What would be the effect of lead nitrate on a water system? It's a coastal water system, but the section under discussion is fairly inland, called Eli Creek. Lots of land development around it, so turbidity is slightly elevated. Lots of water lillies over one side of area. Kind of swampy, smells really bad, slightly elevated phosphate levels too in water. Theoretically, if a barrel of lead nitrate was dropped into the Creek, what would happen to the organisms and, as a consequence, the water quality?