2025 Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) symposium
A Temporal and Spatial Analysis of Agricultural Impacts on Water Bodies in the Cedar River Watershed
Location
Dr. Ken Budke Family Auditorium, Schindler Education Center, University of Nothern Iowa
Presentation Type
Open Access Poster Presentation
Document Type
poster
Abstract
Water quality in Iowa has a direct impact on the health of humans, the environment, and the economy. This is why pollution of surface water in northeast Iowa is not only a local, but also a regional and national concern. Agricultural runoff from Iowa has an impact on water bodies as far as the Gulf of Mexico. Excess nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, enhance phytoplankton growth and lead to the eutrophication of stream water. It also contributes to the hypoxia zone, also known as the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. In Iowa, excess nutrients have severely damaged lake ecosystems by overproducing biomass in the water. Flooding has also become an increasingly important issue in recent years as large floods produce health issues, property damage, and affect land management. This project focuses on Dry Run Creek in Cedar Falls, which feeds into the Cedar River, a prominent river system in northeast Iowa. Several segments of the Dry Run Creek watershed are on the Iowa DNR impairment list due to water quality deterioration. Primary stressors of this watershed include high levels of bedded sediments, decline in macro and micro habitat availability, and high volume of storm water inputs. The creek has a relatively narrow width, so a sudden increase in flow rates can cause serious alterations, making it highly sensitive to storm events. Land use in the Dry Run Creek watershed includes agricultural, residential, and commercial/industrial, with agricultural land making up the largest portion of the watershed. Agricultural land is found in the upstream parts of the watershed, with urban and suburban areas found downstream. For this project, 14 sites within the watershed were selected for sampling once a month, with the exception of twice a month in June and July. Samples were collected from Dry Run Creek and the Cedar River, with a mixture of urban and rural sites selected.
Start Date
1-8-2025 11:00 AM
End Date
1-8-2025 1:30 PM
Event Host
Summer Undergraduate Research Program, University of Northern Iowa
Faculty Advisor
Mohammad Iqbal
Department
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Copyright
©2025 Erin Kennedy, Clair Taylor, and Mohammad Iqbal
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Kennedy, Erin; Taylor, Clair; and Iqbal, Mohammad, "A Temporal and Spatial Analysis of Agricultural Impacts on Water Bodies in the Cedar River Watershed" (2025). Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium. 32.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/surp/2025/all/32
A Temporal and Spatial Analysis of Agricultural Impacts on Water Bodies in the Cedar River Watershed
Dr. Ken Budke Family Auditorium, Schindler Education Center, University of Nothern Iowa
Water quality in Iowa has a direct impact on the health of humans, the environment, and the economy. This is why pollution of surface water in northeast Iowa is not only a local, but also a regional and national concern. Agricultural runoff from Iowa has an impact on water bodies as far as the Gulf of Mexico. Excess nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, enhance phytoplankton growth and lead to the eutrophication of stream water. It also contributes to the hypoxia zone, also known as the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. In Iowa, excess nutrients have severely damaged lake ecosystems by overproducing biomass in the water. Flooding has also become an increasingly important issue in recent years as large floods produce health issues, property damage, and affect land management. This project focuses on Dry Run Creek in Cedar Falls, which feeds into the Cedar River, a prominent river system in northeast Iowa. Several segments of the Dry Run Creek watershed are on the Iowa DNR impairment list due to water quality deterioration. Primary stressors of this watershed include high levels of bedded sediments, decline in macro and micro habitat availability, and high volume of storm water inputs. The creek has a relatively narrow width, so a sudden increase in flow rates can cause serious alterations, making it highly sensitive to storm events. Land use in the Dry Run Creek watershed includes agricultural, residential, and commercial/industrial, with agricultural land making up the largest portion of the watershed. Agricultural land is found in the upstream parts of the watershed, with urban and suburban areas found downstream. For this project, 14 sites within the watershed were selected for sampling once a month, with the exception of twice a month in June and July. Samples were collected from Dry Run Creek and the Cedar River, with a mixture of urban and rural sites selected.
