Abstract
Urban waterways can easily be affected by pollution, runoff, and leaching, which can have biological, chemical, and economic impacts. Trotter’s Creek, which begins at the Peerless Beverage Company in Union, New Jersey and ends at the Phil Rizzuto Park in Elizabeth, New Jersey, is a local example of an urban waterway currently being impacted by such factors. To assess the overall health of Trotter’s Creek, a qualitative assessment was conducted on soil and water samples that were taken once a month from February to April. The samples were taken upstream at the Peerless Beverage Company, midstream at Kean University, and downstream at Phil Rizzuto Park. Water analysis included measuring the flow rate and temperature of the stream in addition to the pH, nitrate, and phosphate concentrations. Soil samples were taken from both inside and outside the creek and were measured for pH, nitrate, phosphate, and potassium concentrations. The results show the Peerless Beverage Company had the highest pollution impacts and thus the lowest amount of nutrients. This data is the first step in understanding how an urban environment impacts local aquatic and soil systems that can be easily monitored and could lead to environmental regulations to decrease pollution rates.
Recommended Citation
Palma, Maurizia De
(2019)
"Monthly Water and Soil Analysis On Trotter’s Creek In Elizabeth, New Jersey And Kean University In The Spring 2019 Semester,"
Kean Quest: Vol. 2:
Iss.
1, Article 1.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.kean.edu/keanquest/vol2/iss1/1