Water Quality Trends

Project Summary

Water Quality Trends

Biotic Index
Dissolved Oxygen
Fecal Coliform Bacteria
Nitrate Nitrogen
Total Phosphorus

Pike County
Water Quality Trends
1991 - 2001

Project Summary

The following is a brief summary of the Pike County Water Quality Trends Analysis project. The complete report is available as a PDF document. Summary graphics can be viewed by selecting the individual Water Quality Trend links in the menu above. A map and listing of stations can be viewed on-line.

Background

The Pike County Conservation District (PCCD) has conducted a countywide chemical and biological water quality monitoring program in the streams of Pike County since 1991. Although the stations which are monitored was variable from year to year, the program has sampled at times eighteen baseline stations, nine sets above and below wastewater treatment plant discharges, and twenty nonpoint source problem areas. Routine chemical, physical and biological parameters have included biochemical oxygen demand, fecal coliform bacteria, alkalinity, nitrate nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, ammonia, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus, orthophosphorus, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, free chlorine, and total chlorine. In addition, stream macroinvertebrates have been sampled and analyzed to provide additional information on water quality conditions in the county.

Purpose

Each year, PCCD prepares an annual water quality summary that provides a detailed analysis of the data collected during that year. The purpose of this report is not to produce a version of that report covering an eleven year period. Rather, the purpose of this report is to provide an analysis of water quality and water quality trends within Pike County based upon the assembled water quality database. This report examines water quality trends of selected parameters both temporally (across time) and spatially (across distance). The report describes water quality in this fashion across the entire county as well as within five major county watersheds. The report also provides recommendations for a continued sampling program that maximizes the value of the dataset for the purposes of tracking countywide water quality trends.

More detailed information on PCCD sampling and analytical methodologies and station locations is provided in the annual reports produced by the PCCD.

Conclusions and Recommendations

In general, water quality has been stable and good throughout the period of record. The presence of wastewater treatment plants in Pike County has had a slight but noticeable effect on water quality in the county, based upon the water sampling program. Negative effects include higher total phosphorus and nitrate nitrogen concentrations and an increase in fecal coliform bacteria. Positive effects include higher pH and dissolved oxygen concentrations. In general, countywide water quality has not changed over the period of record, but has been relatively good and stable since 1991. The biological monitoring program (macroinvertebrates) also shows that water quality was relatively stable from 1991 through 2000.

The ongoing monitoring program is valuable for the protection of water resources in Pike County and should be continued. Recommended modifications to the program include several additional stations to fill in some gaps in the coverage of the county, a more consistent sampling of stations from year to year, and a reduction in the chemical parameters which are analyzed.