Comparison of Sediment Loading and Non-Point Source Pollution in the Mission and Aransas RiversJena R. CampbellDepartment of Marine Sciences

November 29, 2007

Mission-Aransas NERR30 miles NE of Corpus Christi27th Reserve Designated May 3, 2006Only one in Western Gulf of MexicoArea for research in a natural settingUTMSI lead State AgencyMission RiverMission BayAransas RiverCopano Bay

http://www.utmsi.utexas.edu/nerr/index.htm

Study Area Mission & Aransas Rivers

PurposeOriginal idea too ambitiousCompare between Mission and Aransas RiversLand CoverSediment LoadingNitrogenPhosphorusLeadZincPollution & Sediment accumulation downstream

Data SourcesExercise 5NHDPlusCatchmentsFlowlinesNational Land Cover Data SetHydroseek

Catchment & Flowline Relationships

High Intensity DevelopmentAransas CatchmentsMission Catchments

Row CropsAransas CatchmentsMission Catchments

Deciduous ForestsAransas CatchmentsMission Catchments

GrasslandAransas CatchmentsMission Catchments

PredictionsAransas RiverMore NitrogenMore SedimentReason land cover (agriculture, high intensity)Mission RiverLess PollutantsLess SedimentReason land cover (forests, grassland)

Hydroseek Measurements - Nitrogen

Hydroseek Measurements Unfiltered Residues

Future WorkAdd lead, zinc, and phosphorus measurements to the mapSediment and pollutant accumulation farthest downstreamMake concentration grid based on the run-off in each catchmentExercise from 2005Compare actual measurements to acceptable thresholds

**************