Long Term Analysis of Water Quality Trends in the Toe and Cane River Watersheds: Year Five Technical Report No. 2013-1 March 2013 Ann Marie Traylor This Project is funded by the Toe River Valley Watch. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................ 4 I. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 5 Table 1: Toe River Valley Watch monitoring sites ................................................................... 6 Figure 1: Map of TRVW monitoring sites ................................................................................. 7 II. Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 8 III. Results and Discussion ................................................................................................................ 9 Table 2: Classification grades based on parameters and ranges ............................................. 10 A. Acidity (pH) and Alkalinity .................................................................................................... 12 Figure 2: pH levels at each monitoring site ............................................................................ 13 Figure 3: Alkalinity levels at each monitoring site ................................................................. 13 B. Turbidity and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) .......................................................................... 14 Figure 4: Turbidity levels at each monitoring......................................................................... 15 Figure 5: Total suspended solids concentrations at each monitoring site ............................... 15 C. Conductivity ........................................................................................................................... 16 Figure 6: Conductivity levels at each monitoring site ............................................................ 16 D. Nutrients .................................................................................................................................. 17 Figure 7: Orthophosphate concentrations at each monitoring site .......................................... 18 Figure 8: Ammonia-nitrogen concentrations at each monitoring site .................................... 18 Figure 9: Nitrate/nitrite-nitrogen concentrations at each monitoring site ............................... 19 E. Biological Monitoring ............................................................................................................. 19 Table 3: Stream Monitoring Information Exchange biological ratings .................................. 20 IV. Summary and Conclusions ........................................................................................................ 20 Table 4: Index ratings for the Toe/Cane River watershed monitoring sites ........................... 21 Figure 10: Stream temperatures at each site on the day samples were collected ................... 22 Figure 11: Sampling occasions exceeding turbidity standards for each site .......................... 23 IV. Summary and Conclusions ........................................................................................................ 23 V. Literature Cited ........................................................................................................................... 27 Appendix A: Chain of Custody form ........................................................................................... 28 Appendix B: Laboratory Analysis ............................................................................................... 29 Appendix C: Biological Monitoring Data Sheet .......................................................................... 30 Appendix D: Parameters and Ranges for Stream Quality Classifications ................................... 32 Appendix E: Stream Ranking Index ............................................................................................ 34 Appendix F: Data Summary ........................................................................................................ 39 Appendix G: Trends Related to Flow in the Toe/Cane River Watershed .................................... 40 Appendix H: Trends Related to Time in the Toe/Cane River Watershed ................................... 40 Appendix I: Number of Sites Exhibiting Seasonal Trends .......................................................... 41 3 Acknowledgements Because of the hard work and foresight of the members of Toe River Valley Watch (TRVW), a reliable water quality database is being maintained for the streams in the Toe River Valley. Without this database it would be impossible to either be aware of or understand changes in water quality over time that may results from changing land use. We wish to thank the many donors for financial support of this work, including Mountain Heritage High School, Starli and Jeff McDowell, AMS, Bruce Green, Loy McWhirter, Martha Perry, Jim Carroll, and Chris Baucom. Their support enables the towns of Burnsville and Baskerville to develop a comprehensive water quality database that will assist greatly with planning future development in the area. Continued monitoring will provide additional information on changes taking place as the area continues to grow. Volunteerism continues to be the key to the success of this water monitoring program, and without whom it would be prohibitively expensive. Volunteers who have been responsible for collecting samples monthly over the past year include Jim Carroll, Bruce Greene, Tressa Hartsell, Starli McDowell, Loy McWhirter, Holly Walker, and the Mountain Heritage High School Eco Club. These volunteers are making an important contribution to the preservation of clean water in the French Broad River Basin. Special thanks also go to Ingles Market in Burnsville which has graciously allowed the program to use their cooler as a kit storage area, to project coordinator Jim Carroll, and to Starli McDowell, who has brought the kits to the Weaverville drop off location every month. Thanks also to Market Center in Weaverville for providing cold storage space for water monitoring kits. The Environmental Quality Institute (EQI) would like to acknowledge the efforts of the many organizations, such as TRVW, that are working tirelessly to protect the streams, rivers, forests, and other natural wonders of the region for future generations. Members of these organizations deserve recognition for their contributions of time and money to maintain the beauty and wonder of western North Carolina (WNC). 4 I. Introduction VWIN's History The Volunteer Water Information Network (VWIN) is a volunteer-based, surface water monitoring program operated by the Environmental Quality Institute. The VWIN program was initiated at UNC-Asheville more than two decades ago. In February of 1990, volunteers began monthly sampling of 27 stream sites in Buncombe County. Over time, the program grew to sample more than 200 sites per month throughout WNC. UNC-Asheville hosted the program until October of 2009, when the research laboratory was eliminated due to state budget cuts. In October of 2010, EQI reopened as a nonprofit laboratory. It should be noted that the first batch of samples received was from TRVW. The network currently includes almost 200 stream and lake sites in 14 WNC counties. VWIN stakeholders include regional municipalities and watershed advocacy groups, such as the Buncombe and Henderson County Commissioners, the Buncombe County Metropolitan Sewerage District, Buncombe and Madison County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the City of Asheville's Stormwater Services Division, the Town of Lake Lure, Rumbling Bald Resort, Haywood Waterways Association, Seven Lakes West Landowners Association, the Environmental and Conservation Organization, the Friends of Lake Glenville, the Lake James Environmental Association, the Toe River Valley Watch, the Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society, and the Town of Lake Santeetlah. EQI provides laboratory analysis of water samples, statistical analysis of water quality results, and written interpretation of the data to stakeholders. Volunteers venture out once per month to collect water samples from designated sites along streams, rivers, and lakes in the region. VWIN data and technical reports are frequently used to support grant requests funding stream restoration, to evaluate the influences of point and nonpoint source pollution in surface waters, and to work for proper stream classifications. An accurate and on-going water quality database, as provided by VWIN, is essential for good environmental planning. The data gathered by the trained volunteers provides an increasingly accurate picture of water quality conditions and changes in these conditions over time. Communities can use this data to identify streams of high water quality that need to be preserved, as well as streams that cannot support further development without significant water quality degradation. In addition, the information allows planners to assess the impacts of increased development and the success of pollution control measures. Thus, this program provides the water quality data for evaluation of current management efforts and can help guide decisions affecting future management actions. The program also promotes volunteerism