Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item Condition assessment of tailings-impacted wetlands at the Carpenter-Snow Creek Mining District Superfund Site, Neihart, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2019) Sovner, Nicholas Steven; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Scott PowellIn this study, I evaluate the condition of two wetlands down-gradient of mine tailings at the Carpenter-Snow Creek Mining District (CSCMD) Superfund Site near Neihart, Montana. Wetlands contaminated with mine waste are unique in that they are highly disturbed, but they still perform some level of ecological function and service. The CSCMD consists of 70 historic mine sites in the Upper Belt Creek watershed. Historic metal mining activity occurred between the late 1800s and early 1900s, with exploration activities occurring as late as the 1980s. Waste rock from mining and milling operations generated numerous tailings piles that expose heavy metals to erosion and subsequently contaminate groundwater, surface water, and stream sediments. Therefore, wetland rapid assessment tools were used to assess the capacity of wetlands to perform ecological functions. My objective was to identify which of four methods is the most effective at identifying functional loss. Rapid assessment methods included the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Hydrogeomorphic Approach to Assessing Wetland Function (HGM), the Montana Department of Transportation - Montana Wetland Assessment Method (MWAM), the Montana Natural Heritage Program - Montana Ecological Integrity Assessment (MEIA), and Montana Department of Environmental Quality - Wetland Assessment Protocol (WAP). The methods were performed on pairs of impacted and reference sites along Carpenter Creek and Belt Creek. My results indicate that MEIA displays the greatest sensitivity for differences between reference sites and impacted sites with a difference of 0.38 (out of 1) for the Belt Creek sites and 0.46 for the Carpenter Creek sites, while HGM displays slightly less sensitivity with differences of 0.31 and 0.40, respectively. The WAP shows the least absolute difference in index scores in the Belt Creek watershed (0.17), and the MWAM shows the least absolute difference between sites in the Carpenter Creek watershed (0.17). These results are useful for mining-related environmental cleanups where a decision regarding whether wetlands should be left in place, removed and reconstructed, or newly created where none currently exists. At cleanup sites, where long-term monitoring of wetland and riparian systems is necessary after reclamation, my study will help regulators and consultants determine whether a chosen remedial action was successful at eliminating, or at least significantly reducing, the effects of mine waste.Item Improving well water contaminant awareness among Big Horn County healthcare professionals through community engagement(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 2020) Schott, Raelene Ursula; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Sandra Benavides-VaelloBighorn County, Montana sits in the Little Bighorn River Valley in the south-central part of the state. The Crow Reservation, a Northern Plains Indian Reservation, encompasses 2.3 million acres in the Little Bighorn River Valley; the majority of the reservation is in Bighorn County. Over 8,000 tribal members live on the reservation, many of whom reside near rivers and streams. Due in part to the rurality of the area, up to 60 percent of the people living on the reservation have home wells as their primary water source. A variety of contaminants has been discovered in well water in Bighorn County, including manganese, uranium, nitrate, and arsenic. Manganese has been shown to cause cognitive delays in children with minimal exposure, along with neurological effects in children and adults alike, known as 'manganism', signified by extrapyramidal dysfunction. Uranium exposure causes kidney damage, increases the risk for various types of cancer, and can have reproductive and developmental effects on women. With minimal exposure, arsenic can cause neurological effects, hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, diabetes mellitus, and malignancies - including skin cancer. Arsenic toxicity includes links to cancer, cardiovascular disease, immune dysfunction, diabetes, and altered neurodevelopment. There are clear public health implications to providing an educational intervention regarding the contaminants to the healthcare providers in Hardin, MT, a community in Big Horn County, in order for them to provide evidence-based information to their patients. This pre/post-quasi-experimental project was designed to evaluate the knowledge gained by healthcare providers in Hardin following a short PowerPoint presentation with voiceover that provided educational information about the common contaminants and their health effects. There were seven healthcare providers who participated in the project. Results of the survey showed an overall improvement in their knowledge about the contaminants, as well as their comfort speaking to patients about these contaminants. These results indicated that the educational intervention provided by the author was successful in meeting the goals of this scholarly project.Item The value of fresh water as an economic input: evidence from Florida oyster fisheries(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2019) Dahl, Caleb Eliot; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Richard ReadyNatural resources contribute to a number of processes that humans depend on for economic benefits. A notable example is fisheries. Fishery productivity is largely dictated by environmental factors. When an ecosystem is altered, the effect on its fisheries can be catastrophic. As development intensifies throughout the world, an increasing number of fisheries are affected by environmental change driven by human behavior. A relevant example is Florida's oyster industry in the Gulf of Mexico, including the famous Apalachicola Bay fishery. As development and population have increased in the surrounding region, the river system that drains into the Florida Gulf has seen diminished water supply. Oysters rely on a particular mix of fresh and saltwater, so changes in the fresh water level affects the ecosystem and the fishing industry. In this thesis, I analyze the effect and value of freshwater input in the oyster fisheries of the Florida Gulf. I find that the effect of freshwater inflow on oyster productivity varies by season, with quarter three flow being of primary importance. Depending on the county and valuation method, I find a standard deviation change in freshwater inflow to be worth between $318,650.98 and $834,004.81 over two years in the context of oyster fisheries. While this specific situation is of particular interest, this work also contributes to the broader literature regarding the role and value of natural resources as economic inputs.Item An investigation of coliform contamination in private well water on the Crow Reservation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2019) Three Irons, Emery UP; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Scott Powell; Margaret Eggers (co-chair)The Crow reservation has a rural population that depends on home well water for domestic use. Many of the home wells do not have a suitable well cap, allowing a potential pathway of bacterial contamination of groundwater. Fecal coliform is associated with acute health problems, such as gastrointestinal illness, diarrhea, and cramps. Therefore, total coliform contamination of well water is an important health concern among Crow home well users. This research examines patterns in total coliform contamination among home well samples with respect to a suite of well and local aquifer characteristics thought to influence vulnerability to contamination, including well protection factors. Well and aquifer characteristics considered in this research include: the geologic production formation, local land cover, and distance to the nearest river. Well protection factors include: cap type, cap condition, depth of completion and time since completion (or age). One hundred water quality samples were collected from home wells along the Little Big Horn River in 2017, and available data on the character of those wells and aquifers were collected for comparison with the patterns in fecal coliform contamination among the samples. Presence/absence of coliform contamination was assessed using the Colilert IDEXX Quanti-Tray 2000 method. Spatial variations in the characteristics of wells and aquifers were characterized through a combination of well logs, the National Land Cover Dataset, and the National Hydrography Dataset. Logistic regression was used to identify potential relationships between probability of coliform contamination and characteristics of associated wells and aquifers. Logistic regression models suggested two notable and statistically significant (? = 0.05 level) relationships: (1) wells completed in alluvium and farther from the river had a higher probability of total coliform contamination, and (2) wells with old style caps had a higher probability of total coliform contamination. The government of the Crow tribe can decide how to use the results for mitigation efforts and awareness for homeowners with contaminated wells. Also, the Crow Water Quality Project should archive and consider these results for future research, planning, development, and management.Item Phosphorus, sediment, and water interactions in the Gallatin River of southwestern Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1974) Adamsen, Floyd JamesItem Residual cyanide distribution in a neutralized gold leach heap(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1994) Poell, James G.Item A study of the East Gallatin River, Montana, using an algal bioassay (batch method) and some problems encountered(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1971) Griffin, Daniel PatrickItem Non-point source pollution control using dryland vegetative filter strips(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1999) Fasching, Richard AllanItem A source study of the suspended solids in the Gallatin River(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1972) Hsieh, Yuch-PingItem Metal accumulation in voles from an acid mine drainage impacted wetland(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1990) Zavitz, Thomas Lindsey