Farm Runoff

Both upstream of downtown Walla Walla and after the city, Mill Creek is lined by farms. The farm fence pictured here was less than 30 feet away from the water, just east of Walla Walla Community College. 

There are lots of plants around the edge of the water, acting as a barrier between the runoff from the farms and the creek. What could the consequences be if those did not exist? In many areas, they don't have proper filtering systems for runoff from agriculture before it reaches a water source. 

Agriculture runoff is considered a nonpoint source pollutant because it come from a wide area of land. In 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency established a number of measures to be used to help control this runoff. These documents can be found here:

http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/agriculture/agmm_index.cfm

There area  variety of additives in the runoff from farms. They include pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Pesticides and herbicides create problems for obvious reasons: they are toxic and can often times kill the organisms living in the water. Fertilizer is a more complex pollutant. The fertilizer is comprised of nitrogen, phosphates, and potassium, in a variety of proportions. These act as nutrients to the plants on the farms, and continue to act as nutrients to plants as they are brought into the rivers from runoff. This gives algae and other plants in the water extra growing ability. Bacteria begin to eat away at the algae, and in doing so they also use up the dissolved oxygen in the water. 

The main effects of this situation are an increase in turbidity, due to the extra plant growth and the bacterial waste, and a lower dissolved oxygen content. 

One of the easiest and most effective ways to prevent this runoff is to plant a barrier between water (such as lakes and rivers) and farmland. It is important to use native plants because they will have the ability to allow for percolation of the runoff, instead of having the runoff sit in the top layer of the soil. 

Sources:

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2013, September 09). Water: Polluted runoff. Retrieved from http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/agriculture.cfm

Birds: Both adding to the pollution and suffering from it.

Like these Canadian Geese, birds in the area flock to Mill Creek because it is such a large water source in our desert-like area. 

After seeing hundreds of birds living around Mill Creek while conducting pH tests, I wanted to learn all about how these birds were being harmed by the pollution in the creek. However, to my surprise, the birds are actually adding to the pollution in many cases. 

Yes, the birds are still being negatively effected by the pollution in the water. The toxins that runoff into the creek will bioaccumulate and be consumed by the birds, where the toxins will then living and accumulate in their systems. Because many of the pollutants are carcinogenic, they have lots of negative bodily effects on the birds and the birds' reproduction.

However, by flocking to these areas, the birds are also creating a problem in the water. Bird feces acts the same way as fertilizer in the water. Bacteria eat the organic waste, and during this process they also use a significant amount of the oxygen in the water. Lower dissolved oxygen in the water leads to other aquatic animals not having sufficient oxygen to survive. Bird waste is considered an "organic macro-pollutant" in water sources. 

So, while I still do pity these little geese for living in a polluted area, they aren't exactly helping. Even though large portions of the organic waste in Mill Creek come from other sources, such as fertilizer from farm runoff (which will later be discussed), the birds here aren't making things better. 

Sources:

Gobel, P., Dierkes, C., & Coldewey, W. G. (2007). Storm water runoff concentration matrix for urban areas.Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 92(1-2), 26-42. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169772206001938

"Stormwater Runoff 101"

So, on this blog we have not actually clearly stated what stormwater is. That is being done in our research paper which we are in the process of compiling information for. However, it is important to understand where stormwater pollution comes from, as well as what can be done to stop it.
NRDC released this video, which, in only a few minutes, clearly explains stormwater, how to fix it, and gives examples of urban areas which are changing their ways to help the environment.

Graffiti: Illegal and Environmentally Detrimental

When people look at graffiti, such as that which lined the bridges going over Mill Creek at most of the sites we examined, they may be upset because it seems out of place. In such a natural environment, the neon spray paint colors seem to jump out, and not necessarily in a good way.
But, the problem extends beyond just the visual pollution on these bridges. As seen here at sites 3 and 8, the graffiti work done is dangerously close to the creek.

|At both locations, there was evidence of some spray paint which had dripped down and into Mill Creek. 

There have been many studies done which show the negative effects of the toxins within paint. The solvents can lead to birth defects, and traces of benzene have been make the spray paint considered carcinogenic. 

To say that it is a bad idea to put this paint into Mill Creek would be an understatement. The ecosystem would completely crash if too many of these toxins existed.

In all honesty, I don't see the popularity of graffiti fading anytime soon. Rebellion is always going to happen, and graffiti is an easy way to act upon it. However, some hope can be seen for the environment. There are many groups which are starting to promote the use of nontoxic spray paints for art.
One group which has stood out is nontoxicprint. You can follow this link to their website, where they can explain the health hazards that go along with spray paint, as well as alternative brands that don't have as much of an effect. Check it out!
http://www.nontoxicprint.com/

-Marra

Sources:
nontoxicprint. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.nontoxicprint.com/thetoxicityofsolvents.htm

Erosion- why it should be avoided.

When walking along Mill Creek, we noticed that there were these large walls constructed along the side of the recreational trail. They were lots of rocks, covered in what appeared to be chicken wire. It is obvious that these were put there to keep the trail from eroding into Mill Creek.
This led us to question the following:

Erosion seems like a pretty normal, natural process. Why are environmentalists trying to avoid erosion into waterways?

So, we did a little research. When the soil is very arid, it tends to be picked up by wind. In the case of Mill Creek, the light dirt from the path would have easily just slipped down into the water because it was higher up. When extra soil/sediment is in the water, there are more loose particles. The turbidity has increased.
This ends up causing a problem because, as the water has a higher level of turbidity, less sunlight can get down to the bottom. A lack of sunlight causes a problem for the plants in the river that need it for photosynthesis.
From a recreational standpoint, turbidity is also a problem because it is less appealing. Not as many people are likely to jump into a nice, dirty river to take a swim. People tend to be more drawn towards cleaner sources of water, and erosion makes the water dirtier.

-Marra

Here is a photo of the wall of rocks which was constructed alongside Mill Creek. This photo was taken between sites 2 and 3, near Walla Walla Community College. 

Sources:

Impacts of erosion on soil, air, and water quality. In (2013).Plant and Soil Sciences eLibrary. Davis: USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Retrieved from http://passel.unl.edu/pages/informationmodule.php?idinformationmodule=1086025423&topicorder=4&maxto=7

"No Dumping" Logos

When I went on a run this week, I noticed that many streets in Walla Walla to the south of Whitman College had logos similar to this on their stormwater drains:

Courtesy of the city of Columbia, Missouri. 

http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/PublicWorks/StormWater/StormwaterEducation-StormDrainMarkerVolunteers.php

Why do drains in other areas of Walla Walla not have these? I have explored many parts of town, and the neighborhoods off of S. Howard Street were the first which I have discovered to have these logos. Is it possible that, because those neighborhoods are slightly nicer, they just have enough funding to add these logos?

The larger point with these is that I find it interesting that these logos were put in place near drains which were connected to smaller streams, rather than the drains connected to major streams such as Mill Creek. 

From doing research online, I have found that a lot of the issue with stormwater pollution is that, generally, many people simply do not know that the drains go straight into the waterways much of the time. These logos are serving as a way for people to know where the water ends up, because many people do not know this. For instance, Phoenix has been working towards bettering their awareness of point-source pollution after they took a poll and found that only 1 of 4 residents knew that it directly flowed into local rivers (Canales 2010). Phoenix's Environmental Services Department has set up a website- complete with a printable PDF coloring book which teaching kids all about where the drain water goes. Additionally, they have an awareness website giving recommendations to their residents about what things to put down the drains and how to dispose of other materials. 

Here is the link to the awareness website:

http://phoenix.gov/waterservices/esd/stormwater/index.html

Also, I suggest checking the coloring book out (and maybe even breaking out the Crayons).

http://phoenix.gov/webcms/groups/internet/@inter/@dept/@wsd/@esd/documents/web_content/d_045668.pdf

-Marra

Sources:

Canales, A. (2012, November 10). Phoenix website helps raise awareness on storm-water 

pollution. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved from http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/20121110phoenix-website-helps-raise-awareness-storm-water-pollution.html

Do electrical transmission towers have negative environmental consequences?

Mill Creek has several near the different testing sites- directly next to Site 3 and Site 5. 

(Photos from Site 5)

These transmission towers seem so unnatural being that they are placed right next to the creek. What different consequences could result in the environment because of their placement so close to an ecozone? 

I discovered a PDF from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin that discusses the environmental impacts. Though it is specifically regarding Wisconsin, not Washington, the information is still very interesting and much of it can be applied to Walla Walla. 

Check it out:

Environmental Impacts of Transmission Lines- Wisconsin

-Marra

Macro vs. Micro: Pollution. Thoughts 10-15-2013

While exploring the banks of Mill Creek, I was frustrated with the amount of trash which I saw in the water. Firstly, are people really that against walking the 20 feet to the trashcan? Really? But this made me think- I was getting so upset by the visual trash, but not as upset by the other invisible pollutants which I was seeing.
The way in which the public perceives pollution is interesting. When it is visible, people become angry. They question it the way I did- why is it there? Who does that? Etc. But, people are much less likely to pay attention to the microscopic pollutants in the water because they can't see them. Often times, these pollutants have as strong of an effect on the ecosystem, usually even stronger because, as small particles, they can bio-accumulate in organisms.
In a way, this is similar to the arguments used against global warming. The general public will focus on the big animals which are at stake- the lone polar bear floating away on a chunk of ice to its death. The public doesn't focus on the smaller keystone species which are being effected, for example, the beavers. While a beaver may not be as popular as a polar bear, it has a much more dramatic effect. Beavers are vital to their ecosystems, building dams which create habitats and control water distribution. However, you don't see a ton of environmental activists walking around with pictures of lone beavers on their shirts. It's just not as popular as the polar bear.
While it certainly is beneficial to Mill Creek for me to pick out the bottles and wrappers which I found, I can't simply just pick out everything that is causing a problem.
These thoughts simply fuel our project further. We need to fully understand the wide variety of pollutants which are flowing into the water. When we can't see them, we can't extract them. So they need to be stopped before they can even enter.
- Marra

Questioning Results

Because all of the pH tests we gathered seemed very basic, we decided to take a test of the water inside Anderson Residence Hall at Whitman College, in Walla Walla very close to testing site 4.

We found the water there to have a pH of 6.
According to the test which we used, an ideal pH is between 5.5 and 6.5.
Because the water we tested in Anderson has been approved for our drinking, we have assumed that the pH of 6 is indeed correct.

Because we have deemed that the pH levels we tested of Mill Creek are indeed correct, we now are questioning why the creek is so basic. What different causes are there? This has pointed us in a new direction for our research.

Riley will continue doing research on the effects of stormwater pollution, while Marra will now be focusing on the specific sources in Walla Walla. Hopefully she will be able to find more information regarding why Mill Creek is so basic.

Primary Data Collection- Day 2

The second set of data was collected on October 6, 2013.

Time: 12:30-1:45 pm
Weather: Mostly sunny, 65 degrees Fahrenheit

Site 5: S Colville Street

pH: 7

Site 6: S 6th Street

pH: 7.5

Site 7: 13th Street

pH: 8

(Photo unavailable)

Site 8: Myra Road

pH: 8.5

Primary Data Collection- Day 1

The first data was collected along Mill Creek on October 4, 2013.

Time: 2:30-4 pm
Weather: Sunny, 61 degrees Fahrenheit

Data was collected at 4 locations upriver and on the campus of Whitman College.

Site 1: Rooks Park

pH: 8.5

Site 2: N Tausick Way

pH: 8.5

Site 3: S Wilbur Ave

pH: 8

Site 4: S Park Street (Near Whitman College's art facilities)

pH: 7

Also, a friend was made during the journey!

Purpose

This blog will serve as an area to post information about our findings, as well as data and photos as we complete our experiment. The current purpose of our project is to examine the effects of stormwater runoff into rivers (the one we will be focusing on is Mill Creek, which flows through Walla Walla, WA), and see what solutions Walla Walla has or should put into place to help improve the water quality due to point-source pollution. 

To begin, we will be conducting base testings of Mill Creek during desirable weather, to see the acidity of the creek through town on a normal day. 

Additionally, we will be posting photos of the creek at the different testing sites, as well as photos to capture the many ways in which Mill Creek is getting polluted, and the plants and animals which depend on the creek and may be negatively affected by the pollution. 

- Marra and Riley