Abstract

After Hurricane Sandy, the New Jersey Department of

Transportation (NJDOT) installed pump stations along the
Barnegat Bay, in order to reduce coastal flooding during major
An Analysis of Groundwater Presence
storms and separate trash, oils, and sediments from the water.
However, it was discovered that groundwater had seeped into the
pipes, causing the pump stations to release groundwater into the
Barnegat Bay daily. Over the past year, the NJDEP and the NJDOT
At Barnegat Bay Pump Stations
have worked together to seal up the pipes and manhole
connections, but groundwater seepage could still be a problem. By
conducting this study, my goal was to find out if characteristics of
groundwater could be found near the four pump stations. I
Bella Yedman
collected water samples each week for eight consecutive weeks,
using a control location and two sites per station, one site being
inside the surrounding turbidity barrier, and the other site
directly outside of it. Water temperature, pH values, and salinity
values were recorded at each site. Each water sample was tested
for iron, phosphates, and fecal coliform. The trends of the data
indicate that levels of each parameter are higher inside of the
Objective: To determine if components of groundwater are
Figure 11: Sampling at Island Ave. on 9/28/16, inside of
turbidity barrier, suggesting that groundwater could still be
getting released by the pipes into the bay. present near pump stations in Barnegat Bay. turbidity barrier.

Methodology
-Collect 1 sample of water as a control at the 24th Ave. Marina. Record pH,
salinity, and temperature. Test for phosphates, iron, and fecal coliform.
-Collect 2 samples of water at 22nd Ave., one inside of the turbidity barrier
and one outside. Record pH, salinity, and temperature. Test for phosphates,
iron, and fecal coliform.
-Repeat step 2 at 8th Ave., Island Ave., and L St.
-Repeat steps 1-3 once a week, for 8 weeks
Discussion
Results
-Redfield ratio is greatly off-balance (average of 1: 3.94 (phosphate to iron))
-Indicates presence of groundwater because natural iron levels should only
-Water inside the turbidity barrier is statistically more acidic than be 0.1-0.001 atoms to 1 atom of phosphate
water outside of the turbidity barrier (p-value= 0.007) -pH of 6.5 or less will cause iron corrosion problems, while pH of 8.5 or more
-Temperature did not fluctuate will cause scaling and encrustation; pH of pump stations range between
-Iron levels were consistently higher than phosphate levels -Bacteria increases in the presence of higher levels of nutrients
-Only 1 “high” iron value: 3.11 ppm -Groundwater comparison
-Bacteria is the most correlated to iron with an R² value of 0.513,
as opposed to phosphate and iron

Figure 1: Sampling locations along Barnegat Bay in Seaside Park and South Seaside Park.

Introduction
-NJDOT installed nine pumping stations along the Barnegat Bay
-Pump stations have been continuously running
-Groundwater has seeped into many of the pipes
-NJDEP and the NJDOT have worked together to seal up the
pipes as of April 2016 Figure 3: All phosphate levels (ppm) plotted with their corresponding iron levels Figure 4: All bacteria levels (per 100 mL) plotted with their corresponding iron levels
-If groundwater is still seeping in, components, such as iron, (ppm) from each pump station. from each pump station. Figure 12: Silt plume at 8th Ave. in Seaside Park (app.com).
may be found in the bay water surrounding the pump stations
-Iron occurs naturally in sediment and rocks
-Iron can also be formed by industrial waste or corroding metal
-Groundwater contaminated by iron will have a bitter taste,
and will turn things like clothing and plumbing fixtures brown Conclusion
Iron levels were consistently higher than phosphate levels, which
disrupts the natural Redfield ratio. This indicates that groundwater is
still present near the pump stations in Barnegat Bay.

Figure 6: Presence of phosphates Figure 7: Presence of iron turns sample

Selected References
(9/28 8th Ave. In) red.
il, T. M., Urs, P. R., Srinivasan, V., & Lele, S. (2015). Contribution of
turns sample (8/31 22nd Ave. In) blue.
sewage treatment to pollution abatement of urban streams. Current
Science, 108(4), 677.
Johnson, Z. (2006) Redfield Ratio. Biological Oceanography
Vaccari, D. A. (2009). Phosphorus: A Looming Crisis. Scientific American,
Figure 5: All pH levels plotted with their corresponding iron levels (ppm) from each pump
station.
300(6), 54

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my teachers for providing resources to conduct this
Figure 2: Pump station at 22nd Ave. in South Seaside Park. They are designed to pump research project, my parents for helping me collect my samples, and a team
out storm water from coastal roads during major storms in order to reduce flooding. of researchers for allowing me to work with them and continue on with
They are also designed to separate trash, oil, and sediment from the water before Figure 8: Bailer used to collect groundwater on 3rd Ave. in Seaside Park. their research project.
releasing it into the Barnegat Bay.
Figure 9: Colorimeter test Figure 10: Colorimeter test
used to determine amount used to determine amount
of phosphates (ppm). of iron (ppm).