Summary of Annual Records of Chemical Quality of Water of the Arkansas River in Oklahoma and Arkansas 1945-52
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GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 361 SUMMARY OF ANNUAL RECORDS OF CHEMICAL QUALITY OF WATER OF THE ARKANSAS RIVER IN OKLAHOMA AND ARKANSAS 1945-52 Prepared in cooperation with the University of Arkansas Engineering Experiment Station, Oklahoma Planning and Resources Board, Division of Water Resources, and the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, Division of Engineering Research. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Douglas McKay, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 361 SUMMARY OF ANNUAL RECORDS OF CHEMICAL QUALITY OF WATER OF THE ARKANSAS RIVER IN OKLAHOMA AND ARKANSAS, 1945-52 By T. B. Dover and J. W. Geurin A PROGRESS REPORT Prepared in cooperation with the University of Arkansas Engineering Experiment Station, Oklahoma Planning and Resources Board, Division of Water Resources, and the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, Division of Engineering Research Washington, D. C.,1955 Free on application to the Geological Survey, Washington 25, D. C. SUMMARY OF ANNUAL RECORDS OF CHEMICAL QUALITY OF WATER OF THE ARKANSAS RIVER IN OKLAHOMA AND ARKANSAS, 1945-52 A PROGRESS REPORT By T. B. Dover and J. W. Geurin CONTENTS Page Page Abstract.................................... 1 Chemical quality Continued Introduction............................... 4 Collection and examination of samples... Purpose and scope of report...... 4 Oklahoma-Kansas State line to Tulsa..... 14 Personnel and acknowledgments. 4 Influence of Salt Fork Arkansas River. 14 Arkansas River drainage basin...... 4 Influence of Cimarron River.............. 14 Location and extent.................. 4 Tulsa to Van Buren............................. 17 Physical and geologic features... 5 Influence of Verdigris, Neosho, and Oklahoma............................ 5 Illinois Rivers............................. 17 Arkansas............................. 5 Influence of Canadian River....... ....... 18 C lima te................................. 7 Van Buren to Little Rock..................... 18 Streamflow records.................. Conelusions......................................... 19 Chemical quality........................ Definition of terms................... ILLUSTRATIONS Page Figure 1. Map showing location of Arkansas River basin in Oklahoma and Arkansas...................................... 2 2. Years of operation of sampling stations, 1946-52................................................................... ... 3 3. Normal annual isohyetal map of Arkansas River basin................................................................ 6 4. Weighted average analyses for some streams in the Arkansas River basin, October 1950 to September 1951................................................................................................................ 15 Range and weighted averages of dissolved solids and chloride, water year 1950............................... 16 TABLES Page Table 1. Summary of analyses, 1946-52.............................................................................................. 9 2. Runoff, chloride, and dissolved solids for water year 1950......................................................... 17 ABSTRACT Salt Fork Arkansas River and the Cknarron River, both streams being sources of large amounts of natu The Arkansas River is subject to many types of pol ral salts and industrial wastes. A decrease in concen lution downstream from the Oklahoma-Kansas State tration of dissolved solids is noted downstream from line, and its inferior quality together with its erratic Tulsa due to tributary inflow from the Verdigris, flow pattern has caused it to be largely abandoned as a Neosho, and Illinois Rivers; another increase in con source of municipal and industrial water supply. Cur centration occurs with tributary inflow from the Cana rently, the Arkansas River is not directly used as a dian River, which is largely oilfield wastes. A pro source of public supply in any part of the basin in either gressive decrease in concentration is noted as the Oklahoma or Arkansas. river flows through Arkansas to the Mississippi River, because all major tributaries below the Canadian River In general, the chemical concentration of the river have a dilution effect upon the chemical concentration water increases downstream from the Oklahoma-Kansas of the Arkansas River water. State line to Tulsa because of tributary inflow from the CHEMICAL QUALITY OF WATER, ARKANSAS RIVER STREAMS AND LOCATION 1945-46 1946-47 1947-48 1948-49 1949-50 1950-51 1951-52 ARKANSAS RIVER AT ARKANSAS CITY, KANS. ARKANSAS RIVER AT KAW CITY, OKLA. ARKANSAS RIVER AT RALSTON, OKLA. CIMARRON RIVER AT MANNFORD, OKLA. ARKANSAS RIVER AT SANDS SPRINGS, OKLA. ARKANSAS RIVER AT BIXBY, OKLA. ARKANSAS RIVER AT WEBBERS FALLS, OKLA. CANADIAN RIVER NEAR WHITEFIELD, OKLA. ARKANSAS RIVER AT VAN BUREN, ARK. ARKANSAS RIVER AT DARDANELLE, ARK. ARKANSAS RIVER AT LITTLE ROCK, ARK. YEARS OF OPERATION OF SAMPLING STATIONS 1946-52 Figure 2. --Years of operation of sampling stations, 1946-52. CHEMICAL QUALITY CF WATER, ARKANSAS RIVER Proposals for storage and regulating reservoirs on the Arkansas River. These areas where further study the Arkansas River in both Oklahoma and Arkansas seems to be worthwhile will be pointed out along with have been made by the Corps of Engineers and others. the areas where present information seems adequate Additional proposals are being considered in the pres to support reasonable conclusions. ent Arkansas-White-Red River Basin Inter-Agency Sub-Committee studies. If constructed, these reser voirs will provide an opportunity for control of flow Personnel and Acknowledgments and beneficial use of Arkansas River water both at and downstream from these sites. Impoundment alone will The cooperative investigations of water resources greatly reduce the extremes in water quality, and by in the States of Arkansas and Oklahoma on which this reasonable control of municipal and industrial wastes, report is based were conducted by the Water Resources the water at some points on the river would be com Division of the U. S. Geological Survey, Carl G. parable in quality to many existing municipal and in Paulsen, Chief Hydraulic Engineer. Investigations of dustrial supplies in the basin. water quality were under the general supervision of S. K. Love, Chief, Quality of Water Branch. INTRODUCTION The program in Arkansas was carried on in cooper ation with the University of Arkansas Engineering Ex Purpose and Scope of Report periment Station, Dr. W. W. Grigorieff, Director; the program in Oklahoma was in cooperation with the The U. S. Geological Survey has carried on a pro Division of Water Resources of the Oklahoma Planning gram for the investigation of the quality of water re and Resources Board, Ira C. Husky, Director, and sources in cooperation with the States of Arkansas the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, (since 1945) and Oklahoma (since 1946). This program Division of Engineering Research, Dr. Clark A. Dunn, has included the collection of data in the Arkansas Executive Director. River basin which embraces about two-thirds of the area of Oklahoma and about one-fifth of the area of Geological Survey offices contributed information Arkansas. Results of these investigations in the re used in parts of the report and the assistance is ac spective States are published annually by the States of knowledged of S. K. Jackson, District Engineer, Okla Arkansas and Oklahoma and are also included in the homa City, Okla.; John L. Saunders, District Engineer, series of annual Water-Supply Papers of the U. S. Fort Smith, Ark. ; S. L. Schoff, District Geologist, Geological Survey, "Quality of surface waters of the Norman, Okla.; and Roger C. Baker, District Geolo United States. " This report presents a summation of gist, Little Rock, Ark. data collected under these cooperative programs in the Arkansas River basin and an evaluation of the effect of tributary inflow on chemical quality of the Arkansas ARKANSAS RIVER DRAINAGE BASIN River. Location and Extent In Oklahoma, during the period from October 1946 to September 1952, daily records of chemical quality The Arkansas River and its tributaries drain an area were collected at six locations on the Arkansas River of 160, 640 square miles in parts of Colorado, Kansas, and at 22 locations on its tributaries. In Arkansas, New Mexico, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkan during the period from October 1945 to September sas. Of this total, about 44,800 square miles lie in 1952, daily records were collected at three locations Oklahoma and about 12, 100 square miles in Arkansas. on the Arkansas River and at three locations on its Thus, the area included in this report comprises about tributaries. Figure 1 indicates the locations of these 35 percent of the drainage area of the Arkansas River. 34 daily sampling stations. Figure 2 indicates the years of available records for the nine stations on the The principal tributaries of the Arkansas River Arkansas River and on the Cimarron and Canadian downstream from the Oklahoma-Kansas State line are Rivers, the two most important tributaries insofar as the Salt Fork Arkansas, Cimarron, Verdigris, Neo- the effect on the chemical quality of the water in the sho, Illinois, Canadian, and Poteau Rivers in Okla Arkansas River is concerned. It is important to note homa and Mulberry River, Illinois Bayou, Petit Jean that these records were not collected for the specific Creek, Fourche La Fave River, and Bayou Meto in purpose of evaluating the quality of water