Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Assessment Of Water Quality Trends In The North Fork Of Kentucky River Basin: Focus On Pathogen Impairment, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute

KWRRI Research Reports

This project consisted of analyzing existing water quality data for streams in the Upper Forks of Kentucky River Basin, with a particular focus on pathogen trends. According to the most recent 303(d) list of Kentucky waters, the majority of streams assessed in the Upper Forks of Kentucky River Basin are impaired for primary recreational contact as a result of pathogens. The state pathogen standard for primary contact recreation is expressed in a dual form which specifies that the 30-day geometric mean of fecal coliform counts not exceed 200 colonies per 100 mL (on a minimum of five samples) and not …

Diagnostic Watershed Model For Pathogen Speciation And Mitigation, Kentucky Water Research Institute

KWRRI Research Reports

This project was proposed to help satisfy the identified needs of the USEPA watershed initiative with specific application to pathogen problems in Kentucky and in particular the Eagle Creek Watershed which lies in the Kentucky River Basin. The overall goal of the project was the development of new tools for use in pathogen TMDL development.

Pride Water Quality Assessment Report: Iv. Nutrient Assessment, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

KWRRI Research Reports

The efficient utilization of federal funds in improving the water quality and aquatic habitat of the region requires a mechanism for assessing and evaluating the impacts of the proposed and ongoing projects as well as some mechanism for prioritizing the allocation of additional funds. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of these projects it is important to provide a formal monitoring and assessment program based on sound scientific principles. This report provides an initial 10 year baseline assessment of the existing water quality conditions in the 40 county PRIDE region for the purpose of evaluating the impacts of the PRIDE …

Pride Water Quality Assessment Report: I. Problems And Programs, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute. University Of Kentucky

KWRRI Research Reports

This report provides an overview of the water quality problems and associated state and federal programs in the 40 counties that make up the PRIDE region. The 2000 Kentucky 305(b) stream assessment has identified over 1000 miles of impaired stream within the region. The major cause of pollution in the region is related to problems with pathogens. Much of these problems are related to straight pipes and failing septic and wastewater systems. It has been estimated that there are over 35,000 straight pipes and failing septic systems in the PRIDE region. A second major environmental impact in the region is …

Pride Water Quality Assessment Report: Iii. Existing And Proposed Monitoring Network, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

KWRRI Research Reports

This document provides a recommendation for proposed sampling sites in support of the general water quality assessment of the 40 county PRIDE region. A general assessment of the associated environmental problems and programs in the region can be found in the companion report: PRIDE Water Quality Assessment Report I: Problems and Programs while the report PRIDE Water Quality Assessment Report II: Chemical, Biological and Habitat Assessments provides a 10 year baseline assessment of environmental conditions in the region as measured by indicators of pH, fecal coliforms, habitat assessment, and macro-invertebrate assessment.

Pride Water Quality Assessment Report: Ii. Chemical, Biological And Habitat Assessments, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

KWRRI Research Reports

The efficient utilization of federal funds in improving the water quality and aquatic habitat of the region requires a mechanism for assessing and evaluating the impacts of the proposed and ongoing projects as well as some mechanism for prioritizing the allocation of additional funds. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of these projects it is important to provide a formal monitoring and assessment program based on sound scientific principles. This report provides an initial 10 year baseline assessment of the existing water quality conditions in the 40 county PRIDE·region for the purpose of evaluating the impacts of the PRIDE programs …

Kentucky River Basin Water Quality Assessment Study, L. Ormsbee, L. Jarrett, B. Perkins

KWRRI Research Reports

The current report summarizes the work associated with the construction, calibration, and application of the CE-QUAL-W2 water quality model to the Kentucky River. In applying the model to the Kentucky River System, the primary objective was to assess the impact of the operation of low-level control valves on water quality of the Kentucky River. This was accomplished by modeling the impact of the valves for low flow conditions associated with the 1930 drought of record along with projections for the year 2020. The results of this study indicate that for the modeled scenario, the proposed valves can be used to …

Use Of Algal And Macroinvertebrate Indicators To Assess The Impact Of Agricultural Practices On Surface Water Quality In The Mammoth Cave National Park Region, Kentucky, Jeffrey D. Jack

KWRRI Research Reports

The karst aquifer underlying the Mammoth Cave area supports a unique and diverse cave aquatic ecosystem as well as providing the principal source of drinking water for many local residents of the region. This unique and fragile ecosystem is surrounded by one of the most intensively used agricultural areas in the Commonwealth with more than 80% of the surrounding region used in beef, dairy, burley tobacco and alfalfa production. Agricultural practices resulting in run-off of pollutants into the aquifer via sinkholes and sinking streams have a pronounced impact on an important drinking water source and on the cave ecosystem. The …

Spatial And Temporal Variability In Seepage Between A Contaminated Aquifer And Tributaries To The Ohio River, Alan E. Fryar, David L. Brown, David B. Wenner, Todd C. Rasmussen, Eric J. Wallin

KWRRI Research Reports

Because interactions between ground water and tributaries may influence contaminant loading to rivers, we delineated seepage along Little Bayou and Bayou Creeks in McCracken County, Kentucky, during a two-year period. From the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, on the divide between the creeks, trichloroethene and technetium-99 plumes extend several km toward the Ohio River. Gaining conditions occur where the creeks are incised into coarse sediments in the river's flood plain. Such conditions were marked by upward hydraulic gradients within the bed; maximum specific discharge (q) > 0.24 m d^-1; relatively narrow ranges of stream, piezometer, and bed temperatures; relatively cool …

A Review Of Research On The Kentucky River Ecosystem: Biota And Human Impacts, R. M. Waltman, R. J. Stevenson

KWRRI Research Reports

This report provides information about the water conditions in the Kentucky River Basin, through collection of previous studies.

Kentucky River Modeling And Monitoring Needs Assessment, L. Ormsbee, L. Jarrett, B. Perkins

KWRRI Research Reports

This report outlines the responsibilities of the Kentucky River Authority in the planning, operation, and management of river monitoring.

Modeling Transport Of Colloid-Bound Herbicides And Heavy Metals To Groundwater, Anastasios D. Karathanasis, R. E. Phillips, A. K. Seta

KWRRI Research Reports

Recent studies have suggested that contaminant transport to groundwater may be enhanced by association with colloidal particles. This study evaluated the role of water dispersible colloids with diverse mineralogical composition in co-transporting selected herbicides and heavy metals through intact soil columns. Colloid recovery in the eluents ranged from 45-90% for the herbicides and 10-60% for the heavy metals. The presence of colloids enhanced the transport of atrazine by 2-18%, and metolachlor by 8-30%. The corresponding increase for Cu and Zn was 2-150 and 5-30 times, respectively. For Pb, there was essentially no elution in the absence of colloids, suggesting nearly …

Chemical And Biological Monitoring Of A Constructed Wetland On Jones Branch Treating Acid Mine Drainage, Barbara A. Ramey, George Chalfant, Jon A. Walker

KWRRI Research Reports

Acid mine drainage (AMD) from an abandoned underground coal mine in the Jones Branch watershed in McCreary County, KY, substantially reduced water quality in Jones Branch. Downstream from the mine seeps, the pH was routinely below 4.5 and concentrations of most heavy metals, especially iron, were elevated. A cattail wetland (1,022 m²) was constructed on Jones Branch in 1988-1989 to obviate the effects of the AMD. Monthly chemical monitoring was performed on the water from above, from below, from the inlet and outlet of the wetland, and from the 25 cells within the wetland. Based on chemical monitoring, …

Kinetics And Mechanisms Of Atrazine Adsorption And Desorption In Soils Under No-Till And Conventional Management, V. P. Evangelou, W. W. Witt, E. Portig, Mike Barrett

KWRRI Research Reports

Both soils (Maury silt loam and Sadler) exhibited three apparent mechanisms of atrazine adsorption. The first two mechanisms were very rapid (10 minutes) and were assigned to soil-clay surface adsorption reactions via hydrogen bonding. The quantity of atrazine involved in these two reactions for the 0.5 mg/1 solution atrazine varied, depending on the soil, from 67 μg/100 g clay to 219 μg/100 g clay. The reason there were two possible atrazine sinks in this range of atrazine adsorption was believed to be the presence of two types of reactive surfaces, the clay inorganic phase and the organic carbon phase. The …

Water Quality Evaluation Yatesville Lake Project: Volume 1, Stephen B. Sullivan, Edward G. Foree, John S. Tapp

KWRRI Research Reports

Point sources of pollution identified in the Blaine Creek watershed area consisted of oil and gas facility sources and mine related sources. A total of 493 point sources of pollution were inventoried which included 167 oil and gas related sources, 321 mine sediment structures, and 5 hollow fill groundwater seeps. The highest concentration of these point sources of pollution occurred in the south to southwest portion of the watershed in the area proximate to the Martha Field.

Adverse impacts to surface and groundwaters resulting from the 326 mine and groundwater point sources of pollution identified did not appear significant as …

Influence Of Nitrogen Fertilization On The Quality And Quantity Of Streamflow From A Forested Watershed, George B. Coltharp, Michael T. Shearer, Everett P. Springer, Robert F. Wittwer

KWRRI Research Reports

This project was designed to determine the effects of nitrogen fertilization on the quality and quantity of streamflow eminating from an eastern hardwood forest watershed. A 40.67 ha watershed, located in mountainous eastern Kentucky, was aerially fertilized in late April 1975. The forest stand was principally oak, hickory, and yellow poplar, 50 - 55 years of age and in a relatively undisturbed condition. A helicopter applied anunonium nitrate at a rate of 504 kg/ha. Because a large part of applied nitrogen fertilizer ends up in the highly mobile nitrate nitrogen.form, this is the principal ion monitored in this study. No …

Sensitivity Of Vertebrate Embryos To Heavy Metals As A Criterion Of Water Quality: Phase Iii: Use Of Fish And Amphibian Eggs As Bioindicator Organisms For Evaluating Water Quality, Wesley J. Birge, Albert G. Westerman, Jeffrey A. Black

KWRRI Research Reports

Fish and amphibian eggs, embryos and early posthatched (larval) stages were evaluated as bioindicator organisms with which to monitor the quality of natural water resources. Eggs of 9 species were cultured in water collected from each of 11 Inner Bluegrass rivers and streams. The latter were chosen to represent water sources varying in quality from extremely poor to good. Selection was based on the sources and magnitude of pollution, and the diversity and density of piscine populations. Cultures were maintained in vitro, using 12-hour changes of water.

Averaging data for all 9 animal species, egg hatchability (embryonic survival) ranged …

Sensitivity Of Vertebrate Embryos To Heavy Metals As A Criterion Of Water Quality, Phase Ii: Bioassay Procedures Using Developmental Stages As Test Organisms, Wesley J. Birge, Albert G. Westerman, Jeffrey A. Black, Oliver W. Roberts

KWRRI Research Reports

Chick, amphibian, and fish embryos were evaluated as bioassay and bioindicator organisms. Test procedures were developed by which embryonic stages may be used 1) in bioassay systems to evaluate the toxicity of particular metallic or metal-containing trace contaminants, and 20 as bioindicators to monitor the quality of natural water resources.

A bioassay technique was devised in which metallic toxicants were administered to chick embryos by "needle tract" injection into the yolk sac. This provided more uniform distribution of test metals throughout the yolk mass than can be obtained by conventional yolk sac injection methods, and gave more sensitivity and uniformity …

Changes In The Economy And Ecology At Proposed Lake Sites In The Salt River Basin, Kentucky, During Early Construction Of The Dam For Taylorsville Lake, Louis A. Krumholz, Stuart E. Neff, Edmond J. Bacon Jr., John R. Baker, Daryl E. Jennings, Andrew C. Miller, Vincent H. Resh, David S. White

KWRRI Research Reports

This is an extension of the work reported in Project numbers B-005-KY, B-016-KY, and B-022-KY that extended from 1 July 1968 through 30 June 1972. Permanent collecting stations have been established at 67 sites throughout the Salt River, Beech Fork, and Chaplin River drainages. Turbidities increases quickly as flow and runoff increase, and subside quickly when the rain stops. Suspended solids range up to 1,700 mg/l in high turbidities and vary considerably as a result of local spates. Water chemistry generally reflects the limestone nature of the substrate and physico-chemical characteristics of a typically healthy limestone stream. Bottom organisms are …

A Detailed Investigation Of The Sociological, Economic, And Ecological Aspects Of Proposed Reservoir Sites In The Salt River Basin Of Kentucky, Stuart E. Neff, Louis A. Krumholz, John R. Baker, Daryl E. Jennings, Andrew C. Miller, Jerry S. Parsons, Vincent H. Resh, David S. White

KWRRI Research Reports

Samples of water, bottom fauna, and fishes were collected from 66 stations in the Salt River and one of its principal tributaries, the Beech Fork and its tributary, the Chaplin River, Kentucky. Precipitation ranged from 38.86 inches (1969) to 58.04 inches (1970), an increase of nearly 50 percent with marked fluctuations in discharge. Intensive comparisons of phosphates, sulfates, specific conductance, total alkalinity, total hardness, and turbidity showed the streams to be relatively clean and healthy. Nearly 300 different kinds of benthic organisms and other macroinvertebrates have been collected and identified from the basin. Detailed studies of caddisflies and stream drift …