Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2014AR359B

Lower Cutoff Creek Monitoring

Institute: Arkansas
Year Established: 2014 Start Date: 2014-03-01 End Date: 2015-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $5,958 Total Non-Federal Funds: $11,924

Principal Investigators: Kelly Bryant, Hal Liechty

Abstract: Bayou Bartholomew is one of ten priority watershed identified in the 2011-2016 Nonpoint Source Pollution Management prepared by the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (ANRC) 319 Program, and sediment loads and turbidity are one of the key water quality parameters elevating this watershed to priority status. The subwatersheds (HUC 12s) within the larger Bayou Bartholomew HUC 8 watershed have been ranked into quintiles, identifying the priority subwatersheds for implementation of 319 funds through ANRC. However, very little HUC 12 level data was available to assist in watershed modeling and subwatershed prioritization. There is one HUC 12 Upper Cutoff Creek which was identified as a top priority whilethe surrounding watersheds were not. The objective of this study is to collected water samples at five sites along Upper Cutoff Creek and at one site on an adjacent stream, Lower Cutoff Creek. Water samples will be collected weekly, by undergraduate students at the University of Arkansas-Monticello, and then analyzed for sediment concentration and turbidity. The water-quality data collected will be analyzed for trends with precipitation patterns, effects of road crossing, and seasonal variation. The sediment data from the two adjacent subwatersheds (Upper and Lower Cutoff Creek) will be evaluated to determine whether Upper Cutoff Creek has greater sediment concentrations and loading potential than the adjacent watershed.