Professors Kegley, Art, and Dethier Grant Johnson
Envi 102
Water Quality at Camping Areaa on Mt. Greylock
Mount Greylock State Reservation provldes a trail aystem for hiking and camping during the summer and winter. The reservation was set aside in 1898 and includes 8700 acres of woodland around Mt. Greylock. The mountain is 3491 feet high;
Massachusetts' largest. One can still see the remains of logging roada and carriage roads which serviced Mt. Greylock when it was farmed and timbered. The two paved roads leading up to the summit are largely improved carriage roads. In the
19308, the Civilian Conaervation Corpa cleared the
Thunderbolt, Bellowepipe, and Stony Ledge tralla In addltlon to Sperry Campground. There are a number of lean-tos and campeltes on the Greylock trail system, many of wh~chwall be less cloaely supervised in the near future than they have been in past years. Moat notably, the Sperry Campground wxll ( &&$ LLL- :jq;~-"\) be left to the prudence of the backpackers uaihg it. The plpr which used to bring water directly from a spring to the campground isn't going in this year. Aiso. there will be more overnight camping at the Stony Ledge site. The long h~story of backpacking, camping, and day-hiking in the Mt. Greylock
Reservation is, like many other programs, feeling the efiects of Massachusetts' tightened budget. The result is that the users of the trail system there will need to be more informed and careful about the water they drink.
The purpose of the research presented in this report is to determine the quality of water which will be available at the Sperry Campground, the Deer Hill Shelter. and Stony Ledge this summer. The information set forth could be a guide for campers who want to know where to take water and how it might be dangerous. LW~~Q~Q All of the test sites are fairly close together (see &' map) on the western shoulder of the mountain. Water flowing down in the stream near the Deer Hill Shelter originates by the Appalachian Trail on the top ridge of Greylock. The flat ground up there tends to collect water in the spring and summer, creating a land-under-water aituation. This could be a potential source of algae or microorganisms which maght change the water quality in the warm summer months. The stream flows down and under the Rockwell road on its way to the Deer Hill Shelter. Samples were taken both and above and below the road (which is not salted in the winter).
The spring which combines with other runoff and flows into the Sperry Campground has been covered. but the plwes used in previous years will not be ~nstalledin 1991.
Immediately surrounding the spring house are a number of other springs that have been utilized at the Sperry aite since the thirties. The CCC built a collection basin there which has since deteriorated into a wet, mossy paccn of ground at the head of the stream. This spring 1s located on the Hopper Trail just above Sperry Road. It flows under tne
Sperry Road on its way to the campground. This flow was sampled at its source, once more before the road, and agaln beyond the campsite.
For Stoney Ledge, which will be utilized for camplng more this year than in the past, the only water is a small, mossy stream flowing down off the ledge itself. Whlle the other streams sampled are second and third order, this one is only a first or second order.
Samples were taken on April 21 and April 28, 1991. The
21st was rainy and cold, with streams at high flow reiative w' w' to the warm, sunny 28th. The map shows approximate locat~ons
of sampling sites and the campgrounds. In all caaea, testa
for fecal bacteria were done within twenty-four hours of
sampling and pH and ANC within forty-eight houra.
The following figures give values for all tests
performed on the water samples.
Table 1: Cation Concentrations Site Deer Hill------5.77--1.40--0.84---- 0.79----0.55---0.74 (Above Road) Deer Hill------6.18--1.43--0.54---- 0.67----0.51---O.46 (Below Road) Sperry Spring----- 3.24--1.02--0.73------0.38------ (Ground) Sperry Spring----- 3.25--1.01--0.67---- 0.96---- 0.34---0.51 (Pipe) Sperry Stream------0.68------0.37 (Above Road) Sperry Stream----- 3.31--0.84--0.65---- 0.66---- 0.27---0.34 (Below Sperry) Stony Ledge------1.27--0.35--0.77---- 0.74---- 0.47---0.34 Table 2: Anion Concentrations (mg/l) Site F- C1- N03- S04-2 Deer Hill------0.15--0.90--2.79--7.00 (Above Road) Deer Hill------0.00--O.gO--3.37--6.04 (Below Road) Sperry Spring-----0.00--0.96--5.35 (Ground) Sperry Spring-----0.31--1.07--5.35 (Pipe) Sperry Stream----- 0.00--0.86--3.85--5.66 Sperry Stream----- 0.00--0.80--3.63--5.47 (Below Sperry) Stony Ledge------0.30--0.91--2.06--5.38 Table 3: Fecal Coliforn Site (Above Road) (Below Road) Sperry Spring-----0------ (Ground) Sperry Spring-----0------0 {Pipe) (Above Road) Sperry Stream-----0------0 (Below Sperry) Table 4: pH and ANC Site pH (1) pH (2) ANC (1) ANC (2) Deer Hill------7.23---- 7.50---- 8.40----- 19.20 Deer Hill------7.25---- 7.62---- 13.00---- 26.60 (Below Road) Sperry Spring------ (Ground) Sperry Spring----- 5.97----5.93---- 5.80----- 5.40 (Pipe) Sperry Stream------7,00------5.60 (Above Road) Sperry Stream----- 6.42----6.97---- 3.70----- 5.80 (Below Sperry) Stony Ledge------4.87----4.75---- 1 .SO----- 0.80 W@b following graphs. Graph one shows the correlation of calcium and magnesium at all the sampling sites. Graphs two and three The colored bars indicate average concentrations of ions measured while the clear bars show the limits of the safe range. Graphs 4-10 show how pH, ANC, and some ion values decrease as one moves north. These changes in concentration are for the most part not significant enough to suggest any serious pollution or drastic changea in local environment. The highest standard error is that of ANC at 2.39. All of the other tests had standard errors of 0.75 or less. Ca vs. Mg 3 4 5 Ca concentration mg/l Cation Range Mg+2 Na+ Cation Anion Range 14 , F- C1- N03- SO4-2 Anion D.H.l D.H.2 Sp.1b Sp.2 Sp.3 S.L. Site ANC (2) ANC (4/28) D.H.1 D.H.2 Sp.1b Sp.2 Sp.3 S.L Site Potassium (4/28) D.H.l D.H.2 Sp.1b Sp.2 Sp.3 S.L Site Sulfate D.H. 1 D.H.2 Sp. la Sp. lb Sp.2 Sp.3 S.L.0 Site Sodium (4/2 1) 1, D.H.1 D.H.2 SpJa Sp.Ib Sp.3 S.L Site Sodium (4/28) 1, D.H.l D.H.2 Sp.1b Sp.2 Sp.3 S.L. Site D.H. 1 D.H.2 Sp. la Sp. lb Sp.2 Sp.3 S.L.O. Site Chloride 1.2 , D.H. 1 D.H.2 Sp.la Sp.1b Sp.2 Sp.3 S.L.O. Site Nitrate 5. D.H. 1 D.H.2 Sp. la Sp. lb Sp.2 Sp.3 S.L.0 Site The patterns revealed by the data and graphs suggest a number of things about the water quality at Mt. Greylock's campsites. Graphs two and three clearly show that ion levels are for the most part well within the boundaries of .a "clean" water supply. The tables also suggest that there is little significant change from the first sampling day to the second. some extent potaeeium. ANC might be affected by the change in weather. If the rain falling on the 21st was slightly acidic, the stream water would have been actively neutralizing it.)d& ii This would explain the 1 ANC values on the rainy day. When it comes to potaaeium, the differences in meaaurement are relatively small, and the average value remains well within the prescribed boundary. 7lm Although tables 1-4 show that values are consistent on 'u-iq@& . I both days at the same site, there are changes as one movea 4TI iram site to site. Looking at catxons, one sees that every column except the second sodlum test has its hlghest value In either the above or beiow road reading for the Deer Hill Sheiter. Moving to the Sperry readings, one sees a decrease in cation concentration, most noticeably in the calcium and magnesium tests. The difference is probably due to the fact that the Deer Hill water flows out of the land-under-water system at the crest of the ridge. The standing water has a .. j chance to penetrate the soil and absorb ions beiore it flows into the* stream. The Sperry water, on the other hand, comes from a spring. The spring water does join a stream, but in all cases the cation levels are less in the confluence than in the spring alone. This suggests either t t that stream flowing down to Sperry does not share its9" source with the one d*flowing to the Deer Hill Shelter or that it has vegetation bwwhich uses cations in the water. The second explanation seema .A& best aince both streams flow out of the same area. The atream at Deer Hill is r higher order atream with lees vegetation. The Sperry stream flows through a amall wetland at ita aource and is a lower order than the Deer Hill atream until it gets below Sperry Road. The interaction of vegetation and water om an underground spring7 eeme to reduce the cation ncentration (most noticably calcium and magnesium) in Sperry's water as opposed to that at the Deer Hill aite. At Stony Ledge, the levels of calcium and magnesium are the lowest of all. This amy be due to the fact that this water does not share its aource with the other streams tested. It flows right off of the ledge and is the lowest order of all the streams. It also haa the higheat amount of vegetation to interact with the cations. r Looking at anions, one sees a different story. Here L@&K?-fz- there is no easily distinguished pattern. All of the anions cmlHk? seem to be distributed equitably across this section of the mountain. There does appear to be more nitrate in the Sperry i/ readings, possibly due to decay of organic matter falling .- .- into the overgrown streem. Chloride is vary consistent, with higher readings at the spring. These differences are insignificant and might be due to the fact that this water is coming from underground and passing through a metal pipe. Sulfate is slightly higher at the Dey Hill sitea moat likely J as a result of differences between the minerals there and those at the other sites. As table three shows, Hill water, and they fall at Sperry and Stony Ledge. These changes in pH are robably due to the fact that the stream at Deer Hill ia larger and haa lesa organic debris decompoeing in it. The readings at Deer Hill are right in the middle of the accepted7 ange for drinking water pH aa auggeated in the J Water Encyclopedia (1). The water coming from the spring has a lower pH. As it flows over the ground, ita pH rises. This suggests that the groundwater is more acidic and it is neutralized by contact with vegetation and minerals which extract ions from it. The very low pH values at Stony Ledge are probably due to a great deal of decomposing organic matter in that lower order stream. They are also related to the lower cation lev&$ at Stony Ledge. The correlation of graphs 6-9 to graph five (ANC) shows how acid neutralization follows cation concentration. The fecal coliform tests showed almost.nothing. The one colony recorded was questionable. The lack of microorganism growth is consistent with the high nitrate reading. Nitrate is lowest at Stony Ledge, which supports the observation'that that stream has more decomposition going on than the others. activity on Greylock is minimal, or at least still suspended for the winter. Certainly human activity will increase over the next few weeks, but it could not be much of a factor yet. In conclusion, some remarks can be made about the quality of water at the camping areas on Mt. Greylock's western shoulder. The standards are high everywhere but Stony Ledge. Without theae water sources At Stony Ledge, there is some concern about the low pH. That water is also the least "nutritious" in that it has less ions in many cases, especially in the cases of calcium and magnesium. Campers at the Deer Hill Shelter need not hike up above the road to get their water. Visitors at Sperry ahould be able to take water from the stream in the campground, t it would be L@' a good idea to get it upstream of the campsites and outhouses if possible. At Stony Ledge, the water is fine if you don't mind a little heart burn. An antacid tablet or two could come in handy, but I'd fill my canteen at Sperry if I was going to spend the night on the ledge. All in all, the water sources on Ht. Greylock start the year in good shape. The activity of people and animals over the warm summer months will probably would not hesitate to boil, filter, or to be there this aummer. The good news for less concerned visitors is that they will probably be O.K. even i5 they don't take such precautions. It would, however, be interesting to see how bacteria and ion levels change by September. It would also be interesting to follow the quality of the water as the supervision of the reservation is reduced. This research supports the claim that there is a positive wa*r situation on Mt. Greylock at the start of this summer. Preservation of these favorable conditions will be up to the public. Work8 Cited 1. Todd, David Kieth, Troise, Fred L., and van dsr Leeden, Frits. T&q gg&qr Encys&g~ed&q. Second edition. Chelsea, Mich., Lewis Publishers: 1990.