Assessment of the Middle and South Bosque River Watersheds
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Assessment of the Middle and South Bosque River Watersheds ___________________________________________________ Final Report to the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board for the Section 319(h) Project: Middle and South Bosque Assessment Project Nancy T. Easterling, Timothy L. Jones, and Carol Thompson November 2001 TIAER PR0101 Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research Tarleton State University Box TO410 Tarleton Station Stephenville, Texas 76402 V254.968.9567 F254.968.9568 [email protected] Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction............................................................................................................... 1 STUDY PURPOSE....................................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 Effects of Ammonium Perchlorate ........................................................................... 4 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................................... 4 AMMONIUM PERCHLORATE...................................................................................................................................... 4 TASK 2 AMMONIUM PERCHLORATE REFERENCES.................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 3 Land Uses And Potential Contributors to NO2+NO3-N Levels in the Study Area ... 9 FACILITIES POTENTIALLY CONTRIBUTING NO2+NO3-N............................................................................................ 9 LAND USE UPDATE ................................................................................................................................................ 10 CROPPING PATTERNS AND FERTILIZER USE............................................................................................................ 11 Chapter 4 NO2+NO3-N Concentrations in Surface and Ground Water at Selected Sites ....... 15 WATERSHED DESCRIPTIONS................................................................................................................................... 15 Physiography and Geologic Setting ................................................................................. 15 Geomorphic Characteristics ............................................................................................. 16 Surface Water Sampling........................................................................................................... 18 South Bosque River Watershed Sites............................................................................... 20 Middle Bosque River Watershed Sites............................................................................. 22 Hog Creek Watershed Sites.............................................................................................. 23 WATER QUALITY DATA COLLECTION AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS PROCEDURES ................................................. 24 Surface Water Monitoring................................................................................................ 24 INITIAL DATA ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................................ 25 SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SITES ........................................................................................................... 25 Significant Differences between Basins........................................................................... 26 Significant Differences within Basins.............................................................................. 27 LAND USE CORRELATION ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................................... 33 Results of Land Use Correlation Analysis ....................................................................... 34 Caveats to the Analytical Sets.......................................................................................... 35 SPATIAL EXAMINATION OF BASIN GROUPS............................................................................................................. 36 TRANSPORT MECHANISMS ..................................................................................................................................... 36 Groundwater Sampling ............................................................................................................39 DESCRIPTIONS OF GROUNDWATER SAMPLING SITES .............................................................................................. 41 AREA OF INFLUENCE FOR GROUNDWATER SITES.................................................................................................... 45 GROUNDWATER QUALITY ...................................................................................................................................... 47 Controls on Groundwater Quality.................................................................................... 50 Relationship Between Groundwater Quality and Surface Water Quality ........................ 51 DISCUSSION OF SURFACE WATER AND GROUNDWATER......................................................................................... 52 Differences between Sites and Groups of Sites................................................................ 52 Spatial Examination of Site Medians............................................................................... 52 Correlations of Land Use with NO2+NO3-N.................................................................... 53 Size of Drainage Basin..................................................................................................... 53 Potential Contributors Not Included in Land Use Categories.......................................... 53 Relationship between Groundwater Quality and Surface Water Quality......................... 53 Chapter 5 Estimates of Nitrite-Plus-Nitrate Nitrogen Loading and Flow............................... 54 FLOW MEASUREMENTS AND DAILY LOADS............................................................................................................ 54 FLOW COMPARISON WITH THE NORTH BOSQUE RIVER........................................................................................... 56 DISCUSSION OF FLOW AND LOADINGS .................................................................................................................... 60 NO2+NO3-N Loads from the Three River Basins ............................................................ 60 Comparison of Flow Volumes with the North Bosque River Basin ................................ 60 Literature Cited......................................................................................................................... 61 Appendix A Additional References Pertaining to Ammonium Perchlorate. .......................... 62 Appendix B Potential Contributors in Subbasins.................................................................... 72 Appendix C Exceedences of TNRCC’s Screening Levels...................................................... 73 Table of Figures Figure 1 Map of the Middle and South Bosque River Study Area ............................................. 2 Figure 2 Map of the Lake Waco Drainage Area ......................................................................... 3 Figure 3 Land Uses in Drainage Areas of Surface Water Sampling Sites ..................Map Pocket Figure 4 Slope Map of Watersheds of the Middle Bosque River, South Bosque River and Hog Creek ...................................................................................................................Map Pocket Figure 5 Surface Water Sampling Sites in Middle Bosque River, South Bosque River and Hog Creek .................................................................................................................................. 19 Figure 6 Spatial Representation of Hog Creek NO2+NO3-N Medians, and Significant Differences ......................................................................................................................... 29 Figure 7 Spatial Representation of Middle Bosque NO2+NO3-N Medians, and Significant Differences ......................................................................................................................... 31 Figure 8 Spatial Representation of South Bosque NO2+NO3-N Medians and Significant Differences ......................................................................................................................... 32 Figure 9 Comparison of NO2+NO3-N Concentrations and Instantaneous Flow at TC020........ 37 Figure 10 Comparison of NO2+NO3-N Concentrations and Instantaneous Flow at WC020..... 38 Figure 11 Land Uses in Drainage Areas of Ground Water Sampling Sites ................Map Pocket Figure 12 Ground Water Sampling Sites ................................................................................... 40 Figure 13 Monthly Rainfall Data for NBR and SMB during Study Period with 30-Year Averages for Lake Waco and Stephenville ........................................................................ 58 Table of Tables Table 1 Land Use Acres and Percentages for the Three River Drainage Basins....................... 12 Table 2 Groundwater Site Drainage Basin Characteristics ........................................................ 16 Table 3 Slope Classes for Watersheds ......................................................................................