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2

2010 Shell Creek

Watershed Study

Advisors – Mark Seier, Suzy Goedeken, &

Karen Malmkar

Researchers –Katie O’Brien, Jake Kaufman, Mark

O’Brien, Aubrey Strong, Audrey Wondercheck, Greg

Roberg, Lila Wondercheck, Kendra Nelson, Ciera

Afrank, Alisha Dunlap, Joan O’Brien, Ashley Potmesil,

Darienne Pokorny, Jason Kaufman, Demi Edgell, Billy

O’Brien, Alex Wiese

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(with Township-Range Labels)

Shell Creek and Loseke-Taylor Creek Watersheds

Lower Platte North Natural Resources District

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4

Site 1

South Branch of the Shell Creek

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6

6

Site 2

North Branch of the Shell Creek

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6

8

Site 3

Above Newman Grove

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6

10

Site 4

Below Newman Grove

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6

12

Site 6

By Lindsay

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6

14

Site 5

Near Platte Center

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6

16

W.Q.I.

• The Water Quality Index was developed by the

National Sanitation Foundation as a standard

system to compare different bodies of water.

• To determine the WQI, a series of nine tests

were performed. These tests were: dissolved

oxygen, fecal coliform, pH, Biological Oxygen

Demand (BOD), temperature, total

phosphate, nitrates, turbidity, and total solids.

We also did a water discharge test which we

use to measure the flow of the creek in cubic

feet per second.

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• After the tests are completed, the WQI for each

section of the creek can be computed.

• To formulate the WQI, we first computed Q-

values.

• We multiply this number by a weighting

factor, which provides a measure of the relative

importance of each test to overall water quality.

• The water quality index ranges from zero to 100.

- 0 - 25 is very bad - 25 - 50 is bad - 50 - 70 is medium - 70 - 90 is good- 90 - 100 is excellent

• The bio-indicator tests are not part of the

W.Q.I., but do give us a water quality rating.

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Sample W.Q.I. Curve Chart

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Sample W.Q.I. Form

Test Results Q-value

Weighting

Factor Total

DO % sat. 0.17

Fecal Coliform col/100 mL 0.16

pH units 0.11

BOD mg/L 0.11

Temperature change in C 0.1

Total Phosphate mg/L 0.1

Nitrates mg/L 0.1

Turbidity JTU 0.08

Total Solids mg/L 0.07

Overall Water Quality Index ___

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0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

May June July August

Inc

he

s2010 Precipitation

Rainfall

21

6.3

6.6

6.9

7.2

7.5

7.8

8.1

8.4

May 25 June 16 July 26-

27

August 5

pH

Level

Date

pH

Site 1

Site 2

Site 3

Site 4

Site 6

Site 5

22

-1.5

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

May25 June 16 July 26-27 August 5

Deg

rees C

elciu

s

Date

Change in Water Temperature

Site 1

Site 2

Site 3

Site 4

Site 6

Site 5

The higher the change, the worse the water quality.

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0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

May 25 June 16 July 26-27 August 5

mg

/L

Date

Total Solids

Site 1

Site 2

Site 3

Site 4

Site 6

Site 5

The higher the concentration, the worse the water quality.

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Fecal Coliform

25

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

May 25 June 16 July 26-27 August 5

colon

ies/1

00

m

L

Date

Fecal Coliform

Site 1

Site 2

Site 3

Site 4

Site 6

Site 5

Site 1- 44,800

26

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

colon

ies/1

00

m

L

Date

Fecal Coliform

Site 1

Site 2

Site 3

Site 4

Site 6

Site 5

In 2006

Site 1- 21,418

Site 5- 17,800

In 2010

Site 1- 11,387

Site 6- 2,313

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0

10

20

30

40

50

60

May 25 June 16 July 26-27 August 5

Cu

bic feet p

er secon

d

Date

Flow

Site 1

Site 2

Site 3

Site 4

Site 6

Site 5

*Flow was not

measured in

June for sites

3, 4, 5, and 6

due to high

waters.

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0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

May 25 June 16 July 26-27 August 5

JTU

's

Date

Turbidity

Site 1

Site 2

Site 3

Site 4

Site 6

Site 5

29

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

May 25 June 16 July 26-27 August 5

% Sa

tu

ra

tion

Date

Dissolved Oxygen

Site 1

Site 2

Site 3

Site 4

Site 6

Site 5

30

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

May 25 June 16 July 26-27 August 5

pp

m

Date

5 Day Biological Oxygen Demand

Site 1

Site 2

Site 3

Site 4

Site 6

Site 5

The higher the change, the worse the water quality.

31

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

May 25 June 16 July 26-27 August 5

pp

m

Date

Nitrates

Site 1

Site 2

Site 3

Site 4

Site 6

Site 5

32

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

pp

m

Date

Nitrates

Site 1

Site 2

Site 3

Site 4

Site 5

Site 6

33

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

May 25 June 16 July 26-27 August 5

pp

m

Date

Phosphates

Site 1

Site 2

Site 3

Site 4

Site 6

Site 5

34

45

50

55

60

65

70

Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 Site 4 Site 6 Site 5

WQ

IWQI Averages by Site

2003 Averages 2004 Averages 2005 Averages 2006 Averages

2007 Averages 2008 Averages 2009 Averages 2010 Average

Medium

Bad

Good

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45

50

55

60

65

70

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

WQ

ITotal WQI Averages by Year

WQI

Good

Bad

Medium

36

45

50

55

60

65

70

May June July August

WQ

I

Month

WQI Averages by Date

2003 Averages 2004 Averages 2005 Averages

2006 Averages 2007 Averages 2008 Averages

2009 Averages 2010 Average

Bad

Medium

Good

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0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Total Rainfall Inches

Discharge CFS Nitrates ppm pH

2003 - 2010 Chemical Test Average Comparisons

2003 Averages

2004 Averages

2005 Averages

2006 Averages

2007 Averages

2008 Averages

2009 Averages

2010 Average

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0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

Phosphates ppm B.O.D. ppm Change in Temp. Celcius

2003 - 2010 Chemical Test Average Comparisons

2003 Averages

2004 Averages

2005 Averages

2006 Averages

2007 Averages

2008 Averages

2009 Averages

2010 Average

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0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

D.O. % Sat. Turbidity JTU Fecal Coliform Colonies/100

mL

Total Solids mg/L

2003 - 2010 Chemical Test Average Comparisons

2003 Averages

2004 Averages

2005 Averages

2006 Averages

2007 Averages

2008 Averages

2009 Averages

2010 Average

*2010 Fecal Coliform

Average 3,648 col/100 mL

*2006 Fecal Coliform Average

8,058 col/100 mL

Chemical Test Conclusions

• Phosphates were high in June.

• Fecal Coliform was a problem at certain

times.

• Nitrates seem to have peaked in 2008

and have since dropped down.

• Some of the results may be due to high

rainfall.

• The flow, nitrates levels, and rainfall are

continuing to correlate. 40

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Macro Invertebrates

TolerantSomewhat SensitiveSensitive

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Sample Bio-Indicator Data Form

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Beaver-Shell Creek

WQI Comparison

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

May-10 Jun-10 Jul-10 Aug-10 Summer

Average

10

Summer

Average

09

Summer

Average

08

WQI

Beaver Creek

Average WQI

Shell Creek

Average WQI

Good

Medium

Bad

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Beaver-Shell Creek Comparison

2010

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

pH Nitrates Phosphates B.O.D

Beaver Creek

Shell Creek

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Beaver-Shell Creek Comparison

2010

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Turbidity Fecal

Coliform

Total Solids D.O. % Sat.

Beaver Creek

Shell Creek

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2010 Flood Study

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Flood Study

Date and

Time

Width

(ft)

Avg.

Depth

(ft)

Flow

(cfs)

Total

Solids

(mg/L)

Nitrates

(ppm)

Solid

Discharge

(lbs/min)

Solid

Discharge

(tons/hr)

5/30/07 110 8.42 2243 9300 78145 2344

6/8/08 130 8.98 4328 8950 145138 4354

110 7.6 1430 7210 18.04 38611.9 1158.4

6/10/10 125 9.6 3996 6410 10.34 95959.4 2878.8

6/12/10 130 11.1 4416 2510 3.3 41517.9 1245.5

X cu ft 60 sec 28.32 L X mg 1 g 1 lb 1 ton 60 min

1 sec 1 min 1 cu ft 1 L 100 mg 453.6 g 2000 lb 1 hr

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Water

Testing

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Website

• http://www.newman.esu8.org/

• Click “Activities”

• Click “Watershed Project”

• Click “Watershed Homepage”

• You can see our data and further

information concerning this project,

including pictures.

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Thank You To:

• Lower Platte North Natural

Resource District

• PrairieLand RC&D

• Natural Resource Conservation

Service

• Nebraska Department of

Environmental Quality

• Shell Creek Watershed

Improvement Group