7 BRANCH CREEK WATER QUALITY MONITORING

ROSWELL, GA (UPPER CHATTAHOOCHEE WATERSHED)

Facts about the Chattahoochee River (1) "Chattahoochee" is an Indian word which means “river of painted rocks”, possibly referring

to the many colorful rock outcroppings in and along the river.

(2) The source of the river is a tiny spring located several hundreds yards below the Appalachian Trail in the southeast corner of Union County.

(3) The river flows southwesterly through Georgia to merge with the Flint River in Lake Seminole on the Florida border, where its name changes to the Apalachicola as it meanders through Florida to the Gulf of Mexico.

(4) The headwaters of the Chattahoochee River which drain into Lake Lanier above Atlanta comprise the smallest watershed, or drainage area, which provides a major portion of water supply for any metropolitan area in the country.

(5) The Chattahoochee River is the second southernmost trout habitat in the United States (other: Guadalupe River, Texas) and is also one of only two trout streams in North America that flow through a major urban area (other: Bow River, Canada).

Facts about the Chattahoochee River (6) The Chattahoochee River Basin supplies more than 70 percent of metro Atlanta's water for

drinking and other needs -- an annual average of about 450 million gallons per day.

(7) Metro Atlanta's sewage treatment plants release approximately 250 million gallons of treated wastewater into Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River every day.

(8) In 1957, the Corps of Engineers completed Buford Dam, 50 miles above Atlanta, and created Lake Lanier, the most visited federal lake in the U.S. Lake Lanier contains 38,000 acres and 700 miles of shoreline.

(9) In the mid-1970's, the Corps of Engineers built West Point Lake, which is 85 miles south of Atlanta and has 25,900 acres and 525 miles of shoreline.

  (10) The Chattahoochee River is one of the oldest and most stable river channels within the

United States, since it's essentially "locked" in place, flowing along the Brevard Fault Zone, and cannot meander and change course over time like most rivers.

The Chattahoochee River is essentially "locked" in place, flowing along the Brevard Fault Zone, and cannot meander and change course over time like most rivers.

7 Branch Creek monitoring location

7 Branch Creek monitoring location

Botanical biodiversity in habitat surrounding the monitored reach of 7-Branch Creek.

Canopy: Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) Mockernut hickory (Carya tomentosa) Red Maple (Acer rubrum) Ironwood (Carpinus caroliniana) Southern catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides) White oak (Quercus alba)

Midstory: Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense)

Vine/herb Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) English ivy (Hedera helix) Muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia) Greenbriar (Smilax rotundifolia) Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) Spotted ladysthumb (Polygonum persicaria) Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) Trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans)

Quarter Quad Rare Elements for Roswell, GA at site. (Source GA DNR)

Quarter Quad Rare Elements for Roswell, GA at site. (Source GA DNR)

7 Branch Creek Water Quality Monitoring Methodologies

Methodologies for monitoring are based off of monitoring conditions for mitigation/restoration sites in NE Georgia. With input from aquatic ecologists, wildlife biologists, and environmental scientists, a set of comparable parameters to be monitored has been agreed upon for these areas. Parameters to be monitored are pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and conductivity. These readings will be taken out of the 7 Branch Creek, a tributary to the Chattahoochee watershed. Monitoring data for the Chattahoochee River will be taken from USGS water quality monitoring stations that are set up across the Upper Chattahoochee watershed to gain a better perspective of the overall conditions of the Chattahoochee River and compare the monitoring data with the condition of the tributary (7 Branch Creek) to determine the water quality of the tributaries input into the Upper Chattahoochee Watershed system. Rainfall data and calibration records for the Water Quality Sonde will be recorded every time a sample is taken (sonde calibration is valid for 30 days from calibration date). Samples will be taken with the water quality sonde twice a month, typically on Sunday afternoons (Due to equipment availability some days were not able to be recorded). Calibration for the YSI Model 556 multi-probe water quality sonde will be updated every 30 days.

A more detailed description of the methodologies can be found at http://ellettwqmethod.blogspot.com/

Forms NC Stream ID form Version 4.11 Calibration sheet WQ Data Form

WQ Data-7 Branch CreekSeptember 27, 2014

Temp: 18.88 C D.O. (Dissolved oxygen): 6.6 mg/l pH: 6.01 (data corrected) Cond: 0.125 ms/cm Flow: less than 1 fps Depth: 6 in. 

Calibration:

October 12, 2014 Temp: 20.00 C D.O. 4.89 mg/l pH: 6.14 Cond: 0.102 ms/cm Flow: less than 1 fps Depth: 7 in.

WQ Data-7 Branch Creek

November 2, 2014 Temp: 10.16 C D.O. 8.23 mg/l pH: 5.97 Cond: 0.078 Flow: less than 1 fps Depth:  8 inches

Calibration:

November 16, 2014 Temp: 9.8 C D.O.: 8.25 mg/l pH: 5.35 Cond: 0.075 Flow: less than 1 fps Depth: 7 inches

Calibration Sheets

Rainfall Data

Water Quality Field Data Sheets

Water Quality Field Data Sheets

USGS Water Quality data gauge stations

USGS DATA (data is the result of daily average) http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/

September 27, 2014 Temp: 17.8 degrees C DO mg/l: 8.6 pH: 6.3 Cond: 0.085

October 12, 2014 Temp: 18.8 degrees C DO mg/l: 7.9 pH: 6.3 Cond: 0.083

November 2, 201 Temp: 11.2 degrees C DO mg/l: 10.4 pH: 6.3 Cond: 0.085

November 16, 2014 Temp: 9.5 degrees C DO mg/l: 10.7 pH: 6.0 Cond: 0.077

DATA results compared to station data (parenthesis is the difference from 7-Branch Creek compared with USGS WQ station data)

Sep 27, 2014 Temp: 18.88 C (+1) D.O.: 6.6 mg/l (-2) pH: 6.01 (-0.29) Cond: 0.125 ms/cm (-0.04)

October 12, 2014 Temp: 20.00 C (+1.2) D.O. 4.89 mg/l (-3.01) pH: 6.14 (-0.16) Cond: 0.102 (+0.02)

November 2, 2014 Temp: 10.16 C (-1.04) D.O. 8.23 mg/l (-2.17) pH: 5.97 (-0.33) Cond: 0.078 (-0.01)

  November 16, 2014

Temp: 9.8 C (+0.3) D.O.: 8.25 mg/l (-2.45) pH: 5.35 (-0.65) Cond: 0.075 (-0.02)

1. Temp: 1.14 degree fluctuation average

2. D.O.: 2.0 - 3.01 mg/l in fluctuation

3. pH: 0.16 - 0.65 in fluctuation

4. Cond: -0.04 to +0.02

Comparable changes

Possible Reasons for WQ differences1. Increased impervious surface surrounding

stream2. Storm water runoff3. Temperature changes with season4. Increased leaf litter5. Reduction in surrounding vegetated cover6. Possible point source pollution areas7. Exposed sewer/water lines in stream bed

Sources http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ http://www.deq.virginia.gov/ http://www.nws.noaa.gov/climate http://plants.usda.gov/ http://www.georgiawildlife.com/rare_species_profiles