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The Bioavailability of Effluent-derived Organic Nitrogen along an Estuarine Salinity Gradient

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Abstract

Total maximum daily loads for nitrogen (N) are currently being established for the Chesapeake Bay watershed. While we know inorganic N is bioavailable in the environment and therefore its input contributes to cultural eutrophication, the bioavailability of organic N is unclear. Using bioassay experiments, we examined the impact of effluent-derived organic nitrogen (EON) from wastewater treatment plants on natural water samples collected along an estuarine/salinity gradient within the lower Chesapeake Bay watershed. All of the inorganic N and between 31% and 96% of the EON was removed during biotic bioassays within the first 2 days. Further, there was substantial abiotic reactivity of effluent N when it was added to natural water samples. Results demonstrate that organic and inorganic N in effluent is removed to support the growth of microbial communities. These are the first results aimed at assessing the reactivity of EON in natural waters along an estuarine/salinity gradient.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Chris Burbage, Leo Procise, Marta Sanderson, Jeremy Guest, and Gary Schafran for their help in sample analysis, providing information regarding WWTPs, and WWTP samples. We are especially grateful to WERF and the participating utilities for helping us identify appropriate plants, sharing data collected from the facilities, and helping us to acquire samples. This work was supported by grant CBET-0756475 from the National Science Foundation to MRM, DAB, and NGL. This paper is VIMS contribution no. 3104 from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, The College of William and Mary.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ocean, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, Old Dominion University, 4600 Elkhorn Ave, Norfolk, VA, 23529, USA

    Katherine C. Filippino, Margaret R. Mulholland, Peter W. Bernhardt, George E. Boneillo & Ryan E. Morse

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, 23529, USA

    Matthew Semcheski & Harold Marshall

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, 2350 Hayward St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2125, USA

    Nancy G. Love

  4. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, The College of William & Mary, 1208 Greate Rd., Gloucester Point, VA, 23062, USA

    Quinn Roberts & Deborah A. Bronk

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  1. Katherine C. Filippino
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  2. Margaret R. Mulholland
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  3. Peter W. Bernhardt
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  4. George E. Boneillo
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  5. Ryan E. Morse
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  6. Matthew Semcheski
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  7. Harold Marshall
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  9. Quinn Roberts
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  10. Deborah A. Bronk
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Correspondence to Katherine C. Filippino.

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Filippino, K.C., Mulholland, M.R., Bernhardt, P.W. et al. The Bioavailability of Effluent-derived Organic Nitrogen along an Estuarine Salinity Gradient. Estuaries and Coasts 34, 269–280 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-010-9314-1

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