Virginia Water Resources Research Center

Ongoing projects at the Water Center

The Water Center thrives on participating in inter-disciplinary research ventures. Many of our ongoing projects bring together faculty, researchers and graduate students from a variety of academic disciplines to conduct water-related studies. Other VWRRC initiatives partner with government agencies and non-profit organizations to meet shared goals in the water arena.

A snapshot of the current VWRRC project portfolio includes (click on titles for more details):

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Virginia Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) Clearinghouse

The Water Center is working in partnership with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Virginia Stormwater BMP Clearinghouse Committee to produce a publicly accessible web site to serve as the Commonwealth of Virginia's reference site for stormwater BMPs. The Virginia Stormwater BMP Clearinghouse web site will link to the Virginia Stormwater Management Handbook and will provide supplemental information about BMPs, BMP selection tools, research protocols to validate performance claims for manufactured BMPs, and manufactured BMPs certified for use in Virginia.

Clinch-Powell Clean Rivers Initiative

The Clinch-Powell Clean Rivers Initiative (CPCRI) protects and restores water quality in our nation's most important river system for imperiled freshwater animals. The initiative unites a broad array of groups and agencies working in both Tennessee and Virginia. Working as partners with shared goals and commitments, these agencies, non-profit organizations, and business groups have an unprecedented opportunity to help conserve and connect people to these rivers. The Virginia Water Resources Research Center partners with the CPCRI and hosts their website.

Virginia Water Monitoring Council (VWMC)

Members of the VWMC collect and/or use water monitoring data. The VWMC promotes collaboration and information sharing among its members and their associated organizations. The VWMC offers a unique opportunity for dialogue and teamwork among all parties interested in water monitoring. Approximately 250 members, belonging to over 150 different organizations, contribute to the success of the VWMC. 

Effects of Cellulosic Biofuel Production on Regional Hydrology

Recent increases in oil prices, a strong national interest in greater energy independence, and a concern for the role of fossil fuels in global climate change, have led to a dramatic expansion in use of alternative renewable energy sources in the U.S. The U.S. government has mandated production of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022, of which 16 billion gallons are required to be cellulosic biofuels. Production of cellulosic biomass offers a promising alternative to corn-based systems because large-scale production of corn-based ethanol often requires irrigation and is associated with increased erosion, excess sediment export, and enhanced leaching of nitrogen and phosphorus. Dr. Sheila Christopher , Dr. Stephen Schoenholtz , and Andy Neal are examining the effects of cellulosic biofuel production on regional hydrology.

Sediment source tracking using tracers

Dr. Kevin McGuire and masters student Tyler Kreider are working a project investigating the use of tracers, including rare earth elements, to quantify stream bank erosion and source prediction.  This work will inform the efficient utilization of restoration resources and help delineate sediment sources and quantify reduction from projects that are local in nature compared to the scale of downstream waterways such as the Chesapeake Bay.  This project is a collaboration between the VWRRC, Dept. of Biological Systems Engineering, Canaan Valley Institute, and USDA-Agricultural Research Service.

Guidelines for Siting Effective Riparian Forest Buffers

Dr. Kevin McGuire and Courtney Reijo are taking part in a study to identify riparian forest buffers with high potential for nutrient removal in shallow groundwater using terrain metrics and soil properties.  The study will highlight which terrain attributes are most significant, where on the landscape these attributes are located, and at what scale geospatial techniques can be combined and used to assess riparian character for water quality purposes.  Results from this study will be used to create a set of recommendations for siting locations for effective riparian buffers (e.g., planting projects) to help improve surface water quality.

Monitoring and assessing total dissolved solids as a biotic stressor in mining-influenced streams

Dr. Stephen Schoenholtz and research associate Tony Timpano, are evaluating the response of aquatic life to total dissolved solids (TDS), a common water quality concern in the Central Appalachian headwater streams where coal mining occurs. Multiple covariate stressors often occur with TDS in mined watersheds. It is the objective of this research to measure aquatic life response in streams where such covariates are minimized and TDS is the primary stressor. The benthic macroinvertebrate community was chosen as the bioindicator for this purpose due to its proven effectiveness in representing the biological condition of streams in the ecoregion. Results of this research should provide a better understanding of critical TDS levels in these headwater streams.

Water quality impacts from forest roads in the Virginia Piedmont

Dr. Kevin McGuire and Kris Brown are evaluating hydrologic and soil erosion models to predict forest road sediment production in the Virginia Piedmont from bare and graveled road surfaces.  Forested watersheds typically release clean water, yet forest roads and trails can drastically impact water quality. Increased stream sedimentation from road and skid trail crossings represent the most significant water quality threat associated with forestry operations.  This study will provide much needed information for managers in closing forest roads and protecting water quality. 

Application of isotope hydrology for detecting process changes in mountaintop-mined catchments

Dr. Kevin McGuire is working with researchers from West Virginia University on the hydrology in mountaintop mining and valley-fill (MTM/VF) watersheds.  Despite the scale and extent of MTM/VF in the Appalachian region and its recognized impact on water quality and quantity, runoff processes in these settings remain poorly understood. Isotope hydrology is being used to evaluate controls on water storage, flow paths, and transit times in MTM/VF impacted catchments to better understand processes that influence water quality and runoff and flood generation.

Assessing effectiveness of restoration efforts in Central Appalachian coalfield streams

Continued permitting of coal mining in the central Appalachian region has become increasingly dependent on maintaining or restoring hydrologic and ecological function in streams affected by coal extraction. As mandated by the Clean Water Act (section 404), mining operations permitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must mitigate streams impacted by valley fill activities. Assessment of stream ecosystem structure and function is essential to determining ecological condition and success of mitigation techniques employed on these streams. Traditional bioassessment techniques are cost-effective, efficient, and are often conceptually linked to ecosystem function, but effects of restoration practices on stream processes that drive hydrologic and ecological functions of streams are usually not measured directly.

Dr. Stephen Schoenholtz and graduate student, Tripp Krenz, are assessing the functional status of a range of restored streams using measures that are relatively simple to implement and relate directly to stream carbon dynamics. Based on measures of carbon dynamics, this research is (1) assessing the functional status of restored coalfield streams relative to forested reference streams and to streams not impacted by mining but with riparian vegetation canopies similar to mining-restored streams, (2) exploring relationships between structural and functional assessment metrics, (3) determining functional measures of carbon cycling that are best suited for use in functional assessment protocols for streams being restored in the central Appalachian coalfields, and (4) determining factors that affect carbon cycling measures in streams being restored in the central Appalachian coalfields.

Landform controls on hydrologic flowpaths and pedogenesis in small headwater catchments

Dr. Kevin McGuire, JP Gannon, and Cody Gillin are working on a project aimed at explaining the spatial and temporal variation in stream water chemistry at the headwater catchment scale using a hydropedological framework, i.e., the combined study of hydrology and soil development. This framework provides a functional basis for discretizing the catchment into similar regions that can be integrated to explain catchment runoff and water quality. The overall goal of the project is to develop a predictive model of landform control on hydrologic flowpaths and pedogensis that explains solute retention and export from pedon to hillslope to catchment scales.  The National Science Foundation Division of Earth Resources and Long Term Ecological Research programs fund this study.

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