256260
Water Quality Analysis of the Bayou Bienvenue Central Wetland Unit
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
: 12:50 PM - 1:10 PM
Rebecca Doerfler, BSPH Candidate
,
School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Andrew Englande Jr., PhD, PE, DEE
,
Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the need for coastal restoration, for the affected areas, was brought to light on a large-scale in order to protect the public health and environment of the state of Louisiana. As a result of man-induced changes to natural processes, such as construction of the levees, the oil and gas pipeline canal, and the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, the Louisiana wetlands are decreasing by more than 65km2 per year. The loss of these wetlands is far more complex than simple land loss—economic and social losses exponentially increase the importance of restoring the Louisiana wetlands. Tulane University students, in partnership with students from Nunez Community College, aimed to identify and evaluate ecological and water quality issues related to coastal restoration in order to aid local government officials and stakeholders in identifying and assessing wetland restoration and sustainability initiatives such as cypress restoration and development of floating islands as a means of hazard mitigation and public health/ecological enhancement. Students gathered data on physical and chemical parameters (turbidity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, conductivity, pH, alkalinity, and hardness), solids and nutrients (dissolved solids, total suspended solids, volatile suspended solids, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus), biological parameters (fecal coliform), and organic content (biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, and total organic carbon content). Results for the parameters measured were in compliance with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality's (LADEQs) criteria for wetland assimilation sites. Data, however, indicates that further research is needed in order to effectively identify and assess wetland restoration and sustainability initiatives.
Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Learning Objectives: Demonstrate the ability to determine water quality and ecological parameters and interpret results for wetlands mitigation.
Collect and evaluate pertinent water quality and ecological samples and evaluate results for the Central Wetlands Unit of Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes in Louisiana by gathering data on physical and chemical parameters (turbidity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, conductivity, pH, alkalinity, and hardness), solids and nutrients (dissolved solids, total suspended solids, volatile suspended solids, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus), biological parameters (fecal coliform), and organic content (biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, and total organic carbon content).
Identify and assess wetland restoration and sustainability initiatives.
Keywords: Water Quality, Environment
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I, Sarah Donahue, am qualified to be an abstract Author on the content I am responsible for because I was a member of the research team that conducted the water quality assessment for the purpose of identifying and assessing wetland restoration and sustainability initiatives, and I took part in the analysis of this information as it was transformed into an elaborate and comprehensive poster and presentation.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
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