Inventory and monitoring protocols for water resources of National Capital Region parks
Hilderbrand R, Boward D, Raesly R. 2005. Inventory and monitoring protocols for water resources of National Capital Region parks
This report summarizes the 2004 sampling and assessment of water resources condition of 20 sites across parks of the National Capital Region of the National Park Service. The purpose of this project is to expand inventory, assess condition, and develop/implement monitoring protocols for water resources in National Capital Region parks. We sampled a total of 20 sites across the National Capital Region including Antietam National Battlefield (1 site); Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park (5 sites); George Washington Memorial Parkway property (2 sites); Harper’s Ferry National Historic Park (1 site); Manassas National Battlefield (2 sites); Monocacy National Battlefield (3 sites); National Capital Parks East (2 sites); Prince William Forest Park (2 sites); Rock Creek Park (1 site); and Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (1 site). Site selection was a joint effort between NPS and the Investigators and will become part of the portfolio of long-term monitoring sites in the Region. At each site, we sampled water chemistry and benthic macroinvertebrates during spring and fish and physical habitat during the summer. Water quality was generally good across the 20 sites. Three sites had somewhat elevated nitrate levels, but all other water quality parameters were reasonable. Eleven of 20 sites had fish IBI scores above 3 (fair) whereas nine of 20 scored 3 or better for the benthic invertebrate IBI. The physical habitat index ranked almost all sites as fair with only a few streams indicating clear degradation.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Hilderbrand, Robert; Boward, Dan; Raesly, Richard
- Date of Issue
- 2005-06
- Units
- ANTI , CHOH , GWMP , HAFE , MANA , MONO , NACE , NCRN , PRWI , ROCR , WOTR
- Keywords
- Benthic, BIBI, FIBI, Fish, Inventory, Macroinvertebrates, Monitoring, National Capital Region, PHI, Riparian, stream condition, Streams, vital signs monitoring, Water, Water Quality, Water Resources