of plots and summary reports. The website is now available.
Quantifying Hydrological "Flashiness"	Develop and evaluate an index of short-term fluctuations in river and stream flow, apply it to upper Midwest streams, evaluate resulting geographic patterns and temporal trends, and examine its use as a measure of hydromodification. Publication in press Journal of the American Water Resources Association.
Development of an SOP for Load Estimation for US EPA Region VIII For: US EPA Region VIII Estimation of Pollutant Loads in Rivers and Streams: A Guidance Document for NPS Programs	Develop programs and instructions for calculating tributary loads, analyze states' nutrient data, and provide statistical assistance to states within Region VIII.
Ohio Tributary Monitoring Program For: Ohio Dept of Natural Resources Tributary Monitoring Reports	Monitor major Ohio tributaries for sediment and nutrient loads.
Ohio Lake Erie CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program) For: Ohio Dept of Natural Resources	Operate station on Vermilion River, interpret progress of Ohio Lake Erie CREP program towards its water quality goals.
Sediment and Nutrient Concentrations in the River Raisin For: Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality	Install and operate an autosampler-based monitoring station on the River Raisin at Monroe, in connection with the Michigan CREP.
Factors Controlling the Distribution and Abundance of Burrowing Mayflies in Lake Erie, and Contributions to the Mayfly Metric of Ohio’s Lake Erie Quality Index For: Ohio Lake Erie Commission and Ohio Sea Grant Mayfly Reports	Continue studies, begun in 1993, of the return of Hexagenia mayflies to the western basin of Lake Erie and the factors preventing their colonization of the central basin on a large scale.
Comparative Macroinvertebrate Survey at Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve For: Ohio Dept of Natural Resources	Compare invertebrate communities that were present in the coastal wetland in the early 1990s when Lake Erie had historically high water levels with the communities present in the early 2000s under much lower water levels.
Response of Macroinvertebrates to Dam Removal in a Lake Erie Tributary For: Ohio Dept of Natural Resources	As part of a larger collaborative study, document and interpret changes in macroinvertebrate communities of riffles and pools in the Sandusky River of Ohio upstream and downstream of an 85-year-old dam that was removed in 2003.
Erie Comprehensive Collaborative Study – Distribution, Abundance, and Biomass of Zebra/Quagga Mussels and Other Invertebrates	With the University of Windsor and University of Waterloo, map the distribution, abundance, and biomass of dreissenid mussels, burrowing mayflies, midges, and other major groups of invertebrates at 283 stations allocated to 26 depth-basin-substratum classes throughout Lake Erie. This study is expected to aid understanding of possible causes and consequences of increased hypoxia in the central basin of the lake.
Pesticide monitoring in Lake Erie and Ohio River tributaries For: Various manufacturers Reports from the Ohio Tributary Monitoring Program, 4	Operate a detailed sampling program for current use pesticides in Ohio, and interpret the results in the contexts of ecological and human health risks.
Groundwater studies Groundwater Research Publications List	Operate a voluntary program for analysis of water from private wells, and interpret the results in the contexts of shallow groundwater quality and human health risks from contaminants in well water.

NCWQR

Current Research

Title (and funding agency if applicable)

Purpose

Title
(and funding agency if applicable)