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Chloride Concentrations in Wetlands along a Rural to Urban Land Use Gradient

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Abstract

Relationships between anthropogenic sources of Cl− and wetland surface water Cl− concentrations have received little attention. Spatial and temporal patterns of Cl− concentration were investigated in 11 wetlands in the mid to late 1990s and in 2012–2013 along a rural to urban gradient. Chloride concentrations in wetlands located in forest watersheds were <3 mg/L. Small spring-fed swamps in relatively undeveloped rural areas had elevated Cl− concentrations ranging from 10 to 50 mg/L which originated from nearby house septic systems and salt application on secondary roads. Potassium fertilizer application on areas of intensive crop production was a major source of Cl− in riparian wetlands where surface water Cl− concentrations were 50–65 mg/L. The application of deicing salts caused the highest Cl− concentrations (100–730 mg/L) which were observed in depressional wetlands in a rapidly urbanizing landscape with a denser road network. Chloride contamination in the study wetlands occurred throughout the year and diffuse surface flow paths produced a widespread pattern of elevated surface water Cl concentrations which have increased considerably in the past 10–15 years in some of the wetlands. Wetland Cl− levels in the most developed landscapes reached or exceeded chronic water quality thresholds established in the USA and Canada for negative effects on aquatic biota.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Nicole Grambo and Sonia Campagnolo for field assistance and Shan Sanmugadas and Jackson Langat for laboratory assistance. Thanks are also due to Carolyn King in the York Geography department cartographic office for the figures. Two anonymous reviewers provided helpful comments on the manuscript. Funding was provided by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada operating grant to A.R. Hill.

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  1. Department of Geography, York University, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada

    Alan R. Hill & Eva K. Sadowski

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  1. Alan R. Hill
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  2. Eva K. Sadowski
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Correspondence to Alan R. Hill.

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Hill, A.R., Sadowski, E.K. Chloride Concentrations in Wetlands along a Rural to Urban Land Use Gradient. Wetlands 36, 73–83 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-015-0717-4

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