Usgs-Wrd Chemical and Biological Quality Of
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"I USGS-WRD CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF STREAMS AT THE INDIANAPOLIS* INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE, INDIANA, 1978-80 U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 83-4208 Prepared in cooperation with the NATIONAL PARK SERVICE CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF STREAMS AT THE INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE, INDIANA, 1978-80 By Mark A. Hardy U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations 83-4208 Prepared in cooperation with the NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Indianapolis, Indiana 1984 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR WILLIAM P. CLARK, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director For additional information write to: Copies of this report can be purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Services Section 6023 Guion Road, Suite 201 Western Distribution Branch Indianapolis, Indiana 46254 U.S. Geological Survey Box 25425, Federal Center Denver, Colorado 80225 (Telephone: [303] 234-5888) CONTENTS Page Abstract................................................................. 1 Introduction............................................................. 1 Purpose and scope.................................................... 4 Environmental setting................................................ 4 Geography and Geology............................................ 4 Climate.......................................................... 5 Stream hydrology................................................. 5 Grand Calumet and Little Calumet Rivers...................... 5 Dunes Creek, Derby ditch, and Kintzele ditch................. 5 Land use......................................................... 7 Methods.................................................................. 13 Collection and analysis of water and streambed samples............... 16 Collection and analysis of biological samples........................ 16 Water-quality criteria and significance.................................. 17 Field measurements, major dissolved constituents, and nutrients...... 17 Trace elements on streambed materials................................ 17 Chlorinated hydrocarbons on streambed materials...................... 21 Bacteria............................................................. 22 Periphyton........................................................... 22 Benthic invertebrates................................................ 23 Results and discussion................................................... 24 Grand Calumet River lagoons.......................................... 24 Chemistry........................................................ 24 Biology.......................................................... 25 Little Calumet River drainage basin.................................. 26 Chemistry........................................................ 26 Biology.......................................................... 32 Kintzele ditch drainage basin........................................ 34 Chemistry........................................................ 34 Biology.......................................................... 42 Derby ditch drainage basin........................................... 46 Chemistry........................................................ 46 Biology.......................................................... 47 Dunes Creek drainage basin........................................... 48 Chemistry........................................................ 48 Biology.......................................................... 51 Summary and Conelus ions.................................................. 52 Grand Calumet River lagoons.......................................... 52 Little Calumet River drainage basin.................................. 53 Kintzele ditch drainage basin........................................ 53 Derby ditch drainage basin........................................... 54 Dunes Creek drainage bas in........................................... 54 References............................................................... 55 -111- ILLUSTRATIONS Page Figures 1-6 Maps showing locations of: 1. The Grand Calumet River lagoons, the Little Calumet River, Dunes Creek, Derby ditch, and Kintzele ditch drainage basins, Indiana............................... 2 2. Data-collection sites and land uses in the Grand Calumet River lagoons drainage basin........................... 6 3. Data-collection sites and land uses in the Little Calumet River drainage bas in................................... 8 4. Data-collection sites and land uses in the Kintzele ditch drainage bas in......................................... 10 5. Data-collection sites and land uses in the Derby ditch drainage bas in......................................... 11 6. Data-collection sites and land uses in the Dunes Creek drainage bas in......................................... 12 7. Flow-duration curve and sampling dates for the Little Calumet River near Porter (site LC4)....................... 14 8. Graph showing discharges at sites on Kintzele ditch, Derby ditch, and Dunes Creek where biological and water samples were collected............................................. 15 9. Trilinear diagrams showing analyses of Little Calumet River water samples.............................................. 18 10. Probability plot of lead concentrations sorbed on streambed materials 250 to 500 micrometer in diameter collected from streams and ditches at the Indiana Dunes Nat ional Lakeshore......................................... 20 11. Grouping of periphyton communities collected from streams at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, November 1978..... 23 12. Total-dissolved-phosphorus concentrations in the Little Calumet River.............................................. 28 13. Total-dissolved-nitrogen concentrations in the Little Calumet River...................................................... 29 14. Concentrations of acid-soluble copper, lead and zinc on streambed materials less than 63 micrometer in diameter in the Little Calumet River, April 1980.................... 31 15. Ranges of fecal coliform populations and ratios of fecal coliform to fecal streptococcus in the Little Calumet River, November 1978 through August 1979................... 33 16. Autotrophic indexes and chlorophyll _a concentrations of periphyton communities in the Little Calumet River......... 35 17. Diversity indexes and number of organisms in benthic invertebrate communities in the Little Calumet River...................................................... 36 18. Graph showing relation of dissolved-iron and dissolved- organic-carbon concentrations in yellow-brown water in Kintzele ditch, November 1978 through July 1980............ 37 19. Total-dissolved-phosphorus concentrations in Kintzele ditch, Striebel arm, and Brown ditch.............................. 39 -iv- ILLUSTRATIONS Cont inued Page Figure 20. Total-dissolved-nitrogen concentrations in Kintzele ditch, Striebel arm, and Brown ditch.............................. 40 21. Concentrations of acid-soluble lead and zinc on streambed materials less than 63 micrometer in diameter materials in Kintzele ditch, Striebel arm, and Brown ditch, April 1980.. 41 22. Ranges of fecal coliforra populations and ratios of fecal coliform to fecal streptococcus in Kintzele ditch, Striebel arm, and Brown ditch, November 1978 through August 1979................................................ 43 23. Autotrophic indexes and chlorophyll _a concentrations of periphyton communities in Kintzele ditch, Striebel arm, and Brown ditch............................................ 44 24. Diversity indexes and number of organisms in benthic invertebrate communities in Kintzele ditch, Striebel arm, and Brown ditch.............................. 45 25. Graph showing relation of dissolved-iron and dissolved- organic-carbon concentrations in Derby ditch, November 1978 through July 1980.......................................... 47 26. Specific conductance in Markowitz ditch and tributaries, April 8, 1980.............................................. 49 27. Concentrations of acid-soluble lead and zinc on streambed materials less than 63 micrometer in diameter in Markowitz ditch, April 1980.......................................... 50 TABLES Table 1. Land use within drainage basins at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore................................................... 7 2. Maximum background concentrations of acid-soluble copper, lead, and zinc on sieved streambed materials of the Little Calumet River, Kintzele ditch, and Dunes Creek....... 21 3. Field measurements in streams at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, October 1978-July 1980........................... 60 4. Chemical analyses of surface-water samples from streams at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, November 1978-July 1980.............................................. 64 -v- TABLES Continued Page Table 5. Concentrations of acid-soluble trace elements on unsorted streambed materials of streams at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, November 1978-December 1979............. 72 6. Chlorinated hydrocarbon concentrations on unsorted stream- bed materials of streams at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, November 1978-April 1980......................... 76 7. Bacterial populations of streams at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, November 1978-August 1979............... 80 8. Autotrophic indexes of periphyton communities in the Grand Calumet River lagoons................................. 25 9. Diversity indexes and number of organisms in benthic inverte brate