The Performance and Application of Drum-type Seepage Meters and A Simple Experiment to Determine If Dentrification is Occurring in Stream Bottom Sediments Within the North Carolina Coastal Plain

Abstract

This research examined the performance of drum-type seepage meters in a stream environment and groundwater nitrate concentration discharging into that same stream. A significant forested riparian buffer bordered the stream on one side, and agricultural fields buffered the other side. The design of the drum-type seepage meters was based on experience gained from other researchers, and the performance of the meters was predicted from an equation developed for this research. The observed nitrate concentration data collected from the seepage meters closely resembled the nitrate concentration predicted from the developed equation. A simple experiment was also conducted to determine if evidence exists that denitrification is occurring in these same stream bottom sediments. The experimental results suggest that the stream bottom sediments of Pete Mitchell Canal act as a nitrate sink, with denitrification as the possible process for producing this sink.