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Regulatory and Environmental Affairs Division |
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Environmental Programs |
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West Virginia Department of Agriculture |
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This page last modified on September 19, 2006 © WVDA 2006 |
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Water Quality Monitoring
Water quality issues for the Potomac River Basin continue to be a major focus for the Environmental Programs Section. The Water Quality Laboratory presently monitors seven streams in the Potomac River Basin. These seven streams are South Fork, Upper and Lower South Branch of the Potomac River, Patterson Creek, Lost River, Sleepy Creek and Opequon Creek. In FY2006 there were 2,616 water samples collected and analyzed, which yielded 28,497 determinations.
The water quality parameters collected in the field include Temperature, pH, and Dissolved Oxygen. Laboratory analysis includes Total Phosphorus, Ammonia-Nitrogen, Nitrate-Nitrogen and Fecal Coliform Bacteria. In order for the Water Quality Laboratory to contribute data to the Chesapeake Bay Program, additional monitoring parameters including Total Suspended Solids, Turbidity, Nitrite, and TKN were added to the monitoring program. These additional parameters provide more constructive information regarding the quality of the water leaving the State.
Non-Tidal Monitoring The Environmental Programs staff worked with West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the Chesapeake Bay Program Non-Tidal Water Quality Workgroup to develop a list of sampling sites to be included in a project to help calibrate the Chesapeake Bay model with trend and load estimates. This project provides partial funding for West Virginia to install and maintain additional stream flow gages, and to sample and analyze water. West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) and WVDEP have contracted with USGS to lead the effort for collecting and analyzing water samples for this project and Environmental Program and WVDEP employees assist USGS with monitoring the South Branch, Opequon Creek, Patterson Creek and the Cacapon River.
Flow Program Beginning in July 1, 2005, stage measurements were recorded on the Lost River watershed when water samples were collected, and an additional flow station has since been placed on the upper reaches of Patterson Creek. On the South Branch, South Fork, lower Patterson Creek, Sleepy Creek, and Opequon Creek watersheds, the United States Geological Service (USGS) real time web site data for stage and discharge measurements is utilized.
As this segment of the water quality program fully develops, West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) will be able to address the affect of elevated stage and discharge on water chemistry and microbiology. This new description of stream conditions during sample collection will show that samples are collected at all stages and discharges in an unbiased manner. These measurements should provide insight about most, if not all, instances in which extremely high levels for measured parameters were recorded. This information will more clearly define the information observed within the data. |
