National Capital Region Network - Water Chemistry Monitoring

 

Background

Surface water quality is important to maintain a healthy habitat for many aquatic organisms, wildlife, and humans. Water quality can provide insights into overall system productivity, can shift species abundances and distributions, and alter nutrients cycles. Water quality parameters such as pH, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, and temperature are good measurements that provide an overview of water quality. Water quality monitoring is required to comply with relevant environmental legislation and NPS mandates and to evaluate potential stressors in NCRN waters.

NCRN Water Resources staff collects data once a month at every perennial wadeable stream in the parks for temperature, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, pH, acid neutralizing capacity, and nutrients (ammonia, nitrate, and total phosphorus). These parameters provide information that characterize a waterbody or stream segment, are fundamental components of monitoring and regulatory programs, and are relatively easy to measure with multiparameter probes or Hach test kits. Sites will be photographed during each sampling visit to provide a visual record of existing conditions.

Objectives

• Identify long-term water quality trends and assess the variance in temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, pH and acid neutralizing capacity for the parks of the National Capital Region Network.
• Identify the key sources of pollution to NCRN streams.
• Determine if the acid neutralizing capacity of the streams is sufficient to withstand the regional acidity inputs.
• Assess stream condition by identifying single parameters with values out of bounds (a) biologically (determined through literature search), (b) according to drinking water standards, (c) according to EPA and State designated use standards, or (d) of previous variability. Provide information for Resource Stewardship Strategies and Annual GPRA reporting.
  

Water Chemistry Metrics

• Temperature
• Dissolved Oxygen
• Specific Conductance
• pH
• Acid Neutralizing Capacity

Status

Water chemistry monitoring began in May 2005 in all but one NCRN park: ANTI, CATO, GWMP, HAFE, MANA, MONO, NACE, PRWI, ROCR, and WOTR. The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal (CHOH) was omitted due to logistical difficulties.

Contacts

Jim Pieper, NCRN Hydrologic Technician
202.342.1443 ext. 227