Work Plan of the Neversink Watershed Study in the Catskill Mountains of Southeastern New York By Gregory B. Lawrence, Douglas A. Burns, Peter S. Murdoch, Barry Baldigo, and Yvonne H. Baevsky Prepared in cooperation with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 94-368 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Gordon P. Eaton, Director For additional information write to: Copies of this report may be purchased from: U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey P.O. Box1669 Earth Science Information Center Albany, N.Y. 12201 Open-File Reports Section (518)472-3107 Box25286, MS 517 Denver Federal Center Denver, CO 80225 ii Work Plan for the Neversink Watershed Study in the Catskill Mountains of Southeastern New York CONTENTS Abstract.............................................................................. 1 Introduction........................................................................... 1 Purpose and Scope ................................................................ 1 Effects of Acidic Deposition......................................................... 2 Effects of Climate Change .......................................................... 3 Current State of Watershed Science ................................................... 3 Project Objectives................................................................. 4 Basin Description ...................................................................... 4 Physiography and Geology ............................................................... 4 Soils............................................................................ 5 History of Vegetation and Land Use................................................... 5 Climate ......................................................................... 6 Catskill Data Bases ..................................................................... 6 Precipitation ..................................................................... 6 Long-Term Stream Monitoring....................................................... 6 Short-Term Stream Monitoring....................................................... 8 Research Approach ..................................................................... 8 Topic A. Small (First-Order) Watersheds .............................................. 8 Work Element 1. Subsurface-Water Residence Time................................ 9 Work Element 2. Hillslope Gradients of Soil Chemistry ............................. 10 Work Element 3. Extrapolation of Relations to Other First-Order Watersheds ............ 11 Topic B. Intermediate and Large Watersheds ........................................... 11 Work Element 1. Spatial Controls in Intermediate and Large Watersheds................ 12 Work Element 2. Effect of Watershed Size on Temporal Variations in Stream Chemistry 12 Topic C. Landscape Controls of Stream Chemistry....................................... 13 Work Element 1. Identifying the Effect of Landscapes on Neversink River-Water Quality .. 14 Work Element 2. Modeling the Sources of Landscape Effects on Stream-Water Quality .... 15 Topic D. Nonconservative Transport of Nitrate and Aluminum in Stream Water............... 15 Work Element 1. Nitrate ...................................................... 15 Work Element 2. Aluminum ................................................... 17 Topic E. Nitrogen Cycling ......................................................... 18 Work Element 1. Quantifying Nitrogen Budgets .................................. 19 Topic F. Water Quality and its Effects on Aquatic Biological Communities .................. 20 Effects of Acidification on Fish and Invertebrate Populations ......................... 21 Mechanisms of Fish Stress and Mortality ......................................... 21 Use of Biological Indices in Characterizing Water Quality ........................... 21 Work Element 1. Aquatic Toxicity.............................................. 22 Work Element 2. Integrity of Biological Communities .............................. 23 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Support Activities ..................................... 24 Deliverables........................................................................... 25 References Cited ....................................................................... 26 Appendixes ........................................................................... 31 1. Field Implementation Schedule ......................................................... 32 2. Analytical Methods................................................................... 36 3. Quality-Assurance Plan for Streamflow Measurements ...................................... 40 4. Data management.................................................................... 41 Contents iff FIGURES 1. Map of Neversink watershed showing locations of streamflow-gaging stations.......... 2. Map of Wildcat and Winnisook watersheds showing locations of measurement sites .... TABLE 1. Location, drainage area, and period of record at historical and long-term monitoring sites in the Catskill Mountain region.............................................. CONVERSION FACTORS Multiply By To obtain millimeter (mm) 0.03937 inch meter (m) 3.281 foot kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile square kilometers (km2) 0.3861 square mile hectare (ha) 2.471 acre square meter (m2) 10.76 square foot liter (L) 0.2642 gallon cubic meter (m3) 35.31 cubic foot cubic meter per day (m3/d) 264.2 gallon per day liters per second (L/s) 0.0353 cubic feet per second liters per minute (L/m) 2.118 cubic feet per minute ABBREVIATIONS micromoles per liter (jajnol/L) Temperature can be converted from degrees Celsius (°Q to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) by the following equation: °F = 9/5°C + 32 Sea level: In this report "sea level" refers to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD of 1929) a geodetic datum derived from a general adjustment of the first-order level nets of both the United States and Canada, formerly called Sea Level datum of 1929. iv Work Plan for the Neversink Watershed Study in the Catskill Mountains of Southeastern New York Work Plan of the Neversink Watershed Study in the Catskill Mountains of Southeastern New York By Gregory B. Lawrence, Douglas A. Burns, Peter S. Murdoch, Barry Baldigo, and Yvonne H. Baevsky Abstract INTRODUCTION The Neversink River drains into the Neversink The City of New York relies on five rese~voirs in Reservoir, which is part of the New York City water- the Catskill Mountains to supply drinking water to 8 supply system in the Catskill Mountains of southeast- million residents. Historically this water has been of em New York State. The U.S. Geological Survey high quality, but it could be adversely affecte't in the (USGS) is conducting a 5-year (1990-95) water-quality future by changes in land use, continued deposition of assessment of the Neversink River basin to evaluate atmospheric pollutants, and (or) changes in climate. watershed factors that control stream-water quality The need for development of effective watershed-man­ over spatial scales ranging from a few hectares to 240 agement strategies to address these issues prompted the square kilometers. Because the basin contains minimal New York City Department of Environment?1 Protec­ development, the focus of the assessment is on natural tion (NYCDEP) in 1990 to begin a research investiga­ processes and effects of acidic deposition, the factors tion, in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey that most strongly affect surface-water chemistry. The (USGS), to evaluate factors that affect water quality in final product is to be a conceptual model of the spatial Catskill watersheds. This investigation is be;ng done distribution of the major controls of stream-water qual­ in the Neversink River basin, in the southeasteni part of ity in the Neversink basin. the Catskill Mountain region of New York Svate (fig. The assessment contains six topics of investiga­ 1). The USGS is evaluating the watershed ard stream- tion: (1) small watersheds, (2) intermediate and large channel processes that control stream-water chemistry, watersheds, (3) effects of landscape on stream chemis­ and the New York State Department of Environmental try, (4) effects of nonconservative transport of nitrate Protection is concurrently evaluating processes within and aluminum in stream water, (5) nitrogen cycle, and the Neversink Reservoir, to which the Neversink River (6) water quality and its effects on aquatic biological is tributary. communities. Approaches include streamflow moni­ toring and chemical analysis of stream water through­ Purpose and Scope out the basin; computerized modeling of flow and stream chemistry through TOPMODEL; spatial analy­ This report describes in detail the goals, sis of soil chemistry; use of stable isotopes to identify approaches, and expected deliverables of the Never­ subsurface flowpaths; monitoring wet and dry atmo­ sink Watershed study. Because this report if a work- spheric deposition; in-stream nutrient-cycling studies plan, its scope is limited to a presentation of back­ with added tracers; fish shocking and aquatic inverte­ ground information and planned methods, without data brate sampling; and onsite fish-bioassay studies. The collected in the project or conclusions based on inter­ information collected in this study will be related pretive activities of the project. through a Geographic Information System (GIS) to The report (1) describes