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Water quality in the Dickinson Bayou watershed (Texas, Gulf of Mexico) and health issues |
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| Authors: | Antonietta Quigg Linda Broach Winston Denton Roger Miranda |
| Institution: | a Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, 5007 Avenue U, Galveston, TX 77551, United States b Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, 3146 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, United States c Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, 5425 Polk Avenue, Suite H, Houston, TX 77023, United States d Coastal Fisheries Division, Texas Parks and Wildlife Dickinson Department, 1502 FM 517 East, Dickinson, TX 77539, United States e Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, 1200 Park 35 Circle, Austin, TX 78711, United States |
| Abstract: | The Dickinson Bayou watershed (near Houston, Texas, Gulf of Mexico) provides habitat for numerous coastally influenced communities of wildlife, including scores of birds and fish. Encroaching development and impervious surfaces are altering the habitat and degrading water quality. Herein we have defined the current health of the bayou using water quality data collected between 2000 and 2006. Elevated bacteria (fecal coliform, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus) and depressed dissolved oxygen concentrations (often <3 mg l−1) are the two major impairments to this ecosystem. While nutrient ratios indicate primary productivity may be nitrogen limited, concerns of eutrophication persist because the bayou has a low intrinsic flushing rate. Consistent with this is the magnitude of algal blooms (ca. 100 μg chl l−1) which often occur in spring/summer. The findings of this study will assist with the understanding of the influence of urban development on small watersheds. |
| Keywords: | Bacteria Ecosystem management Environmental monitoring Eutrophication Low dissolved oxygen Nitrogen Nutrients |
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