Impact of dams in Santa Clara County on the nitrification of the surrounding ecosystem

Two dams in Santa Clara County were studied in order to determine how they impacted the nitrification rates of their surrounding ecosystems. Based on this information, the results were used to discern whether there were any correlations between the water conductivity, total dissolved solids, size, and age of the dams. We hypothesized that if the dams were impacting the nitrification rates in their ecosystems, then the nitrification rates would be higher upstream of the dams than downstream of the dams. We found that the soil nitrate levels are lower downstream than they are upstream, supporting other research that claims that dams can alter the nitration cycle of their surrounding environment.