CONTRIBUTIONS OF RAINFALL TO CONSTITUENT LOADS IN STORM RUNOFF FROM URBAN CATCHMENTS1

ABSTRACT: Rainfall is a significant source of some constituents, particularly nitrogen species, in storm runoff from urban catchments. Median contributions of rainfall to storm runoff loads of 12 constituents from 31 urban catchments, representing eight geographic locations within the United States, ranged from 2 percent for suspended solids to 74 percent for total nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen. The median contribution of total nitrogen in rainfall to runoff loads was 41 percent. Median contributions of total-recoverable lead in rainfall to runoff loads varied by as much as an order of magnitude between catchments in the same geographic location. This indicates that average estimates of rainfall contributions to constituent loading in storm runoff may not be suitable in studies requiring accurate constituent mass-balance computations.     

TEMPORAL AND GEOMORPHIC VARIATIONS OF STREAM STABILITY AND MORPHOLOGY: MAHOGANY CREEK,NEVADA1

ABSTRACT: Detailed studies of long-term management impacts on rangeland streams are few because of the cost of obtaining detailed data replicated in time. This study uses government agency aquatic habitat, stream morphologic, and ocular stability data to assess land management impacts over four years on three stream reaches of an important rangeland watershed in northwestern Nevada. Aquatic habitat improved as riparian vegetation reestablished itself with decreased and better controlled livestock grazing. However, sediment from livestock disturbances and road crossings and very low stream flows limited the rate of change. Stream type limited the change of pool variables and width/depth ratio, which are linked to gradient and entrenchment. Coarse woody debris removal due to previous management limited pool recovery. Various critical-element ocular stability estimates represented changes with time and differences among reaches very well. Ocular stability variables tracked the quantitative habitat and morphologic variables well enough to recommend that ocular surveys be used to monitor changes with time between more intensive aquatic surveys.     

ANNUAL,SEASONAL, AND MONTHLY CHANGES IN RUNOFF IN THE UNITED STATES1

ABSTRACT The runoff from a series of watersheds in the United States is examined to determine if there are distinct trends present. The data are examined for the period 1931-1960 and the results compared with those obtained for the period from the beginning of record to 1960. A larger sample of streams with records of various lengths is also utilized. The data used are annual, seasonal, and monthly values. The streams are grouped geographically to determine if regional patterns exist. The runoff increased on the majority of streams for the period 1931-1960, but for the period from the beginning of record to 1960 most streams exhibited a negative trend. When geographical distribution is considered, the streams located in the interior of the continent show greater similarity of trend than do those on the continental margins.     

NITRATE TRANSFORMATIONS IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO STREAM SEDIMENTS1

The transformation of nitrate was investigated in diverse stream sediments from six areas of Southern Ontario, Canada. Laboratory Experiments conducted with intact 0-5 cm depth sediment cores overlain with aerated 5 mg/l nitrate-N solution reveald considerable nitrate depletion during a six-day period as a resuit of denitrification and nitrate reduction to ammonium. Nitrification and ammonification also occurred simultaneously with nitrate reduction in many stream sediments. Mixed 0-5 cm depth sediments collected from 81 stream sites were used to examine the relationship between microbial nitrate removal and sediment characteristics. Rates of nitrate-N loss from aerated 5 mg/l nitrate-N solutions overlying these sediments ranged between 11 and 171 mg/m²/day for a 24-hour incubation period. Rates of nitrate loss for the 24-hour period exhibited a significant positive correlation (r=0.72) with sediment ammonium content. Organic carbon, total nitrogen and sediment texture also had significant but weak correlations with nitrate loss.     

DISTRIBUTION OF BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES IN A STREAM EXPOSED TO URBAN RUNOFF1

ABSTRACT: A study of benthic macroinvertebrate community composition was conducted at eight sites along Shabakunk Creek, a small stream in Mercer County, New Jersey, which receives urban runoff. The relationship between changes in substrate composition and the nature of the benthic macroinvertebrate community has been examined. Organisms were collected seasonally from natural substrates in riffles. Attempts to employ artificial substrates for invertebrate collection proved unsuccessful, as the population on the samplers was not representative of that in the stream bed. Number of total benthic macroinvertebrate taxa collected declined from 13 in relatively undeveloped upstream areas to four below heavily developed areas, while population density decreased simultaneously in the same areas. Periphyton samples collected from natural substrates were analyzed for selected heavy metals. Significantly higher heavy metal concentrations are reported from substrates sampled below heavily developed areas, and changes in these values are discussed with regard to changes in benthic macroinvertebrate distribution.     

SOURCES OF VARIABILITY IN CONDUCTING PEBBLE COUNTS: THEIR POTENTIAL INFLUENCE ON THE RESULTS OF STREAM MONITORING PROGRAMS1

Pebble counts have been used for a variety of monitoring projects and are an important component of stream evaluation efforts throughout the United States. The utility of pebble counts as a monitoring tool is, however, based on the monitoring objectives and the assumption that data are collected with sufficient precision to meet those objectives. Depending upon the objective, sources of variability that can limit the precision of pebble count data include substrate heterogeneity at a site, differences in substrate among sample locations within a stream reach, substrate variability among streams, differences in when the substrate sample is collected, differences in how and where technicians pick up substrate particles, and how consistently technicians measure the intermediate axis of a selected particle. This study found that each of these sources of variability is of sufficient magnitude to affect results of monitoring projects. Therefore, actions such as observer training, increasing the number of pebbles measured, evaluating several riffles within a reach, evaluating permanent sites, and narrowing the time window during which pebble counts are conducted should be considered in order to minimize variability. The failure to account for sources of variability associated with pebble counts within the study design may result in failing to meet monitoring objectives.     

RHODAMINE WT DYE LOSSES IN A MOUNTAIN STREAM ENVIRONMENT1

ABSTRACT: A significant fraction of rhodamine WT dye was lost during a short term multitracer injection experiment in a mountain stream environment. The conservative anion chloride and the sorbing cation lithium were concurrently injected. In-stream rhodamine WT concentrations were as low as 45 percent of that expected, based on chloride data. Concentration data were available from shallow‘wells’dug near the stream course and from a seep of suspected return flow. Both rhodamine WT dye and lithium were nonconservative with respect to the conservative chloride, with rhodamine WT dye closely following the behavior of the sorbing lithium. Nonsorption and sorption mechanisms for rhodamine WT loss in a mountain stream were evaluated in laboratory experiments. Experiments evaluating nonsorption losses indicated minimal losses by such mechanisms. Laboratory experiments using sand and gravel size streambed sediments show an appreciable capacity for rhodamine WT sorption. The detection of tracers in the shallow wells and seep indicates interaction between the stream and the flow in the surrounding subsurface, intergravel water, system. The injected tracers had ample opportunity for intimate contact with materials shown in the laboratory experiments to be potentially sorptive. It is suggested that in the study stream system, interaction with streambed gravel was a significant mechanism for the attenuation of rhodamine WT dye (relative to chloride).     

GROUND WATER FLOW AND RUNOFF IN A COASTAL PLAIN STREAM1

ABSTRACT: The quantity, seasonality, and sources of flow were analyzed for two segments of Four Mile Branch, a small stream on the Coastal Plain of South Carolina using data obtained from USGS gauging stations. Flows in the “upstream segment,” a 12.6-km² watershed comprising the head waters of Four Mile Branch, averaged 0.129 m³ s^?1 and showed a distinctly seasonal pattern, with maximum flows in February and March and minimum flows in September and October. Inflow to the “downstream segment,” a 2.2-km² watershed associated with the main channel, averaged 0.059 m³ s^?1 and showed no seasonal patterns. Discharges per unit area of watershed were greater for the downstream segment, 0.83 m³ per year per m² of land surface, than for the upstream segment, 0.32 m³ per year per m². The differences in discharge rates and seasonalities between the two segments reflect differences in aquifers supplying the different segments. Analyses of Streamflow by hydrograph separation and Streamflow partitioning methods indicated that greater than 90 percent of the flows in the upstream and downstream segments were due to ground water-driven base flows.     

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANNUAL RUNOFF AND WATERSHED AREA FOR THE EASTERN UNITED STATES1

ABSTRACT: As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's effort to determine the long-term effects of acidic deposition on surface water chemistry, annual runoff was estimated for about 1000 ungaged sites in the eastern U.S. using runoff contour maps. One concern in using contour maps was that a bias may be introduced in the runoff estimates due to the size of the 1000 ungaged sites relative to the size of the watersheds used in developing the maps. To determine if a bias was present the relationship between the annual runoff (expressed as depth) and the watershed area for the Northeast (NE) and Southern Blue Ridge Province (SBRP) was tested using five regional data bases. One short-term data base (1984 Water Year, n = 531) and two long-term data bases (1940–57, n = 134 and 1951–80, n = 342) were used in the NE. In the SBRP one short-term database (1984 Water Year, n = 531) and one long-term data base (1951–80, n = 60) were used. For the NE and the SBRP, runoff was not directly correlated with watershed area using the five regional databases. Also, runoff normalized by precipitation was not related to watershed area.     

DYNAMICS OF ADDED NITRATE AND PHOSPHATE COMPARED IN A NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WOODLAND STREAM1

ABSTRACT: Injections of NO₃ and PO₄ were made during September 1975 into Little Lost Man Creek, a small pristine stream in Redwood National Park, California. Chloride, a conservative constituent, was added in a known ratio to the nutrients. Nutrient loss at a downstream point was calculated using concentration of added Cl as a reference. Nitrate nitrogen (NO₃-N), added for 4 h, reached 920 μg/1 (above 5 μg/1 background) just below the injection point, but increased only to 405 μg/1 at 310 m downstream. The concentration decrease was attributed to dispersion and to uptake by stream biota. Percent of NO₃-N lost decreased with increasing concentration of NO₃-N. Phosphate phosphorus (PO₄-P) was added a week after the NO₃-N for 3 h, causing a concentration increase of 296 μg/1 (above 13 μg/1 background) just below the injection point, of 161 μg/1 at 90 m downstream, and of 98 μg/1 at 310 m. Percent loss of PO₄-P at downstream sites increased with increasing PO₄-P concentration and also for a short period after peak concentration occurred, but then decreased as PO₄-P concentration continued decreasing. Differences in stream response to added NO₃-N and PO₄-P are attributed to differing rates of reaction with biota and differing degrees of interaction with abiotic stream solids.     

EFFECTS OF SOIL TYPE,PLOT CONDITION,AND SLOPE ON RUNOFF AND INTERRILL EROSION OF TWO SOILS IN THE LAKE TAHOE BASIN1

ABSTRACT: Few studies have addressed sediment discharge due to interrill erosion from natural and minimally disturbed alpine and subalpine forested watersheds. Infiltration, runoff, and surface erosion of two Tahoe Basin soils under several conditions were investigated using rainfall simulation. A significant three-way interaction among soil type, plot condition, and slope was identified. Although high erodibiity was commonly associated with disturbance and/or high slope, this was not always the case. Soil type, plot condition, slope, and duration of the event were all found to be important factors in determining the amount of erosion. Decreased water clarity in Lake Tahoe has been partly attributed to increased algal growth associated with surface runoff and erosion from adjacent watersheds. Interpretive evaluation for resource management planning should be event based and carefully delineated on a sitespecific basis.     

EVALUATION OF SOME APPROACHES TO ESTIMATING NON-POINT POLLUTANT LOADS FOR UNMONITORED AREAS1

ABSTRACT: Evaluation of the non-point source pollutant load entering a lake from multiple tributaries requires either that all tributaries be monitored or that some extrapolation method be used to estimate loads originating in areas not monitored. Unmonitored areas include not only watersheds of tributaries that are not monitored, but also portions of a monitored tributary's drainage basin downstream from the monitoring site and areas of direct drainage. Significant portions of large lake drainage basins are often not monitored, and loads for these areas are often estimated by extrapolation. Six simple extrapolation procedures were evaluated by using them to estimate loads for areas that had been monitored and comparing the estimated loads with the monitored loads. Three approaches were based on inter-basin ratios of area, C-factor, and discharge. The other approaches used regression relationships between concentration and flow to estimate concentrations for the unmonitored basin. The ratio approaches generally were more reliable than the regression approaches. However, extrapolation by any method tested was not very precise. Some methods also were biased when applied to watersheds of a size different than the monitored one. Extrapolation by any of these methods would compromise the precision of the lake-wide load estimate, if the unmonitored area were a significant part of the entire basin.     

WATER LOSS EQUATIONS AND COEFFICIENTS TO ESTIMATE RUNOFF FROM RAINFALL1

Infiltration models are based on physical characteristics of the soil and initial soil moisture. For a given soil it is based on the initial soil moisture distribution. A computer simulation model for flood runoff systems (FH-Model) was used to analyze 39 sets of rainfall-runoff data on four small watersheds ranging in size from 17 to 342 square kilometers located in the Yamaska River basin in Quebec. From these analyses, parameters and coefficients have been determined for a water loss (infiltration) equation. A method for determining the loss parameters, using a nonlinear least square curve fitting technique, is presented. Expressions were made to relate the loss parameters to antecedent precipitation. The equations were tested on 11 storm rainfall and runoff events on a watershed located in the same region and close agreements were found.     

STREAM FLOW IN RELATION TO OHIA FOREST DECLINE ON THE ISLAND OF HAWAII1

ABSTRACT: Dieback of the ohia forest over a large part of the Hilo watershed and adjacent areas has resulted in a severe loss of the overstory crown component of the vegetation. The decline could cause serious damage to the watershed. To evaluate possible changes in conditions in the Hilo area since the decline began, stream flow, water quality, and precipitation data from 1929 to 1980 were collected and analyzed. The limited data available do not indicate that the ohia decline has resulted in a significant change in either annual stream flow or peak stream flow of a stream discharging from the ohia forest in the Hilo area. Suspended sediment production of two streams remains well within accepted levels as does the chemical makeup of components dissolved in the streams.     

ERRORS RELATED TO RANDOM STREAM TEMPERATURE DATA COLLECTION IN UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER WATERSHED1

ABSTRACT: Records of hourly water temperatures for two streams in the Upper Mississippi River basin were used to find the error between instantaneous measurements of stream water temperatures and true daily averages. The instantaneous summer water temperature measurements were assumed to be collected during daylight hours, and measurement times were selected randomly. The absolute error at the 95 percent confidence level of randomly collected stream water temperatures was less than 0.9°C for a 1 to 5m deep large river, but as large as 3.6°C for a 0.3 to lm deep small stream. Temperature readings of morning samples were usually below daily average values, and afternoon readings were usually above. Daily mean water temperatures were obtained with less than 0.23°C standard deviation from true daily averages if the daily maximum and minimum water temperatures were averaged. Sample results were obtained for the open water (summer) season only, since diurnal water temperature fluctuations in ice covered streams are usually negligible.     

VARIATION OF STREAM STABILITY WITH STREAM TYPE AND LWESTOCK BANK DAMAGE IN NORTHERN NEVADA1

ABSTRACT: Many natural and anthropogenic factors contribute to the stability or erodibility of stream channels. Although a stream rating procedure used by more than 60 percent of the U.S. National Forests provides an estimate of overall stability, it does not identify the cause of instability or indicate corrective management. To better sort natural from livestock influences, stream stability rating indicator variables were related to stream types and levels of ungulate bank damage in a large data base for streams in northern Nevada. Stability and the range in stability varied naturally with stream type. Ungulate bank damage had different effects on different stream types and on different parts of their cross-sections. Vegetation is more important for stability on certain stream types than on other types. Streams with noncohesive sand and gravel banks are most sensitive to livestock grazing. Range managers should consider the stream type when setting local standards, writing management objectives, or determining riparian grazing strategies.     

TOTAL SOLUTES LOADS AND GEOCHEMICAL YIELDS IN THE SASKATCHEWAN RIVER BASIN1

ABSTRACT: River solute loads have seldom been measured in very large, complex drainage basins, nor have the methods of calculating loads been critically examined. For sites in the Saskatchewan River Basin, Canada, rating curves were poor predictors of solute loads because correlations between discharge and total solutes concentration were weak (R² < 0.05 in most cases) and suffered from hysteresis. In contrast, the interval method produced reliable estimates in all seasons and sites tested, and was little affected by sampling schedule. The limit of precision (SE) for estimates of mean annual or seasonal solute load was 10–15 percent of the mean (5 percent in very small basins), reached with 10 years or more of data. Two-thirds or more of total annual solute load was transported during the open-water season, but the proportion carried during winter increased from 8 percent to 34 percent from the upstream to the downstream end of the basin, due to reservoirs retaining and mixing water. Annual loads of total solutes varied from 6.2 × 10⁴ tonnes in foothills tributaries to almost 4.0 × 10⁶ tonnes in the Saskatchewan River near the mouth. But, on an areal basis, the mountain and foothills region was the dominant solute source, producing 43–97 tonnes/km²/yr, compared with only 3–22 tonnes/km²/yr for prairie rivers. This difference is a consequence of greater rainfall and, hence, more rapid erosion in the mountains.     

A WATERSHED APPROACH TO ECOSYSTEM MONITORING IN DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE,ALASKA1

ABSTRACT: The National Park Service and the National Biological Service initiated research in Denali National Park and Preserve, a 2.4 million-hectare park in southcentral Alaska, to develop ecological monitoring protocols for national parks in the Arctic/Subarctic biogeographic area. We are focusing pilot studies on design questions, on scaling issues and regionalization, ecosystem structure and function, indicator selection and evaluation, and monitoring technologies. Rock Creek, a headwater stream near Denali headquarters, is the ecological scale for initial testing of a watershed ecosystem approach. Our conceptual model embraces principles of the hydrological cycle, hypotheses of global climate change, and biological interactions of organisms occupying intermediate, but poorly studied, positions in Alaskan food webs. The field approach includes hydrological and depositional considerations and a suite of integrated measures linking key aquatic and terrestrial biota, environmental variables, or defined ecological processes, in order to establish ecological conditions and detect, track, and understand mechanisms of environmental change. Our sampling activities include corresponding measures of physical, chemical, and biological attributes in four Rock Creek habitats believed characteristic of the greater system diversity of Denali. This paper gives examples of data sets, program integration and scaling, and research needs.     

USING INFILTRATION ENHANCEMENT AND SOIL WATER MANAGEMENT TO REDUCE DIAZINON IN RUNOFF1

ABSTRACT: Pesticide runoff from dormant sprayed orchards is a major water quality problem in California's Central Valley. During the past several years, diazinon levels in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers have exceeded water quality criteria for aquatic organisms. Orchard water management, via post‐application irrigation, and infiltration enhancement, through the use of a vegetative ground cover, are management practices that are believed to reduce pesticide loading to surface waters. Field experiments were conducted in Davis, California, to measure the effectiveness of these management practices in reducing the toxicity of storm water runoff. Treatments using a vegetative ground cover significantly reduced peak concentrations and cumulative pesticide mass in runoff for first flush experiments compared with bare soil treatments. Post‐application irrigation was found to be an effective means of reducing peak concentrations and cumulative mass in runoff from bare soil treatments, but showed no significant effect on vegetated treatments.     

STREAM CHEMISTRY IN THE SOUTHERN BLUE RIDGE: FEASIBILITY OF A REGIONAL SYNOPTIC SAMPLING APPROACH1

ABSTRACT: A pilot study, which was conducted in the Southern Blue Ridge geographical province of the Southeastern U.S., demonstrated the feasibility of a probability-based regional synoptic design for the National Stream Survey, which is a project aimed at estimating the number and percentage of streams in various regions of the U.S. that are acidic or at risk from acid deposition. Estimated population distributions for key chemical variables were not appreciably affected by week-to-week variability in stream chemistry during the spring index period chosen for the study. Differences were observed in estimated acid neutralizing capacity (ANC), nitrate, and pH frequency distributions between spring and summer. Observations made at the downstream node did not represent the chemistry of the entire reach for some variables (ANC and nitrate) as indicated by differences in chemical concentrations between upstream and downstream sampling locations. Coefficients of variation in chemical species were low enough to provide a reasonably stable classification of streams based on ANC. Although median ANC, sulfate, and nitrate concentrations were quite low in the region, the probability of finding streams with ph < 6.3 is less than 1.3 percent at the α= 0.05 confidence level.