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Title: WATER QUALITY MONITORING IN SIX CENTRAL GEORGIA WATERSHEDS WITH DIFFERING LAND USES

Author
item Schroeder, Philip
item RADCLIFFE, DAVID - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item LICHTENSTEIN, KAREN - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/6/2003
Publication Date: 11/6/2003
Citation: SCHROEDER, P.D., RADCLIFFE, D., LICHTENSTEIN, K. WATER QUALITY MONITORING IN SIX CENTRAL GEORGIA WATERSHEDS WITH DIFFERING LAND USES. ASA-CSSA-SSSA ANNUAL MEETING ABSTRACTS. 2003. CD-ROM. MADISON, WI.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In Georgia, 77 stream segments are listed as impaired due to excessive sediment and scheduled for TMDL development. The state does not have a quantitative standard for sediment (only a narrative standard) so appropriate reference streams with minimum development may be a way to determine what the maximum daily sediment load should be for impaired streams. We initiated a study to compare the suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and discharge (Q) in six streams with differing land use. Two streams drain areas that are entirely forested. Two streams drain areas that are predominately agricultural (one dairy and the other a combination of poultry and cattle), and two streams drain areas that are in subdivisions. To compare SSC among the different streams, we used sediment rating curves which are log-log plots of SSC vs. Q/Qo where Qo is the mean storm flow discharge rate. Based on the rating curves, the SSC at Qo was 432 mg L**-1 for the dairy stream, 164 mg L**-1 for the poultry-cattle stream, 111 mg L**-1 for one forest streams, 90 mg L**-1 for the other forest stream, and 84 and 45 mg L**-1 for the two suburban streams, respectively. These preliminary results indicate that sediment concentrations were considerably higher in the dairy stream compared to other streams. However, sediment concentrations at Qo were lowest in the two suburban streams.