Investigation of Fluvial Mixing Zones in the Marsh-Beech-Bald Eagle Creek System in Centre and Clinton Counties, Pennsylvania

Elaine Langone Center, Terrace Room

The AMD-impacted Beech Creek and nutrient-rich Marsh Creek join the net-alkaline Bald Eagle Creek before it empties into the West Branch of Susquehanna (WBS) River. The goal of this project was to observe the behavior of mixing zones as they relate to geochemical processes within the Bald Eagle Creek system. Water quality data was assessed for a 6.2-mile stretch during the summer of 2014, starting below the Foster Joseph Sawyer dam and ending at Mill Hall, PA. The field data were collected using two Hydrolab Sondes (MS-5) that recorded temperature, pH, DO, conductance, TDS, salinity, chlorophyll-a, and ORP at one-minute intervals. In addition, 8 water samples and 4 soil samples were collected. These samples were analyzed in the lab for additional geochemical parameters, including acidity, alkalinity, metals and nutrients. The results of the field and lab data were visualized using ArcGIS software and analyzed using statistical methods. The data provided insights into the impact that various physical, hydrologic, geological, anthropogenic, and chemical processes have on the water quality in the studied system. The following trends were observed in the downstream direction: a decline in chlorophyll-a, specific conductance and DO concentrations, and an overall increase in pH. This study warrants further investigation to better understand the role of geochemical processes on the water quality of this tri-creek system.