Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID IA_FY25_Mamidala

A Machine Learning (ML) Framework for Predicting Nitrate Dynamics in Surface Waters Near Iowa's Drinking Water Treatment Facilities

Institute: Iowa
Year Established: 2025 Start Date: 2026-01-01 End Date: 2026-12-31
Total Federal Funds: $4,511 Total Non-Federal Funds: $4,811

Principal Investigators: Revanth Mamidala

Project Summary: Iowa's drinking water sources are threatened by increasing nitrogen pollution mainly from farming practices, like unmonitored fertilizer and manure application. Climate change is worsening this issue with heavier rains that wash more nitrogen into the streams and rivers. High nitrogen levels can cause health problems, such as blue baby syndrome and increased cancer risk, and contribute to the increasing dead zone (zero-oxygen) area in the Gulf of Mexico. Many computer-based models were developed which often failed to accurately predict the nitrogen movement while maintaining physical definition due to their inability to capture the complex interaction between sub-basins and outlets. To solve this problem, we propose a combined machine learning model that uses advanced techniques to increase the nitrogen prediction accuracy while maintaining the physical structure of the connections between different land areas. This advanced model will be used to assess the ability of the drinking water facilities in handling the future nitrate levels in Iowan surface waters and provide data-driven recommendations for policy making