Abstract

This study aims to identify the impact of cattle grazing on the water quality of Stoner Creek, located in North Middletown, KY. Cattle grazing can impact water quality in numerous ways. In this study, water quality was examined using the following parameters: water temperature (°C), pH (SU), dissolved oxygen (mg/L), conductivity (μS/cm), and Escherichia coli (E. coli) colonies per 100 mL of water. Results show that Site 3 (Cattle access point) had the greatest average conductivity at 465 μS/cm. Sites 3 and 4 showed the highest turbidity. There was a strong positive correlation (r2=0.32, p=0.02) between conductivity and turbidity. DO levels were the highest at Site 2 (bottom of riffle downstream from dam, upstream from cattle access point). Site 1 (upstream to cattle access point) had the greatest average count of E. coli at 1687 CFU per 100mL. Site 3 had the lowest average count of E. coli at 480 CFU per 100mL. E. coli runoff occurred at higher rates after rainfall events. Cattle do not appear to be the single source of pollution but do play a role in E. coli runoff and increased sedimentation.

Semester/Year of Award

Spring 5-9-2025

Mentor

Stephen Sumithran

Mentor Department Affiliation

Biological Sciences

Access Options

Open Access Thesis

Document Type

Article

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelors

Department

Biological Sciences

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