Water Quality of the Lower Columbia River Basin: Analysis of Current and Historical Water-Quality Data Through 1994
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Water Quality of the Lower Columbia River ~kv,/9Basin: -c > Analysis of Current and Historical Water-Quality Data through 1994 U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 95-4294 Prepared in cooperation with the Lower Columbia River Bi-State Water-Quality Program Water Quality of the Lower Columbia River Basin: Analysis of Current and Historical Water-Quality Data through 1994 By Gregory J. Fuhrer, Dwight Q. Tanner, Jennifer L. Morace, Stuart W. McKenzie, and Kenneth A. Skach U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 95-4294 Prepared incooperation with the Lower Columbia River Bi-State Water-Quality Programs A.~O Portland, Oregon 1996 U. S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Gordon P. Eaton, Director The use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. For additional information Copies of this report can be write to: purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey, WRD Earth Science Information Center 10615 S.E. Cherry Blossom Drive Open-File Reports Section Portland, Oregon 97216 Box 25286, MS 517 Denver Federal Center Denver, CO 80225 FOREWORD One of the great challenges faced by the Nation's water-resource scientists is providing reliable water-quality information to guide the management and protection of our water resources. That challenge is being addressed by Federal, Tribal, State, interstate, and local water-resources agencies, by academic insti- tutions, and by private industry. Many of these organizations are collecting water-quality data for a host of purposes, including compliance with permits and water-supply standards, development of remediation plans for specific contamination problems, decision of operational procedures for industrial, wastewater, or water-supply facilities, and refinement of research to advance our understanding of water-quality processes. In fact, during the past two decades, tens of billions of dollars have been spent on water-quality data collection programs. Unfortunately, the utility of these data for present and future regional and national assessments is limited by such factors as the areal extent of the sam- pling network, the frequency of sample collection, the variety of collection and analytical procedures, and the types of water-quality characteristics determined. The Lower Columbia River Bi-State Water Quality Program, with involvement from private industry, sports and commercial fishing, public ports, environmental groups, municipal, State, Northwest Power Planning Council, and Federal interests, has provided guidance to: 1. Provide a regionally consistent description of water-quality conditions; 2. Define seasonal and long-term trends (or lack of trends) in water quality; and 3. Identify, describe, and explain, as possible, the major factors that affect observed water-quality conditions and trends. Don Yon, Project Manager Lower Columbia River Bi-State Water Quality Program TV CONTENTS Foreword............................... iii Abstract ......................... 1.....I Introduction .................................. 2 Background ............................... 4 Purpose and Scope ............................. .. 5 Acknowledgments ............................... 6 The Lower Columbia River Basin ............................... 6 Precipitation ................................ 8 Streamflow Conditions ............................. .. 8 Land and Water Use ............................... 12 Point Source .............................. 12 Data Sources and Methods of Analysis .............................. 14 Current and Historical Sources of Data ............................................................................ 17 Historical Data ........................... 7 Current Data .......................... 24 U.S. Geological Survey.................................................................................................................................i24 Washington Department of Ecology ........................ 3 1 Oregon Department of Environmental Quality ........................................ 32 Data-Analysis Methods ....................................... 33 Loads .......................... 33 Trends .................... 34 Existing W ater-Quality Guidelines.....................................................................................................3............................36 Ambient Stream Water Quality.....................................................................................3.........................................36 Aquatic Life...............................................................................................................3.....................................36 Human Health ......................... 37 Drinking-Water Quality ......................... 38 Regulations .................. Health Advisories ................................... 39 Analysis of Available Surface-Water-Quality Data ................................... 39 Water Temperature ...................... 39 Dissolved Oxygen and pH ................. 45 Total Dissolved Gas........................................................................................................................................................T49 Suspended Sediment .............. 50 Nutrients ................ M ajor Ions and Related M easures....................................................................................................................................68 Trace Elements ................................................ Organic Compounds ... ............................................ 97 Fecal-Indicator B acteria ......................................................................................................................................... ........ 115 Radionuclides ................. 118 Q Assurancecuality ........... .. 118 Examples of Quality-Assurance Data ............................................ 118 Use of Quality-Assurance Data to Interpret Environmental Data ........................................ 119.........;.,119 Considerations for Future Data-Collection Activities ................................................ 126 Summary . .................. .. 132 References Cited .................. 135 Supplemental Data Tables ................. 139 V FIGURES 1. 2. Maps showing: 1. The Columbia River Basin.......................................................... ........................................................ 3 2. The lower Columbia River Basin, Oregon and Washington .7 3.-37. Graphs showing: 3. Annual and mean annual precipitation at Bonneville Dam, Government Camp, Portland, Eugene, Cougar, and Astoria, lower Columbia River Basin, Oregon and Washington, 1920-93 .9 4. Mean monthly precipitation at Portland, Cougar, and Eugene, lower Columbia River Basin, Oregon and Washington .10 5. Estimated monthly mean streamflow in the Columbia River at mouth near Astoria for the low-, median-, and high-streamflow years, lower Columbia River Basin, Oregon ...................................................... 11 6. Annual mean streanitflow and median annual streamflow for the Columbia River at mouth, 192W-84 . 11 7. Estimated monthly mean streamflow in the Columbia River at mouth near Astoria, 1967 water year, and Columbia River at Beaver Army Terminal near Quincy, 1994 water year, lower Columbia River Basin, Oregon and Washington .......................... .I.. ...................................................... Ii I S. Streamflows in the Willamette River at Portland and Columbia River at Warrendale, lower Columbia River Basin, Oregon and Washington, 1994 . , ............... 13 9.-l2. Maps showing: 9. Land use and land cover by hydrologic units, lower Columbia River Basin, Oregon and Washington, 1980 ... 16 10. Point-source domestic discharges, lower Columbia River Basin, Oregon and Washington, 1994 . 18 11. Locations of point sources other than domestic discharge, lower Columbia River Basin, Oregon and Washington, 1994 ... .19. ....................... 1........19 12. Point-source discharges for chemical, seafood processing, and other miscellaneous facilities, lower Columbia River Basin, Oregon and Washington, 1994 .2.....................................1 2 13. Graph showing number of historical surface-water-quality determinations by constituent group, lower Columbia River Basin, Oregon and Washington, 1939-93 . ......................................... 24 14. Map showing U.S. Geological Survey sampling locations, lower Columbia River Basin, Oregon and Washington, 1994 ................. _............................26 15.-24. Graphs showing: 15. Distribution of daily mean water temperatures in the lower Columbia River Basin, Oregon and Washington, 1968-94 water years ....................... 41 16. Distribution of daily mean water temperatures in the Columbia River at Warrendale, Kalama, and Bradwood and in the Willamette River at Portland, tower Columbia River Basin, Oregon and Washington, 1975-92.42 ............. 42 17. Instantaneous water temperatures in the main stem and tributaries of the lower Columbia River Basin, Oregon and Washington, July to September 1994 .... 44....4 18. Distribution of dissolved-oxygen concentrations, lower Columbia River Basin, Oregon and Washington, 1994 .4 ...... 46 19. Distribution of 1974-94 and 1994 dissolved-oxygen concentrations measured in the Columbia River at Warrendale, lower Columbia River Basin, Oregon ....