Effler S, Owens E, Matthews D, O’Donnell S, Hassett J. Effects of Discharge of Spent Cooling Water from an Oligotrophic Lake to a Polluted Eutrophic Lake. Journal Of Water Resources Planning & Management[serial online]. March 2009;135(2):96-106. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 14, 2012.
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This is a study, and so I found no bias within the article. The authors of the Journal of Water Planning and Management did a great job at staying informative, and only discussed the results they obtained. If some bias does exist, I can imagine it would be in the discussion section of the paper, where they interpret their results, but even that section I would purely factual.
This study outlines the water quality and other related issues for a prospect cooling LSC facility discharging water from Lake Ontario to Lake Onondaga. This would mean that water from a oligotrophic body of water into a polluted eutrophic one.
At the time of this study, Lake Onondaga was undergoing various rehabilitation programs in order to clean up its pollutants, and this study monitored the water entering Lake Onondaga, which includes the water leaving Ontario and entering Onondaga. LSC water discharge could have several harmful affects to the body of water it enters into, which includes hypolimnetic dissolved oxygen, thermal stratification and increased levels of phosphorus. Cold water fish would be greatly affected as well.
The study concluded that the LSC discharge would indeed be harmful for the fauna within Onondaga lake. Cooled water can lead to thermal pollution, or a artificial increase or decrease in the temperature in a body of water, in this case, decrease. Since the fish within Onondaga lake are cold blooded, even a slight change in normal water temperature can be harmful.
Lake Onondaga is still troubled with pollutants from sewage and chemicals from runoff at factories. Its in a similar situation that the Gowanus Canal is in. This study can help the group make comparisons between the two bodies of water, and how a situation in which thermal pollution can also affect the Gowanus Canal’s wildlife as well.
Amandeep, I want you to think about your opening statement: “This is a study, and so I found no bias within the article.” In particular, how do you define “study” – what are the key aspects? By definition, are all “studies” unbiased? Reconsider this.