DWRC Programs, Projects, Publications

•UD Ag Day Programs: Boy Scouts '04  '05  '06  Girl Scouts '05 '06

•The DWRC Internship/Fellowship Program

•Internship program highlights 2000-2004 

•By year: Undergraduate Internship Projects 2002-2003  Photo summary

•Undergraduate Internship Projects 2001-2002

•Undergraduate Internship Projects 2000-2001

•Graduate Fellowship Projects 2003-2006

•Graduate Fellowship Projects 2000-2003

•Annual DWRC Conferences and Poster Sessions

•DWRC Research Projects Funded Since 1993

•DWRC Publications and Conference Proceedings

•Non-DWRC water resources publications and links

 DWRC Internship/Fellowship Program

Since 1999, the Delaware Water Resources Center (DWRC) has funded three graduate fellows and fifteen undergraduate interns to pursue water resource research projects. Information regarding these projects can be found below. For copies of interim or final reports, click on the name of the faculty advisors below to e-mail your request. Students are given an opportunity to share what they have learned at annual DWRC Conferences or umdergraduate research poster session.  For more information on the most recently held conference, click here.  For information on the poster session for the 2002 - 2003 undergraduate interns to be held at the Undergraduate Research Office's spring forum, click here.

DWRC support of interns and fellows is one means of implementing a major goal of the Center: the training and education of future water scientists, engineers, and technicians. The internship and fellowship programs provide unique opportunities for students and faculty to become directly involved in research and education programs that address water resource related issues of critical importance to Delaware and the Mid-Atlantic region. Through these efforts, new ideas are explored which address water problems or expand our understanding of water-related phenomena. The DWRC cooperates closely with Colleges throughout the University of Delaware, as well as Delaware State University, to implement these programs. Requests for Proposals are announced through the DWRC Advisory Board, homepage, newsletter, mailings and the media.

Undergraduate Internship Projects Started in the Year 2002

Intern	Advisor	Project Title
Laura Boyer	Dr. Tom Sims Department of Plant and Soil Sciences University of Delaware	Chemistry of Phosphorus in the Erodible Fraction of Delaware Soils
Alexander M. DeWire	Dr. Janet B. Johnson Department of Political Science University of Delaware	Implementation of Riparian Buffers in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Eastern Maryland
Kerrie Smith	Dr. James Glancey Departments of     Mechanical /Bioresource Engineering            University of Delaware	An Autonomous Full-Water Column Environmental Monitoring System with Telemetry
Michael T. League	Dr. John L. Gallagher College of Marine Studies                University of Delaware	Understanding the Mechanisms of the Spread of Phragmites:  For Better or For Worse
Kristen Sentoff	Dr. Joshua Duke Department of Food and Resource Economics University of Delaware	Regulating Wetlands in Delaware in a Changing Legal Environment
Aditya Sharma and Bret Strogen	Dr. Steven Dentel Dr. Pei Chiu                     Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering           University of Delaware	Accelerated Bioremediation of Wastewater using Electrode- Reducing MicroOrganisms

 

Undergraduate Internship Projects Started in the Year 2001

Intern	Advisor	Project Title (Click for Abstract)
Katie Lemon	Dr. Joshua Duke Department of Food and Resource Economics University of Delaware	An Analysis of Delaware's Groundwater Allocation Laws: Proposing a Plan
Kirsten Lloyd	Dr. Bruce Vasilas Department of Plant and Soil Sciences University of Delaware	Functional Assessment of Wetlands for Mitigation Purposes
Tara Harrell	Gerald Kauffman University of Delaware Institute for Public Administration, Water Resources Agency	Connecting the Link between Land Use and Stream Health in the University of Delaware Experimental Watershed
Christina Eckstrand	Dr. Bill Saylor Department of Animal and Food Sciences University of Delaware	Fate of Microbial Phytase in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Chicks and Effects on Phosphorus Solubility
Kristin Staats	Dr. Bruce Vasilas Department of Plant and Soil Sciences University of Delaware	Ectomycorrhizae as a Hydrologic Indicator in Wetland Identification
John Place	Susan Truehart Garey Kent County Cooperative Extension Service	A Nutrient Management Education Program for Delaware Youth
Lindsay Scanlon	Dr. Ron Martin Department of Geology University of Delaware	Stratigraphic Analysis of the St. Jones River Estuary

 

Undergraduate Internship Projects Started in the Year 2000

Intern	Faculty Advisor	Title of Project
Melissa Weitz	Mark Radosevich Department of Plant and Soil Sciences University of Delaware	Biodiversity of the atrazine chlorohydrolase (atzA) gene in Soil Microbial Communities as a Function of Triazine Treatment History
Gregory Buckmaster	Jeffry Fuhrmann Department of Plant and Soil Sciences University of Delaware	The Impact of Alum on Pathogen Survival in Poultry Litter
Leigh Johnson	William Ritter Department of Bioresources Engineering University of Delaware	Feasibility of Composting Poultry Litter and Food Residuals for Use as a Soil Amendment and Potting Medium
Jason Hetrick	Anastasia Chirnside Department of Bioresources Engineering University of Delaware	Feasibility of Using a Fungal Bioreactor In Treating Industrial Wastewater
Jennifer Campagnini	Gerald Kauffman University of Delaware Institute for Public Administration, Water Resources Agency	The University of Delaware Experimental Watershed Project
Robert Ehemann	Joshua Duke Department of Food and Resource Economics University of Delaware	A Spatial Analysis of the Distributional Effects of Water Quantity Management
Maeve Desmond	Bruce Vasilas Department of Plant and Soil Sciences University of Delaware	Functional Assessment of Wetlands Using a Hydrogeomorphic Model
Emily Gonce	James Morrison Hye-Shin Kim Department of Consumer Studies University of Delaware	Attitudes of Consumers Towards Bottled Water
Anna Palermo	Bruce Vasilas Department of Plant and Soil Sciences University of Delaware	Ectomycorrhizal Mantles as Indicators of Historic Hydric Soils

Graduate Fellowship Projects started in the Year 2003

Removal and Inactivation of Water-borne Viruses Using Permeable Iron Barriers       WATER NEWS article Spring 2004                                                                                            Faculty advisors: Dr. Yan Jin Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware,               and Dr. Pei Chu, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Delaware       Graduate Fellow: Liping Zhang

Fate and Transport of Arsenic in Delaware Soils: Impacts on Water Quality                WATER NEWS announcement Fall 2003                                                                                         (see page 6)                                                                                                                                    Faculty advisors: Dr. D. L. Sparks Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware Graduate Fellow: Jen Seiter

Graduate Fellowship Projects started in the Year 2000

Mechanisms of Phosphorus Stabilization in the Soil Environment: A Molecular Scale Evaluation                                                                                                                        Abstract (Aug. 2003)                                                                                                                      Latest Status report to the DWRC (Mar. 2002)                                                                              WATER NEWS article Fall 2002                                                                                            Faculty advisor: Dr. Donald Sparks
Graduate Fellow: Mr. Stefan Hunger
Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware

Land Use/Land Cover and Nutrient Discharges to Delaware's Inland Bays                   Latest Status report to the DWRC (Mar. 2002)                                                                   WATER NEWS article Spring 2002                                                                                        Faculty Advisors: Dr. William Ullman and Mr. Joseph R. Scudlark
Graduate Fellow: Ms. Jennifer Jennings
College of Marine Studies, University of Delaware

Environmental Policies for a Sustainable Poultry Industry in Sussex County, Delaware Latest Status report to the DWRC (Mar. 2002)                                                                   WATER NEWS article Spring 2003                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Faculty Advisors: Dr. William F. Ritter, Department of Bioresources Engineering, Dr. John Byrne and Dr. Young-Doo Wang , Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, University of Delaware
Graduate Fellow: Ms. Lynette Ward

DWRC Research Projects Funded Since 1993

Below is a listing of DWRC funded research projects since 1993. For information on projects funded before this time, contact the DWRC Director, Dr. Tom Sims.

• Ground Water Modeling for Wellhead Protection under Hydrogeological and Geological Uncertainties
• Cropping Systems to Reduce Nitrate Contamination of Ground Water
• Geochemistry, Geostatistics, and Hydrology of Phosphorus Losses in Agricultural Drainage; Developing Improved Phosphorus Management Practices for Surface Water Protection
• Water Quality and Flow Data for Storm Water Management in the Upper Christina Watershed
• An Assessment of Wet Deposition Flux of Toxic Trace Metals to the Rehoboth and Indian River Estuaries: Spatial and Temporal Trends
• Installation and Operation of a Permanent Stream Sampling Site for the Christina River Basin
• Sorption and Desorption Kinetics of Pesticides on Delaware Soils and Soil Constituents Effects on Water Quality
• Using Digital Ground Penetrating Radar to Measure Contaminant Mixing Parameters in Alluvial Aquifers
• GIS Analysis of Nitrates in Ground Water
• Effect of Surfactants on Sludge Treatment and Disposal
• Arsenic Mobility in Delaware's Waste-Amended Soils; Water Quality Implications
• Use of Organo-Clay Adsorbent Materials for Groundwater Treatment
• Climate Change and Delaware's Water Resources Future
• Changes in Potential Bioavailability of Heavy Metals Discharged to Receiving Waters
• The Effect of Biosurfactants on the Fate and Transport of Nonpolar Organic Contaminants in Porous Media

DWRC Publications and Conference Proceedings

One of the primary goals of the Delaware Water Resources Center (DWRC) is to disseminate research results to water managers and the public. In keeping with that goal, the DWRC has sponsored and co-sponsored conferences and training events, and many publications have been developed to communicate the findings of DWRC sponsored research. Below is a listing of publications, including journal articles, book chapters, dissertations, and fact sheets, as well as conference proceedings, which have resulted from DWRC funded projects since 1992. For information on publications funded or conferences held before this time, contact the DWRC Director, Dr. Tom Sims.

Publications

Book Chapters:

Sparks, D. L., S. E. Fendorf, P. C. Zhang, and L. Tang , 1993, Kinetics and Mechanisms of Environmentally Important Reactions on Soil Colloidal Surface, In: D. Petruzzeli and F. Helfferich (eds.) Migration and Fate of Pollutants in Soils and Subsoils, NATO ASI Series G, Vol. 32, Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

Journal articles:

Hodny, J.W. and J.R. Mather, Climate Change and Water Resources of the Delaware River Basin, Climatology Series , Vol. 48, No. 1.

Pautler, M.C. and J. T. Sims. 2000. Relationships between soil test phosphorus, soluble phosphorus, and phosphorus saturation in Delaware soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal 64:765-773.

Balascio, C.C. 1999. "The characteristics of multi quadric equations and other surface-fitting techniques for rainfall interpolation and estimation" in preparation for submittal to ASCE Journal of Hydrologic Engineering.

Vadas, P. A. and J. T. Sims. 1999. Phosphorus sorption in manured Atlantic Coastal Plain soils under flooded and drained conditions. Journal of Environmental Quality 28:1870-1877.

Vadas, P. A. and J. T. Sims. 1998. Redox status, poultry litter, and phosphorus solubility in Atlantic Coastal Plain soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal 62:1025-1034.

Shi, B., H.E. Allen and M.T. Grassi , 1998, Changes in Dissolved and Particulate Copper Following Mixing of POTW Effluents with Delaware River Water, Water Research, 32, 2413-2421.

Shi, B., H.E. Allen, M.T. Grassi and H. Ma , 1998, Modeling Copper Partitioning in Surface Waters, Water Research, 32, 3756-3764 .

Shi, B. and H.E. Allen, 1997, Effect of POTW Effluent Discharges on Copper in Receiving Water, Keystone Water Quality Manager, 30(2), 10-15. Grassi, M.T., B.

Shi and H.E. Allen, 1997, Sorption of Copper by Suspended Particulate Matter, Colloids and Surfaces, 120, 199-203 .

DiVincenzo, J.P. and S.K. Dentel, 1996, Sorption-Desorption of 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene on Soil: Anionic Surfactant and Cationic Polyelectrolyte Effects, Journal of Environmental Quality, 25, 1193-1202.

Chitikela, S., S. K. Dentel, and H.E. Allen, 1995, A Modified Method for the Analysis of Anionic Surfactants as MBAS, Analyst, 120, 2001 - 2004.

Dentel, S.K., J.Y. Bottero, K. Khatib, H. Demougeot, J.P. Duguet, and C. Anselme, 1995, Sorption of TRannic Acid, Phenol, and 2,4,5-Trichlorophenol on Organoclays, Water Research, 29, 1273-1280.

Rao, C.S., S. K. Dentel, and H.E. Allen , 1992 , Impacts of Surfactants on Sludge Management Processes, Division of Environmental Chemistry Society, ACS, Extended Abstract Preprint, San Francisco, 918 - 921 .

Dissertations:

Chengwei Fang, Fall '99, Ph.D. Dissertation. Mechanisms of enhanced organic contaminant degradation in the grass rhizosphere. University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Svetlana Wilson Fall '99 M.S. Thesis. Effect of biosurfactant and bacterial co-inoculation on phenanthrene fate and transport in soil: batch and column studies. University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Shirey, Janet A., 1999, M.S. Thesis, The Effects of pH and Redox Potential on Arsenic Availability from Fly Ash and Fly Ash Amended Soils, Dept. Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE.

Hodny, J.W., 1998, Ph.D. Dissertation, Water Resources of Delaware: A Climatic Water Budget Microanalysis, University of DE, Newark, DE.

Petaccia, M.J., 1998, M.S. Thesis. Using Ground Penetrating Radar to Assess the Lithologic Heterogeneity of a Sand and Gravel Aquifer, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 220 pg.

Hamilton, Christina M..,1998, M.S. Thesis, Arsenic Mobility in Delaware's Waste-Amended Soils: Water Quality Implications, Dept. Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE.

Chitikela, Srinivasarao, 1996, Ph.D. Dissertation. Role of Surfactants in Sludge Dewatering and Pollutant Fate, University of Delaware, Newark, DE.

Tang, Liya , 1996, Ph.D. Dissertation. Kinetics and Mechanisms of Pesticide Adsorption-Desorption on Soils and Soil Constituents, University of DE, Newark, DE.

Bowen Wang , 1994 , M.S. Thesis. Ground Water Modeling for Wellhead Protection in Newark, DE, University of Delaware.

Hodny, J.W., 1992, M.S. Thesis, Climate Change and Water Resources within the Delaware River and Delmarva Regions, University of DE, Newark, DE.

Shi, B., Fate and Effects of Metals in the Aquatic Environment: Evaluation for POTW Effluent Discharges and Metal Partitioning in Surface Water, University of Delaware.

Fact Sheets:

Leytem, A.B. and J.T. Sims, 1999, "Nutrient Management for Delaware Agriculture, Developing a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan" Fact Sheet NM-02, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Delaware, Newark, DE.

Sims, J. T. and P. A. Vadas. 1997. Nutrient management strategies for the profitable, environmentally sound use of phosphorus. Fact Sheet ST-08. College of Agricultural Sciences and Cooperative Extension. University of Delaware, Newark, DE.

Sims, J. T. and P. A. Vadas. 1997. Soil test phosphorus status and trends in Delaware. Fact Sheet ST-09. College of Agricultural Sciences and Cooperative Extension. University of Delaware, Newark, DE.

Sims, J. T. and P. A. Vadas. 1997. Use of phytase and low-phytate corn to increase phosphorus availability in poultry feed. Fact Sheet ST-10. College of Agricultural Sciences and Cooperative Extension. University of Delaware, Newark, DE.

Sims, J. T. and P. A. Vadas. 1997. Nutrient management planning for poultry-grain agriculture. Fact Sheet ST-11. College of Agricultural Sciences and Cooperative Extension. University of Delaware, Newark, DE.

Sims, J. T. and P. A. Vadas. 1997. Value added products from poultry wastes: Alternatives to land application. Fact Sheet ST-12. College of Agricultural Sciences and Cooperative Extension. University of Delaware, Newark, DE.

Conference Proceedings:

DWRC Student Research Conference, February 9, 2001 For more information, click here.

Kauffman, Gerald. 1999. "The Christina Clean Water Strategy Progress Report".  Interstate Initiatives for Clean Water in the Christina Basin, June 17, 1999, Delaware Nature Society, Ashland.

Chang, J.S., D.K. Cha, M. Radosevich, and Y.Jin. 1999. "Mineralization of phenanthrene in the presence of biosurfactants produced by Rhodococcus erythropolis". In Hazardous and Industrial Wastes, 31st Mid-Atlantic Industrial and HazardousWaste Conference Proceedings.

Mather, J.R., and J.W. Hodny, 1999, Climate Change and Water Resources of the Delaware River Basin, Association of American Geography National Meeting (The Pennsylvania Geographer to publish paper on same topic in the Fall of 1999), Honolulu, HA.

Sims, J.T. January 1999, "Nutrient Management for Water Quality Protection", a four day educational and training program co-sponsored by the DWRC for agribusiness leaders, farmers, academia, environmental and natural resource agency representatives.

Sims, J.T., October 18 - 22, 1998, "Regulation of the Application of Organic Amendments to Soils Based on Phosphorus: Status and Future in the U.S." (Results of DWRC sponsored survey of State restrictions on phosphorus in their land application of biosolids programs). American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America annual meetings, Baltimore, MD.

Sims, J.T., November 1998, DWRC sponsored seminar on the federal "Unified National Strategy for Animal Feeding Operations", Newark, DE

Balascio, C.C. , D.J. Palmeri, and H. Gao. 1998. "Use of a genetic algorithm and multi-objective programing for calibration of a hydrologic model" in TRANSACTIONS of the ASAE, 41(3), Minneapolis, MN, pages: 615-619.

Vadas, P. A. and J. T. Sims. June, 16-19, 1998. Modeling agricultural phosphorus export from a coastal plain watershed in the United States. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Practical and Innovative Measures for the Control of Agricultural Phosphorus Losses to Water. Foy, R.H. and R. Dils (eds.). Belfast, Northern Ireland-UK. p. 194.

Vadas, P.A., and J.T. Sims. October 18-22, 1998. Modeling phosphorus exports from an Atlantic Coastal Plain watershed dominated by intensive animal agriculture. In Agronomy Abstracts, American Society of Agronomy Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD. p. 337.

Dentel. S.K. and S.H. Ko, 1998, Sorption of Trichloroethylene on a Surfactant Modified Smectite Clay, Poster presentation American Geophysical Union, 1998 Spring Meeting, Boston, MA.

Vadas, P. A. and J. T. Sims. 1997. Amending Atlantic Coastal Plain soils to reduce agricultural phosphorus losses. In Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Branch of the American Society of Agronomy, College Park, MD. p. 9.

Chitikela, S., and H.E. Allen, 1997, The Role of Surfactants in Wastewater and Biosolids Treatment Processes, WEFTEC '97, October 22, 1997, Chicago.

Shirey, J. and J. T. Sims, 1997, Redox Effects on Arsenic Release from Weathered Fly Ash Amended Soils, Agronomy Abstracts, p. 331.

Shirey, J. and J. T. Sims, 1997, Effects of Natural Weathering on Form and Solubility of Arsenic from Coal Fly Ash and Fly-Ash Amended Soils, Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Branch of the American Society of Agronomy, College Park, MD, pg. 5.

Shi, B. and H.E. Allen, 1996, Copper Partitioning in the Aquatic Environment: Its Change During the Mixing of Delaware River and POTW Effluent, Proceedings of 69th Annual Conference and Exposition, Water Environment Federation , Wastewater Treatment Research (I) and Municipal Wastewater Treatment (II), Vol. 1 , Dallas, TX , 305-315 .

Ritter, W.F. and R.W. Scarborough, 1996, Cropping Systems on the Delmarva Peninsula to Reduce Groundwater Contamination, ASCE North American Water Environmental Congress, CD-ROM, Annaheim, CA.

Hamilton, C. M. and J. T. Sims, 1996, Effect of Reduction and Re-oxidation on Arsenic Sorption and Desorption from Waste-Amended Soils, Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Branch of the American Society of Agronomy, p. 10 .

Shi, B. and H.E. Allen, 1995, Chemical Speciation and Bioavailability: Critical Evaluation for POTW Effluent Dischargers , Proceedings of the WEF Specialty Conference on Toxic Substances in Water Environments: Assessment and Control, Part 5, 11 - 22.

Hamilton, C. M. and J. T. Sims, 1995, Influence of Reduction and Re-oxidation on Arsenic Desorption from Soils and Wastes , Agronomy Abstracts, p. 350.

Hamilton, C. M. and J. T. Sims, 1995, Considerations on the Methods of Determination of Arsenic in Soils, Sediments, Organic Wastes and Coal Fly Ash, Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Branch of the American Society of Agronomy, p. 9.

Chitikela, S., and H.E. Allen, 1994, Effects and Fate of Anionic Surfactants used in Household Cleaning Products, 26th Mid-Atlantic Industrial Waste Conference, August 7, 1994.

Tang, Liya, and D. L. Sparks, 1994, Adsorption-desorption Kinetics of Atrazine on Vermiculite using a Stirred-flow Technique, Soil Science Society of America Meeting Agronomy Abstract, Seattle, WA p. 25 .

Tang, Liya, and D. L. Sparks, 1993, Adsorption-desorption Kinetics of Atrazine on Soil Constituents, Soil Science Society of America Meeting, Agronomy Abstract, Cincinnati, Ohio, p. 237.