Faculty Sponsor’s Department
Geosciences
Competition Type
Competitive
Type
Oral Competitive
Project's Category
Water Quality
Abstract or Artist's Statement
Karst springs are an essential source of private water supply in northeast Tennessee for various end-users. There are no regulatory standards for private (drinking) water quality in the state, unlike the public water system, while water users are only advised to test for contaminants in private water sources like springs or private wells. Water quality generally is spatially and temporally dynamic in terms of chemical quality, and more prominently in a karst environment, therefore, this study investigates the water quality of roadside springs used for drinking water. Parameters to be measured include E. coli, radon, and various physicochemical properties (pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, chloride, fluoride, sulfide, nitrite, and nitrate). I plan to collect 51 water samples from 51 spring locations so that spatial patterns in spring water quality can be evaluated using spatial interpolation, statistical correlation, or spatial regression. Spring water quality results will be compared to water quality of the streams into which these springs discharge. Preliminary work to be presented here includes identification of sampling sites and sampling strategies and integration of existing data, including geology and spring water quality data from a prior related study. Key findings will guide the delineation of the studied karst springs into risk regions for microbial, chemical, and radioactive content, and identification of key factors associated with high risk regions.
WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF KARST SPRINGWATER AS A PRIVATE WATER SUPPLY SOURCE IN NORTHEAST TENNESSEE
Karst springs are an essential source of private water supply in northeast Tennessee for various end-users. There are no regulatory standards for private (drinking) water quality in the state, unlike the public water system, while water users are only advised to test for contaminants in private water sources like springs or private wells. Water quality generally is spatially and temporally dynamic in terms of chemical quality, and more prominently in a karst environment, therefore, this study investigates the water quality of roadside springs used for drinking water. Parameters to be measured include E. coli, radon, and various physicochemical properties (pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, chloride, fluoride, sulfide, nitrite, and nitrate). I plan to collect 51 water samples from 51 spring locations so that spatial patterns in spring water quality can be evaluated using spatial interpolation, statistical correlation, or spatial regression. Spring water quality results will be compared to water quality of the streams into which these springs discharge. Preliminary work to be presented here includes identification of sampling sites and sampling strategies and integration of existing data, including geology and spring water quality data from a prior related study. Key findings will guide the delineation of the studied karst springs into risk regions for microbial, chemical, and radioactive content, and identification of key factors associated with high risk regions.