PROGRAMS AND PLANS: River-Quality Assessments

                                              October 31, 1975

QUALITY OF WATER BRANCH TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM NO. 76.06

Subject:  PROGRAMS AND PLANS: River-Quality Assessments

In 1972, the Water Resources Division began a pilot program of 
river-quality assessments. The objectives of the program are (l) 
to define the character, interrelationships, and apparent causes 
of existing river-quality conditions, and (2) to devise and 
demonstrate the analytical approaches and the tools and 
methodologies needed for developing water-quality information that 
will provide a sound technical basis for planners and managers to 
use in assessing river-quality problems and evaluating management 
alternatives. Two types of studies are being or have been 
conducted--baseline river-quality assessments and intensive river-
quality assessments. Baseline river-quality assessments 
concentrate on objective 1 (above) by describing the river quality 
of the basins and identifying existing and potential river-quality 
problems. They may be considered to be "problem identifiers." 
Intensive river-quality assessments emphasize objective 2, which 
leads to predictions of river quality under various optional 
management strategies. They may be considered to be ''problem 
analyzers.''

During 1972, a pilot baseline assessment was conducted of the 
Upper White River, Indiana. The final report of that assessment, 
"A River-Quality Assessment of the Upper White River, Indiana" (by 
W. J. Shampine, WRI 10-75, 68p.), is available upon request from 
the District Chief, WRD, Indianapolis, Indiana. To further develop 
the approaches and capability for conducting baseline river-
quality assessments, the Water Resources Division plans to begin 
one or more additional baseline studies in other basins during the 
next Federal fiscal year.

The intensive assessments began in January 1973 with a study of 
the Willamette River basin, Oregon. The study addressed such 
topics as the need for maintenance of high-level dissolved oxygen 
in the river, effects of reservoir release patterns on downstream 
river quality, algal growth potential, and the significance of 
erosion potential to proposed future land and water uses. The 
study is now in the report-preparation stage.

The results of the Willamette assessment will be reported in a 
series of 10 to 15 U.S. Geological Survey Circulars and a final 
report. The first few Circulars will be philosophical in nature 
and will discuss the approaches that should be considered when 
conducting intensive assessments. The first two Circulars, "A 
Practical Framework for River-Quality Assessment" by D. A. Rickert 
and W. G. Hines (USGS Circ. 715-A), and "Formulation and Use of 
Practical Models for River-Quality Assessment" by W. G. Hines and 
others (USGS Circ. 715-B), are enclosed for your information. 
Other Circulars will contain the results of individual work 
elements or technical aspects of the assessment, and will be 
published during the next few months.

In order to develop the approaches and methodologies for some of 
the basin problems not being addressed in the Willamette River 
study, the Water Resources Division started two additional 
intensive river quality assessments on April 1, 1975. One of the 
assessments is of the Upper Chattahoochee River basin, Georgia, 
and the other is of the Yampa River basin, Colorado/Wyoming.

The Chattahoochee basin study is addressing problems related to 
thermal loading and heat dissipation, wastes from concentrated 
urban-industrial areas, flow pulsations resulting from hydropower 
production, and sediment movement and deposition. The project 
team, under the leadership of R. N. Cherry, is located in the 
Office of the Regional Hydrologist, WRD, Southeastern Region, 
Atlanta, Georgia.

The Yampa basin study is addressing problems related to resource 
development for energy production--primarily, the impact on river 
quality of coal extraction and conversion processes. T. D. Steele 
is project chief of this assessment, which is located in the 
Colorado District, WRD, Lakewood, Colorado. The project is being 
coordinated with a residuals management study of the Yampa River 
basin that is being conducted by the Systems Analysis Group under 
N. C. Matalas, WRD, Reston, Virginia.

I will keep you advised of progress and developments in our river-
quality assessment program on a periodic basis. In the meantime, I 
would welcome your comments and suggestions.



                                R. J. Pickering

Enclosures: USGS Circulars 715-A and 715-B

WRD Distribution: A, FO, PO