Texas Ph Evaluation Project
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Texas pH Evaluation Project Prepared by: Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research Tarleton State University Stephenville, Texas PR0810 November 2008 Texas pH Evaluation Project Prepared for: TMDL Program Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Austin, Texas Prepared by: David Pendergrass Larry Hauck Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research Tarleton State University Stephenville, Texas PR0810 November 2008 Texas pH Evaluation Project Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES......................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................... iv SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................1-1 1.1 Context................................................................................................................................1-1 1.2 Report Purpose and Organization.......................................................................................1-1 SECTION 2 BACKGROUND .......................................................................................2-1 2.1 Water Quality and pH.........................................................................................................2-1 2.2 Environmental Influences on Aquatic pH ..........................................................................2-3 SECTION 3 DEFINITION OF STUDY AREAS AND METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS..............................................................................................................3-1 3.1 Definition of Study Areas...................................................................................................3-1 3.2 Methods and Data Analysis................................................................................................3-2 SECTION 4 HISTORICAL DATA REVIEW OF IMPAIRED SEGMENTS AND POTENTIAL SOURCES OF pH IMPAIRMENT......................................................4-1 4.1 Segment 0105—Rita Blanca Lake .....................................................................................4-1 4.1.1 Historical Data Review ................................................................................................4-1 4.1.2 Potential Sources of pH Impairment and Recommendations.......................................4-3 4.2 Segment 0229—Upper Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River ...............................................4-5 4.2.1 Historical Data Review ................................................................................................4-5 4.2.2 Potential Sources of pH Impairment and Recommendations.......................................4-5 4.3 Segment 0401—Caddo Lake..............................................................................................4-9 4.3.1 Historical Data Review ................................................................................................4-9 i Texas pH Evaluation Project Table of Contents 4.3.2 Potential Sources of pH Impairment and Recommendations.....................................4-12 4.4 Segment 0402—Big Cypress Creek below Lake O’ the Pines ........................................4-13 4.4.1 Historical Data Review ..............................................................................................4-13 4.4.2 Potential Sources of pH Impairment and Recommendations.....................................4-13 4.5 Segment 0507—Lake Tawakoni ......................................................................................4-15 4.5.1 Historical Data Review ..............................................................................................4-15 4.5.2 Potential Sources of pH Impairment and Recommendations.....................................4-17 4.6 Segment 0605—Lake Palestine........................................................................................4-19 4.6.1 Historical Data Review ..............................................................................................4-19 4.6.2 Potential Sources of pH Impairment and Recommendations.....................................4-21 4.7 Segment 0606—Neches River above Lake Palestine.......................................................4-23 4.7.1 Historical Data Review ..............................................................................................4-23 4.7.2 Potential Sources of pH Impairment and Recommendations.....................................4-25 4.8 Segment 0803—Lake Livingston.....................................................................................4-25 4.8.1 Historical Data Review ..............................................................................................4-26 4.8.2 Potential Sources of pH Impairment and Recommendations.....................................4-26 4.9 Segment 0818—Cedar Creek Reservoir...........................................................................4-30 4.9.1 Historical Data Review ..............................................................................................4-32 4.9.2 Potential Sources of pH Impairment and Recommendations.....................................4-35 4.10 Segment 1212—Lake Somerville...................................................................................4-36 4.10.1 Historical Data Review ............................................................................................4-37 4.10.2 Potential Sources of pH Impairment and Recommendations...................................4-37 SECTION 5 SUMMARY OF FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO pH EXCURSIONS IN LISTED TEXAS WATER BODIES AND RECOMMENDED ACTIONS..................5-1 ii Texas pH Evaluation Project Table of Contents SECTION 6 REFERENCES.........................................................................................6-1 APPENDIX A CORRELATIONS OF SELECTED ANALYTES FROM IMPAIRED SEGMENTS........................................................................................................... A-1 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2-1 National rainfall pH trends...................................................................................2-5 Figure 2-2 Average annual precipitation in Texas 1971 – 2000 ...........................................2-5 Figure 3-1 Map of Texas showing distribution of the eight reservoirs and two streams considered in this study........................................................................................3-3 Figure 4-1 Map of Rita Blanca Lake (Segment 0105) ..........................................................4-2 Figure 4-2 Satellite image of Rita Blanca Lake, Hartley County, Texas ..............................4-3 Figure 4-3 Time history of pH for impaired AUs of Rita Blanca Lake, Segment 0105 (data for 1998 – 2006)..........................................................................................4-4 Figure 4-4 Map of Upper Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River (Segment 0229) ....................4-6 Figure 4-5 Time history of pH for impaired AUs of Upper Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River, Segment 0229 (data for 2003 – 2006).......................................................4-7 Figure 4-6 Satellite image of Lake Tanglewood dam and Station 18317 of Segment 0229, Randall County, Texas...............................................................................4-8 Figure 4-7 Map of Caddo Lake and Big Cypress Creek below Lake of the Pines (Segments 0401 and 0402).................................................................................4-10 Figure 4-8 Time history of pH for impaired AUs of Caddo Lake, Segment 0401 (data for 1994 – 2006)........................................................................................4-11 Figure 4-9 Time history of pH for impaired AUs of Big Cypress Creek below Lake O’ the Pines, Segment 0401(data for 1994 – 2006)................................................4-14 Figure 4-10 Map of Lake Tawakoni (Segment 0507) ...........................................................4-16 Figure 4-11 Time history of pH for impaired AUs of Lake Tawakoni, Segment 0507 (data for 1999 – 2006)........................................................................................4-18 iii Texas pH Evaluation Project Table of Contents Figure 4-12 Map of Lake Palestine (Segment 0605) and Neches River above Lake Palestine (Segment 0606) ..................................................................................4-20 Figure 4-13 Seasonality of pH in Lake Palestine, assessment units 3, 9, and 10 combined............................................................................................................4-21 Figure 4-14 Time history of pH for impaired AUs of Lake Palestine, Segment 0605 (data for 1999 – 2006)........................................................................................4-22 Figure 4-15 Time history of pH for impaired AUs of Neches River above Lake Palestine, Segment 0606(data for 1995 – 2006).................................................................4-24 Figure 4-16 Map of Lake Livingston (Segment 0803)..........................................................4-27 Figure 4-17 Time history of pH for impaired AUs of Lake Livingston, Segment 0803 (data for 1999 – 2006)........................................................................................4-28 Figure 4-18 Seasonality of pH in Lake Livingston, assessment units 1 and 6 combined .....4-29 Figure 4-19 Map of Cedar Creek Reservoir (Segment 0818)................................................4-31