Newspapers / University of North Carolina … / Nov. 7, 2000, edition 1 / Page 10
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10 THE SEAHAWK/NDVEMBER 7, 2000 I I f-:. Megan D’Brien Features Editor The Lower Cape Fear River Pro gram (LCFRP) recently completed its fifth year of sampling 35 locations throughout the Cape Fear, Black and Northeast Cape Fear watersheds. Various groups of river users, includ ing streamside factories, environmen tal groups, and municipalities fund the study. State law requires streamside in dustries to monitor the amount of pol lutants and environmental change their presence causes. “By being a part of the program, these industries pay a sum of money for a neutral group, the university, to analyze it for them,” research associ ate professor Dr. Mike Mallin said. This year’s study is considered a baseline for other years, as was 1997, because there weren’t any hurricanes in this area. These years are consid ered “normal” and other years will be compared with them. The samples found that nine sta tions fell in the non-supporting cat egory for low dissolved oxygen lev els, and 10 stations were only partially supporting. This means that 54 per cent of the stations had dissolved oxy gen levels below five parts per mil lion 11 to 25 percent of the time, with higher levels possible in the non-sup- University hdps study river poUution porting areas. All aquatic organisms need dissolved oxygen, but five parts per miUion is the lowest amount of oxygen in the river that will support most species of fish. “If you dump human or animal waste in the river, bacteria like to feed on it,” Mallin said. “If there’s a large amount of waste, the bacteria will multiply rapidly and use up dissolved oxygen levels so much that it can re sult in a fish kill.” Algal blooms and toxic Pfiesteria, bacteria found in the Neuse River, were not problems in the Cape Fear River and estuary. Overall, the abundance of bottom organisms and fish show resiliency to hurricanes, but the number of bottom (benthic) organisms has been decreas ing over the past four years in the lower estuary, and the number of sum- mer-fall fish species has dropped from 70 in 1997 to 55 in 1999. The results from the study will be sent to the state and used in reports in conjunction with data from the middle and upper Cape Fear River Programs as.well. “I would like to see mandatory veg etative buffer zones along the whole river,” Mallin said. “It’s been done in other places. There’s no reason why it can’t be done here.” The vegetative buffer zones would absorb many of the run-off chemicals from lawns, roads and streamside in dustries. Artists’ inventory Sale at St. John’s this Saturday The sale will include professional artists from all over North Carolina as well as university students and faculty. The sale will be held at the Cowan House of St. John’s Museum of Art on Saturday, Nov. II from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free Pregnancy Test & Counseling 24 Hour Hotline “‘We’re Here Because we care. ’ Life Line Pregnant Cmiter CALL TODAY: 392-0001 or (800) 70S^237 - 24 hrs 925 S. K«rr tkv. (Pitim Tra* OfRcc Hau), WUmingtoii Lower Cape Fear River Program Monitoring Stations mOim A'-,' Fatson G8 VVlanace'^®' f Me ROC f!4«- „ .—,10 —-i— NC11 DP.Jj >HCF6 . 1C Vita , BRRwiov LCFRP Stations County Boundaries Rivers □ (MuMcipai«le$ Lower Cape Fear River Basin Mdae cape Fear River Basin 0 30 MIIm AtertK Oosan social circles ■ah good things come round again. earrings and bangles available in gold and silver only at...
University of North Carolina Wilmington Student Newspaper
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Nov. 7, 2000, edition 1
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