Water Quality Monitoring and Constituent Load Estimation in the Upper Illinois River Watershed, 2009

The Arkansas Water Resources Center (AWRC) monitored water quality at eight sites in the Upper Illinois River Watershed (UIRW) during base flow conditions and storm events from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. Water samples were collected manually with an alpha or Kemmerer style sampler and analyzed for nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N), sulfate (SO₄), chloride (Cl), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved ammonia (NH₃-N), total N (TN), total suspended solids (TSS), and turbidity. Physico-chemical parameters were measured in the field including pH, conductivity, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen concentration. The selected sites were at established discharge monitoring stations maintained by the US Geological Survey or AWRC, and constituent loads were determined using regression models between constituent concentrations, discharge, and seasonal factors to estimate daily loads, which were then summed to produce monthly and annual load estimates. The constituent loads and annual flow-weighted concentrations for the 2009 calendar year are summarized in the tables below, using the data collected in this study. The regression models were applied throughout the discharge record of the entire calendar year to estimate loads. Summary of calculate

Illinois River Volunteer Monitoring

Understanding how water quality conditions change along a land use gradient and over time is important for sustainable watershed management. Therefore, a volunteer monitoring program was created to measure water chemistry at 37 established sites within the Upper Illinois River Watershed and to evaluate changes in water chemistry over the past 15 years. The Illinois River Watershed Partnership (IRWP), a non‐profit organization subcontracted with the Arkansas Water Resources Center at the University of Arkansas, to manage the volunteer monitoring project, train volunteers to collect samples following EPA approved methods, and to analyze the collected samples. The AWRC trained 27 volunteers to collect water samples at 37 sites that were previously sampled in 1993 and 1994. Samples were collected during baseflow conditions during September and December 2008 and February and May 2009 and analyzed for soluble reactive phosphorus, nitrate‐nitrogen, sulfate, chloride, fluoride, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, total suspended solids, and turbidity. Geomean concentrations were calculated and compared to the concentrations observed during the 1993‐1994 study. Overall, total phosphorus and soluble reactive phosphorus concentrations significantly increased at 14% and 11% of the sampled sites, respectively, between the previous and current studies, while respective concentrations significantly decreased at 8% and 16% of sampled sites. The greatest reductions in phosphorus concentrations occurred at sites downstream of effluent discharges, and both total phosphorus and soluble reactive phoshporus concentrations were positevely correlated to pasture and urban land use within the catchment (R²= 0.11, P=0.045; R²= 0.16, P=0.015, respectively). Similarly,both total nitrogen and nitrate‐nitrogen concentrations were positvely correlated to urban and pasture land use (R²= 0.38, P \u3c 0.0001; R²=0.29, P=0.0006, respectively), and 5% and 14% of the sampled sites significantly increased in total nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen concentrations, respectively, between the two study periods. Overall, very few significant changes in water quality (i.e., water chemistry) were observed over the last 15 years; those changes that were most noticeable resulted from either improvements in the phosphorus mangement of waterwater treatment facilities or the introdiction of effluent discharge into a new receiving stream. Volunteer monitoring programs are an excellent way to promote environmental education and stewardship, and these programs can be useful in documenting changes in watershed conditions over time

Water Quality Sampling, Analysis and Annual Load Determinations for the Illinois River at Arkansas Highway 59 Bridge, 2008

The Arkansas Water Resources Center monitored water quality at the Illinois River at the Arkansas Highway 59 Bridge, just upstream from the Arkansas-Oklahoma state border during base flow and storm events from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009. Water samples were collected manually or with an auto-sampler and analyzed for nitrate-nitrogen, ammonia-nitrogen, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, soluble reactive phosphorus, sulfate, chloride and total suspended solids. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded instantaneous stage and discharge at the site, total annual discharge was 1,010,000,000 m³ , with 37% attributed to base flow and 63% attributed to storm flow. Loads were estimated using the mid-interval integration approach using continuous discharge (i.e., 30 min intervals) and measured concentration as applied to sampling intervals; the incremental loads were then summed to get annual loads for the 2008 calendar year. The constituent loads and annual flow-weighted concentrations for the 2008 calendar year are summarized in the table below, using data collected through this study (July through December 2008) plus data from the prior study year (January through June 2008)

Water Quality Sampling, Analysis and Annual Load Determinations for Nutrients and Solids on the Ballard Creek, 2008

The Arkansas Water Resources Center monitored water quality at Ballard Creek at the Washington County Road 76 Bridge in northwest Arkansas during base flow and storm events from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009. Water samples were collected manually or with an auto-sampler and analyzed for nitrate-nitrogen, ammonia-nitrogen, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, soluble reactive phosphorus, sulfate, chloride and total suspended solids. Instantaneous stage and discharge were recorded at the site; total annual discharge was 55,800,000 m³ , with 27% attributed to base flow and 73% attributed to storm flow. Loads were estimated using the mid-interval integration approach using continuous discharge (i.e., 30 min intervals) and measured concentrations as applied to sampling intervals; the incremental loads were then summed to get annual loads for the 2008 calendar year. The constituent loads and annual flow-weighted concentrations are summarized in the table below, using data collected through this study (July through December 2008) plus data from the prior study (January through June 2008)

Water Quality Monitoring and Constituent Load Estimation in the Kings River near Berryville, Arkansas, 2009

The Arkansas Water Resources Center monitored water quality at the Kings River near Berryville, Arkansas, during base flow conditions and storm events from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. Water samples were collected manually with an alpha or Kemmerer style sampler and analyzed for nitrate‐nitrogen (NO₃‐N), sulfate (SO₄), chloride (Cl), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved ammonia (NH₃‐N), total N (TN), total suspended solids (TSS), and turbidity. Physico‐chemical parameters were measured in field including pH, conductivity, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen concentration. The selected site was at an established discharge monitoring station maintained by the US Geological Survey, and total annual discharge was 825,848,000 m₃. Constituent loads were determined using regression models between constituent concentrations, discharge, and seasonal factors to estimate daily loads, which were then summed to produce monthly and annual load estimates. The constituent loads and annual flow‐weighted concentrations for the 2009 calendar year are summarized in the table below, using the data collected in this study. Semi‐annual loads from 1 January to 30 June 2010 are also summarized

Database Analysis to Support Nutrient Criteria Development (Phase II)

The intent of this publication of the Arkansas Water Resources Center is to provide a location whereby a final report on water research to a funding agency can be archived. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) contracted with University of Arkansas researchers for a multiple year project titled “Database Analysis to Support Nutrient Criteria Development”. This publication covers the second of three phases of that project and has maintained the original format of the report as submitted to TCEQ. This report can be cited either as an AWRC publication (see below) or directly as the final report to TCEQ

Water Quality Monitoring and Constituent Load Estimation in the Upper White River Basin, 2009

The Arkansas Water Resources Center monitored water quality at seven sites in the Upper White River Basin during base flow conditions and storm events from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. Water samples were collected manually with an alpha or Kemmerer style sampler and analyzed for nitrate‐nitrogen (NO₃‐N), sulfate (SO₄), chloride (Cl‐), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved ammonia (NH₃‐N), total N (TN), total suspended solids (TSS), and turbidity. Physico‐chemical parameters were measured in field including pH, conductivity, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen concentration. The selected sites were all at established discharge monitoring stations maintained by the US Geological Survey, and constituent loads were determined using regression models between constituent concentrations, discharge, and seasonal factors to estimate daily loads, which were then summed to produce monthly, seasonal and annual load estimates. The constituent loads and annual flow‐weighted concentrations for the 2009 calendar year are summarized in the table below, using the data collected in this study. The regression models were applied throughout the calendar year discharge record to estimate constituent loads for individual sites

Cost-effectiveness of a home-based group educational programme on renal replacement therapies: a study protocol

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