Areas of Specialization

• Livestock waste management
• On-site domestic waste systems
• Constructed wetlands
• Non-point source pollution and control
• Livestock grazing and water quality

Current Research

Evaluation of the quality and quantity of non-point source runoff from a pasture in a dairy operation. This pasture is grazed in the summer and receives spread manure from a storage facility near the barn. This farm is in a watershed that feeds Tillamook Bay, so fecal coliform are of particular interest. The runoff is routed to one of two constructed wetlands cells for treatment. Treatment efficiency and processes are being monitored.

There are six wetland cells constructed at OSU behind the campus dairy. Flushwater is drained into these cells at two different hydraulic rates. Several water quality parameters are being monitored. Of particular interest is the fate and pathways of nitrogen through these systems.

Work is being conducted to model and understand the role of riparian vegetation and shade on stream water temperature. A model has been developed to calculate solar heat energy flux relationships in small rivers and streams. Small, waterproof, recording thermisters are being used to monitor the temperature of stream reaches which have similar vegetation patterns.

A project to determine the fate of nitrogen through a sand filter treating domestic wastewater is near completion. Forty-four domestic systems in five Oregon counties were sampled to establish the levels and forms of nitrogen at several stages of a septic tank-sand filter-drain field trench system.

A five cell, in series, constructed wetland has been constructed and planted on an Oregon container nursery. This wetland system will treat runoff that may carry nutrients and agricultural chemicals such as herbicides, etc. Five different chemicals are utilized over the season on the potted plants. A sampling schedule is being developed.