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Impact of Land Use on Ground Water Quality in the Grand Traverse Bay Region of Michigan¹

ABSTRACT

Investigations in townships surrounding the Grand Traverse Bay of Michigan show identifiable geographic relationship between ground water quality and land use. Wells averaging 32 m deep in thinly populated areas (cherry orchards) measured an average of 3.75 ppm nitrate-N, indicating the effect of prolonged years of fertilizer application. Wells averaging 19 m deep in predominantly residential areas had an average of 1.31 ppm nitrate-N, indicating possible contamination from septic tank effluents. An average of 0.18 ppm of ammonia-N was detected in marshy wetlands.

An analysis of temporal variations in ground water quality with reference to precipitation, streamflow, and a trend component provided high as well as low R² (0.92 to 0.12; R² = square of the multiple correlation coefficient) producing regression models, indicating the effect of site specific conditions. A year-long observation of a sample well (43 m deep) surrounded by cherry orchards had an average of 18.25 ppm nitrate-N in a range of 13.09 to 20.64 ppm, almost double the standard considered safe for human consumption. Ammonia-N and chloride measurements from a shallow well (12.5 m deep), surrounded by residential and commercial activities, showed synchronized variations over a year (correlation coefficient r = 0.75, significant at 1% level), suggesting the existence of a common source of contamination.

In summary, it is reiterated that the analysis of ground water quality problems require a different philosophical approach from those of water quantity and surface water quality modeling.

Key Words: ground water • nitrate • watershed • chloride • ammonia • fertilizer applications

¹ This research was sponsored by NOAA Office of Sea Grant, Dep. of Commerce, Grant no. 04-3-158-23 to the Univ. of Michigan. Additional support for computational analysis was also provided by the School of Forestry and Environ. Studies, Duke Univ., Durham, NC 27706.

² R. Rajagopal, Assistant Professor, School of Forestry and Environ. Studies, Duke Univ.

Received for publication January 27, 1977.

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