Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Agriculture

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences

Advisor/Mentor

Shannon Speir

Committee Member

David Miller

Second Committee Member

Kristofor Brye

Abstract

Degradation of water quality is primarily caused by human activity, including urbanization. Urban stream syndrome can be characterized as a stream that has undergone physical, chemical, and biological changes as a result of urbanization, which can include an influx of nutrients that can drive unwanted plant and algae growth. It is known that construction can result in untreated nutrients entering a stream; however, it is not understood how construction affects downstream nutrient transport. The objective of this study was to understand the impacts of construction on urban water quality in Tanglewood Branch in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in the Ozark Highlands, which originates from a spring below a current construction project. Basic water quality parameters were measured, including nutrient concentration, discharge, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and turbidity, at five sites downstream of the construction site approximately biweekly from February 2024 to April 2025. Instantaneous nutrient loads were calculated for soluble-reactive phosphorus (SRP) and nitrate (NO3-) and compared at each site over time and across sites to see if nutrient loads changed over time and as water flowed downstream, respectively. A construction work signature index (CWSI) was used to isolate construction impacts on the water quality. Nutrient loads and turbidity did not differ among sites in the post-construction period compared to pre-construction; however, nutrient concentrations and turbidity decreased downstream from the construction site. Longitudinal patterns in nutrient loads matched patterns in discharge, indicating that the effect of construction on loads may be masked by streamflow conditions. The N-CWSI revealed that nitrate concentrations were most impacted by the construction, and the impact of construction on nitrate concentrations was the highest (1.6 ± 0.1) at the site closest to the construction. This study suggests that accurately isolating construction impact is important to determine if mitigation strategies are effective and the CWSI index may be a valuable tool for attempting to isolate construction-related changes from natural variation.

Keywords

urban water quality; construction impacts; nutrient transport; nonpoint source pollution

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