Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2008ND170B

Chemical Fingerprinting of Sediments and Water of the Souris River for Identification of Diffuse Pollution Sources

Institute: North Dakota
Year Established: 2008 Start Date: 2008-03-01 End Date: 2009-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $10,700 Total Non-Federal Funds: $21,400

Principal Investigators: Marinus Otte

Abstract: Phosphorus is ubiquitous in water, soil and sediments. Excess phosphate in water can lead to eutrophication resulting in over-production of algae and other plants. This may lead to problems regarding water quality. Ecological problems include increased production of biomass of (potentially toxic) phytoplankton, decreased water transparency and depletion of dissolved oxygen. Social problems include the high cost of water treatment, loss of aesthetic quality of the river and reduction of fish species, many of which are economically-important. This project will focus on the environmentally and politically sensitive Souris River, which originates in Saskatchewan, then passes through North Dakota and Manitoba. There is international concern regarding phosphate loading in the water and the cross-border consequences of pollution transport. This river drains a large watershed including land that is used for cattle grazing. Cattle produce large quantities of phosphate in their waste which then washes into the river. However, the geographic origin of the phosphate is undetermined. Pinpointing the sources of polluted suspended sediments is critical for pollution abatement and regulation. In this project the potential for tracing sediments acting as phosphate sources to the Souris River will be assessed using the chemical fingerprinting technique. This involves determining the fingerprint concentration of many elements simultaneously. The technique provides quality and efficiency of analysis with the introduction of Inductively Coupled Plasma spectrophotometry (ICP). The elements considered pollutants can be analyzed quickly and at very low concentrations. Chemical fingerprinting has been used in plants and in tracing suspended sediment sources in catchments and river systems. The research proposed here will develop a chemical fingerprint for the sediments in the Souris River. This fingerprint will then be used to identify pollution sources, ultimately with the aim to improve both water quality and inter-governmental cooperation.