Abstract:
This section reports the results of the third year of an aquatic monitoring program for Alexandria Renew Enterprises conducted by the Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center (PEREC) in the College of Science at George Mason University. Three other sections of the report include an anadromous fish study of Cameron Run, a study of the incidence of PCB’s and endocrine disrupting chemicals in Hunting Creek, and a survey of Escherichia coli levels in the Hunting Creek area of the tidal Potomac River.
This work was in response to a request from Karen Pallansch, Chief Executive Officer of Alexandria Renew Enterprises (Alex Renew), operator of the wastewater reclamation and reuse facility (WRRF) which serves about 350,000 people in the City of Alexandria and the County of Fairfax in northern Virginia. The study is patterned on the long-running Gunston Cove Study which PEREC has been conducting in partnership with the County of Fairfax Department of Public Works and Environmental Services since 1984. The goal of these projects is to provide baseline and on-going trend analysis of the ecosystems receiving reclaimed water from wastewater treatment facilities with the objective of adaptive management of these valuable freshwater resources. This will facilitate the formulation of well-grounded management strategies for maintenance and improvement of water quality and biotic resources in the tidal Potomac. A secondary but important educational goal is to provide training for Mason graduate and undergraduate students in water quality and biological monitoring and assessment.
