Evaluation of Nutrient Concentrations, Sources, and Pathways in Three Urban Streams in Durham County, North Carolina using Stable Isotopes

In 2010, the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission adopted nutrient-management strategies for the Falls Lake and Jordan Lake reservoirs that call for comprehensive controls to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loads from sources in the watershed, including urban stormwater, wastewater, and agriculture. The City of Durham Public Works Department Stormwater Services Division is implementing best management practices (BMPs) for new and existing development to reduce nutrient inputs from stormwater. The many small watersheds that drain into Falls and Jordan Lakes typically have diverse sources of nutrients and other pollutants, a range of agricultural to urban land use and embedded urban infrastructure, and limited available space, making effective BMPs complex and expensive to implement. The U.S. Geological Survey and the City of Durham are collaborating to evaluate current and historic nutrient concentration data at three small urban stream sites, two located within the upper Neuse River basin upstream from Falls Lake, and one located upstream from Jordan Lake in the Cape Fear River basin. Use of stable isotopes to characterize sources and transport of nitrogen in these streams is being evaluated as a tool to optimize design and cost effectiveness of BMPs to improving water quality. Analyses of transport pathways and nitrogen sources is focusing on the feasibility of nutrient source tracking using stable isotopes in small drainage area urban watersheds. Six months of preliminary data suggest that the surface water in the small urban basins is mostly derived from precipitation and that atmospheric deposition of nitrogen is an overlooked component. Results of this study will provide a basis for further study of other low-order urban streams of the North Carolina Piedmont Physiographic Province.