Agricultural Runoff Impacted the Water Quality of the Connecticut River

Anya Rendahl

Overview

The Connecticut River, stretching from the Canadian border with New Hampshire to the Long Island Sound, is of great ecological and commercial importance to bordering communities. A variety of farms are located along the 400-mile river. They rely on the river for irrigation and have an impact on the river’s water quality from agricultural runoff. Agricultural runoff can lead to high levels of sediment, and nutrients which can cause algal blooms. To analyze the impact of agriculture on the water quality of the Connecticut River, eight water-quality indicators were measured: dissolved oxygen concentration, nitrate concentration, water temperature, conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity, turbidity, and pH. In addition to these indicators, air temperature, amount of precipitation, and time of sample collection were also noted. Four sites along the Connecticut River were sampled, beginning upstream in Hanover, NH, and ending twelve miles downstream in Plainfield, NH. These sites were sampled six times each, from June 30th - July 12th, 2021. The impacts of four farms were investigated, one farm was located between the first and second sites and three farms were located between the third and fourth sites. The data suggests that agriculture did not have an impact on dissolved oxygen concentration, water temperature, pH, turbidity, and salinity, as there was no significant difference in the data across the four sites. The data suggests that rainfall was associated with increases in nitrate concentration, conductivity, and concentration of total dissolved solids, with an increase in effects from sites upstream to sites further downstream. Because nitrates, minerals, and solids are found in soils, the data indicates that agricultural runoff was a factor. While there was an association with agricultural runoff, the levels were within optimal ranges for aquatic life. Because agricultural runoff did increase nitrate concentration, conductivity, and total dissolved solids further study is warranted.

My Story

While from a young age I had expressed an interest in science, my AJAS journey truly began during my sophomore year of high school, when I joined a program with the New Hampshire Academy of Science (NHAS) at my school. From synthesizing metal-organic frameworks to evaluating the effects of substances on daphnia to using drone photogrammetry, the program allowed me to explore my scientific interests. Clearly, I enjoyed doing so, hence why I am being inducted as an AJAS fellow.

Due to this interest, I later joined a summer program with NHAS, where I conducted sampling of the Connecticut River to assess its quality. The program taught me the fundamentals of scientific inquiry, from sifting through papers to presenting my research. I found to be the latter skill very useful, as being able to communicate research in an effective way allows others to understand the significance of your work. I had plenty of opportunities to practice this skill, not only from writing a summary paper but also from completing round after round of edits for my AJAS abstract. Being able to accept and address feedback was a challenge at first, but I have since grown to appreciate all the hard work others put in to allow my work to be its best.

Although I had been looking forward to attending the AJAS conference in Philidelphia, I am still anticipating the opportunity to learn about the exceptional work of my fellow scientists, from the comfort of my own home.