Water Quality of North Carolina Streams
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Water Quality of North Carolina Streams United States Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2185-E Prepared in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Natural and Economic Resources Chapter E Water Quality of North Carolina Streams By DOUGLAS HARMED and DAMN MEYER Prepared in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Natural and Economic Resources GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 2185-E y. s. 9. s. WATER RESOURCES DIVISION ROLLA, MO R E C F ! *< = O JU 2 1983 AM * 7,8I9 iligy^jLj a^M. ft* UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR JAMES G. WATT, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1983 For sale by Distribution Branch Text Products Section U.S. Geological Survey 604 South Pickett Street Alexandria, Virginia 22304 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Harned, Douglas and Meyer, Dann. Water quality of the Yadkin-Pee Dee River system, North Carolina (Geological Survey water-supply paper ; 2185-E) (Open-file report / U.S. Geological Survey ; 81-643) Bibliography: p. Supt. of Docs, no.: I 19.76:81-643 1. Water quality North Carolina Yadkin River watershed. 2. Water quality Pee Dee River watershed (N.C. and S.C-). I Meyer, Dann. II. North Carolina. Dept. of Natural Resources and Community Development. III. Title. IV. Series. V. Series: Open-file report (United States. Geological Survey); 81-643. TD224.N8H37 553.7'8'0975668 81-607570 AACR2 PREFACE In 1972, the U.S. Geological Survey and the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Community Development jointly designed and implemented a statewide monitoring program to help identify current and emerg ing water-quality problems. As part of this program the U.S. Geological Survey devised a study to make a detailed accounting of water quality in the large rivers of North Carolina at key locations. The three major goals of the Large Rivers Study are: 1. Definition of variation in water quality, 2. Determination of pollution loads in streams, and 3. Determination of trends in water quality. Data collected since the 1940's have been used in this study to define water-quality variation and trends. Data recent ly collected from unpolluted streams were compared to data collected from large rivers to estimate pollution loads of the large rivers. This water-supply paper series includes all of the reports produced in the Large Rivers Study in the sequence that they were written. Methodologies presented in the reports have changed with time, and the emphasis of individual reports differ somewhat because of the data used and the individuality of the authors. However, each of the reports devoted to a large river follows a similar format to allow comparison between streams. Chapter A describes in detail the initial design and philosophy of the U.S. Geological Survey water-quality program in North Carolina. Specific methodologies for the estimation of baseline water quality, pollution, and the evaluation of trends in water quality discussed in Chapter A are applied and refined in subsequent chapters that present water- quality assessments of individual large rivers. Chapter B elaborates on the methodology used in estimating baseline water quality, and presents the results of a statewide baseline survey. Chapters C and D present water-quality assess ments of the French Board and Neuse Rivers, respectively. Chapter E is a water-quality assessment of the Yadkin- Pee Dee River system. Assessments of the water quality of other large rivers in North Carolina will be published in this series as the information becomes available. CONTENTS Abstract El Introduction E2 Purpose and scope E2 Recent water-quality studies E2 Acknowledgments E3 Basin description E3 Climate E5 Streamflow E5 Geology and physiography E5 Population E5 Water uses and waste disposal E6 Hydrologic modifications E6 Data collection E9 Water-quality variation E9 Physical characteristics E10 Dissolved oxygen and water temperature E10 pH E10 Suspended sediment E10 Sediment transport El2 Turbidity El5 Diel variations El5 Observed diel patterns El9 Major dissolved substances E26 Trace elements E27 Nutrients E30 Carbon E30 Nitrogen E32 Phosphorous E32 Nutrient balance E34 Nutrient relations E34 Biological characteristics E35 Bacteria E38 Biochemical oxygen demand E39 Algae E39 Summary of water-quality variation E42 Pollution E42 Baseline water quality E43 Pollution loads E47 Trends E52 Trend analysis techniques E52 Results E55 Long-term trends E55 Water quality population relations E62 Summary E62 References cited E68 FIGURES 1-3. Maps showing 1. Locations of water-quality sampling stations used in the Yadkin-Pee Dee River basin study E4 Contents 2. The percentage of the total basin population residing in each Yadkin- Pee Dee subbasin E7 3. The percentage of total industrial and municipal point-source waste- water discharge originating in each Yadkin-Pee Dee sub- basin E8 4-11. Diagrams showing 4. Period of record for water-quality sample collection and discharge measurement at five stations in the Yadkin-Pee Dee River basin E9 5. Air and water temperatures versus time for water year 1977 for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College El 1 6. Air and water temperatures during the flood of January 9-18, 1975, on the Yadkin River at Yadkin College E12 7. Dissolved-oxygen concentration versus water temperature for water years 1970-78 at the Yadkin River at Yadkin College, the Rocky River near Norwood, and the Pee Dee River near Rockingham E14 8. Suspended-sediment concentration and discharge for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College through a storm event occurring January 9-17, 1975 E15 9. Suspended-sediment concentration versus discharge for the 1974-78 water years at the Yadkin River at Yadkin College E15 10. Suspended-sediment concentration versus discharge for the 1974-78 water years at the Rocky River near Norwood E16 11. Suspended-sediment concentration versus discharge for the 1974-78 water years at the Pee Dee River near Rockingham E17 12-14. Continuous monitor plots of 12. Water level, dissolved oxygen, water temperature, pH, and specific conductance for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College, July 18-19, 1976 E20 13. Water level, dissolved oxygen, water temperature, pH, and specific conductance for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College, May 15-16, 1976 E21 14. Water level, dissolved oxygen, water temperature, pH, and specific conductance for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College, August 8, 1976 E22 15-29. Diagrams showing 15. Mean hourly dissolved oxygen, water temperature, pH, and specific conductance for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College during April 12-30, 1975 E23 16. Mean hourly dissolved oxygen, water temperature, pH, and specific conductance for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College during June 20-24, 1975 E24 17. Mean hourly dissolved oxygen, water temperature, pH, and specific conductance for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College during February 1-19 and 27-29, 1976 E25 18. Mean diel stage for the periods of April 12-30, 1975, June 20-24, 1975, and February 1-19 and 27-29, 1976, for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College E26 19. Cation-anion distribution for water years 1974-78 for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College, Rocky River near Norwood, and the Pee Dee River near Rockingham E27 Contents FIGURES-Continued 20. Frequency distributions of dissolved solids for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College and the Pee Dee River near Rockingham (1974-78 water years) E29 21. Frequency distribution of dissolved solids for the Rocky River near Norwood (1974-78 water years) E29 22. Frequency distributions of daily specific conductance for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College (1974-77 water years) and the Pee Dee River near Rockingham (1975-77 and 1979 water years) E30 23. Frequency distribution of daily specific conductance for the Rocky River near Norwood (1977 and 1979 water years) E30 24. Total dissolved solids versus instantaneous streamflow for water years 1974-78 for the Rocky River near Norwood E32 25. Trace-element and dissolved-solids concentration and discharge for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College through a storm event occurring January 9-17, 1975 E35 26. Frequency distributions of nitrite + nitrate nitrogen concentrations for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College, the Rocky River near Norwood, and the Pee Dee River near Rockingham (1974-78 water years) E37 27. Frequency histograms for total phosphorous for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College, the Rocky River near Norwood, and the Pee Dee River near Rockingham (1970-78 water years) E38 28. Algal cell counts for the Pee Dee River near Rockingham E41 29. Palmer index values for phytoplankton samples from the Yadkin River at Yadkin College and the Pee Dee River near Rock ingham E41 30. Map of baseline water-quality stations and geochemical zones in the Yadkin-Pee Dee River basin E44 31. Comparisons of baseline water quality and observed water quality using cation-anion diagrams E48 32-43. Diagrams showing 32. Dissolved-solids loads for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College E52 33. Dissolved-solids loads for the Rocky River near Norwood E52 34. Dissolved-solids loads for the Pee Dee River near Rockingham E52 35. Dissolved-solids pollution as a percentage of total load for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College, the Rocky River near Nor wood, and the Pee Dee River near Rockingham E53 36. Trends in weighted sodium concentrations for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College, the Rocky River near Norwood, and the Pee Dee River near Rockingham E59 37. Trends in weighted chloride concentrations for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College, the Rocky River near Norwood, and the Pee Dee River near Rockingham E60 38. Trends in weighted dissolved-solids concentrations for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College, the Rocky River near Norwood, and the Pee Dee River near Rockingham E61 39. Trends in weighted dissolved-sulfate concentrations for the Yadkin River at Yadkin College, the Rocky River near Norwood, and the Pee Dee River near Rockingham E63 Contents FIGURES - Continued 40.