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Relationships among nutrients, chloride and biological indices in urban Maryland streams

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Abstract

Using a spatially extensive urban database constructed from the Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS), we describe the relationships of nutrients in small-order streams to eight defined categories of percent catchment urbanization, correlations between chloride and conductivity in urban streams, and relationships between nutrients and chloride with two Maryland-specific indices of biotic integrity for benthic macroinvertebrates and fish assemblages. Stream nutrients become elevated with increasing percent catchment urbanization, followed by increases in all four measured nitrogen species and total phosphorus at catchment urbanization levels greater than 10%. There was a strong collinear relationship (r 2 = 0.90) between chloride and conductivity (trimeans) across all eight urbanization classes, where Cl (mg/L) = −0.397 + 0.188*conductivity (μS/cm). Critical values for all water quality parameters with the two Maryland biological indices were derived using quantile regression, with significant regressions developed for 11 of 16 water quality parameters and the two biotic indices. For nitrate (NO3-N), the critical thresholds between fair and poor stream quality for the two Maryland biological indices were 0.83 mg/L (benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages) and 0.86 mg/L (fish assemblages). Increasing stream nutrient and chloride levels, associated with widespread catchment urbanization intensity, now affect many small streams in Maryland, with implications for decreasing water quality in major tributaries and the Chesapeake Bay.

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Acknowledgments

This paper is based on water quality analyses completed under numerous MBSS contracts (MANTA-MDDNR) to RPM from 1993 to 2004. In addition, we thank personnel associated with MDDNR and Versar, Inc. for their assistance and excellent stream monitoring database, and the foresight, in the early 1990s, of MDDNR in development of this stream assessment program. Dr. Sujay Kaushal and an anonymous reviewer provided helpful comments on the manuscript. This is Scientific Contribution Number 4036 from the Appalachian Laboratory of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

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  1. Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, 301 Braddock Road, Frostburg, MD, 21532-2307, USA

    Raymond P. Morgan II, Kathleen M. Kline & Susan F. Cushman

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  1. Raymond P. Morgan II
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Correspondence to Raymond P. Morgan II.

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Morgan, R.P., Kline, K.M. & Cushman, S.F. Relationships among nutrients, chloride and biological indices in urban Maryland streams. Urban Ecosyst 10, 153–166 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-006-0016-1

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