THE EFFECT OF URBAN STREAM SYNDROME ON THE CHANNEL OF THE FONTEYNKILL

The Fonteynkill flows through Vassar College’s campus in Poughkeepsie, New York. Though it begins aboveground northwest of the TH’s at Park Avenue, the Fonteynkill’s waters do not only originate from the areas immediately surrounding the stream. Storm sewer drains from the southeastern part of the City of Poughkeepsie supply the majority of the Fonteynkill’s flow. Because of the high impervious surface cover in the City, pollutants such as metals, pathogens, or excess nutrients are more easily washed into the stream, indicative of a malady known as Urban Stream Syndrome. This project addressed the condition of the water and the stream sediments to pinpoint and avoid negative impacts on humans and all downstream biota. The scope of the project was primarily focused within the stream’s channel.

The results are congruent with the symptoms of Urban Stream Syndrome. Stream water collected during storms showed that sediment loads peaked before stream level did, displaying the “first flush” effect caused by impervious surface runoff. Cores taken from Vassar Lake contained high amounts of calcium, possibly leached from concrete via acidic rain and flooded into the stream due to the impervious surface cover. As expected, we also found high levels of chloride and sodium, both indicative of road salt runoff. Sulfate was also uncommonly high, which could be attributed to road salt as well. Sources of sulfate also include sewage, however, and E. coli counts in the Fonteynkill are 6-7 times the state bathing limit, raising questions of possible infiltration.

This study evaluated multiple methods of sample collection and data analysis, and has supplied background data on the Fonteynkill’s basic health. With the new science building to be built bridging the stream, it is more important now than ever that we begin a comprehensive and long-term analysis of the Fonteynkill.