MERI 2016

Water Quality Monitoring in a Tidal Estuary

Francisco Artigas, Joe Grzyb and Cheryl Yao Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute

May 19, 2006

MERI 2016

The Meadowlands of New Jersey

Existing permanent water quality monitoring stations

Existing tidegate monitoring stations

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Picasa 3

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Water quality parameters, abbreviation, units and analytical methods

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Under the NJDEP laboratory certification program MERI is certified for 76 parameters and methods

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Locations of permitted combined sewer outflows

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2,435 tons/yr as total DIN loadings from the 3 STP ( 487 African Elephants)

Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen Loadings Lower Hackensack River

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Tide and Turbidity

Date

12/14/09 12/21/09 12/28/09 1/4/10 1/11/10

Turb

idity

(NTU

)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Dept

h (ft

)

-8

-7

-6

-5

-4

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Turbidity(NTU)

Kearny Depth (ft)

5 Feet 4 Feet 7 Feet

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Oradell Discharge Effects on Temperature

Date

12/14/09 12/21/09 12/28/09 1/4/10 1/11/10 1/18/10 1/25/10

Ora

dell D

isch

arg

e c

ub

ic f

t/sec

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Tem

pera

ture

(C

)

-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

Oradell Discharge

Water Temperature

Effects of Oradell Discharge on FDU Turbidity

Date

12/14/09 12/21/09 12/28/09 1/4/10 1/11/10 1/18/10 1/25/10

Ora

de

ll D

isch

arg

e

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Tu

rbid

ity (

NT

U)

0

100

200

300

400

Oradell Discharge

Turbidity

Effects of Oradell Discharge on FDU pH

Date

12/14/09 12/21/09 12/28/09 1/4/10 1/11/10 1/18/10 1/25/10

Ora

de

ll D

isc

ha

rge

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

pH

7.6

7.8

8.0

8.2

8.4

Oradell Discharge

pH

Effects of Oradell Discharge on FDU Dissolved Oxygen

Date

12/14/09 12/21/09 12/28/09 1/4/10 1/11/10 1/18/10 1/25/10

Ora

de

ll D

isch

arg

e

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

DO

mg

/L

9

10

11

12

13

Oradell Discharge

Dissolved Oxygen mg/L

Effects of Oradell Discharge on FDU Salinity

Date

12/14/09 12/21/09 12/28/09 1/4/10 1/11/10 1/18/10 1/25/10

Ora

de

ll D

isch

arg

e

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Sa

lin

ity (

pp

t)

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

Oradell Discharge

Salinity (ppt)

The Effects of the Oradell Dam Discharge on Several Water Quality Parameters December 2009– January 2010

During strong rain events Oradell Dam may Discharge 1600 cubic feet per second for several hours or days

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Effects of the Oradell Dam discharge on salinity, pH and DO%

Effects of Oradell Discharge on FDU pH

Date

12/14/09 12/21/09 12/28/09 1/4/10 1/11/10 1/18/10 1/25/10

Ora

dell

Dis

char

ge

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

pH

7.6

7.8

8.0

8.2

8.4

Oradell Discharge

pH

Effects of Oradell Discharge on FDU Salinity

Date

12/14/09 12/21/09 12/28/09 1/4/10 1/11/10 1/18/10 1/25/10

Ora

dell

Dis

char

ge

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

DO

mg/

L

9

10

11

12

13

Oradell Discharge

Dissolved Oxygen mg/L

Effects of Oradell Discharge on FDU Salinity

Date

12/14/09 12/21/09 12/28/09 1/4/10 1/11/10 1/18/10 1/25/10

Ora

dell D

ischa

rge

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Salin

ity (p

pt)

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

Oradell Discharge

Salinity (ppt)

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MERI 2016

Identifying WQ impaired areas in complex tidal networks: A remote sensing approach

Transect locations

Transect set up

Graduate student

MERI 2016

Chlrophyll Concentration Gradient

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

Sec

tion 1

Sec

tion 2

Sec

tion 3

Sec

tion 4

Sec

tion 5

Sec

tion 6

Sec

tion 7

Sec

tion 8

Sec

tion 9

Sec

tion 10

Transect Sections

Ch

loro

ph

yll

(m

icro

gram

s p

er l

iter)

Transect 2

Transect 1

Transect 4

Transect 3

Transect 2

0

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.1

0.12

450 460 470 480 490 500 510 520 530 540 550 560 570 580 590 600 610 620 630 640 650 660 670 680 690 700 710 720 730 740 750

wavelength

refl

ecta

nce

T2_1

T2_2

T2_3

T2_4

T2_5

T2_6

T2_7

T2_8

T2_9

T2_10

Chlorophyll concentration translates into a spectral signature

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Overall Model N = 30

Hyperspectral Image classification showing chlorophyll levels

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NJ Turnpike East and Western spurs

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Mean Berm Height

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Hurricane Sandy real-time tide and turbidity

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Conclusions

• CSO, STP, Newark Bay, tidal amplitude, fresh water discharge from dam and storms are known factors to affect water quality.

• Nitrogen (DIN) loadings is a persistent problem in the estuary

• The cause of variations in metal concentration in the water column is still unknown

• Spectral approach to water quality monitoring is good first approximation for identifying impaired areas in complex tidal networks

• Long term dissolved oxygen measurements (1997-2015) indicate a positive trend in overall water quality in the lower Hackensack River