Upper Columbia Basin Network integrated water quality annual report 2009: City of Rocks National Reserve (CIRO), Castle Rocks State Park (CRSP).
Starkey EN . 2010. Upper Columbia Basin Network integrated water quality annual report 2009: City of Rocks National Reserve (CIRO), Castle Rocks State Park (CRSP).. Natural Resource Technical Report. NPS/UCBN/NRTR—2010/279. National Park Service
This annual report details the status of key indicators of water quality obtained from the first season of monitoring in City of Rocks National Reserve (CIRO) and Castle Rock’s State Park (CRSP) 2009. Note that several of the appendices in this report are primarily intended for UCBN internal reference. Data from the 2009 field sampling effort was collected following methods detailed in the UCBN integrated water quality monitoring protocol (Starkey et al. 2009). The UCBN integrated water quality monitoring protocol was formally peer-reviewed and approved for implementation in August 2009. Water chemistry and macroinvertebrate results indicate that the primary concern in the Circle Creek drainage (CIRO) is turbidity caused primarily by stream bank erosion. Data collected during a 24-hour period in 2009 suggest that the main stem of Circle Creek may encounter dissolved oxygen levels below the regulatory threshold (6.0 mg/L) on a regular basis during base flow. Water chemistry and macroinvertebrate results suggest that the “wetland mitigation” areas along Almo Creek (CRSP) may be having a positive effect on stream biota. Wide fluctuations in water levels due to irrigation needs should be a concern to park managers as it is likely adding to bank instability issues along Almo Creek. In both Almo Creek and the Circle Creek drainage there is much evidence that stream bank erosion is being caused by the use of the riparian area and stream channel by livestock. Stream bank erosion is discussed in more detail in this report.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Starkey, Eric
- Date of Issue
- 2010-01-13
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- CIRO , NRSS , UCBN
- Keywords
- CIRO, City of Rocks National Reserve, Macroinvertebrates, UCBN Water Quality Monitoring, Water Chemistry, Water Quality