Date of Award

Spring 2022

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Major

Chemistry & Environmental Science

First Advisor

Arianne Bazilio

Second Advisor

Christoph Geiss

Third Advisor

Amber Pitt

Abstract

This project sought to investigate the cycling of phosphorus and metals in Lake Auburn, a drinking water source, specifically to analyze the impacts of an alum treatment on the lake for the purpose of decreasing concentrations of eutrophication-promoting phosphorus. The alum addition was performed in the summer of 2019 in two phases. Water samples were collected from the surface to the deepest point at five sites around the lake from February 2019 to November 2021. Data showed that the added alum slowly sank to the bottom of the lake. Total and dissolved metals data showed increased metals concentrations at sampling depths near the bottom of the lake under hypoxic conditions, as expected. For some sampling dates, corresponding increases in total phosphorus (TP) concentrations towards the bottom of the lake were also observed under low oxygen conditions. The trend was not the same for all sampling dates suggesting that external phosphorus loading may be the reason for larger TP concentrations closer to the surface in the water column. During the study, TP concentrations remained < 0.02 mg/L, even when the lake was exposed to hypoxic conditions.

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