Water quality monitoring at Saratoga National Historical Park: Northeast Temperate Network 2014 summary report

Gawley, William; Dieffenbach, Fred

This report on the water quality of Saratoga National Historical Park (SARA) includes data gathered by the Northeast Temperate Network (NETN) in the 2014 monitoring season and displays these results in graphic form, accompanied by a brief interpretation. The data address the NETN objective to detect change in the status of physical, chemical, or biological attributes of park freshwater bodies. The NETN Freshwater Monitoring Protocol calls for a total of four park streams to be sampled monthly from May through October at SARA. Staff measured physical and in-situ water chemistry parameters each month and periodically collected water samples for analysis at the University of Maine’s Sawyer Environmental Chemistry Research Laboratory. Monthly sampling parameters included in-situ water quality measures (pH, specific conductance, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity), weather, stream flow (discharge), and stream stage. In May and August, water samples were obtained and analyzed for acid neutralizing capacity (ANC), color, nutrients, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), chloride, and sulfate. Most water quality parameters for the monitored streams were within state standards, and varied within the ranges of the historic NETN monitoring data for SARA. All streams were generally well-oxygenated, and had their highest temperatures in June and July. Additionally, they were well buffered (with high ANC values), turbid, and highly colored with moderate DOC concentrations. Nutrient levels were moderate to high in 2014, with August total nitrogen levels for two sites greatly exceeding the EPA Region 7 nutrient criterion. Stream discharge and stage were highest in June, and dropped to near baseflow levels in some streams in July, but recovering in October.

Water quality monitoring at Saratoga National Historical Park: Northeast Temperate Network 2014 summary report

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