The New York Times this week did a feature story in its Science section on Franklin & Marshall College professors Dorothy Merritts and Robert Walter and the work they’ve done on the issue of legacy sediments.

The research Merritts and Walter are doing documented a new source of sediment and nutrient pollution— streambanks cut through sediment that was trapped behind hundreds of mill dams built in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Their research led to changes in public policies related to protecting the Chesapeake Bay and to the development of a new best management practice on restoring streams to their original floodplains, eliminating the pollution caused by legacy sediment.

The article includes an online video of Professor Merritts in the field (or rather in a stream) doing her research.

Online Video: Legacy Sediments, Floodplain Restoration

7/4/2008