Level I Water Quality Inventory and Aquatic Biological Assessment of the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site and the Johnstown Flood National Memorial
Sheeder S and Tzilkowski C. 2006. Level I Water Quality Inventory and Aquatic Biological Assessment of the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site and the Johnstown Flood National Memorial. National Park Service Technical Report Series. Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR—2006/060. National Park Service. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Eleven stream sites throughout Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site (ALPO) and Johnstown Flood National Memorial (JOFL) were sampled for a suite of 35 water quality parameters. In addition, macroinvertebrates and fishes were sampled from 100 m reaches centered on water quality sampling locations.Results of the water quality analysis indicated that: 1) Water chemistry of Blair Gap Run (BGR)and associated tributaries flowing through the ALPO property were typical of forestedwatersheds with similar geologic characteristics. However, elevated concentrations of somemetals indicated some impairment of the BGR headwaters, potentially from acid mine drainageand atmospheric pollution. Lower reaches of BGR had high fecal coliform bacteriaconcentrations, likely from small-scale farming operations and malfunctioning septic systems inthe watershed; and 2) The mainstem of the South Fork of the Little Conemaugh River (SFLCR),flowing through the JOFL property, was severely impaired, likely due to acid minedrainage. Three tributaries to the SF-LCR that flow through park property had water chemistrysignatures typical of similar-sized valley streams located throughout Pennsylvania; however, twoof the three streams showed moderate signs of impairment.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Sheeder, Scott; Tzilkowski, Caleb
- Date of Issue
- 2006-10
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- ALPO , ERMN , JOFL
- Keywords
- Aquatic, core parameters, Fishes, inventory and assessment, Macroinvertebrates, Presence (Biodiversity), Taxa Links To Datasets, Vouchers, Water Quality
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Water Chemistry , Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Aquatic Macroinvertebrates and Algae , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Fishes