Honors Projects
Abstract
Lake Erie has experienced harmful algal blooms with increased frequency since the mid-1990s due to excess nutrients from Rivers, such as the Maumee River, and largely agricultural watersheds. Nonpoint source pollution from agriculture contributes to eutrophication, algal blooms, and the degradation of water quality. This creates stress on aquatic fauna, reduced aesthetic quality, odor, and limits of the water for usage of drinking, recreation, and industry. This research paper asks what the contributions of having access to manure application records, soil records, and information about antibiotics have on what is known about manure management and antibiotic resistance, which has been attributed to the degradation of water quality in the western basin of Lake Erie and in Northwestern Ohio. Surface and subsurface water samples were collected from farms in Putnam County, Ohio, which is largely agricultural, and analyzed for nutrient concentrations, E. coli, coliforms, lactose positive coliforms, and antibiotic (ampicillin) resistance. Buildup of phosphates in the soils contributed to the high concentrations in runoff samples, and high ammonia concentrations were analyzed because manure was detected in the runoff. The results support the findings of others that conclude that most nutrient and pathogen pollution occurs after large rainstorm events and after manure application on frozen ground. The bacterial community showed a moderate-high level of resistance to ampicillin, which is of great concern. The results of this study call for sustainable manure management, a system to minimize nutrient-loading and the spreading of pathogenic bacteria, education, and the usage of Best Management Practices.
Major
Environmental Science
First Advisor
Dr. W. Robert Midden
First Advisor Department
Chemistry
Second Advisor
Dr. George Bullerjahn
Second Advisor Department
Biological Sciences
Publication Date
Spring 2014
Repository Citation
Horstman, Janelle, "The Effects that Liquid and Solid Cattle Manure Have on the Water Quality of Drainage Ditches in Putnam County, Ohio" (2014). Honors Projects. 130.
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/honorsprojects/130
Included in
Agribusiness Commons, Agricultural Economics Commons, Agriculture Law Commons, Algae Commons, Animal Diseases Commons, Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons, Bacteria Commons, Bacterial Infections and Mycoses Commons, Biology Commons, Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics Commons, Dairy Science Commons, Environmental Health Commons, Environmental Health and Protection Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Environmental Law Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Environmental Public Health Commons, Fresh Water Studies Commons, Geology Commons, Hydrology Commons, Laboratory and Basic Science Research Commons, Natural Resource Economics Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Other Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons, Other Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons, Plants Commons, Science and Technology Law Commons, Soil Science Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons, Water Resource Management Commons