ANALYSIS OF LAKE SEDIMENTS TO EVALUATE PAST INFLUENCES OF COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS ON FRESHWATER LAKE ECOSYSTEMS

Indiana has a long history of coal mining, coal processing, and coal-fired power plants. While scrubber technology has improved significantly over the past several decades, coal-fired power plants have been and continue to be a source of atmospheric pollution. To better understand the impacts of coal-fired power plants on environmental quality, we collected two sediment cores from southern Indiana lakes located in relatively close proximity to coal-fired power plants. Beall Woods Lake is shallow and located in Beall Woods State Park. The lake is used for recreation by locals. Smokestacks from the nearby coal-fired power plant can be seen from the shoreline. Sisters of Providence Lake is farther from the power plants but is a prime candidate for atmospheric pollution deposition based on past wind data. The purpose of this research is to study fossil diatoms, spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs), and geochemistry. Cores were collected during fall 2017 from both lakes. One sediment core from Beall Woods and two from Sisters of Providence were taken and processed for their respective analyses. The results will be used to evaluate how coal-fired power plants have influenced these two freshwater lakes in Southern Indiana over recent decades. Coal-fired power plant activity is associated with increased pollution, such as metals through deposition of atmospheric particulates that can blanket the surface including lakes. Our sediment analyses explores the lake histories to determine if coal-fired power plants have influenced diatom community composition dynamics. While previously conducted studies used similar methodology to assess ecosystem health, this approach has not been applied to lakes in historically coal-dependent Indiana. SCPs will be used to evaluate power plant productivity, and geochemical results will be used to assess metal fluxes associated with power plant pollution. Our data may also show the effectiveness of improved legislation and technology in limiting output of industrial pollutants.