Wissahickon Watershed Stream Monitoring and Assessment Program A summary of data collected by the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association from 2004-2016 May 2017 This page was intentionally left blank. LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2- 1. Impacts of the urban stream syndrome 12 Figure 2- 2. A map of wastewater treatment plants in the Wissahickon Watershed 14 Figure 3- 1. A map of sampling locations from 2004 to 2016 18 Figure 4- 1. The median macroinvertebrate index of biotic intgrity of all sites from 2011 to 2015 23 Figure 4- 2. Macroinvertebrate functional feeding groups 2011 to 2013 25 Figure 4- 3. The Wissahickon Watershed and macroinvertebrate survey sites from 2011- 2015 27 Figure 5- 1. Median habitat assessments site scores for all sites from 2011 to 2016 30 Figure 5- 2. Annual site habitat scores for all sites 31 Figure 5- 3. A map of the Wissahickon Watershed and habitat assessment sites from 2011- 2016 36 Figure 6- 1. Average seasonal specific conductivity from 2015 to 2016 41 Figure 6- 2. Median orthophosphate concentrations from 2004 to 2010 44 Figure 6- 3. Median orthophosphate concentration from 2011 to 2016 45 Figure 6- 4. Seasonal average orthophosphate concentrations from 2014 to 2016 46 Figure 6- 5. Annual average orthophosphate concentrations at all sites from 2008 to 2016 47 Figure 6- 6. Median total phosphorus concentrations from 2004 to 2010 48 Figure 6- 7. Median total phosphorus concentrations from 2011 to 2016 49 Figure 6- 8. Seasonal average total phosphorus concentrations from 2014 to 2016 50 Figure 6- 9. Annual average total phosphorus concentrations at all sites from 2008 to 2016 51 Figure 6- 10. Median nitrate concentrations from 2004 to 2010 53 Figure 6- 11. Median nitrate concentrations from 2011 to 2016 54 Figure 6- 12. Seasonal average nitrate concentrations from 2014 to 2016 55 Figure 6- 13. Annual average nitrate concentrations at all sites from 2008 to 2016 56 Figure 6- 14. Median total suspended solid concentrations from 2004 to 2006 58 Figure 6- 15. Median total suspended solid concentrations from 2015 to 2016 59 Figure 6- 16. Median total dissolved solid concentrations from 2004 to 2010 61 Figure 6- 17. Median total dissolved solid concentrations from 2011 to 2016 62 Figure 6- 18. Seasonal average total dissolved solid concentrations from 2014 to 2016 63 Figure 6- 19. Annual average total dissolved solids concentrations at all sites from 2011 to 2016 64 Figure 6- 20. Median chloride concentrations from 2004 to 2010 65 Figure 6- 21. Median chloride concentrations from 2011 to 2016 66 Figure 6- 22. Seasonal average chloride concentrations from 2014 to 2016 67 Figure 6- 23. Annual average chloride concentrations at all sites from 2011 to 2016 68 Figure 6- 24. Median sulfate concentrations from 2004 to 2010 69 Figure 6- 25. Median sulfate concentrations from 2011 to 2016 70 3 Figure 6- 26. Seasonal average sulfate concentrations from 2014 to 2016 71 Figure 6- 27. Annual average sulfate concentrations at all sites from 2008 to 2016 72 Figure 6- 28. Median alkalinity concentrations from 2004 to 2006 73 Figure 6- 29. Median alkalinity concentrations from 2011 to 2016 74 Figure 6- 30. Median hardness concentrations from 2011 to 2016 75 Figure 6- 31. Median E. colifrom 2004 to 2006 76 Figure 6- 32. Median fecal coliform from 2004 to 2011 77 Figure 6- 33. Median fecal coliform from 2013 to 2016 78 Figure 6- 34. Median aluminum concentrations from 2004 to 2006 79 Figure 6- 35. Median iron concentrations from 2004 to 2006 80 Figure 6- 36. Median total organix carbon concentrations 81 Figure 6- 37. A map of the Wissahickon Watershed sites and median total phosphorus concentrations from 2011 to 2016 84 Figure 6- 38. A map of the Wissahickon Watershed sites and median nitrate concentrations from 2011 to 2016 85 Figure 6- 39. A map of the Wissahickon Watershed sites and median chloride concentrations from 2011 to 2016 86 Figure 6- 40. A map of the Wissahickon Watershed sites and median total dissolved solide concentrations from 2011 to 2016 87 Figure 7- 1. Site WISS550 with letters highlighting signs of the urban stream syndrome 88 4 LIST OF TABLES Table 3- 1. Station names, descriptions, coordinates, sampling years, distance downstream from the start of the Wissahickon Creek, and drainage area 17 Table 4- 1. The diet of each macroinvertebrate functional feeding group, expected location in a watershed, and what was found in the Wissahickon Watershed 24 Table 5- 1. The parameters used in habitat assessments and a description of each parameter 29 Table 5- 2. The sites, years sampled, average scores, and lowest and highest scored parameter score across the years analyzed 34 Table 6- 1. The years and seasons that sites were sampled in the Wissahickon Watershed from 2004 to 2016 37 Table 6- 2. The water quality parameters collected from 2004 to 2016 38 5 Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................... 3 LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................................... 5 SECTION ONE: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................ 8 SECTION TWO: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WISSAHICKON WATERSHED ....................... 10 Background information .............................................................................................................. 10 Environmental stressors .............................................................................................................. 11 Impervious cover and the impacts ....................................................................................................... 11 Urban stream syndrome and the Wissahickon Watershed ....................................................... 12 Wastewater treatment plants ................................................................................................................. 13 Wissahickon Creek status ............................................................................................................ 14 SECTION THREE: STREAM MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT PROGRAM .......................... 16 Stream MAP set up ......................................................................................................................... 16 Site descriptions ............................................................................................................................. 16 Wissahickon mainstem sites ................................................................................................................... 19 Sandy Run and tributary sites ................................................................................................................ 20 SECTION FIVE: MACROINVERTEBRATE SURVEYS .................................................................... 21 Methods ............................................................................................................................................. 21 Pennsylvania index of biotic integrity ................................................................................................. 21 Results ................................................................................................................................................ 22 Watershed wide trends ............................................................................................................................. 22 IBI components of interest ....................................................................................................................... 23 Functional feeding groups ........................................................................................................................ 24 Tributaries (Fall 2013) .............................................................................................................................. 25 WVWA results compared with other studies ................................................................................... 25 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 26 Take-away points and summary map ...................................................................................... 26 SECTION FIVE: HABITAT ASSESSMENTS ...................................................................................... 28 Methods ............................................................................................................................................. 28 Results ................................................................................................................................................ 29 Watershed wide trends ............................................................................................................................. 29 Results by site ................................................................................................................................................ 31 WVWA results compared with other studies ................................................................................... 34 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................... 34 Take-away points and summary map ...................................................................................... 35 SECTION SIX: WATER