Dissolved Nitrogen Measurements at Clarks Hill Reservoir, Georgia-South Carolina.
Abstract:
Several oxygen injection systems have been investigated to enhance the dissolved oxygen distribution in the withdrawal zone of a reservoir, thereby increasing the dissolved oxygen concentration in the downstream area. Additionally, oxygen injection could result in nitrogen stripping in the water column as a result of the induced changes in the relative partial pressures. A short-term field study was conducted to investigate the effect of oxygen injection on dissolved nitrogen concentrations. An innovative portable gas chromatograph system was used to measure dissolved nitrogen and the results were compared with data obtained from simpler, but less accurate systems. In the immediate vicinity of the oxygen-injection site, the nitrogen released far overshadowed the nitrogen stripped and a net increase was observed. The maximum nitrogen concentration observed in the reservoir was 111 percent of surface saturation. The increase in nitrogen concentration was apparently due to denitrification of entrained anoxic sediments. Author