GEOLOGICAL i>i , . , ,. f ? RESOURCES DiVl Chemical (Quality or Surface Water in the Allegheny River Basin Pennsylvania and New York GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1835 Prepared in cooperation with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters Chemical Quality of Surface Water in the Allegheny River Basin Pennsylvania and New York By E. F. McCARREN GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1835 Prepared in cooperation with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Forests an^d Waters UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1967 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 66-326 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Page Abstract. -___-__--------_-______-_________________________________ 1 Introduction.-__-_-_-__--_--____.__._____._____________.____._____ 2 Purpose and Scope_____________________________________________ 3 Acknowledgments. ____________________________________________ 3 Allegheny River basin_____.________ _______________.______________ 3 Location.____________________________________________________ 3 Historical background__-____-__________________________________ 4 Topography. ___--_----__-_-_-___-______-_________-___________ 5 Climate._____________________________________________________ 5 Geology._____________________________________________________ 6 Economic significance of the Allegheny River drainage basin and adjacent areas__--__-___-_-__----____________-___-_________ 7 Acid-mine-drainage problems_.________________________________ 8 Reservoirs.___________________________________________________ 12 Chemical quality of streams._______________________________________ 15 Allegheny River at Red House, N.Y_____________________________ 17 Conewango Creek.____________________________________________ 20 Allegheny River near Kinzua.__________________________________ 21 Allegheny River at Warren and a prognosis of reservoir influence.... 22 Brokenstraw Creek____________________________________________ 33 Allegheny River at West Hickory______________________________ 33 Tionesta Creek_..._..._..._______________._____.._.._... 33 Oil Creek_________.--...-_.____.__-_______....._..._.._._____- 34 French Creek___________.______.---__.._______._______-____._. 35 Allegheny River at Franklin.___________________________________ 39 Clarion River.________________________________________________ 40 Redbank Creek.______________________________________________ 47 Mahoning Creek._____________________________________________ 47 Allegheny River at Kittanning__________________________________ 48 Crooked Creek.__________________________________________ 53 Kiskiminetas River____________________________________________ 53 Allegheny River at Natrona.___________________________________ 60 Allegheny River at Sharpsburg and Nadine__________-----_-______ 61 Summary_ ---_____-_______________________________------_-_-_-__ 66 Selected references.._______._____________________--__-__--_--_---__ 69 Index.___________________________________________________________ 71 IV CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 1. Map of the Allegheny River basin showing geohydrology, ground-water potential, and location of sampling sites, Pennsylvania and New York.___________________ In pocket FIGURE 1-2. Maps showing 1. Cumulative coal production in the conterminous United States to January 1, 1959_____________ 9 2. Tributaries to the Allegheny River affected by coal-mine wastes.-__________________________ 11 3-4. Graphs showing 3. Probable effects on water quality by releases of water from the Allegheny Reservoir._______._- 15 4. Specific conductance and water hardness of the Allegheny River and tributaries during drought of 1963 __ _-_- -- -- -- 16 5. Map showing predominant water constituents at selected locations during low flow, Allegheny River, November I960. .. --_ _- ._ --_ 18 6-18. Graphs showing 6. Composition of the Allegheny River at low flow, early November I960.________-___-______.- 19 7.- Cumulative frequency curve of specific conduct­ ance, Conewango Creek at Russell, Pa., October 1951 to September 1952._________-___-..--__ 21 8. Daily chloride concentration of the Allegheny River at Red House, N.Y., and Warren, Pa., October 1953 to September 1952.____._..____. 24" 9. Discharge and dissolved solids, Allegheny River at Warren, Pa., October 1948 to September 1949.. 25 10. Daily mean discharge versus daily specific conduct­ ance, Allegheny River at Warren, Pa., October 1948 to September 1949..._..____._.._......_ 26 11. Cumulative frequency curve of specific conductance Allegheny River at Warren, Pa., 1948-51 ______ 30 12. Percentage composition of dissolved solids at average, high, and low flows, Clarion River near Piney, Pa., October 1946 to September 1947.... 41 13. Relationship between dissolved solid and specific conductance, Allegheny River at Kittanning, Pa., 1960-62____________,__________________ 50 14. Cumulative frequency curve of water temperature, Allegheny River at Kittanning, Pa., 1961-62___ 52 15. Cumulative frequency curve of discharge, Kis- kiminetas River at Vandergrift, Pa., 1938-60. __ 54 16. Cumulative frequency curve of specific con ductance, Kiskiminetas River at Leechburg, Pa., October 1961 to September 1962______________________ 57 17. Flow duration curves, Allegheny River at Natrona, Pa., 1928-55 with natural flow and with Alle­ gheny Reservoir in operation.________________ 60 18. Cumulative frequency curve of dissolved solids, Allegheny River at Nadine, Pa., 1951-61. _____ 64 CONTENTS V TABLES Page TABLE 1. Existing reservoirs and flood-control features on Allegheny Eiver above Pittsburgh._-______-_-______-____---______ 14 2. Frequency of concentration levels for dissolved chemical constituents, Allegheny River at Warren, Pa., for the period October 1948 to September 1951-___-_-_____________ 23 3. Chemical analyses and recorded extremes, Allegheny River at Warren, Pa., water year October 1961 to September 1962-_ 27 4. Chemical analyses, Allegheny River at Warren, Pa., for the period October 1962 to March 1965______.______________ 28 5. Temperature of water, Allegheny River at Warren, Pa., water year October 1961 to September 1962______________ 31 6. Chemical analyses and recorded extremes, French Creek at Franklin, Pa., water year October 1946 to September 1947 37 7. Specific conductance, French Creek at Franklin, Pa., water year October 1946 to September 1947______--_-_----__-_- 39 8. Chemical analyses, Clarion River near Piney, Pa., water year October 1946 to September 1947_____._____.._______ 42 9. Frequency of concentration levels for chemical constituents, Clarion River at Piney, Pa., for the period October 1946 to September 1952___________.____.________-____-______-_ 44 10. Chemical analyses and recorded extremes, Clarion River near Piney, Pa., for the period October 1952 to June 1953-__.__ 45 11. Chemical analyses and recorded extremes, Allegheny River at Kittanning, Pa., water year October 1961 to September 1962__ 49 12. Temperature of water, Allegheny River at Kittanning, Pa., water year October 1959 to September I960._____________ 51 13. Temperature of water, Allegheny River at Kittanning, Pa., water year October 1960 to September 1961-------------- 52 14. Chemical analyses and recorded extremes, Kiskiminetas River at Leechburg (Vandergrift), Pa., water year October 1961 to September 1962-----___--____--____-_.-_--_-_---_--- 56 15. Temperature of water, Kiskiminetas River at Leechburg, Pa., water year October 1961 to September 1962..-________-__ 58 16. Sulfuric-acid discharge, Kiskiminetas River at Vandergrift, Pa., water year October 1960 to September 1961 __-__.-_--_-_- 59 17. Analyses of radioactivity in Pennsylvania streams, 1958-59-.- 59 18. Chemical analyses and descriptive information, Allegheny River at Sharpsburg, Pa., water year October 1951 to September 1952__.____________________________________ 62 19. Monthly average concentration of nitrate and dissolved oxygen, Allegheny River at Nadine, Pa., water years 1952-61__.--- 65 CHEMICAL QUALITY OF SURFACE WATER IN THE ALLEGHENY RIVER BASIN, PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW YORK By E. F. ABSTRACT The Allegheny River is the principal source of water to many industries and to communities in the upper Ohio River Valley. The river and its many tribu­ taries pass through 19 counties in northwestern and western Pennsylvania. The population in these counties exceeds 3 million. A major user of the Al­ legheny River is the city of Pittsburgh, which has a population greater than 600,000. The Allegheny River is as basic to the economy of the upper Ohio River Valley in western Pennsylvania as are the rich deposits of bituminous coal, gas, and oil that underlie the drainage basin. During the past 5 years many streams that flow into the Allegheny have been low flowing because of droughts affecting much of the eastern United States. Consequently, the concentration of solutes in some streams has been unusually high because of wastes from coal mines and oil wells. These and other water-quality problems in the Allegheny River drain­ age basin are affecting the economic future of some areas in western Pennsylvania. Because of environmental factors such as climate, geology, and land and water uses, surface-water quality varies considerably throughout the river basin. The natural quality of headwater streams, for example, is affected by salt­ water wastes from petroleoum production.