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Water Quality in Shoal Creek

Water Quality in Shoal Creek. Andrew Clamann March 22, 2016 City of Austin Watershed Protection Department Environmental Resource Management. “EII” Environmental Integrity Index T he City’s monitoring program which aims to protect the chemical, physical, and biological integrity

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Water Quality in Shoal Creek

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  1. Water Qualityin Shoal Creek Andrew Clamann March 22, 2016 City of Austin Watershed Protection Department Environmental Resource Management

  2. “EII” Environmental Integrity Index The City’s monitoring program which aims to protect the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of Austin’s surface water resources

  3. EII (Environmental Integrity Index)

  4. Nitrate as N • Ammonia as N • Orthophosphorus • Total Kjeldahl N Quarterly Sampling • pH • Dissolved Oxygen • Conductivity • Temperature • Turbidity • Total Suspended Solids • E. coli (Bacteria) Annual Sampling • Sediment metals, PAHs, pesticides, herbicides • Aquatic life diatoms, benthic macroinvertebrates • Non-contact recreation aesthetics, trash, odor, algae cover, clarity • Physical habitat erosion, bank stability, instream cover, riparian quality

  5. EIIoverall total scores

  6. Nitrate as N • Ammonia as N • Orthophosphorus • Total Kjeldahl N Quarterly Sampling • pH • Dissolved Oxygen • Conductivity • Temperature • Turbidity • Total Suspended Solids • E. coli (Bacteria) Annual Sampling • Sediment metals, PAHs, pesticides, herbicides • Aquatic life diatoms, benthic macroinvertebrates • Non-contact recreation aesthetics, trash, odor, algae cover, clarity • Physical habitat erosion, bank stability, instream cover, riparian quality Shoal Creek at Cross Creek Drive (site 118)

  7. Nutrients in Streams What are they? • Naturally occurring • Primarily N and P • Essential for plant growth NO3 NO2 NH4 PO4 growth Puts oxygen in the water nutrients Takes oxygen out of the water decay

  8. San Gabriel River The natural balance can be upset “Eutrophication” is the process by which a water body acquires high concentration of nutrients (N and P mostly) upstream Nutrient inputs (municipal wastewater) downstream

  9. Nutrients Where do they come from? • Fertilizers • Animal waste • Organic decay

  10. What’s a person to do? Don’t use fertilizers, go native! if not that, then minimize use if not that, then use them appropriately Keep lawn clippings and leaves on your property (not in the road) Scoop the poop (even in your backyard)

  11. E. coli Escherichia coli is a fecal coliform bacteria commonly found in warm blooded animals • Hundreds of strains; some are harmless, some can cause illness • Commonly used as an indicator for other pathogenic microorganisms (such as viruses, protozoans and other bacteria) • Water quality issue: usually associated with increased nutrients and sewage which can increase algae and reduce dissolved oxygen

  12. Bear Creek Sources? The threshold criterion used for E.coli to determine the possibility of a health threat for primary contact use is: • single sample of 399 colonies per 100ml, • 20 sample geometric mean is 126 colonies per 100ml

  13. Cottonmouth Creek Sources?

  14. Shoal Creek Who’s got two opposable thumbs and shares the blame?

  15. What’s a person to do? Bring it! Scoop it! Toss it! Free Scoop the Poop Yard Sign! www.austintexas.gov/online-form/order-your-scoop-poop-yard-sign www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAQmW5CmzkQ&feature=player_embedded

  16. Shoal Creek at Shoal Edge Court Physical habitat • erosion • bank stability • instream cover • riparian quality Shoal Creek downstream of 24th These two sites are only 3 miles apart Why such a drastic change in habitat quality?

  17. Typical urban Watershed High impervious cover !!!!! OVER 50% impervious cover !!!!! • Roads • Buildings • Flatwork • Parking • Compacted soil

  18. Natural Bear Creek at 1826 Date (one year of average daily flow) Urban Shoal at 12th Date (one year of average daily flow)

  19. Changes in the physical habitat lead to… …changes in the biological community

  20. Impervious cover on land affects life in the stream Aquatic Life Use Score Impervious Cover

  21. Slow it down • Reduced runoff rates reduce scour and erosion Give nature time to clean it up • Plants and soil bacteria can process many pollutants Infiltrate it in • Groundwater supports springs and baseflow

  22. Shoal @ Allandale Bioswales

  23. What’s a person to do? Retain your rain! Help surface water become ground water Berms, swales, trenches, rain barrels, rain gardens and lots of deep-rooted vegetation! Detain and Infiltrate! Capture and Release! (a good goal is to keep a 1.8” rain on your site)

  24. Plant deep-rooted vegetation, and lots of it! (turf grass has shallow roots)

  25. How can you help Shoal? Manage the watershed Scoop the Poop Slow down rain runoff Reduce the use of fertilizers Enhance rain infiltration Deep rooted native plants Keep lawn clippings out of the creek Report Polluters Call 24hr Pollution Hotline 512-974-2550 Support political leaders that support the environment

  26. Questions?

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