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| Connecticut Science Center |
U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005-1208
By Elaine C. Todd Trench
This document is available in Portable Document Format (PDF): OFR 2005-1208 (11.3 MB)
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The Thames Science Plan is the result of a cooperative project between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (CTDEP). The Science Plan outlines water-quality investigations that could provide information necessary for the CTDEP to develop water-quality management and restoration strategies for nutrient-related problems in the Thames River Basin. The purpose of the Science Plan is to identify information that would support CTDEP in developing Total Maximum Daily Load analyses (TMDLs) for nutrients for individual water bodies and stream reaches in the Thames Basin, and eventually for the entire basin, as required under the Federal Clean Water Act.
Development of the Science Plan included a review of the historical database for the Thames River Basin, focusing primarily on water-quality monitoring and interpretive studies conducted by the USGS from 1970 to 2004. Selected additional water-quality information from CTDEP, other state and federal agencies, and academic and private sources has also been reviewed. A complete review and synthesis of all sources of nutrient-related water-quality information for the Thames River Basin is beyond the scope of this Science Plan.
Information on important nutrient-related issues and questions in the Thames River Basin has been obtained from many sources, including reports from the Thames River Water-Quality Symposium, sponsored by the CTDEP on April 30, 2002 (Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, 2002c). The Thames Technical Workshop, sponsored by the USGS on April 23-25, 2003, provided additional insight into these issues and questions. The Technical Workshop included discussions at several field locations in the Thames Basin, presentations by USGS researchers on freshwater and estuarine nutrient topics, and a moderated discussion among participants from the CTDEP, the USGS, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).
The Thames Science Plan is organized into five major sections:
Purpose, Development, and Organization of the Thames Science Plan
Background
The Importance of Nutrients
Sources of Nutrients in the Thames River Basin
Environmental Setting of the Thames River Basin
Water-Quality Management Issues
Conceptual Model of the Thames River Basin
The Freshwater Ecosystem
Drainage Basins that Receive Point Discharges
Impoundments
Norwich Harbor and the Thames Estuary
Review of the Historical Database for the Thames River Basin
U.S. Geological Survey
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Other Sources of Information
Assessment of Information Needs
Ponds and Impoundments
West Thompson Lake
Other Impoundments
Freshwater Streams
Norwich Harbor and the Thames Estuary
Summary of Suggested Investigations to Fulfill Information Needs
Suggested Freshwater Investigations
F1 – Analysis and Interpretation of Information on Nutrient Sources and Water Quality
F2 – Evaluation of Surface-Water-Quality Sampling Design for the Thames River Basin
F3 – Spatial (GIS) Analysis of Thames River Basin Information
F4 – Nutrient Concentrations and Loads in the Quinebaug River Basin
F5 – Quinebaug Phosphorus Trends
F6 – Seasonal Phosphorus Trends in the Quinebaug River
F7 – Annual Nutrient Budget for West Thompson Lake
F8 – Daily and Seasonal Nutrient Loads at West Thompson Lake
F9 – Bioavailable Phosphorus in West Thompson Lake Sediment
F10 –Nutrient Enrichment and Algal Productivity in the Quinebaug River Basin
F11 – Algal Growth Bioassay for West Thompson Lake
F12 –Annual and Seasonal Nutrient Loads from Wastewater-Treatment Facilities
F13 –Nutrient Concentrations and Loads in Pristine, Forested Areas
F14 – Assessment of the Contribution of Nutrients from Ground-Water Inflow
F15 – Quantification of Point and Nonpoint Sources of Nutrients in the Quinebaug River Basin
F16 – Time-of-Travel Studies on the Quinebaug River
F17 – Streamflow Regulation and Effects on West Thompson Lake
F18 – The Effects of Changes in Phosphorus Loading to West Thompson Lake
F19 – Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Nutrient Enrichment and Phytoplankton Algal
F20 – Streamflow Regulation and Water Quality in the Quinebaug River
F21 – Simulation of Phosphorus and Algal Dynamics on the Main Stem of the Quinebaug
F22 – Nutrient Trends in the Thames River Basin
F23 – Preliminary Quantification of Nutrient Sources and Loads for the Shetucket River
F24 – Simulation of Nutrient Loads Based on Watershed Characteristics
F25 – Interstate Thames Watershed Model
Suggested Estuarine Investigations
E1 – Assessment and Interpretation of Available Hydrodynamic and Water-Quality Information for Norwich Harbor and the Thames Estuary
E2 – Monitoring to Define Tidal Hydrodynamics in Norwich Harbor
E3 – Monitoring to Define Water-Quality Variability Over a Range of Climatic and Tidal Conditions in Norwich Harbor
E4 – Sources of Nutrients and Organic Loads to Norwich Harbor
E5 – Phytoplankton Community Composition and Dynamics in Freshwater Inflows and Norwich Harbor
E6 – Assessment of Sediment Oxygen Demand
E7 – Evaluation of Factors Leading to Low Dissolved Oxygen Conditions in Norwich Harbor
Summary of Key Suggested Investigations
Acknowledgments
Selected References
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