South Dakota State University Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1970 Dissolved Oxygen Concentration in the Big Sioux River Downstream from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, During Winter Conditions Bernard Emerson Poppenga Follow this and additional works at: https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd Recommended Citation Poppenga, Bernard Emerson, "Dissolved Oxygen Concentration in the Big Sioux River Downstream from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, During Winter Conditions" (1970). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3826. https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/3826 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. 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DISSOLVED OXYGEN CONCENTRATION IN THE BIG SIOUX RIVER DOWNSTREAM FROM SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA, DURING WINTER CONDITIONS BY BERNARD EMERSON POPPENGA A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science, Major in Civil Engineering, South Dakota State University 1970 OUTH DAKOTA STAT,E UNIVERSITY' LIBRARY DISSOLVED OXYGEN CONCENTRATION IN THE BIG SIOUX RIVER DOWNSTREAM FROM SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA, DURING WINTER CONDITIONS This thesis is approved as a creditable and independent investigation by a candidate for the degree, Master of Science, and is acceptable as meeting the thesis requirements for this degree, but without implying that the conclusions reached by the candidate are necessarily the conclusions of the major department. Thesis Adviser Date( Head, Cif11 En ineering Date DeM,rtment ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to express sincere gratitude to Dr. James N. Dornbush and Dr. John R. Andersen, Professors of Civil Engineering, for their suggestions, guidance, and assistance throughout this investigation. Apprec·iation is extended. to Dr. W. Lee Tucker, Experiment Station Statistician, for his counsel and aid during the statistical evaluation of the data. Funds for this study were provided in part by the United States Department of the Interior and the East Dakota Conservancy Sub-District through the South Dakota State University Water Resources Institute as authorized under Public .Law 88-379. The study was also supported in part by a Federal Water Pollution Control Administration Training Grant 5Tl-WP-93. BEP TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . • • • • • • • • • •• • . •• . .. •. • •• •• . •• . • •. • .• • • • • • . • • • • 1 DESCRIPTION OF AREA. •• • •• • •• • • •. • • •• • • •. • .. .• • •• .• •• . • • • • .• • 5 General .. .. •• •. • • • • •• •.• •• • • .• • . • •• • •• •. •• •. •• . • . • •• •. • 5 Pr-oposed Reservoirs •.•.••.•..• � •• • .. •. • • . .• • . •. • . • . • • • 7 DATA EVALUATION AND RESULTS •••.•••.•.•.•.••.•..•••••..•.••••. 10 Sources of Data •.•.•...••••.••.•..•.•••.•.•••.•••••..••• 10 River Temperature .•.•..•••.••..•.•...•••...••••••.•..••• 12 Wastewater Treatment Provided by City of Sioux Falls •.••.••.••.•...••...•••...••..•••• 15 Relationship of Minimum DO and Flow in Winter Months •.••....•••.••.•••••••..•.....• Jg Multiple Linear Regression to Describe Stream Conditions ..•.•..••.....••....••••.•. 24 Evaluation of the DO Conditions in the Big Sioux River During Winter •••.•...••.•••..••.•••• 30 River Flow Requirements for Winter Months •..••.•..•.••.• 35 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS •••..•...•.••••.•• � ...•.••••••.••••.. 40 RECOMMENDATIONS ......•.•.•..•...•......•.••..•..•.•.••.••.•. 4 3 LITERATIJRE CITED ........••.............•......• · .....•...•..• 44 AP PENDIX •.........••....•••...••.•. •....•.....•• .....•...••.. 46 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Locations of the Big Sioux River Sampling Stations Downstream from Sioux Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant ................ ........ 11 2. Frequency of Occurrence of Minimum Dissolved OXygen Concentrations at Various Minimum Dissolved Oxygen and River Flow Ranges in the Big Sioux River Downstream from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, During Winter Months with Ice Cover Conditions . ..• 25 3. Correlation Coefficients2 (r) and Coefficients of Determination (r ) Obtained in Regression Analysis Trials for Various River Flow and Temperature Con- ditions (Data for January, 1964 - March, 1969) ... 33 LIST OF FIGURES · Figure Page 1. Big Sioux River in the· vicinity of Sioux Falls, South Dakota ........................ 6 2. Locations of proposed dams and reservoirs in the.Big Sioux River· Basin ........................ 8 3. Median temperature of samples co�lected from the Big Sioux River at Brandon for the months of the year (1961-196S) ............. ... .. 13 4. Frequency distribution of BOD concentrations discharged by Sioux Falls wastewater .treatment plant during the summer (1967, 68) and winter (1967, 68, 69) months .................. .... .. 17 5. Examples of DO sag curves for the Big Sioux River below Sioux Falls, South Dakota, during winter months 19 6. Big Sioux River flow and minimum dissolved o�ygen concentrations on sampling days during November through March (January, 1964 - l\fa.rch, 1969) . • . 21 7. Flow required to maintain minimum DO concentrations of 2. 0, 3. 0, 4. 0, and 5. 0 mg/1 in the Big Sioux River below Sioux Falls for various BOD concen­ trations at the Cliff Avenue station during winter conditions 37 INTRODUCTION Water quality standards were adopted by the South Dakota Committee on Water Pollution on February 16, 1967. The adoption of these stan- dards was a partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Water Quality Act of 1965. This Act, Public Law 234, required each state to prepare · water quality standards for all interstate streams within its boundaries, formulate a plan for implementation and enforcement of these standards, and after holding public hearings, adopt such stan- dards and plan before June 30, 1967 (1). The Federal Water Pollution Control Administration (FWPCA) re­ viewed the standards adopted by the South Dakota Committee on Water Pollution and suggested some alterations. The State Committee con­ curred with the suggested changes by a letter which was attached to the original water quality standards as an addendum. On August 7, 1967, the Secretary of the Interior sent a letter informing the Governor of South Dakota that the standards were officially approved. Sioux Falls, the largest center of population and industry in South Dakota, is located on the Big Sioux River and discharges its wastewater into this interstate stream. The pending adoption of the water quality standards, served as the prime factor for initiating a study to determine the impact of imposing water quality standards on the reach of the Big Sioux River affected by wastewater discharged· in the Sioux Falls' vicinity. 2 The first phase of the study, conducted by Herreid (2� compared past water quality of the Big Sioux River downstream from Sioux Falls with the recommended limits as proposed in the quality standards. ·· Herried's repo�t showed that the quality of the river water, except for total coliform count, at the Brandon sampling station would have been within the limits as established ih the standards nearly all of the time. Herried's conclusions regarding the minimum dissolved oxygen re- quirement of the river were perhaps premature as his appraisal was com- pleted before the addendum was attached to the standards. Among other things, the addendum concurred with the suggestion that the minimum dissolved oxygen requirement of the river be raised from 2.0 to 4. 0 milligrams per liter (mg/1). However, the upgrading of the dissolved oxygen standard was contingent upon the availability of supplemental dilution flow in the river (3). According to the water quality standards, if the wastewater flow comprises 50 percent or more of the total flow of a river, the river is considered to be classified in the intermittent stream category. In the intermittent stream category, the quality requirements are sub- stantially different from those listed for the other beneficial uses of the river. Herried showed that the Big Sioux River would have been classified in the intermittent stream category for a significant portion of the time in the past years and that the frequency of the 3 occurrence of this classification would probably increase in the future. Although the intermittent stream classification would have been applicable during different seasons of the year, it would have been more predominate during the winter months (2-53). The prime objective of the second phase of the study was to determine the relationship between dissolved oxygen concentrations and various river conditions . In the second phase, Naughton (4) found a high degree of correlation between minimum dissolved oxygen concen- trations in thP. river and the variables of the river temperature o° (above C), BOD, and the reciprocal of flow. He concluded that when o° the river temperature is C, the minimum dissolved oxygen concen­ tration of the water in the river is very unpredictable because of possible ice cover (4-50). The third phase of the study was conducted by Rakness (5) to determine the flow variation of the Big Sioux River throughout the year, and to estimate the probable effect of increased water resources development on this flow. Rakness concluded that the Big Sioux River downstream