Kentucky State University
Assessment of the Kentucky River Water Quality
Institution
Kentucky State University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
George F. Antonious; Eric Turley
Abstract
The water quality in the U.S. has greatly improved since the implementation of the Clean Water Act (CWA) in the early 1970’s. Unfortunately, the Clean Water Act only addresses one kind of water pollution, point source pollution. Agriculture activity is commonly regarded as the leading contributor to nonpoint source pollution. The Kentucky River and its offshoots provide the essence to the frame of the basin. The streams provide water for communities, commerce, and agriculture. The streams also transport wastes from the body of the basin, such as, human and animal wastes, grease, oil and combustion by-products flushed from city streets, industrial wastes, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers from home and farm use, and many others. In this project, water samples have been taken from three locations along the Kentucky River to assess water quality parameters. Dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, ammonia, and nitrate analyses were performed. Monitoring these water quality parameters revealed that the average concentrations of dissolved oxygen was 8.60 mg/L, conductivity was 347 µmho/cm, the pH was 8.17, ammonia-nitrogen was 0.144 mg/ L, and nitrate-nitrogen was 0.289 mg/L respectively. The data shows that the Kentucky River water quality are well below Kentucky water quality standard limits except for ammonia –nitrogen with its value being more than 100 % above the standard level.
Assessment of the Kentucky River Water Quality
The water quality in the U.S. has greatly improved since the implementation of the Clean Water Act (CWA) in the early 1970’s. Unfortunately, the Clean Water Act only addresses one kind of water pollution, point source pollution. Agriculture activity is commonly regarded as the leading contributor to nonpoint source pollution. The Kentucky River and its offshoots provide the essence to the frame of the basin. The streams provide water for communities, commerce, and agriculture. The streams also transport wastes from the body of the basin, such as, human and animal wastes, grease, oil and combustion by-products flushed from city streets, industrial wastes, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers from home and farm use, and many others. In this project, water samples have been taken from three locations along the Kentucky River to assess water quality parameters. Dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, ammonia, and nitrate analyses were performed. Monitoring these water quality parameters revealed that the average concentrations of dissolved oxygen was 8.60 mg/L, conductivity was 347 µmho/cm, the pH was 8.17, ammonia-nitrogen was 0.144 mg/ L, and nitrate-nitrogen was 0.289 mg/L respectively. The data shows that the Kentucky River water quality are well below Kentucky water quality standard limits except for ammonia –nitrogen with its value being more than 100 % above the standard level.