Upper Columbia Basin Network integrated water quality annual report 2015: Big Hole National Battlefield (BIHO)

Starkey, Eric

This annual report details the status of key indicators of water quality obtained from monitoring in Big Hole National Battlefield (BIHO), June-October 2015. Monitoring occurred in the North Fork Big Hole River, which was previously sampled in 2012 (see Starkey 2013). Data from the 2015 field sampling effort was collected following methods detailed in the UCBN integrated water quality monitoring protocol (Starkey et al. 2008). The UCBN Integrated Water Quality Monitoring Protocol was formally peer-reviewed and approved for implementation in August 2009. A revised version has recently been published (Starkey et al. 2016a) and can be found on the UCBN website at: http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/ucbn/publications.cfm?tab=3. This protocol can be found on the UCBN website at: http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/ucbn/publications.cfm?tab=3. Benthic macroinvertebrates were collected by the United States Forest Service- PACFISH/INFISH Biological Opinion (PIBO) according to their peer reviewed protocol during the UCBN’s monitoring of stream channel characteristics and riparian condition in 2014. The UCBN’s peer reviewed stream channel characteristics and riparian condition protocols can also be found on the UCBN’s website listed above. Water chemistry and macroinvertebrate results indicate that the North Fork Big Hole River is in fair to good condition, with the primary concerns being dissolved oxygen levels below established thresholds and elevated water temperatures. The status of water quality for North Fork Big Hole River relative to state regulatory thresholds is given in the summary table on the following page. UCBN water quality monitoring is conducted on a 3 year rotating panel. As a result, conditions in North Fork Big Hole River will be re-evaluated in 2018.

Upper Columbia Basin Network integrated water quality annual report 2015: Big Hole National Battlefield (BIHO)

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