Date of Award
8-6-1999
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Integrated Environmental Sciences
First Advisor
Joseph E. Garcia, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Carolyn Wells, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
Linda Wallace
Abstract
This project is a study of the water quality and land us e changes that have occurred in the Birch Creek watershed in Halifax County, Virginia from 1987 to 1998. The purpose of t his project i s to identify water quality trends and potential linkages to land use changes during the time frame of the study. The information was obtained by analyzing data collected by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. The data had been gathered and archived, but not previously examined for trends or causal factors. Through the analysis, definite increasing and decreasing trends in the concentrations of fecal coliform, nitrogen compounds , and phosphorus compounds were discovered. Also , it was determined that clear cutting in the Birch Creek watershed had tripled in the last twelve years and that forestry and agricultural activities in the water shed had a significant effect on this system 's water quality .
Recommended Citation
Lloyd, Melissa Anne, "An evaluation of Land Use Changes and Their Associated Hydrologic Impacts In the Birch Creek Watershed, Halifax County, Virginia 1986-1998" (1999). Theses & Honors Papers. 206.
https://digitalcommons.longwood.edu/etd/206
