Nonpoint Source Pollution, Low Impact Development and Wildlife.

Nonpoint Source Pollution,

Low Impact Developmentand Wildlife

What is nonpoint source pollution ?

Pollution that comes from many diffuse sources, such as…

•Excess fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides from agricultural lands and residential areas

•Oil, grease and toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy production

•Sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding streambanks

•Salt from irrigation practices and acid drainage from abandoned mines

•Bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes and faulty septic systems

What is low impact development?

LIP is a land planning and engineering design that maintains, as much as

possible, the integrity of a watershed.

What is wildlife?

Wildlife refers to nondomesticated (wild) animals and plants that

live in natural conditions.

The term is very broad and some sources do not recognize plants as wildlife.

What does NPS pollution and LID have to do with

wildlife?

Everything that happens in a watershed affects the water that runs over it.

Why?

• Much of the environment is water based.• Water is the universal solvent.• Living cells are 70 – 95% water.• What happens to the water in

the watershed affects, to varying degrees, the organisms that live there.

Let’s look at some examples…

Different organisms have different tolerances of pH levels.

Effects of pH ChangespH Effect of Aquatic Species

3,0 – 3.5 Few fish survive, although some inverts and plants do3.5 – 4.0 Lethal to all salmonids (salmon & trout for example)4.0 – 4.5 All fish, most frogs & insects not present4.5 – 5.0 Mayfly & other insects not present; fish eggs don’t hatch5.0 – 5.5 Decomposing bacteria dies, decay stops, plankton gone6.0 – 6.5 Freshwater shrimp not present6.5 – 8.5 Optimal for most organisms8.5 – 9.0 OK for most fish; effects from chemical changes may occur9.0 – 10.5 Harmful to perch and salmonids with prolonged exposure10.5.- 11.0 Lethal to carp & perch with prolonged exposure11 – 11.5 Lethal to all fish

LaMotte Company handbook

Let’s look at that again…

Dissolved Oxygen LevelsDO Levels Effect on Aquatic Organisms

5 – 6 ppm Required for growth & activity for most aquatics< 3 ppm Stressful to most aquatic organisms

< 2 ppm Will not support fishOxygen is not only required for survival of most organisms, it is also need for decomposition.

Nitrate-Nitrogen Levels

• Nitrogen is essential for plant growth, but excess is a major pollutant.

• Nitrogen compounds can enter H2O from fertilizers, sewage, industrial wastes, farm manure.

• Nitrate levels in drinking water must be ≤ 10 ppm.

Turbidity

• Refers to how cloudy the water is.• Is caused by suspended materials.• Sources include eroded soil & excess

plankton from too much nutrient.• Can kill aquatic plants by blocking light,

bury fish eggs and bottom creatures, damage gills, interfere with food-finding abilities, speed distribution of pollutants, and raise surface water temperature by absorbing extra light.

Some others…

• Iron – high levels can be caused by landfill leakage

• Phosphates – high levels can cause excess plant growth 7 eutrophication

• Copper – too much can kill aquatics• Water temperature – affects feeding,

reproduction and metabolism of aquatics; very important! Why?

• Like everything else, too much acts as a pollutant!

• One week of high temps can make a stream unsuitable for the sensitives, even if the temps are tolerable the rest of the year!

• Different species have different temp requirements.

• Optimal temps may be different for different stages of life – eggs and larvae are more sensitive.

How does this affect an ecosystem?

o If everything in a food web has different tolerance levels for various pollutants, then consider this…

What if…

What are some organisms in

Kentucky that might be affected by NPS

pollution?

Some aquatics…..

Common Spatterdock

• Stabilizes pond banks and provides cover for many aquatic organisms.

Green Darner Dragonfly

aquatic naiad adult

Common Cattail

• Roots are important food for muskrats, geese, and others.

• Stands provide cover and nesting habitat for wildlife.

Bullfrog

Adult Tadpole

Some riparians…

Red-winged Blackbird

• Eats a variety of plant and animal material including insects.

• Is prey for raptors; eggs and hatchlings are prey for snakes, birds, raccoons, and others.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

larva adult

Green Heron

• Is one of the few birds that uses a tool.

• Will drop bait (insects, worms, twigs, feathers) into water to attract small fish.

Painted Turtle

• Lives in marshes, lakes, ponds, rivers, and slow-moving streams.

• Like all aquatic turtles, it digs its nest on the bank.

• Young need protein from earthworms, insects, tadpoles, etc. but adults eat more aquatic plants.

Some migrants…

• Bald Eagles nest in forested areas next to large bodies of water.

• Eat fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, small mammals, etc.

• Raptors are affected by bioaccumulation.

Osprey

• Is a fish-eating specialist, with barbed pads on soles to help grip slippery fish.

• Carries fish with head first (aerodynamic).

• Often uses man-made structures for nesting.

American Bittern

• Breed and nest in freshwater marshes with tall reeds.

• Eat insects (dragonflies, water striders, water beetles, grasshoppers, etc.), fish, crustaceans, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals.

Redhead

• A diving duck that eats submerged aquatic plants.

• Builds floating nests or parasitizes another bird’s nest.

• Live on lakes and ponds.

Who’s responsible for ensuring that we have

wildlife for future generations?

In the United States, it is the legal responsibility of state wildlife agencies to

manage the wildlife populations within their

respective states.

U.S. Department of Interior↓

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service↓

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Among other things, these agencies govern policies and programs affecting threatened or endangered species.

NPS pollution alters habitats and thus can

threaten populations of organisms at all points of the watershed affected

by the pollution.

Some that are federally threatened

or endangered:

Cumberland Bean(Villosa trabalis)

Clubshell(Pleurobema clava)

Cumberlandian Combshell(Epioblasma brevidens)

Cumberland Elktoe(Alasmidonta atropurpurea)

Fanshell(Cyprogenia stegaria)

Pink Mucket(Lampsilis abrupta)

Oyster Mussel(Epioblasma capsaeformis)

Cracking Pearlymussel(Hemistena lata)

Dromedary Pearlymussel(Dromus dromas)

Littlewing Pearlymussel(Pegias fabula)

Rough Pigtoe(Pleurobema plenum)

Orangefoot Pimpleback(Plethobasus cooperianus)

Fat Pocketbook(Potamilus capax)

Purple Cat’s Paw(Epioblasma obliquata)

Northern Riffleshell(Epioblasma torulosa rangiana)

Tan Riffleshell(Epioblasma florentina walkeri)

Ring Pink Mussel(Obovaria retusa)

White Wartyback(Plethobasus cicatricosus)

Why so many T & E mussels?

This is how we study mussels:

Read the story here:http://www.wfpl.org/2011/10/27/the-strange-life-death-and-reproductive-cycle-of-an-endangered-mussel/

Blackside Dace(Phoxinus cumberlandensis)

Relict Darter(Etheostoma chienense)

Palezone Shiner(Notropis albizonatus)

Pallid Sturgeon(Scaphirhynchus albus)

Kentucky Cave Shrimp(Palaemonias ganteri)

Interior Least Tern(Sterna antillarum)

Cumberland Rosemary(Conradina verticillata)

Virginia Spiraea(Spiraea virginiana)

Running Buffalo Clover(Trifolium stoloniferum)

Why should you care?

• Ecosystems are finely tuned systems because the living components evolved together.

• Changes in the physical or living components can upset the way it functions.

• You are a part of your ecosystem! You eat and drink from a variety of ecosystems.

• You swim, fish, and play in various ecosystems.

• Some toxins from NPS pollution are known to cause illnesses, diseases, cancers, and birth defects in not just animals but humans too!

• It costs a lot of money to clean up pollution. That’s money that could be spent in more fun ways.

Additional resources to study:

• Copy and paste this URL: http://www.envirothon.org/curriculum-guidelines.html

• Scroll to bottom and follow these links:• Wildlife• Key Point 1—Knowledge of Wild Birds, Mammals and

HerpsKey Point 2—Wildlife EcologyKey Point 3—Conservation and Management of Wildlife

Key Point 4—Issues Involving Wildlife and Society