Nutrient Concentrations in Surface Water and Groundwater, and Nitrate Source Iden- Tification Using Stable Isotope Analysis, in the Barnegat Bay-Littl

Five streams in the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor (BB- LEH) watershed in southern New Jersey were sampled for nutrient concentrations and stable isotope composition under base-flow and stormflow conditions, and during the growing and nongrowing seasons, to help quantify and identify sources of nutrient loading. Samples were analyzed for concentrations of total nitrogen, ammonia, nitrate plus nitrite, organic nitro- gen, total phosphorus, and orthophosphate, and for nitrogen and oxygen stable isotope ratios. Concentrations of total nitrogen in the five streams appear to be related to land use, such that streams in subbasins characterized by extensive urban development (and histori- cal agricultural land use)-North Branch Metedeconk and Toms Rivers-exhibited the highest total nitrogen concentra- tions (0.84-1.36 milligrams per liter (mg/L) in base flow). Base-flow total nitrogen concentrations in these two streams were dominated by nitrate; nitrate concentrations decreased during storm events as a result of dilution by storm runoff.