{
  "abstract": "The transfer of water from urban water networks to natural streams is a driver of streamwater quality degradation that likely occurs worldwide. We develop a new proxy using tree-ring strontium isotope ratios ( ⁸⁷ Sr/ ⁸⁶ Sr) to reconstruct multidecadal histories of municipal-water contributions to natural streams. We apply this approach to three watersheds spanning highly urbanized, rapidly urbanizing, and rural conditions in central Texas, USA. Municipal water has persistently dominated streamflow (>90%) in the urban watershed since at least 1945, only 25 years after the initial expansion of Austin’s municipal water infrastructure network. In the rapidly urbanizing watershed, the modeled municipal-water component of stream baseflow increased from approximately 12% to 33% over only 35 years- a 175% increase that coincided with an 85% increase in population density. In contrast, municipal-water contributions have remained low in the rural watershed since the 1840s. The timing of Sr isotope increases in the urban and rapidly urbanizing watersheds indicates that municipal-water contributions can substantially alter stream chemistry within just two decades of water infrastructure installation. This proxy allows the reconstruction of water-quality degradation over periods of urban growth in the 20th and 21st centuries, including periods that predate the initiation of modern water-quality monitoring. Our approach provides a tool for diagnosing the resilience of water infrastructure under accelerating urban growth and climate stress, informing proactive strategies to protect freshwater resources worldwide.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "The University of Texas at Austin",
    "University of Arizona"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Josiah M Sananda",
      "orcid": "0009-0009-5274-5702"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jay L Banner"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sneha Nachimuthu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Bryan A Black",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6851-257X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jose Abella-Gutiérrez",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0220-3798"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kasey M Faust",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7986-4757"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Staci L Loewy",
      "orcid": "0009-0004-8812-440X"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ajbg3bg1291c2.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1088/1748-9326/aeb560",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "ajbg3bg1291c2",
  "issns": [
    "1748-9326"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aeb560",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "feed-journal",
      "earth/environmental-science"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1906|Groundwater and Isotope Geochemistry"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7222512294",
  "pdf_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aeb560/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-28",
  "publisher": "IOP Publishing",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ajbg3bg1291c2.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:20Z",
      "native_id": "10.1088/1748-9326/aeb560",
      "source": "feed-iop",
      "url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aeb560"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:55Z",
      "native_id": "10.1088/1748-9326/aeb560",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aeb560"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "openalex:1906|Groundwater and Isotope Geochemistry",
      "subfield": "geology-geochemistry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A century of streamwater quality degradation by input from urban water infrastructure as revealed by tree-ring records",
  "title_text": "A century of streamwater quality degradation by input from urban water infrastructure as revealed by tree-ring records",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:55Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ajbg3bg1291c2",
  "venue": "Environmental Research Letters",
  "versions": []
}