1 WATER QUALITY AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Streams and rivers located in areas of urban development are often associated with increased sediment load, trash, degraded water quality, and increased flooding. The purpose of my research is to find out if the urbanization along Schillinger Road has or has not degraded the water quality of the Second Creek Tributary System that is located in the Dog River Watershed. I conducted water sampling at two sites within the Second Creek Tributary System. My first site is the middle stream, of the three stream system, upstream of Schillinger Road, primarily residential drainage, and my second site is the northern stream, primarily commercial drainage, located downstream of Schillinger Road. I conducted water quality testing for water temperature, pH levels, alkalinity, hardness, dissolved oxygen levels, and turbidity levels. I used GIS to produce maps that showed development within the area and the specific drainage boundaries for each of my two study sites. The results that I found lead me to the conclusion that water quality of the Second Creek has been affected very little by the construction and development that is taking place along Schillinger Road and the BMP's such as detention ponds, gabions, and silt fences that are in place have been working properly to limit the flow of silt and excess water into the river water of Second Creek