Pollutant loadings from solvay waste beds to lower Ninemile Creek, New York

Concentrations of Cl, total ammonia (TNH3), NO3 plus NO2, total P (TP), and soluble reactive P (SRP) were measured at two sites, located 5 km apart, on Ninemile Creek, New York, for a period of more than 8 mo. The sites bound the most recently formed Solvay waste beds, associated with the production of soda ash, that adjoin the creek. Concentrations of Cl and T-NH3 increased on average by factors of 16.1 and 7.6, respectively, over the monitored stream reach. The estimated average loadings of these materials to the stream over this reach were 2.3 × 105 and 1.2 × 102 kg d−1, respectively. These inputs are attributable to the Solvay waste beds. The loading of Cl from this source has not changed significantly over a 4 yr period since the closure of the soda ash manufacturing facility. This is the single largest source of Cl, and the second largest source of T-NH3, to polluted Onondaga Lake. Profiles of Cl in the lake indicated that at times the creek inflow plunges to subsurface layers as a result of its elevated density. This is at least in part a result of the creek's ionic enrichment. The concentration of SRP decreased by a factor of 2.0 on average over the study reach, probably due to adsorption to the CaCO3 deposits that cover the stream bed in this area. However, the TP load from the creek to the lake is not significantly affected by this phenomenon.