43 Advances in Geospatial Applications for Environmental and Engineering Geology

Recent advancements in geospatial technologies have enhanced our ability to analyze, model, and predict geological and environmental processes with high precision. This session will explore the latest innovations in remote sensing, GIS, and data analytics applied to environmental engineering geosciences.

Sunday, 19 October 2025
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
HBGCC, 214B

The use of GIS and testate amoebae bioindicators to identify water quality issues in a rapidly urbanizing city: A case study from Murfreesboro, TN

Paper number: 43-1
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 1:35 PM – 1:50 PM

Authors

Abstract

Murfreesboro, Tennessee is one of the fastest growing cities in the country leading to increased water quality issues in the Stones River watershed due to large amounts of urban and residential runoff. Two key issues have been identified as the spread of invasive aquatic plant species and runoff from Middle Point landfill. These issues have been identified and analyzed using GIS tools and bioindicators. Environmental and health risks are posed by invasive aquatic plants such as parrot feather, Myriophyllum aquaticum, and alligator weed, Alternanthera philoxeroides, both of which thrive in the nutrient-rich waters created by agricultural runoff and urban stormwater within the watershed. GIS mapping tools were used to identify and illustrate correlations between stormwater discharge points, invasive aquatic plant proliferation, and pollutant sources within Murfreesboro. Middle Point landfill sits on the banks of the East Fork Stones River and accepts 3,700 tons of solid waste daily from 34 surrounding counties in Tennessee and may be releasing toxic chemicals like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into the watershed through its leachate and contaminating both groundwater and surface water. Our project uses testate amoebae, unicellular protozoans with a mineralized shell, as bioindicators of ecosystem health and water quality. We collected sediment samples throughout the Stones River watershed to identify testate amoebae populations in various waterbodies in the area. Initial results indicate moderate water quality throughout the Stones River watershed except for the sample taken closest to the Middle Point landfill, which contains a population of only one testate amoeba, indicating very poor water quality.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-414162

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