9=0 Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Conunisslon MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION* ILLINOIS Richard S. Engelbrecht, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Mary A. Gade, Director, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Phillip C. Morgan, Director, Danville Sanitary District INDIANA Joseph H. Harrison, Sr., Attorney, Bowers, Harrison, Kent & Miller Albert R. Kendrick, Jr. Kathy Prosser, Commissioner, Department of Environmental Management KENTUCKY Gordon R. Garner, Executive Director, Louisville & Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District Ed Logsdon, Commissioner, Department of Agriculture Phillip J. Shepherd, Secretary, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet NEW YORK Douglas E. Conroe, Director of Operations, Chautauqua Institution Thomas A. Erlandson, Ph.D., Professor of Biology & Geology. Jamestown Community College Langdon Marsh, Commissioner, Department of Environmental Conservation OHIO Lloyd N. Clausing Richard Miller Donald R. Schregardus, Director, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency PENNSYLVANIA Arthur A. Davis, Secretary, Department of Environmental Resources Melvin E. Hook, R&D Engineering P.C. William M. Kudaroski, PA-American Water Company VIRGINIA Henry 0. Holliman, Ph.D. Delores Z. Pretlow, Ph.D. W. Bidgood Wall, State Water Control Board WEST VIRGINIA Edgar N. Henry David C. Callaghan, Director, Department of Commerce, Labor & Environmental Resources Ronald R. Potesta, Terradon Corporation UNITED STATES Valdas V. Adarnkus, Regional Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region V Jean M. Barren OFFICERS: Ronald A. Potesta, Chairman Thomas A. Erlandson, Ph.D., Vice-Chairman Richard Miller, Secretary Richard L. Herd, Jr., Treasurer Alan H. Vicoiy, Jr., Executive Director and Chief Engineer LEGAL COUNSEL: Thomas D. Heekin, Taft, Stettinius & Hollister *As ofDece;nber 31, 1994 OHIO RIVER WATER QUALITY FACT BOOK A Compendium of Information for Use in Water Quality Analysis of the Ohio River -%A,ko .,0 OHIO RIVER VALLEY WATER SANITATION COMMISSION 5735 Kellogg Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45228-1112 (513) 231-7719 December 1994 Price: $10.00 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword SECTION I: HYDROLOGY Figure 1 - Ohio River Basin with Major Tributary Watersheds 2 United States Geological Survey Stream Flow Gages-Ohio River Main Stem 3 United States Geological Survey Stream Flow Gages-Major Ohio River Tributaries 4 Ohio River Navigation Dams 5 Normal Pool, Flood Stage, and Elevation for Selected Ohio River Locations 7 Critical Flows and Discharge Quantities 9 Selected Tributaries to the Ohio River 10 Corps of Engineers Reservoirs in the Ohio River Basin Which Provide Flow Augmentation 12 Annual Climatic Data for Selected Cities-Ohio River Basin 14 Monthly Air Temperatures at Selected Cities-Ohio River Basin 15 Average Precipitation in Selected Cities-Ohio River Basin 16 Average Monthly Precipitation for Selected Cities-Ohio River Main Stem 17 Average Monthly Stream Flow-Ohio River 18 Average Monthly Stream Flow-Ohio River Tributaries 19 Minimum Monthly Average Stream Flow-Ohio River 20 Minimum Monthly Average Stream Flow-Ohio River Tributaries 21 Ohio River Channel Geometry 22 SECTION II: LAND USE 23 Selected Cities on the Ohio River (Map) 24 Land Use of the Major Sub-Basins of the Ohio River 25 Land Area and Population Within the Ohio River Basin 26 Population of Cities in the Ohio River Basin 1970, 1980, and 1990 27 River Mile Points of Counties Bordering the Ohio River 28 SECTION III: WATER USE 29 Summary of Ohio River Waterbody Segments 30 Ohio River Public Drinking Water Intakes 32 Industrial Water Intakes Along the Ohio River 33 Power Generating Facilities on the Ohio River 38 Combined Sewer Overflows Along the Ohio River 40 Permitted Dischargers to the Ohio River 42 Municipal Waste Water Treatment Plant Discharges to the Ohio River 61 River Terminals Handling Petroleum Products and Hazardous Chemicals-Ohio River 66 River Terminals Handling Petroleum Products and Hazardous Chemicals-Ohio River Tributaries 72 SECTION IV: WATER QUALITY 75 ORSANCO Sampling Locations 77 ORSANCO Monitoring Stations and STORET Codes 79 State Sampling Locations in the Ohio River Basin 81 United States Geological Survey (NASQAN) National Stream Quality Accounting Network Stations-Ohio River and Primary Tributaries 89 Average Monthly Water Temperature-Ohio River Electronic Monitors 90 Maximum Monthly Average Temperature-Ohio River Tributary Electronic Monitors 91 Average Monthly Specific Conductance-Ohio River Electronic Monitors 92 Average Monthly Specific Conductance-Ohio River Tributary Electronic Monitors 94 Long Term Average (With Standard Deviation) Over Period of Record for each Monitoring Station by Month 95 SECTION V: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SOURCES 97 State of Illinois Environmental Protection Agency 98 State of Indiana Department of Environmental Management 99 Commonwealth of Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection 100 State of New York Department of Environmental Conservation 103 State of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency 104 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources .106 Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Environmental Quality 107 State of West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection 108 U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Division Offices 109 U.S. Department of the Army Corps of Engineers 110 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 111 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Offices 112 U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Offices 113 U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service 114 ORSANCO Publications 115 APPENDICES APPENDIX A Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission Pollution Control Standards APPENDIX B Conversion Factors for Water Quality Analysis APPENDIX C Saturation Values of Dissolved Oxygen in Water Exposed to Water-Saturated Air Containing 20.90% Oxygen Under a Pressure of 760 mm Hg FOREWORD This is the third edition of the Ohio River Fact Book, first published in 1986. With the publication of this third edition, corrections and additions have been incorporated as suggested by its users, and information has been updated where appropriate. This is intended to be a dynamic document with periodic updating and supplementation as new information becomes available. Users of this document are encouraged to suggest other information for inclusion in subsequent editions. Many factors, both natural and manmade, affect the water quality of the Ohio River. In order to properly interpret the results of water quality studies, it is necessary to have some understanding of these factors. The information in this book is divided into five sections: Hydrology, Land Use, Water Use, Water Quality, and Directories and Publications. Each section begins with a brief discussion of potential water quality relationships and information included in that section. Ohio River mile points are included in many of the tables in this text, beginning at Pittsburgh, Mile Point 0, and ending where the Ohio River enters the Mississippi River at Mile Point 981. Tributary mile points are expressed as zero (0) where they enter the Ohio River. In addition to Commission sources, much of the information has been developed by other agencies actively concerned with the Ohio River, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Geological Survey and water pollution control agencies of the six states along the Ohio River -- Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. SECTION I: HYDR OL 0 G Y Hydrology is the branch of science dealing with the distribution of surface and ground water, and with the cycle involving precipitation, evaporation and flow. For purposes of water quality analysis of rivers, the most important hydrologic factor is stream flow in terms of quantity and velocity. The quantity of flow in a river is a function of the amount of precipitation falling on the drainage basin and the runoff characteristics of the basin. Seasonal variations in precipitation result in similar variations in stream flow. In the Ohio River, flow is influenced by operations of the Corps of Engineers for the purpose of maintaining year-round navigation on the river. Long-term records of stream flow are maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey which operates gages on streams throughout the country. Twelve gages are operated on the Ohio River. Navigation dams on the Ohio River have a significant impact on the velocity of the stream. The modern high lift dams have resulted in a deeper, slower moving river than existed previously. This suggests certain influences on water quality: settling of some materials would increase, resulting in lower turbidity, while atmospheric reaeration would decrease, resulting in lower dissolved oxygen. The year in which each high lift dam was constructed is therefore critical information in the interpretation of historic water quality data. Most of the Ohio River Basin is drained by tributaries, less than five percent of the basin drains directly to the main stem. The runoff characteristics of the tributaries therefore determine the quantity of flow in the Ohio at any time. The Corps of Engineers operates numerous reservoirs in the Ohio River Basin. Most were built for flood control purposes, many are also used to provide flow augmentation at critical periods. This has resulted in an increase in the quantity of flow that could otherwise be expected in the dry weather months. Climate is a major factor in determining the seasonal variation in stream flow. Precipitation