Christian Guzman, assistant professor or civil and environmental engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Headwater streams comprise land surfaces with deep flow paths as well as impervious surfaces with short ones, contributing flows and constituents. The impaired Mill River Watershed discharges into Lake Warner after flowing through such heterogenous land-uses. We compare these dynamics and the influence of urban, agricultural, and forested land use on young water fractions (Fyw) and mean transit times (MTT) using stable water isotopes (δ2H, δ 17O, and δ18O). In this talk, Guzman will discuss local efforts at improving water quality by better understanding the hydrological dynamics of the tributaries.