4/27/2010

1

Overview of Water Quality Issues Overview of Water Quality Issues

on California Rangelandson California Rangelands

Core Research Team

• Barbara Allen-Diaz

• Rob Atwill

• Randy Dahlgren

• John Harper

• David Lewis

• Toby O’Geen

• Mike Singer

• Ken Tate

Urban-Wildland-Agricultural Interface

80% of Reservoirs

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2

Goal of Clean Water Act

�Restore and maintain the

chemical, physical, and biological

integrity of the Nation’s waters

�Waters should be safe for

swimming, fishing and as a

source of drinking water

In June 1969, Cleveland's Cuyahoa River caught fire

for the third time. The damning image of a river in

flames is credited by many for passage of the Federal

Water Pollution Control Act of 1972.

0

100

200

300

400

500

Nu

mb

er

Pestic

ides

Met

als

Pathog

ens

Nutr

ients

Org

anic

s

Sedim

ents

Tox

icity

Salin

ity

Top Water Quality Impairments

California - 2006

http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/tmdl/303d_lists2006approvedd.thml

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3

Sources of Water Contaminants

Point source pollutants - originate

from an identifiable source

Non-point source pollutants -

originate from diffuse and hard-

to-identify sources

Natural sources - originate from

naturally occurring sources in the

environment (sediment, nutrients, E. coli)

State-wide Survey

24 streams2000 and 2001 water years

mg

/L

0

1

2

3

4

5

Total N NO3

NH4

Total P PO4

Nutrient Concentrations

90th

75th

50th

25th

10th

n = 947

4/27/2010

4

Rain Rain & Snow Snow

Co

nc

en

trati

on

(c

fu/1

00

mL

)

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

E. coli

fecal colifom

EPA StandardE. Coli = 126

n = 947

Pathogens

Photo Credit: H.D.A Lindquist, U.S. EPA

Cryptosporidium parvumE. coli

Nutrients (N/P)

Pathogens

Sediments

Stream Temperature – Heat Pollution

1. Diversion

3. Return

2. Flood-irrigated pasture

86o F

54o F

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Grazing and Stream Temperature/Habitat

Excessive Grazing Reduced Shade

Both livestock and wildlife can be significant

sources of waterborne pathogens

Source of Microbial Pathogens?

Andesitic mud flow

Intrusive igneous rock

Metavolcanic rock

Metasedimentary rock

0.130.12

0.11

0.13

0.09

0.100.14

0.18

0.09

0.110.13

0.10

4.98

0.39

8.75

6.763.43

0.55

5.052.39

1.62

2.952.37

1.64

<0.01

Stream Water NO3-N (ppm) in

the Mokelumne River Watershed

Maximum values

during 3-yr study

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Thermal Spring Water from

California’s Coast Range

Sulfur Bank mine 460

Elgin mine 271

Wilbur springs 266

NH4-N (ppm)

Sediment

Generation in

Northern

Coast Ranges

99 % associated with

historic land management

or natural sources

1% due to current

management practices

Hopland Research & Extension Center

vegetation conversion 20 years later

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Mokelumne River Controlled-Release Flood

0.7 km 16 km

J A J O J A J O J A J O J A J

NO

3 (

mg

L-1

)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Seasonal Pattern in Streamwater Nitrate

in California Oak Woodlands

Low Nutrient Demand High Nutrient Demand

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Assimilative Capacity

Capacity of a water body to receive a pollutant,

without harmful effects and damage to aquatic life

and to humans who consume its water.

Nutrient Attenuation – Deer Creek

0

5

10

15

20

Nitrate Phosphate

NO

3-N

o

r P

O4-P

(p

pm

)

Mile 2

Mile 5

Assimilative Capacity

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J A J O J A J O J A J O J A J

NO

3 (

mg

L-1

)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Seasonal Pattern in Streamwater Nitrate

in California Oak Woodlands

Yuba River - Nitrate

Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct

NO

3-N

(m

g/L

)

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

1999 2000 2001 20032002

~ 5 mg/L maximum in

oak woodland stream

Water Quality Monitoring

Considerations

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Small watershed

� management unit

Regional scale

� provides context

Issues of Scale

Hillslope/Plot/Soil horizon/Colloids

� processes and mechanisms

Cosumnes River Watershed

Nitrate – Annual Loads

0 – 0.06

0.06 – 0.12

0.12 – 0.24

0.24 – 0.37

0.37 – 0.50

0.50 – 0.64

0.64 – 0.77

10 km

Schubert Watershed; Annual N Load

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

Water Year

Mineral N (kg/ha/yr)

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J A J O J A J O J A J O J A J

NO

3 (

mg

L-1

)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Seasonal Pattern in Streamwater Nitrate

in California Oak Woodlands

NO

3 (

mg N

L-1

)

0

2

4

6

8

10

Hours

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Flo

w (

m3 s

-1)

0

1

2

3

4

5

Hours

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

c

Storm-Event Dynamics

nitrate

water

Slide courtesy of David Lewis

Pre-storm Post-stormStorm peak

Change in Suspended

Sediments during Storm Event

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Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May

Str

ea

mflow

(cfs

)

0

3

6

9

Streamflow (cfs)

E. coli

(cfu

/10

0m

L)

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

E. coli

E. coli - 500 lbs/acre RDM

Stemple Creek Ammonia Ammonia and Flow for Site 1 during New Years Flood

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

12/25/05 12/26/05 12/27/05 12/28/05 12/29/05 12/30/05 12/31/05 1/1/06 1/2/06 1/3/06

Date

Flo

w (

cfs

)

0

1

2

3

Un

-Io

niz

ed

NH

3 (

mg

/L)

Flow Site 1, 2006

NH3 Site 1, 2006

Slide courtesy of David Lewis

N M N M N

DO

(m

g L

-1)

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Diel Cycle Dissolved Oxygen –

San Joaquin River

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Temporal Variability in Water

Quality of Agricultural Tailwaters

Implications for Water Quality Monitoring

Neil Brauer* Anthony O’Geen and Randy Dahlgren

Irrigation Tailwater Runoff

6

8

4

TN

(m

g L

-1)

0

25

50

75

TN

(m

g L

-1)

0

25

50

75

Watershed 1 2006

Watershed 1 2007

n=557

n=138

May June July Aug Sept Oct

6 hr sampling interval

Daily composite –

4 subsamples per day

0.00

0 50 100 150 200 250

Number of Samples

To

tal N

itro

ge

n (

mg

/L)

µ +50%

µ +20%

µ = 8.14

95 % Confidence Interval - Total N

~75~15

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Water quality standards are

developed for each water body to meet

a designated use (e.g. drinking water, recreation)

If water quality standards are not met,

the water body is considered impaired

Water Quality Standards &

Impairment

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4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

Elevation (ffet)

Dis

solv

ed O

xy

gen

Sa

turati

on

Co

nce

ntr

ati

on

(m

g/L

)

10 C

20 C

30 C

Dissolved Oxygen Water

Quality Standard

Human-induced alteration of the

chemical, physical or biological

integrity of water

Water Pollution

+ Chlorine

Disinfection

Byproducts

Dissolved Organic

Carbon (DOC)

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Disinfection Byproducts

form during Chlorination

HANs

THMs

Instream DOC Dynamics

�Photodegradation

�Biodegradation

�Production - algae

DOC

Status of 303(d) List(California Surface Waters - 2006)

� ~ 779 listed waters

� ~ 2237 impairments

� ~ 167 pollutant categories

� ~ 26,700 river/coastal miles

� ~ 255,000 lake/reservoir acres

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Seasonal DOC Dynamics in Streamwaters from California Rangelands

O N D J F M A M J J A S

DO

C (

mg/L

)

0

2

4

6

8

3 mg/L

Yuba River - DOC

Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct

DO

C (

mg

/L)

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

1999 2000 2001 20032002

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Stream Habitat