Ammonium input to the sea via large sewage outfalls—part 1: Tracing sewage in Southern California waters

Abstract

Ammonium concentrations were found to be elevated near Southern California sewage outfalls; concentrations exceeding 3 μg-atom litre −1 were measured 5 km from the discharge area. In stratified water, high values were found below 15 m, but in well-mixed water, high levels were detected at the surface. Subsurface high concentrations were associated with turbid layers, coliform bacteria and reduced oxygen levels. The distribution of ammonium correlated well with measured subsurface currents. The maximum concentration at the Whites Point outfall was 155 μg-atom litre −1 at 27 m, about 2 km from the diffuser. Measurements of ammonium in sewage, compared with that in seawater at Whites Point, suggested that sewage was diluted up to 400-fold. Ammonium may be a useful tracer of the discharge of sewage in seawater.