Row-crop and poultry production have been implicated as water pollution sources along the Choptank River, an estuary and tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.  Arsenic, found in a poultry feed additive, is a possible poultry facility marker.  This study examined land use, subwatershed characteristics, and climatic condition effects on total arsenic concentrations in a Choptank River subwatershed.  Catchments within the subwatershed were defined using advanced remotely sensed data and current geographic information system processing techniques.  Water samples were collected May � October 2009 and April � June 2010 under mostly baseflow conditions.  A negative correlation of arsenic concentration with percent forest was found and explained by head water signals and overland flow of particulate phase inputs.  Service roadways at some poultry facilities were found to redirect runoff to neighboring catchments, affecting water quality parameters.  Results suggest possible arsenic point source signatures for poultry production facilities in this subwatershed compared to catchments without these facilities.

Potential arsenic sources in a Choptank River subwatershed and the influence of land use and watershed characteristics

244th National Meeting (2012)

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