Point and nonpoint source analysis of nutrients, metals, and pathogens in the sediment and water column in Las Vegas Wash

摘要

Formerly an ephemeral watercourse, Las Vegas Wash is now a perennial system due to urban runoff and wastewater treatment plant (WWP) effluent. Las Vegas Wash flows into Lake Mead, where the discharge point is only a few miles upstream of Las Vegas’ main water intake. This small water cycle establishes the necessity to evaluate water quality especially due to non point sources pollution, wherein my research lies. Several points along Las Vegas Wash upstream and downstream of WWP have been chosen to represent different landuse types such as commercial, residential, wastewater treatment plants, etc. At each location, parameters including arsenic, selenium, nitrogen, phosphorus, total organic carbon, bacteria, and fecal coliforms are to be analyzed and compared for the influence of landuse change on both sediments and water.