Publication Date
8-1985
Advisor(s) - Committee Chair
M.R. Houston, L.P. Elliott, S. Ford, N. Crawford
Degree Program
Department of Biology
Degree Type
Master of Science
Abstract
Samples of cave water were analyzed for volatile organic compounds during four separate storm events. The major compounds detected were toluene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, methylene chloride, and 1,1-dicloroethane. Minor compounds detected were trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, 1,1-dichloroethylene, and ethylbenzene. These compounds were detected in varying amounts at each of the three study sites. During a storm event, the levels of each contaminant changed significantly at all three sites studied. Two effects were observed when a storm event occurred. The first effect was the dilution of the volatile organic compounds during the storm event. These effects were related to the amount of rainfall and the rate at which the rainfall occurred during a given storm event. The second effect was the drastic increase in the level of all contaminants after the storm event.
Disciplines
Bacteriology | Biology | Microbiology
Recommended Citation
Cretella, Francis Michael, "A Preliminary Investigation of the Effect of Storm Events on the Concentration of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Lost River Cave System, Warren County, Kentucky" (1985). Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 1665.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1665