Environmental Education (EE)

NNEMS Quick Finder
Overview Program Materials	Projects How to Apply	Program Coordinators Frequently Asked Questions

NNEMS Project 2010-308

Category:
Environmental Science

Preferred Project Period:
5/10/10 - 9/10/13

Desired Education Level(s):

• Ph.D. Student

Project Title:
Stream Restoration as an Approach for Managing Nitrogen Pollution in Urban Watersheds

Sponsoring Office:
Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration Division

Project Overview:
Bioreactive nitrogen is a non-point source pollutant that impairs ecosystem function and threatens human health. Urban streams transport heavy nitrogen loads to estuaries such as the Chesapeake Bay. Stream restoration may be a cost-effective way to reduce nitrogen in urban streams, yet despite the billions of dollars spent annually on restoring streams, little is known about the effectiveness of stream restoration as a best management practice (BMP) for nitrogen. The fellow working on this project will research and quantify the ecological benefits of stream restoration. The fellow will take a field-based research approach to assessing the efficacy of stream restoration as a BMP for nitrogen control in urban watersheds. The fellow will use state-of-the-art ecological methods, including isotope tracer techniques, to quantify biological and hydrological processes in surface water and ground water at streams throughout Baltimore, Maryland, before and after restoration to identify biogeochemical controls of microbial denitrification, a natural process occurring in ground water that removes bioreactive nitrogen by transformation to a biologically inactive gas form. Stream restoration that stabilizes stream banks, reconstructs stream meanders and riffle zones, and re-establishes riparian vegetation may increase nitrogen uptake via denitrification by reconnecting hydrology and increasing carbon availability to microbes. Identifying restoration techniques where high denitrification activity occurs provides insight into important nitrogen management tools. The fellow will also conduct cutting-edge research into the ecology of urban streams and the effects of ecosystem restoration. The end date for this project is flexible.

Project Goals:
The fellow will accomplish the following goals: (1) assess ecosystem service benefits of restoration; (2) identify stream restoration methods that enhance nitrogen control; and (3) develop predictive models of stream hydrology and nutrient mass balance.

Final Product of the Project:
The fellow will author peer-reviewed scientific journal articles that describe the efficacy of various stream restoration methods as a BMP for nitrogen control.

Project Location:
EPA Region 3, Baltimore, MD

---

Project Officer Information

Paul Mayer
Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration Division

---

Office Mission/Responsibility

The Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration Division conducts research and supplies technical assistance to provide the scientific basis to support development of strategies and technologies used to protect and restore ground water, surface water, and ecosystems affected by man-made and natural processes.

This site contains Adobe PDF files. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader click here to download the program. See EPA's PDF page for more information about getting and using the free Acrobat Reader.