Water Quality Monitoring |
Why Monitor Water Quality? FTR has been monitoring water quality in the upper Teton River watershed since 2001. Our program includes monthly sampling during the spring, summer and early fall at each of 12 monitoring sites scattered across the valley (see map below). Water is an important aspect of the quality of life we enjoy here in the Teton Valley. The Teton River and associated streams and wetlands support a number of threatened bird species, and many of us love to fish, or float our rivers and streams to enjoy the scenery and wildlife, and all of us need clean water every day. Most of the residents of the valley rely on groundwater for our water supply. FTR’s studies of Teton Valley’s groundwater aquifer indicate that groundwater and surface water are intimately related to one another. Surface water streams in the mountains are supplied with water generated by snowmelt, and part of this water infiltrates into the ground as these streams flow across the valley, recharging the groundwater aquifer. The groundwater then flows through the aquifer and replenishes the Teton River and associated wetlands and spring creek tributaries. Our water quality monitoring program includes the sampling and analysis of both surface water streams and groundwater (in spring creeks and springs). The program has been designed to generate high quality data that allows us to watch long term trends as well as to become quickly aware of new threats as they occur. Water quality degradation often reflects upstream land uses, and with land uses changing rapidly here in the valley, water quality monitoring has become vital for the protection of our precious water resources. As problems are found, the monitoring data allow us to understand the exact nature of the problem, and then to design an appropriate remedial response. The water quality monitoring program is therefore vital to the protection of the quality of life so important to us all. Water Quality Monitoring Sites Our sampling sites can be divided into three hydrologic categories. These include four main stem Teton River sites (TR1- TR4), five valley-floor tributaries or “spring-creeks” (Woods Creek, Six Springs, Fish Creek, Warm Creek, and lower Fox Creek – known as “Fox 1”), and three headwater-tributary stream sites located east of the Teton Valley draining the west slope of the Teton Mountains on U.S. Forest Service land; including Darby Creek (DAR), Teton Creek (TC2), and upper Fox Creek (Fox 2). Water quality at the spring-creek sites reflects groundwater quality, as the flows in these streams are essentially completely supported by groundwater baseflow. The map below shows the exact locations of our sampling sites. Field Measurements and Laboratory Analysis At each sampling site, samples are collected and laboratory analyzed for Total Non-filterable Residue (TSS), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Volatile Residue (TVSS), Nitrogen-nitrate/nitrite, Ammonia, Total Phosphorus, Ortho Phosphorus, and E-Coli bacteria. One blank and one duplicate sample are collected and analyzed during each sampling round for QA/QC purposes. Field parameters for dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, pH, temperature and turbidity are also measured at each site. In addition, flow measurements are made at selected sites which lack staff gauges, or where the staff gauge has not been in place for a significant period of time. Current Water Quality Concerns and Trends E. Coli bacteria and Nitrogen, as nitrate/nitrite, continue to be the primary pollutants of concern in the study area. Over the four years of the monitoring program, several “spring creek” tributaries as well as the main stem of the Teton River have produced elevated counts of E.Coli bacteria. E. Coli counts significantly above water quality standards have been relatively consistently measured at widespread locations across the Woods Creek watershed for several years. Only at the three headwater-tributary sites, which are located on or close to National Forest lands, have E. Coli counts almost always been below detection limits or at very low levels. At the four main stem Teton River sampling sites, E. Coli concentrations are consistently elevated, but counts are most often below both the Primary and Secondary Contact Recreation Standards used by the state of Idaho (IDAPA 58.01.02.101.01a) of 406 and 576 cfu/100 mL, respectively, for instantaneous measurements. A relatively consistent trend of decreasing E. Coli concentrations in a downstream direction is evident amongst the four main stem Teton River sites, with the highest concentrations observed at the headwaters (TR1) site. In general, E. Coli concentrations appear to display some seasonality at all the sites, with the highest concentrations tending to occur in mid to late summer. We are currently pursuing funding to conduct a detailed analysis of E. Coli sources in the Woods Creek watershed using a relatively new DNA technique. Ammonia and Phosphate are other contaminants of concern. Elevated concentrations of Phosphate have occasionally been detected in Woods Creek, as well as at several other sites at slightly elevated concentrations. Concentrations of Ammonia slightly above detection limits are also occasionally measured in Woods Creek and in the Teton River. Suspended sediment is a problem in parts of the Teton River and in some tributaries. The tendency for this problem to occur episodically makes it challenging to monitor with a standard monitoring program. Nevertheless, FTR measures TSS, TVSS and Turbidity to track this critical water quality parameter. Our water quality monitoring program will continue throughout the 2005 field season, the fifth year of the program. Download the complete Water Quality Monitoring Program document as a |
In 1998 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) designated the Upper Teton River (headwaters to Highway 33) and many of its tributaries as not meeting water quality standards due to excessive nutrients, temperature and sedimentation under section 303(d) of the Federal Clean Water Act. Designated tributaries include Badger Creek, Darby Creek, Fox Creek, Horseshoe Creek, Moody Creek, North Leigh Creek, Packsaddle Creek, South Leigh Creek and Spring Creek. Many of these creeks have experienced a history of livestock grazing resulting in bank de-stabilization and subsequent sedimentation. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) has submitted 2002 total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) allocations for the Teton River and associated tributaries to the (USEPA) Region 10 for approval. A study conducted in 1999 by Idaho State University (ISU) (Minshall, 2001, Origin and Fate of Water Quality Factors Affecting the Ecological Integrity of the Teton River) showed elevated nitrate levels in the upper Teton River as affecting the ecological integrity of the Teton River. 
