Indiana Dunes marsh research examines water quality

Wed, July 29, 2009 |

Two Valparaiso University students are exploring water quality in Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore this summer as part of a project that could help other parks throughout the country plan wetlands restoration efforts.

Wendy Marth, a junior chemistry major from Holly, Mich., and Adam Conner, a senior chemistry major from Hammond, are helping assess whether wetlands restoration efforts in the Indiana Dunes' Great Marsh area are proving effective in reducing chemical and biological contaminants flowing into Lake Michigan.

"We are especially interested in how the Great Marsh handles the influx of water from outside the wetland," Marth said. "Basically, we're asking what does the water look like as it comes into the marsh, what does it look like in the marsh and what does it look like as it exits the marsh?"

This summer's work continues research launched by another Valpo student last summer, and Marth noted that wetland areas are often helpful in reducing water pollution.

"Our research will be helpful to the park because it will show how well the Great Marsh is doing its 'job'," she said. "Wetlands act as natural water filters and since this is a restored marsh it will be interesting to see if the restoration is working."

Marth and Conner have taken samples from more than a dozen sites in the Great Marsh, as well as nearby wetland areas that haven't had non-native plants removed, to determine whether pollution levels diminish as water flows through the marsh to Lake Michigan. Samples from each site are being analyzed to observe changes in the level of nitrates, phosphorous and other water quality indicators as water enters into the marsh, filters through the marsh itself and finally as it flows out of the marsh.

While the analysis is still underway, preliminary data indicate E. coli levels do seem to drop as water flows through the Great Marsh.

"If this is confirmed, that's an indication the marsh is filtering water before it reaches Lake Michigan, which is a good thing," said Marth, since that means fewer disease-causing bacteria are reaching the lake.

The Great Marsh research project got underway last year when Jason Feder, a chemistry graduate from Whiting, won a grant from the National Park Service's Great Lakes Research and Education Center to begin looking at water quality in the wetlands. This year, Valpo's students received a grant from the Flora Richardson Foundation (which supports projects involving the natural sciences and natural history, particularly those dealing with the Indiana Dunes) to continue that work.

Restoration of marshes and wetland areas has been growing in National Park Service units throughout the country, and Valpo's research results could prove valuable for a number of locations where park officials and others hope to win funds to increase the size of wetlands and remove non-native species. The potential impact of the research attracted Valpo's students.

"I liked the idea of working outdoors almost everyday and working on a project that can inform and help people about the water they live and work around everyday," Marth said.

The students currently are analyzing the water samples they've collected, but will collect additional water samples in the Great Marsh area this fall.

Marth said one of the most valuable lessons she's learned from the research project in the importance of research.

"I have been communicating with my research partner as well as other people on a day-to-day basis and it's critical to communicate well with the people around me in order to ensure the work goes smoothly," she said.