Watershed Characteristics
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Watershed Effects on Streamflow Quantity and Quality in Six Watersheds of Gwinnett County, Georgia Scientific Investigations Lake Sidney Lanier Report 2007-5132 Buford Sugar Hill 985 Suwanee 85 Duluth Dacula 316 Norcross Lawrenceville Grayson Lilburn Snellville 78 Prepared in cooperation with the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover image: Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery taken March 3, 2001 Watershed Effects on Streamflow Quantity and Quality in Six Watersheds of Gwinnett County, Georgia By Mark N. Landers, Paul D. Ankcorn, and Keith W. McFadden Prepared in cooperation with the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5132 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Mark D. Myers, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2007 For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. Suggested citation: Landers, M.N., Ankcorn, P.D., and McFadden, K.W., 2007, Watershed effects on streamflow quantity and quality in six watersheds of Gwinnett Count, Georgia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5132, 62 p., Web-only publication at http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2007/5132/ iii Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................2 Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................3 Monitoring Plan and Methods ............................................................................................................3 Continuous Monitoring of Streamflow and Water Quality ....................................................4 Discrete Water-Quality Sampling..............................................................................................4 Properties Analyzed ....................................................................................................................5 Quality-Control Samples .............................................................................................................6 Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................8 Watershed Characteristics ..........................................................................................................................9 Location, Physiographic Setting, and Major Watersheds .............................................................9 Climate and Precipitation ..................................................................................................................10 Population ............................................................................................................................................11 Land Use and Impervious Area ........................................................................................................11 Cumulative Watershed Effects on Streamflow .......................................................................................14 Effects of Altered Hydrology .............................................................................................................14 Methods of Hydrograph Separation ................................................................................................14 Effects of Watershed Slope and Imperviousness on Baseflow and Stormflow ......................15 Thresholds of Influence of Impervious Area ..................................................................................16 Water-Quality Concentrations and Loads................................................................................................17 Water-Quality Concentrations .........................................................................................................17 Water-Quality Constituent Loads .....................................................................................................24 Methods of Computation: USGS LOADEST Model ........................................................................27 Methods of Separation of Baseflow and Stormflow Loads ................................................27 Model Time-Step Analysis........................................................................................................32 Accuracy of Estimated Loads ..................................................................................................32 Seasonal and Long-Term Trends in Water Quality .................................................................................33 Seasonality...........................................................................................................................................33 Long-Term Trends ...............................................................................................................................35 Cumulative Watershed Effects on Water Quality ...................................................................................36 Measures of Cumulative Watershed Effects .................................................................................36 Alkalinity ...............................................................................................................................................37 Total Suspended Solids ......................................................................................................................38 Total Phosphorus ................................................................................................................................43 Dissolved Phosphorus........................................................................................................................44 Nitrogen ................................................................................................................................................45 Total Dissolved Solids ........................................................................................................................46 Biochemical Oxygen Demand ..........................................................................................................46 Total Zinc ..............................................................................................................................................47 Summary........................................................................................................................................................48 Selected References ...................................................................................................................................50 iv Figures 1. Map showing location of study area, watershed boundaries, and monitoring stations in Gwinnett County, Georgia ....................................................................2 2. Photograph showing water-quality monitoring station at Crooked Creek at Spalding Drive near Norcross, Georgia ....................................................................................4 3. Graphs showing precipitation, discharge, turbidity, sampler operation, specific conductance, and temperature in 15-minute intervals for storm of November 18–21, 2003, for Yellow River at Georgia State Highway 124 near Lithonia, Georgia ...........................................................................................................................4 4–5. Photographs showing— 4. Crooked Creek at Spalding Drive near Norcross, Georgia, during baseflow and stormflow conditions .....................................................................5 5. Collecting a baseflow stream sample from Yellow River near Lithonia, Georgia .....5 6. Graph showing concentrations of samples taken concurrently at point sample intake and across cross section at each of the six study watersheds in Gwinnett County, Georgia ............................................................................................................7 7. Map showing altitude, relief, and monitored watershed boundaries for Gwinnett County, Georgia ............................................................................................................9 8–10. Maps and bar graphs showing— 8. Land surface slope and monitored watershed boundaries and percent average basin slope for Gwinnett County, Georgia .......................................................9 9. Precipitation for Gwinnett County, Georgia, mean annual for water years 1998–2003, with precipitation gage locations and watershed boundaries, mean annual for 1998–2003 over each watershed, and annual mean by water year across the county ..........................................................................................10