Maumee River Basin Research Articles

Multiobjective optimization in water quality and land management

A multiobjective planning framework for a river basin that considers both point and nonpoint source pollutants is presented. The need for an intergrated approach to pollution abatement originating from these two sources is discussed in the light of Public Law 92‐500. The need for including multiple objective functions in their noncommensurable formats and units are also discussed. Two broad‐based planning objectives considered are: economic development and environmental quality. The environmental quality model includes the following multiple objectives: (1) soil erosion, (2) phosphorus, (3) biological oxygen demanding load in the stream. Noninferior solutions and trade‐offs among the objectives are examined for several alternative planning scenarios using the surrogate worth trade‐off (SWT) method. The decision‐maker's role in obtaining the basin‐wide plan is discussed. Finally, the planning framework is applied to the Maumee River Basin study.

Preferential Clay Mineral Erosion from Watersheds in the Maumee River Basin

AbstractRunoff sediments and soil surface horizons from five small watersheds were characterized for clay mineralogy, particle size distribution, cation exchange capacity, and amorphous and free iron oxide content. The objective was to determine if preferential transport of clay minerals from these watersheds was occurring.Clay mineralogical analysis indicated runoff sediments contained higher concentrations of illite and expandables with lower concentrations of vermiculite and quartz relative to watershed soils. The differences were attributed to preferential transport of fine clays from the soil surface.Runoff sediments contained an average of 18.4% more clay than soil surface horizons. Additionally, the total clay fraction of sediments contained an average of 10.1% more fine clay. Cation exchange capacity increased from 41 meq/100 g for soil clay fractions to 46 meq/100 g for sediment clay fractions due to the increased fine clay content. Both amorphous and free iron oxide contents were lower in the clay fractions of runoff sediments than in the clay fractions of soil Ap horizons.

Level-B Multiobjective Planning for Water and Land

The models represent economic development and environmental quality related to water quality and land use planning, and are formulated in a multiobjective optimization framework. The economic objectives constitute the cost of point and nonpoint-source pollution abatement, and other related land activities. The environmental quality sector includes the following noncommensurable objectives: (1)Soil erosion and sediment control; (2)control of phosphorus discharge from point and nonpoint sources; (3)abatement of biological oxygen-demanding material from point sources; (4)enhancement of land-based recreational opportunities; (5)maintenance of wildlife habitat; and (6)flood control. The trade-offs analysis was carried out using the Surrogate Worth Trade-off (SWT) method. The planning framework was developed for the Maumee River Basin Level-B Study. A recommended plan with its associated trade-off values are presented. The decision-maker’s (Planning Board) role in obtaining a basin-wide plan is discussed.

The Application of a Digital Model for Evaluating the Bedrock Water Resources of the Maumee River Basin, Northwestern Ohioa.

Increasing population and industrial development in northwestern Ohio indicated the need for an evaluation of the bedrock ground-water resources of the region. A digital ground-water model was designed and used as a tool for predicting water-level declines resulting from projected ground-water withdrawal. Potentiometric surfaces, keyed to historic, accelerated, and peak projected ground-water withdrawals, were predicted by decades to the year 2036. These withdrawals at the calculated rates will cause severe overdrafts at Lima, Toledo, and Findlay, Ohio, and at Ft. Wayne, Indiana, by the year 2036.

A Hierarchical Multiobjective Framework for Water Resources Planning

A combination of the TECHCOM methodology with the surrogate worth trade-off (SWT) method is outlined. A summary of both TECHCOM and SWT which centers on the attributes of each is given; an explanation of what a combined methodology might be expected to do is also developed. A demonstration problem using the Maumee River Basin Level-B land resources model is also provided. Fitting a complex multiobjective optimization problem into a hierarchical multilevel structure as an aid in decisionmaking is the major contribution here. The overall problem is decomposed into submodels whose independence can be ensured by using pseudovariables, which can then be coordinated at the next higher level in the hierarchy. The methodology developed is considerably more restrictive than the original TECHCOM formulation, but the multiobjective optimizations ensure that a Pareto-optimal solution is found, rather than a solution which is based only on preference ordering.

Physical, Chemical, and Mineralogical Properties of Fluvial Unconsolidated Bottom Sediments in Northwestern Ohio

AbstractFluvial unconsolidated bottom sediments that have the potential to become part of the suspended sediment load in the Maumee River Basin, Ohio, ranged in texture from sandy loams to clays. Particle size analysis by water dispersion and electrolyte dispersion procedures revealed that an average of 34% of the total clay fraction was aggregated into the silt and sand‐sized range, indicating that the coarser fraction of bottom sediments may be physically‐chemically active. The water‐dispersible clay was lower in mica but higher in expandable 14Å (smectite) and quartz constituents than the electrolyte‐dispersible clay. The mineralogy of clay‐sized bottom sediments (mica, 65 ± 5%; chlorite‐vermiculite, 12 ± 5%; quartz, 14 ± 5%; expandable 14Å (smectite) and kaolinite, 5 ± 5%) from upstream agricultural drainage ditches, major Basin tributaries, and from the Maumee River are essentially identical.The 2‐ to 50‐µm fraction was dominated by quartz with secondary amounts of mica, kaolinite, feldspars, and carbonates. Mean calcite, dolomite, and calcium carbonate equivalent values were 4.1, 3.4, and 7.8%, respectively. Calcite dissolution in transport is probable on the basis of observed calcite‐dolomite ratios.Organic matter content of the fluvial bottom sediments (3 to 7%) was analogous to Lake Erie bottom sediments and Maumee River suspended sediments. CEC values ranged from 39 to 55 meq/100 g for the total clay fraction collected by electrolyte and water dispersion procedures. Enrichment of heavy metals of bottom sediments over surficial soil materials occurred for Cu, Ni, Zn, Ca, and Pb by factors of 1.6, 2.0, 2.3, 3.5, and 3.0, respectively. Traces of herbicides (atrazine, 2‐4‐D) and insecticides (DDT metabolites, endosulfan) were detected in the filtered stream water samples and bottom sediment materials.Downstream trends in selected physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties could not be related to increased urban influences or increased stream discharge.

Phosphate Adsorption‐Desorption Characteristics of Suspended Sediments in the Maumee River Basin of Ohio

AbstractPhosphorus (P) adsorption‐desorption characteristics of Maumee River Basin suspended sediments were compared with those of Basin soils and stream bottom sediments. Suspended sediment contained more total P than either soils or bottom sediments. The increase in total P over soils is attributed to enrichment of P in sediment by selective erosion of fine particles and adsorption of P during fluvial transport. The suspended sediment had higher adsorption maxima than Basin soils but lower than bottom sediments and had lower adsorption energies than either soils or bottom sediments. Calcite content of the suspended sediments was positively correlated with total P, EPC (equilibrium P concentration) and P desorbed and negatively correlated with adsorption energy, implying that, although calcite is a sink for P, the adsorption is weak compared with other sites for P adsorption such as hydrous oxides of Fe and Al.

Phosphate Adsorption‐Desorption Characteristics of Soils and Bottom Sediments in the Maumee River Basin of Ohio

AbstractLangmuir adsorption isotherms showed that Maumee River Basin sediments had adsorption capacities 10 to 20 times greater than Basin soils. Although the soil clay fractions had adsorption capacities higher than the whole soil, they were considerably less than those of the sediments and the difference is attributed to the higher content of amorphous or low‐range order iron and aluminum components in the bottom sediments. Equilibrium phosphorus concentration (EPC) and phosphorus desorbed was similar for soils and sediments as well as total P, indicating that although the bottom sediments have a high capacity to adsorb P, this capacity has not been realized. Correlations between adsorption‐desorption parameters and soil/sediment properties are presented. Bray P1 “available” P was highly correlated with EPC and P desorbed in the soils but to a lesser extent in the bottom sediments. CDB and oxalate extractable‐P was highly correlated with P adsorption capacity in the bottom sediments but not in the soils.

Quality of Water Discharged from Three Small Agronomic Watersheds in the Maumee River Basin

AbstractThis investigation was aimed at evaluating the quality of water and characteristics of sediments leaving three nearly level watersheds in the Lake Plain sector of the Maumee River Basin during a 32‐month period as a function of soils comprising the watersheds. Each watershed consisted of a soil of major extent (Paulding, Hoytville, or Millgrove) developed from the three most extensive geologic deposits present in the basin: lacustrine, glacial till, and beach sand, respectively. The results indicated that water quality is a function of soil characteristics, discharge, and year. The finetextured Paulding watershed yielded lower concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate ions than the other two watersheds, but higher concentrations of sodium, potassium, and phosphorus. High concentrations of the latter three elements were attributed to the presence of septic tank effluent in the drainage ditch sampled. The Paulding watershed also yielded the highest concentration of sediment, which implies that nearly level watersheds of the basin, particularly fine‐textured watersheds, may represent significant contributors of sediment entering the Maumee River. Flocculation of clay minerals in the sediments during fluvial transport resulted in increasing particle size and changing mineralogy on moving downstream from headwater areas.

Mineralogy and Related Parameters of Fluvial Suspended Sediments in Northwestern Ohio

AbstractStream water samples were collected weekly for 17 months at eight sampling sites in the Maumee River Basin to characterize the clay mineralogy of the suspended sediments and to determine the utility of mineralogy as a marker of the source (rural, urban, geologic) of the sediments. X‐ray diffraction analysis of the clay‐sized (< 2 µm) sediments indicated little seasonal or downstream variability in clay mineral composition. The quantities of mica, quartz, and vermiculite‐chlorite were 36 ± 5%, 29 ± 5%, and 20 ± 5%, respectively. The quantities of expandables, interstratified, and kaolinite minerals were usually < 10%. The cation exchange capacity (CEC), amorphous, fine clay, and organic matter content of the clay‐sized suspended sediments were approximately 44 meq/100 g, 4.4%, 25%, and 5%, respectively. Carbonate minerals were not detected in the clay‐sized fraction.The 2 to 50 µm fraction was dominated by quartz in high flow periods and secondary calcite in low flow periods. The stream water was calculated to be saturated with calcium carbonate, thus calcite precipitation could be expected.When fluvial suspended sediment properties were compared to properties of regional soil materials, mineralogy appeared to be a useful index to differentiate between surficial and geologic (parent material) sources of suspended sediments. The clay‐sized fraction of the suspended sediments contained percentages of mica and carbonates analogous to local surficial materials yet in contrast to local geologic (parent material) materials. A lack of carbonate minerals in the silt‐size (2–50 µm) fraction of the suspended sediments during high discharge events when stream bank erosion, hence geologic erosion, should be maximum further negated the geologic origin of the suspended sediments.The mineralogical characterization of the fluvial suspended sediments in combination with chemical data led to the conclusion that the annual suspended sediment load of the Maumee River and tributaries was predominantly surficial in origin.

Cones of Influence Developed in the Silurian‐Devonian Aquifer, Maumee River Basin, Ohio

AbstractIn the Maumee River Basin of northwestern Ohio the principal source of ground water is the Silurian‐Devonian carbonate aquifer. The use rate of ground water from this aquifer could rapidly increase many fold in the near future. This situation demands quantitative information on the resource potential of the aquifer, if proper development is to be encouraged.A relationship between ground‐water use and recharge rates through an analysis of the cones of influence is demonstrated in this paper. Computed recharge rates for the cones of influence vary from 6,800 to 75,300 gpd/sq mi, and the variation is systematic in that the higher recharge rates correlate with the higher pumpage rates. Recharge rates appear to have an upper limit of approximately 100,000 gpd/ sq mi, which corresponds to a maximization of the vertical hydraulic gradient. Although maximization of the vertical hydraulic gradient is impossible to achieve for a given cone of influence, it can be approached by lowering the piezometric surface of the aquifer by increasing the pumpage rate.Assuming that the safe yield of an aquifer is equivalent to the rate of recharge, this study demonstrates that development of an aquifer can increase many times its potential.