Phosphorus Reductions in the James River and Table Rock Lake

 
 

Reductions of phosphorus releases from the
Southwest Treatment Plant

Figure 1

Set-up:
This bar graph shows historic phosphorus releases from Springfield’s Southwest Treatment Plant. Each bar represents the total amount of phosphorus (in pounds) released into Wilson’s Creek during an individual month. The dashed vertical line represents March 2001, when the treatment plant upgrade was completed. Median values are shown for the period prior to and after the upgrade. The median value is simply the middle value when data are ordered from lowest to highest.

Phosphorus output from the Southwest Treatment Plant

**Data provided by Springfield City Utilities

Interpretation:
Phosphorus outputs from the Southwest Treatment Plant decreased during the period July 1992 – March 2001 due to a ban of phosphorus in laundry detergents in Springfield and improvements at the treatment plant. After the plant upgrade in March 2001, the total phosphorus released from the treatment plant decreased dramatically. The median value of 2683 pounds during the post-upgrade period represents a 90% decrease in phosphorus output from the treatment plant.

 

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