Ecological Assessment of "Moose Pond; Are Influences from Drilling Additives Observable?
Melissa Golschneider (ES ’05)
In 1993 a well field in Moretown, Vermont, was constructed using large volumes of potassium-bearing compounds as lubricants during drilling. A branch of the Cox Brook runs adjacent to the well field and feeds a 750 square meter pond 600 meters downstream ( Fig.1).
figure 1
Because of the solubility of sodium and potassium and the relatively rapid pace that a contamination plume could move, the health of the pond’s ecosystem was assessed. The ecology of the pond was studied in the fall of 2004 by measuring the number and type of micro invertebrate and vertebrate species. The micro invertebrates were caught in a plankton net and counted microscopically, while the vertebrates were studied by gross observation. Special attention was paid to indicator species such as ciliates, which thrive in polluted water, and nematode worms, which only live in high-oxygen, sewage-free waters. The number, diversity, and type of organisms present or absent in the study indicated the good health of the ecosystem ( Fig. 2).
figure 2
However, relatively low concentrations of sodium and potassium in the pond’s inlet and outlet suggest that the bulk of the contamination may have yet to arrive. Further study is recommended to monitor the health of the ecosystem.