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Dissolved oxygen analysis of a northern Louisiana headwater stream during timber harvesting operations

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  TMDL 2010: Watershed Management to Improve Water Quality Proceedings, 14-17 November 2010 Hyatt Regency Baltimore on the Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland USA  711P0710cd.(doi:10.13031/2013.35730)
Authors:   Abram DaSilva, Y. Jun Xu, John Beebe, George G Ice
Keywords:   Dissolved oxygen, TMDL, BMPs, forestry, stream, water quality

Timber harvest can increase streamwater temperature, surface runoff, organic input, and subsurface leaching of nutrients, which can reduce dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in adjacent water bodies. To limit water quality degradation, total maximum daily load (TMDL) guidelines are often set, requiring best management practice (BMP) implementation. Natural conditions in Louisiana have been shown to cause low stream DO concentrations. The goals of this study were to (1) test effectiveness of Louisianas current BMPs at maintaining DO concentration at pre-harvest levels, and (2) to determine any necessary BMP additions/changes. The study took place in the Flat Creek watershed in North-central Louisiana. Two in-stream water quality monitoring sondes were deployed along a 2nd-order, low-gradient streamone above and another below an area that was harvested using Louisianas current BMPs. The sondes continuously measured DO concentration at 15-minute intervals from 2006 through 2009, during which harvest was conducted in 2007. In addition, monthly water samples from both locations were collected and analyzed for biochemical oxygen demand and total carbon. Marginal, but significant, increases in stream flow, water temperature, total carbon, and BOD were found following harvest. However, stream DO concentrations either stayed at pre-harvest levels, or even slightly (but significantly) increased. For the majority of the four years, concentrations of DO were below the EPA recommendation of 5 mg L-1. The results indicate that the BMPs implemented are effective at maintaining DO concentration at pre-harvest levels, though minimum DO concentration limits may be unattainable due to natural stream and watershed features.

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