Biosolids WQ Monitoring
St. Johns River Basin, Florida
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Biosolids WQ Monitoring, St. Johns River Basin, SJRWMD, Palatka, Florida. LandQuest field scientists utilized ISCO Teledyne refrigerated portable automative samplers as well as traditional manual Van Doren samplers to obtain real-time post storm-event water quality samples for evaluating potential nutrient loadings stemming from agricultural activity in 16 sub-watershed basins. Samplers were programmed to obtain data first flush runoff from various creek beds following a 0.5-inch rainfall event. Additional field data such as turbidity, DO, BOD, TSS, Specific Conductivity, OP, temperature, and rainfall accumulations were collected. LandQuest managed analytical data received from the laboratory as well as analyzing existing onsite water level gauging and published USGS gauging data to quantified potential runoff and sedimentary impact to river stemming from nearby input sources. Storm-event sampling data later showed a positive relationship between biosolids applications and concentrations of both P and N at sampling sites close to pasture land use. Denitrification and assimilation of N in downstream waters and riparian wetlands were analyzed for downstream TN flux as elevated N concentrations were observed near biosolids sites.
