Streamflow And Water Quality Conditions Wilsons Creek And James River Springfield Area Missouri

Author : Loring Bullard
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 278 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (914 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Water Quality Snapshot Survey in the James River Watershed, Missouri written by Loring Bullard and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Population growth and land-uses have created water quality impairment in the James River watershed of southwest Missouri. Many studies have been completed in the watershed, but these have focused primarily on specific problem areas or used data from a few fixed sites. This thesis describes the use of a relatively new method, called the snapshot survey, to examine spatial patterns in water quality across the entire James River watershed within a very short time frame. Seventy sites on streams and springs in the watershed were sampled by volunteers in a three hour period on July 13, 2013. Measured variables included temperature, pH, conductivity, chlorides, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and E. coli. Spatial patterns indicate that Wilsons Creek elevates total nitrogen and total phosphorus levels in the James River above the Total Maximum Daily Load target levels. Pearson Creek was found to have high E coli levels, from unknown sources. Sites on the upper James and upper Finley Rivers were elevated with respect to nutrients and E. coli, which may be non-point source related. Snapshot survey data compared well with that collected in previous studies, indicating that the volunteer-collected data is of good quality. Snapshot sampling appears to be a viable method for discerning broad spatial patterns related to both point and non-point sources of pollution. The application of this method in the James River basin can be used as a template for future snapshot events in the James River or other watersheds.