Fixed-station water-quality monitoring at Congaree National Park: Data Summary 2012

Rinehart, Aaron; Wright, Wendy; Gregory, M.

doi:10.36967/2195210

In 2006 Congaree National Park (CONG), in conjunction with the Southeast Coast Network (SECN) Inventory and Monitoring Program, began collecting water-quality data at Cedar Creek as part the NPS Vital Signs Monitoring Program. The continuous-monitoring data station is located approximately one mile south of the visitor center and collects water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, turbidity and water-level data every 30 minutes. This publication summarizes data collected from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. The CONG fixed-station water-quality monitoring site is part of the SECN water-quality monitoring program. Information collected by this monitoring program may be used to help park managers make better-informed decisions by understanding trends and variability related to water-quality conditions in park waters. Summary data are presented in annual data reports published by the SECN. Significant findings for 2012 are as follows: Water temperature ranged 5.7–30.4 °C (42.2–86.7 °F). The lowest monthly average temperature of 10.9°C (51.6°F) occurred in January, and the highest monthly average of 27.7 °C (81.7 °F) occurred in July. Specific conductance values ranged from 19 to 43 µs/cm. There were no major spikes in specific conductance during 2012. Dissolved oxygen concentrations ranged from a low of 4.8 mg/L in July to a high of 11.8 mg/L in February. No daily average concentrations were lower than the South Carolina freshwater standard for daily averages of 5.0 mg/L during 2012. During 2012, values for pH ranged between 5.47 and 6.14, with approximately 99% of measurements (10,455 / 10,608) below the 6.0 unit standard. The monthly averages for pH ranged from 5.8 to 5.9 throughout the year. Daily averages for pH were below 6.0 for the entire year. Turbidity values were generally below 10 NTUs in Cedar Creek throughout much of the year (83% of readings [11,407 / 13,818]). Mean daily turbidity values above 50 NTUs were observed three times during 2012, occurring potentially during, and after, summer rainfall events. The lowest monthly average for turbidity occurred during November (1.7 NTUs,) during an extended period of stable low-flow conditions. The highest monthly average for turbidity was 24.5 NTUs in August, with high variability throughout the month. In 2012, approximately 19% of data were excluded from analysis because it was missing or considered anomalous. An approximate 20-day period of missing data during January was due to loss of power to the sonde during deployment. A second 20-day period of missing data in late March to early April was also due to power failure. pH and turbidity values were the most frequently flagged parameter during 2012.

Fixed-station water-quality monitoring at Congaree National Park: Data Summary 2012

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