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Water-Quality Characteristics of Cottonwood Creek, Taggart Creek, Lake Creek, and Granite Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2006

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Water-Quality Characteristics of Cottonwood Creek, Taggart Creek, Lake Creek, and Granite Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2006 Prepared in cooperation with the National Park Service Water-Quality Characteristics of Cottonwood Creek, Taggart Creek, Lake Creek, and Granite Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2006 Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5221 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey 2 Front cover photographs: 1. Site TC1 on Taggart Creek in June 2006 (photograph by 5 Jon Mason) 2. Site GC2 on Granite Creek in June 2006 (photograph by 3 Jon Mason) 3. Site CC1 on Cottonwood Creek in July 2006. 1 6 4. Site CC2 on Cottonwood Creek in July 2006. 5. Site LC1 on Lake Creek in August 2006. 4 6. Site GC2 on Granite Creek in August 2006. 7 7. Site CC2 (dry) on Cottonwood Creek in October 2006. Water-Quality Characteristics of Cottonwood Creek, Taggart Creek, Lake Creek, and Granite Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2006 By Melanie L. Clark, Jerrod D. Wheeler, and Susan E. O’Ney Prepared in cooperation with the National Park Service Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5221 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: Clark, M.L., Wheeler, J.D., and O’Ney, S.E., 2007, Water-quality characteristics of Cottonwood Creek, Taggart Creek, Lake Creek, and Granite Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2006: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investi- gations Report 2007–5221, 43 p. iii Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1 Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................2 Study Area..............................................................................................................................................2 Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................4 Methods...........................................................................................................................................................4 Water-Quality Characteristics ...................................................................................................................11 Synoptic Study.....................................................................................................................................11 Cottonwood Creek .....................................................................................................................25 Taggart Creek .............................................................................................................................28 Lake Creek...................................................................................................................................31 Granite Creek ..............................................................................................................................35 Comparison of Synoptic Study Results ...........................................................................................38 Summary........................................................................................................................................................41 References ....................................................................................................................................................41 Figures 1. Map showing location of sampling sites in the Snake River headwaters area, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming .......................................................................................3 2. Graph showing streamflow and distribution of sampling events for Granite Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2006 ...........................................................................11 3. Map showing distribution of land cover in the Cottonwood Creek drainage basin, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming .....................................................................................26 4. Graphs showing streamflow; dissolved-solids, total-nitrogen, total-phosphorus, and suspended-sediment concentrations; and suspended-sediment loads for Cottonwood Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2006 ........................................27 5. Map showing distribution of land cover in the Taggart Creek drainage basin, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming .....................................................................................29 6. Graphs showing streamflow; dissolved-solids, total-nitrogen, total-phosphorus, and suspended-sediment concentrations; and suspended-sediment loads for Taggart Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2006 ................................................30 7. Map showing distribution of land cover in the Lake Creek drainage basin, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming .....................................................................................33 8. Graphs showing streamflow; dissolved-solids, total-nitrogen, total-phosphorus, and suspended-sediment concentrations; and suspended-sediment loads for Lake Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2006 .....................................................34 9. Map showing distribution of land cover in the Granite Creek drainage basin, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming .....................................................................................36 10. Graphs showing streamflow; dissolved-solids, total-nitrogen, total-phosphorus, and suspended-sediment concentrations; and suspended-sediment loads for Granite Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2006 ...............................................................37 iv 11. Graphs showing streamflow and dissolved-solids, total-nitrogen, total-phosphorus, and suspended-sediment concentrations for eastern streams and western streams in the Snake River headwaters area, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2002–06 .....................................................................40 Tables 1. Sampling sites on Cottonwood Creek, Taggart Creek, Lake Creek, and Granite Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming ............................................................4 2. Distribution of rock types for drainage basins upstream from sampling sites on Cottonwood Creek, Taggart Creek, Lake Creek, and Granite Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming .......................................................................................5 3. Stream properties measured in the field and inorganic constituents for which water-quality samples were analyzed on Cottonwood Creek, Taggart Creek, Lake Creek, and Granite Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2006.....................7 4. Pesticide compounds, type, and reporting levels for which water-quality samples were analyzed on Cottonwood Creek, Taggart Creek, Lake Creek, and Granite Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2006...........................................8 5. State of Wyoming water-quality criteria for surface waters and U.S. Environ- mental Protection Agency water-quality criteria for selected constituents ....................10 6. Results for stream properties measured in the field and constituents analyzed in water-quality samples collected at sampling sites on Cottonwood Creek, Taggart Creek, Lake Creek, and Granite Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2006.............................................................................................................................12 Conversion Factors, Datum, and Abbreviations Multiply By To obtain Length inch (in.) 2.54 centimeter (cm) inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter (mm) foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m) mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km) Area square mile (mi2) 2.590 square kilometer (km2) Volume cubic foot (ft3) 0.02832 cubic meter (m3) acre-foot (acre-ft) 1,233 cubic meter (m3) acre-foot (acre-ft) 0.001233 cubic hectometer (hm3) Flow rate cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second (m3/s) Mass ton per day (ton/d) 0.9072 metric ton per day v Temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) may be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) as follows: °F=(1.8×°C)+32 Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit (°F) may be converted to degrees Celsius (°C) as follows: °C=(°F-32)/1.8 Vertical coordinate information is referenced to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29). Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83). Altitude, as used in this report, refers to distance above the vertical datum. Specific conductance is given in microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius (µS/cm at 25°C).
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