| NSF Org: |
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | November 16, 2016 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | November 16, 2016 |
| Award Number: | 1712176 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Thomas Torgersen
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | December 1, 2016 |
| End Date: | November 30, 2017 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $29,023.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $29,023.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
2601 WOLF VILLAGE WAY RALEIGH NC US 27695-0001 (919)515-2444 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
NC US 27695-8008 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Hydrologic Sciences |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew brought extreme rainfall that led to extreme flooding across eastern North Carolina, including the Lumber River basin. Land use in this region is dominated by large-scale crop-cultivation and includes some of the highest densities of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and processing facilities in the United States. The 3,000 km2 Lumber River watershed and immediately adjacent areas are also home to most of the Lumbee Tribe of American Indian¡¦s 60,000+ members and represents a region characterized by high rates of poverty and large disparities in healthcare, education, and infrastructure. The region, declared a National Disaster area, is dealing with widespread contamination of surface waters, shallow groundwater, and drinking water supplies due to drowned livestock, compromised waste lagoons, inundated landscapes, failed septic systems, and other contaminant sources that have become hydrologically connected during flooding. This project seeks to document the impacts of extreme flooding on water quality in this region in the coming months and to improve understanding of how hydrological processes, land use, and social vulnerability combine to translate ephemeral, flood-related hydrologic connectivity into persistent water quality impacts. This project will engage members of the affected Lumbee Tribe through both citizen science and public education.
This RAPID project seeks to conduct a preliminary assessment of the near-term impacts of regional flooding on water quality in the Lumber River watershed in an effort to better understand flood-driven connectivity between upland contaminant sources and hydrologic systems (surface water, shallow groundwater, public water supplies) and its water quality implications for vulnerable populations. The project addresses the near-term impacts of extreme flooding on water quality across low gradient streams and extensive riverine wetlands, in surficial aquifers, and in the confined aquifers that provide public drinking water supplies. Specifically, this project will 1) evaluate the post-hurricane spatial variability of biological (microbial community markers in wastewater), chemical (non-targeted high-resolution mass spectrometry screening), and physical (?Ô18O, ?Ô2H, specific conductance) water quality characteristics of surface water, shallow groundwater, and the confined aquifer; 2) assess the temporal evolution of water quality in each hydrologic pool as the system recovers from the floods and hydrologic connectivity recedes, thus improving our understanding of linkages between hydrologic connectivity and water quality; 3) engage the Lumbee Tribe through citizen science and communication while providing valuable information about water quality.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This rapid-response project focused on the water quality impacts of extreme flooding caused by Hurricane Matthew in southeastern North Carolina. Specifically, researchers studied water quality throughout the Lumber River Basin in the months following these catastrophic floods. The team collected and analyzed samples from surface water, private wells, and municipal tap water sources in various parts of the basin between November 2016 and October 2017. In addition to standard water quality metrics (temperature, pH, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, fecal indicator bacteria), investigators analyzed samples for nitrate, a nutrient that often indicates agricultural runoff and for stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen, which help determine the source and relative age of water. A subset of samples was analyzed for genomic markers of human and swine feces and for emerging, unregulated contaminants. Remaining samples are frozen and will remain archived for future biological and chemical analysis. In addition to studying water quality, investigators used satellite remote sensing and other geospatial tools to study the extent of flooding in various parts of the basin.
Some of the surface water (river, wetland, canal) samples collected in the months following Hurricane Matthew showed signs of human fecal contamination, but there were no signs of fecal contamination in private well water or public tap water. Initial results suggest that none of the samples collected during this period contained swine feces. Water samples selected for advanced analysis revealed the presence of many emerging, unregulated chemical compounds, including hormones, pharmaceuticals, recreational drugs, industrial plasticizers, and other chemicals. However, this work only establishes that these compounds are present and does not make any claims about their concentration or abundance in waters of the Lumber River basin. Further research is needed to determine whether any of these compounds occur at concentrations of concern to humans or the natural environment.
The project provided training opportunities for several students and two postdoctoral associates, and it strengthened collaborations among faculty in the Department of Geography and the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina and the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University. One member of the senior personnel accepted a faculty position at Biola University (California) during the project, forging a new institutional collaboration. The project also provided opportunities for researchers and students to interact with members of communities affected by Hurricane Matthew, including government officials from the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, community organizers, and individual homeowners. Project personnel gave presentations at scientific meetings and are preparing manuscripts for publication in the scientific literature.
In addition to improving the understanding of water quality in the wake of this particular flood, the project team expects to contribute to a general understanding of water quality variability and system recovery following extreme flooding. In doing so, the team hopes to benefit local communities in flood prone areas concerned about water quality following extreme events, and the team also hopes to benefit the community of hydrologists and environmental scientists who study these phenomena.
Last Modified: 03/21/2018
Modified by: Ryan E Emanuel
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