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SOUTHEASTERN PLAINS NUTRIENT RESPONSE (SPNR) PROJECT
Impact/Purpose:
The data produced will be ultimately used by the Program office in developing appropriate nutrient criteria for streams. The SPNR study was requested by EPA Region 4 Water Division and will be completed through collaborative field and lab work from the Region 4 Science and Ecosystem Support Division (SESD), every Region 4 state environmental agency and the Zoology Department at Michigan State University.
Description:
This study is part of a multi-year effort to examine nutrient biological responses and to develop accurate tools for measuring and assessing those responses. For 2007, this work involves developing a methodology for sampling and analysis of periphyton from sand and sediment. We are collecting a suite of long term and short term nutrient influenced parameters at 30 sites within 75 miles of Athens, GA. The sites are distributed along a disturbance gradient based on the percentage of nutrient contributing land use activities within each watershed. Key project activities include algae and macroinvertebrate sampling, aquatic nutrient sampling, geomorphic investigation and GIS-based land use analysis.