Title:

The Spatial Distribution of Sediment Characteristics and Mercury Content within Local Impoundments

Dams have served a vital role in American industry, providing flood control, irrigation, navigation, and hydropower. However, many of these dams no longer serve their initial purpose and are potentially hazardous to downstream communities in the absence of extensive maintenance. Dam removal is an increasingly common method to reduce infrastructure-associated risk, restore river ecological function, and eliminate long-term repair costs. To protect aquatic life and promote river health, an analysis of the quantity and quality of impounded sediment is a key consideration before any dam removal. This project characterized the grain size, organic matter fraction, and mercury content of sediment impounded at Mill Pond in Durham, NH, and Sawyer Mill in Dover, NH. Weak relationships were observed between sediment grain size, organic matter, and mercury content. However, mercury contents approaching 4 parts per million were discovered in buried sediments at Mill Pond, indicating that the source of this contamination may be due to transient local sources. Thus any dam removal decisions should be informed by thorough sampling, including buried sediments, as well as investigations into historical sources of contamination.

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