Water quality monitoring for Theodore Roosevelt National Park: 2019 data report

Rosse, Anine; Cramer, Myles

doi:10.36967/2295308

The Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN) began monitoring water quality in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (THRO) in 2013, with the assistance of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This report summarizes the data collected during the 2019 ice-free season (April 17 through November 4) for streamflow, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, and pH. This was the third season of continuous water quality monitoring. Compared to earlier sampling periods in 2013 and 2016, 2019 was much wetter. Discharge on the Little Missouri River peaked at 27,600 cubic feet per second (cfs) prior to the ice-free season, and later peaked at 9,410 cfs during the ice-free season in May. For context, the highest flows in 2013 and 2016 were 8,400 and 1,650 cfs, respectively. 2019 had the highest recorded streamflow since 2011, which had a peak streamflow of 35,100 cfs. The 2019 peak was well under the highest peak ever recorded: 65,000 cfs in 1947. There was considerable seasonal variation in all water quality measures. A summary of our results can be found in Descriptive Statistics Summary tables for the entire ice-free season (Table 3) and for each month (Table 4). Notably, all measurements met the North Dakota water quality standards, with no exceedances during the ice-free season for the monitored parameters. E. coli bacteria, which is not monitored by NGPN, continues to be an issue for the north unit of THRO, as well as a small portion of the south unit south of Andrews Creek near the I-94 bridge. NGPN’s collaboration with USGS supported real-time and archived access to this data through the USGS National Water Information System Website, where it remains available to the public.

Water quality monitoring for Theodore Roosevelt National Park: 2019 data report

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