Background

This project is intended to aid a larger project called Project CRESSLE, specifically the water resource component of the project. Project CRESSLE is intended to address water resource challenges in the Austin area.

The city of Austin has seen a disproportionate distribution of environmental impacts due to recent rapid urbanization, one of which being water quality. Changes in water quality can impact ecosystem health, human health and human wellbeing.

One potential pathway that may be important for addressing such water resource challenges is pollution tracing. One way to accomplish this may be through heavy metal concentrations and zinc isotopes. It is also important to improve the methodology behind measuring zinc and arsenic isotopes to better determine the actual concentration of these metals in these natural waters.

Below is a map of the Neighborhoods of interest for the project, many of which lie in different watersheds.

Below is a map of the various watersheds in and around Austin. For the purpose of this study we will be using water samples from a single sampling site that is known to have zinc concentrations above natural abundances.