Evaluation of quality-control data and quality assurance for routine water quality monitoring: Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Zion national parks, water years 2006–2013
Weissinger RH. 2016. Evaluation of quality-control data and quality assurance for routine water quality monitoring: Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Zion national parks, water years 2006–2013. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NCPN/NRR—2016/1154. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
To track long-term trends in water quality of stream water at Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Zion national parks, the Northern Colorado Plateau Network submits monthly water-quality samples to the Utah Public Health Laboratory (in cooperation with the Utah Division of Water Quality). Water-quality sampling began in September 2005. Quality-assurance procedures and quality-control samples are essential for determining the quality of data and our ability to use those data for trend analysis. The majority of water-quality data reported from WY2006 to WY2013 met data-quality objectives for long-term trend monitoring. Variability in sulfate, total suspended solids, Kjeldahl nitrogen, and dissolved nitrite + nitrate was higher than expected, and may affect our ability to detect temporal trends in these constituents. A low bias for sulfate and sum of anions, and a high bias for total dissolved solids, seen from 2011 to 2013, could cause spurious short-term trends in the data. In addition, because of potential bias in sample handling, it is recommended that total suspended solids not be used for trend analyses.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Weissinger, Rebecca
- Date of Issue
- 2016-03
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- BRCA , CARE , NCPN , NRSS , ZION
- Keywords
- Aquatic Studies, Monitoring, NCPN Water Quality Monitoring, Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Water Quality