Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
Changes in land use decrease surface permeability and lead to increases in sediment yield and pollutant concentrations in a stream. As the Crossroads area is developed over the next few years, these effects are likely to occur here in Williamsburg, Virginia. To study the initial water quality conditions in the Crossroads area, two streams were chosen as study locations, one having a more developed drainage basin and the other a much less developed basin. Suspended sediment and water chemistry were monitored from June to September 2000 to compare the water quality of these two basins. Results indicate that the stream in the developed catchment showed lower sediment and pollutant concentrations than that of the less developed catchment. However, these results may be insignificant due to the large difference in water discharge between the two streams. This research was funded by a grant from the Lancy foundation and conducted as part of the Crossroads research project at the College of William and Mary.
Date Awarded
2001
Department
Geology
Advisor 1
Gregory S. Hancock
Recommended Citation
Gatliff, Donna, "The Effect of Land Use Change on the Water Chemistry and Suspended Sediment in he Crossroads Area, Williamsburg, Virginia" (2001). Geology Senior Theses. William & Mary. Paper 81.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/geologyseniors/81
