Session: Undergraduate Research Posters: Environmental Chemistry:

Baseline inorganic water quality parameters were determined for the Fox River in southeastern Wisconsin. The City of Waukesha will be switching their water supply from groundwater to Lake Michigan surface water due to radium contamination and declining aquifer water levels. With the switch, the City will return their 6-8 MGD of treated wastewater back to Lake Michigan via the Root River rather than discharging it to the Fox River. This monitoring program has been in place since summer 2018 in anticipation of the 2022 switch. This longitudinal study will continue after the switch to determine if there are any major changes to the river chemistry with this decrease in discharge. Water samples were collected every 3-5 weeks from 10 different sites along the Fox River from spring through fall. One site is upstream of the Clean Water Plant (CWP), one at the CWP, and eight downstream of the CWP extending over a 35 mile stretch of the river. Alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and temperature were measured on-site with probes and test kits. Base cations (23Na, 39K, 44Ca, 24Mg) and trace metals (63Cu, 114Cd, 64Zn, 208Pb, 58Ni, 52Cr) were quantified using ICP-MS using external standardization. Common anions (Cl^-, NO₃^-, SO₄^{<span style="font-size:10.8333px">2-</span>}, PO₄^3-) were quantified using ion chromatography (IC) using external standardization. Over the duration of the study, the pH, alkalinity, and dissolved oxygen levels were relatively consistent and centrally ranged from 7.2-8.6, 200-350 mg/L and 6-12 mg/L, respectively. For the anions, Cl^-, NO₃^- and SO₄^2- routinely were detected at ranges of 100-250 mg/L, 1-20 mg/L and 15-40 mg/L, respectively. The concentration of base cations Na, Mg, K and Ca ranged from 50-200 mg/L, 30-60 mg/L, 2-20 mg/L and 40-100 mg/L, respectively. The concentration of trace metals was at or below detection limit. Fox river water stream is highly buffered, aerobic, and nutrient rich system.

Joseph J Piatt

Carroll University

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