IUPUI Center for Earth and Environmental Science

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Towards Sustainable Water Resources for Mixed
Agricultural and Urban Watersheds
Dr. Lenore P. Tedesco Director Center for Earth
and Environmental Science Associate
Professor Department of Earth Sciences

www.cees.iupui.edu
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Climate Statistics

• Indianapolis
• Average TempJanuary (-10 to 3.3ºC)July (17 to
  29 ºC)
• Average PrecipitationAnnual 106 cmLow
  February lt 7 cmHigh May 13 cm
• Average Runoff
• Annual 23 cm

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Indianas Hydrologic Setting
White River
Tipton Till Plain Recently Deglaciated (lt20,000
yrs)
Glacial Maximums
Older Glacial Terrain (and non-glaciated)
(Source Data USGS DEM)
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IndianaLand Use/Cover

• Indiana is Dominated by Agricultural Land Cover
• Glaciated Landscapes (Till and Outwash) Dominant
  in North and Central Areas
• Central and Southern Portions of State More
  Forested with Deeply Incised Valleys
• Geologic Setting and Land Use /Land Cover
  Determine Water Resources and Define Threats

US EPA 1994
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Water Resource Availability
Public WaterSupplies
Groundwater Surface Water Both
0
0.9 MGD

• Abundant Groundwater in Northern Indiana and in
  Outwash Valleys
• Groundwater is Predominant Source of Drinking
  Water for Most Municipalities
• Limited Water Resources in Southern Indiana
  Primarily in Outwash Valleys
• Surface Water Primary Source for Indianapolis
  Drinking Water Supply (75)

IDNR
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What is a Watershed?

• The Area of Land that Catches a Drop of
  Precipitation. 
• All of the Rain and Snow within a Watershed Flows
  into a Central River or Lake. 
• As Water Flows Overland in the Watershed It Picks
  Up Environmental Contaminants
• Land Use in a Watershed Is a Major Influence on
  Water Quality

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Topography Defines Watershed Boundaries
211 ac.
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Watershed Boundary Ritchey Woods Natural Area
Hamilton County
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Major Watersheds
Lake Michigan
St. Joseph
Kankakee
Wabash

• Watersheds Form Important Natural Boundaries and
  the Basis of Water Resource Management Plans
• Cross Political and Land Use Boundaries
• West Fork White (North of Indianapolis) and
  Wabash Both Have Abundant Water Resources
• Watersheds to the South Have Limited Water
  Resources Confined to Small River Valleys

Lafayette
Indianapolis
White River
West Fork
East Fork
Bloomington
Ohio River
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Lets Talk Watersheds
8-digit HUC
11-digit HUC
14-digit HUC
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Human Modification of the Hydrologic Cycle

• Deforestation

• Indiana naturally has an abundance of freshwater
• Human modification of the landscape has altered
  the natural cycle in Indiana
• Deforestation as an initial impact (sediment
  loading, runoff, stream adjustment)
• Agricultural drainage and piping (wetland loss,
  groundwater level modification)
• Urbanization and residential development
  (continued wetland loss, increased runoff)

• 1620

• 1920

(Goudie, 1954)
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Wetland Loss from Time of European Settlement
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Indiana Wetland Loss
3.5 of surface area 813,000 acres
James Robb IDEM 2002
24.1 of surface area 5.6 million acres
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Change in Hydrology after Urbanization

• Urban

• Decreased
• Lag Time

• Suburban

• Increased
• Peak Discharge

Discharge

• Rural

Rain Event
Time
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Impaired Waters of the US (1998)
493 Total Impaired Stream Reaches Listed in UWR

• Upper White River
• E. Coli (339)
• Fish Consumption Advisory for PCBs (110)
• Fish Consumption Advisory for Hg (109)
• Impaired Biotic Communities (98)

Water Threatened / Total Miles in Watershed
US EPA, 2001
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Nitrate Sources to Gulf of Mexico
Source Environmental Working Group
Top Polluting Counties
Top Polluting and Second Tier Counties
Top Polluting, Second and Third Tier Counties
5 of the MRB that accounts for 40 of fertilizer
N pollution
10 of the MRB that accounts for 65 of
fertilizer N pollution
15 of the MRB that accounts for 80 of
fertilizer N pollution
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Upper White River Watershed Land Use/ Land Cover
2700 square miles Urban (8)
Agriculture (76) Grasslands (2)
Forested (13)
CUPE, 2000
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Upper White River Watershed Topography
Surface Water Source Ground Water Source Both GW
SW Source Indianapolis WaterService Area
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Areas of Concern - Mixed Urban and Agricultural
Watersheds

• E. coli
• Most Streams frequently exceed 235 CFU/100ml
  (IAC Title 327 Full Body Contact)
• Sources Include Septic Leakage, Livestock, Manure
  Applications, Wastewater Treatment, Natural
  Sources
• Atrazine Agricultural Herbicide
• EPA Drinking Water Standard 3.0 ppb
• Streams have levels as high as 70 ppb
• Sediment Soil Erosion, Construction and
  Stormwater Runoff, Livestock Access to Streams
• Degrades Aquatic Habitat
• Carries Attached Pollutants (Nutrients,
  Herbicide, etc)
• Nutrients (Nitrogen and Phosphorous)
• Promote Excessive Growth of Plants
• Cause Algal Blooms that Result in Taste and Odor
  of Drinking Water
• Degradation of Recreational Uses of Lakes and
  Reservoirs

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Common Sources of Nutrients
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Eagle Creek Watershed

• Glacial Till Landscape
• Area above Dam 419 km2 (162 mi2)
• 10 subwatersheds
• 2000 Land Cover
• 52 Agriculture (10 ? 1985)
• 4.3 High/Low Density
• 29.9 Herbaceous
• 9.3 Forested
• Eagle Creek Reservoir Eutrophic Drinking
  Water Source for Indianapolis

Developed/High Density
Herbaceous (Grassland)
Agriculture
Developed/Low Density
Palustrine Forest
Terrestrial Forest
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Eagle Creek Watershed Buffers

• Limited Buffers in First Order and Headwater
  Reaches
• Typical watersheds have 80 of stream miles in
  primary headwater streams (Ohio EPA, 2003)

Adequate Buffer Moderate Buffer No Buffer Added
Reaches (No Buffer)
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Headwater Riparian Zones

• Dominated by lateral subsurface flow from the
  field to the stream
• Tile drains allow water to bypass some of the
  riparian zone when Water Table is high

Tile
Field
Riparian Zone
Storms
Winter
Summer
Glacial Till
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Headwaters, Eagle Creek Watershed
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Agricultural Drainage System

• 75-80 of the agricultural areas are tile drained
  
• In these areas, riparian buffer strips are
  short-circuited by tile drains
• Results in relatively high Nitrate loading

Miller, BES
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Atrazine Levels - White River in Northern Marion
County
MaximumContaminantLevel (3 ug/L)
Measured at White River North Water Treatment
Plant
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The Urban Hydrologic Systeminfrastructure driven
pathways
Impervious Surfaces
Stormdrains
Water Supply Pipes
Septic Systems
Groundwater Flow Paths
Artificial Channels
Wastewater Conduits
Miller, BES
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Hare Creek
0
0.5
1
mile
NRCS, 1956
Historic Land Use,Cheeney Creek Watershed
(Hamilton County)
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Hare Creek
0
0.5
1
mile
Hamilton County GIS, March 2000
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Hare Creek, Spring 2005
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Headwaters in Suburban Area
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CSOs in Marion County

• Combined Storm and Sanitary Sewers
• Discharge raw sewage during wet weather events
• Large-scale program underway to curtail discharge

IMAGIS 2004
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Pogues Run Near Vermont/Dorman Bridge
June, 2001
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Pesticide Detections in Surface Water Systems of
the Midwest
Myers et al., 2000
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Most Frequently Detected Contaminants White
River, Indianapolis
Source Watergt 75 of Samples
Finished Water 100 of Samples
AtrazineChloroform DEET Deethylatrazine Hydroxyat
razine Metolachlor Metolachlor ESA Metolachlor
OA Prometon Simazine
Atrazine Bromodichloromethane Chlorodibromomethane
Chloroform DEET Deethylatrazine Hydroxyatrazine M
etolachlor Metolachlor ESA Metolachlor OA Simazine
USGS 2006
33 of 272 Measured Contaminants
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Alteration of Hydrologic Cycle

• Extensive Alteration of Hydrologic Processes Has
  Led to the Degradation of Water Resources
• Decrease in Water and Sediment Storage Upstream
• Sediment, Nutrient, and Pathogen Loading
  Downstream

Fall CreekAugust, 2003
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Restoration of Hydrologic Cycle

• Naturalizing Flow Patterns
• Increase Groundwater Recharge
• Stabilize Base Flow
• Reduction of Overland Flows
• Reestablish Ecosystem Function
• Reconnect Floodplains
• Restore Riparian Corridors
• Reestablish Wetland Complexes

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Manage for Multiple Functions

• Improve Agricultural Water Management Practices
• Agricultural Drainage with Source Reduction of
  Contaminants
• Improve Storm Water Management Practices
• Increase Upland Storage Capacity
• Naturalized Flows

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Center for Earth and Environmental Science
Applied Interdisciplinary Solutions for
Environmental Problems

• www.cees.iupui.edu