GEOCHEMISTRY AND HYDROLOGY OF A WETLAND IN MOUNTAINTOP, PENNSYLVANIA

A baseline survey of the geochemistry, hydrology and plant life of a wetland in a natural preserve in Mountaintop, Pennsylvania, was conducted during the fall of 2006. The wetland is located in northeastern Pennsylvania and is managed by the North Branch Land Trust. A small tributary of Bow Creek flows through the wetland and the substrate on either side of the stream is saturated, with many ponded areas. Conductivity, pH, temperature, oxygen reduction potential, dissolved oxygen content and flow rate were measured in the field at twenty eight sites. At sixteen of those sites, samples were collected and analyzed for the following: alkalinity, acidity, sulfate, phosphate, hardness, calcium, nitrate, lead, iron, and manganese. The pH ranged from about 5.3 to 6.8, higher than values for many of the true bogs in northeastern Pennsylvania. Conductivity varied between 23.8 and 95.2 microSiemens, with highest values along the creek and lowest in the ponded areas. Oxygen reduction potential ranged from 168.31 to 324.79 mV, with no apparent trends. Temperature of the water varied from 5.8 to 7.7 degrees Celsius on the day of sampling (November 19). Dissolved oxygen levels ranged from 5.2 to 9.9 mg/L and the flow rate in the stream was between 0.5 and 0.639 meters per second, with no measurable flow in the ponded areas. Total alkalinity ranged between 0 and 14.5 mg/L as CaCO₃, and acidity of the wetland was between 16.0 and 26.4 mg/L as CaCO₃. Total hardness varied from 9.5 to 26.5 mg/L as CaCO₃. Levels of dissolved sulfate, phosphate and nitrate were all relatively low (0 -14 mg/L SO₄^2-, 0.01 - 0.36 mg/L PO₄^3--, and 0 - 0.09 mg/L nitrate Nitrogen). Many wetlands, rivers and lakes are located in the area surrounding this site. The presence of numerous mine dumps as well as an abandoned industrial facility upstream to the north of the research area increases the potential for heavy metal pollution. If such pollution has occurred, results of iron, manganese and lead analyses will help to quantify the extent of that pollution in the wetland.