Western Basin Streamflow and Water-Quality Monitoring

OKI monitoring and findings Donna Runkle and Ed Dobrowolski April 23, 2019

Problem Large inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus can cause algal blooms and can cause taste and odor problems and introduce cyanotoxins into water supplies. Objective Measure streamflow and collect water- quality samples to quantify daily, seasonal, and annual nutrient and sediment loads from tributaries of the that flow into Lake Erie. 2 Streamflow and Water-Quality Monitoring Sites in the Western Map label Station ID Station Name 1 04185935 near Kossuth, OH 2 04186500 Auglaize River near Fort Jennings , OH 3 04188100 near Kalida, OH 4 04190000 near Dupont, OH 5 04191058 Little Auglaize River near Melrose, OH 6 41914444 Little Flatrock Creek near Junction, OH 7 04191500 Auglaize River near Defiance, OH 8 04192500 Maumee River near Defiance, OH 9 04185318 near Evansport, OH 10 04183979 Platter Creek near Sherwood, OH 11 04178000 St Joseph River near Newville, IN 12 04183500 Maumee River at Antwerp, OH---Supergage 13 04183105 Maumee River at SR 101 near Woodburn, IN 14 04183000 Maumee River at New Haven, IN 15 04182000 St Marys River near Fort Wayne, IN 16 04181049 St Marys River at Walcot Street at Willshire, OH

3 Project Partners

4 Water-Quality Parameters Analyzed for Projects

Parameter Parameter name/description code

(National Water Quality Lab (NWQL) Schedule2425 Total Dissolved Nutrients

00671 (DRP, dissolved reactive phosphate) Orthophosphate, water, filtered, milligrams per liter as phosphorus

00665 (TP, total phosphorus) Phosphorus, water, unfiltered, milligrams per liter as phosphorus 00608 Ammonia, water, filtered, milligrams per liter as nitrogen

00625 (TKN, total Kjeldahl nitrogen) Ammonia + organic nitrogen, water, unfiltered, milligrams/liter as N

00631 Nitrate plus nitrite, water, filtered, milligrams per liter as nitrogen Sediment (analyzed by Kentucky Sediment Lab) 80154 Suspended sediment concentration, milligrams per liter

70331 Suspended sediment, sieve diameter, percent smaller than 0.0625 millimeters (2 samples per year)

5 P Cross-section sampling, Equal-Width Increment (EWI) sampling

6 + autosample to compare with EWI

7 Importance of equal-width and depth integrated sampling 8 Calculating and Applying Coefficients

Cross Section Sample Coefficient = Cross Section (EWI) Sample Companion Autosample Companion Autosample Concentration =0.90 mg/L Concentration = 1.00 mg/L Coefficient = 0.90 mg/L 1.00 mg/L

Coefficient = 0.90 for this discharge for this season

9 What is a Load? Load= Concentration X Streamflow

At Maumee River near Defiance, there was a total phosphorus load of 1,960 metric tons from March 1 to July 31, 2015

Which is about 356 elephants

(5.5 metric tons per elephant)

10 What is flow-weighted mean concentration?

Sum of total loads for a time period

total load for a time period = total streamflow for Sum of total a time period streamflow for a time period Spring 2017 (March 1, 2017 to July 31, 2017) Flow-Weighted Mean for Orthophosphate (mg/L)

0.08 0.07 0.18 0.12 0.12 0.12

0.13 0.13 0.10 0.14 0.14

0.17 0.11 Flow-Weighted Mean Concentration ranges < 0.10 Provisional Data, 0.10 to < 0.15 Subject to Revision > = 0.15 12 Spring 2017 (March 1, 2017 to July 31, 2017) Flow-Weighted Mean for Total Phosphorus (mg/L)

0.40 0.25 0.61 0.56 0.55 0.52

0.75 0.48 0.48 0.46 0.61

0.49 Flow-Weighted Mean 0.44 Concentration ranges < 0.50 Provisional Data, 0.50 to < 0.65 Subject to Revision > = 0.65 13 Spring 2017 (March 1, 2017 to July 31, 2017) Flow-Weighted Mean for Nitrate + Nitrite (mg/L)

4.98 2.09 6.34 4.34 3.90 6.06

7.64 6.06 4.36 5.68 6.27

6.99 Flow-Weighted Mean 6.96 Concentration ranges < 4.00 Provisional Data, 4.00 to < 6.50 Subject to Revision > = 6.50 14 15 Maumee River at Antwerp, OH Supergage, continuous monitors and data collected • Stream Stage/Streamflow Discharge • Refrigerated Autosampler • 5-Parameter Sonde • Dissolved Oxygen • Turbidity • Specific Conductance • pH • Temperature • Nitrate-Nitrite Sonde • Orthophosphate Wet Lab

16 Comparison of continuous monitor, discrete sample, and daily mean nitrate and nitrite concentrations: Maumee River at Antwerp, OH Supergage

Continuous Monitor Discharge

Daily mean concentration

Sample

June 18 to July 19, 2018

17 Accessing Sites, Gage Height, Streamflow, Samples, Daily Concentrations and Loading Data http://arcg.is/21i9CUF

18 Western Lake Erie Basin project Web page available to help access data https://www.usgs.gov/centers/oki-water/science/nutrients-and-sediment-western-lake-erie-basin

19 http://lakeerie.ohio.gov/

20 New Sites in Michigan 18 Will be added to 17 19 network when funding available to analyze for the same parameters and increase number and frequency of samples collected

17. 04177266, West Branch St Joseph River nr Nettle Lake, OH

18. 04177080, East Branch St Joseph River at Territorial Rd nr Waldron, MI

19.04184500, Bean Creek at Powers, OH

21 Indiana sites–Ed Dobrowolski 04182000 St. Mary’s River near Fort Wayne, IN

Sampling began December 19, 2017 22 23 24 https://cida.usgs.gov/stormsummary/GLRI/IN-TimeLapse.html

https://test.wim.usgs.gov/webcams-test/ 25 https://cida.usgs.gov/stormsummary/GLRI/IN_St_Mary_River.png 26 04183000 Maumee River at New Haven, IN

Sampling began June 23, 2018

27 28 04183000 Maumee River at S.R. 101 nr Woodburn, IN

Sampling began September 13, 2018 29 Partners Make This Possible . Indiana Department of Environmental Management . Great Lakes Restoration Initiative . City of New Haven . Phil Weigmann

30 Questions?

31