TRACKING WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN URBAN RUNOFF ALONG A WETLAND SYSTEM

The role of wetlands in improving water quality is well documented in literature. It is also well known that each wetland functions differently depending on its location in space and time. This study investigates the effectiveness of a local wetland in improving the water quality of urban runoff before it enters the Oconee River in Milledgeville, Georgia. Runoff in this wetland takes multiple routes through the selected wetland system. This project, therefore, also compares the water quality improvements along two runoff routes within the wetland system. Vegetation, topography, soils, ecological characteristics and historical landuse/landcover changes are also compared for the two routes. Water quality parameters such as dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, phosphorous, nitrates, bacteria, and organic compounds were measured along each path. There was a noticeable difference in water quality changes along these paths. One of the routes was also colonized by a crayfish species, while the other was not. In this paper we present detailed results and possible explanation of the observed differences.