The Clark Fork River, MT

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Long-term water quality data and biogeochemical filtering along the Upper Clark Fork River, MT, USA. H . Maurice Valett 1 Marc Peipoch 1 Mike DeGrandpre 2 Vicki Watson 3 Mike Suplee 3,4 Rob Payn 5 1 Div. of Biological Sciences, University of Montana - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of The Clark Fork River, MT

LONG-TERM WATER QUALITY DATA AND BIOGEOCHEMICAL FILTERING ALONG THE UPPER CLARK FORK RIVER, MT, USA.

H. Maurice Valett1

Marc Peipoch1

Mike DeGrandpre2

Vicki Watson3

Mike Suplee3,4

Rob Payn5

1Div. of Biological Sciences, University of Montana2Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Montana

3Environmental Sciences Program, University of Montana4Montana Dept. of Environmental Quality, Helena, MT

5Dept. of Land Resources and Environmental Science, Montana State University

THE CLARK FORK RIVER, MT- largest river by volume in Montana- Class I river for recreation from Warm Springs Cr. to the Idaho border

The Clark Fork/Milltown Superfund /Silver Bow (megafund) Site

1

23

4

Upper Clark Fork River

OUMilltown Dam OU

Reach A

Reach B

Reach C

Voluntary Nutrient Reduction Program (VNRP) sites: Clark Fork River from Butte to Lake Pend Oreille

Nutrients in the Upper Clark Fork River

How have river nutrient conditions changed over the past 30 years?

How can monitoring records be used to understand current biogeochemical functioning of the UCFR?

How will nutrient conditions influence ecological restoration of lotic biota and processes?

Missoula

Anaconda

Butte

USGS Flow Gauges Along the UCFR

Missoula

Anaconda

Butte

7

9

10

11

12

13

Voluntary Nutrient Reduction Program (VNRP) sites

River Q: 1984 – 2014Water chem (N & P): Period I: 1986-1992 Period II: 1999-2001 Period III: 2005

2005-2009

1998-2004

0

450

300

150

Total N(μg/L)

Modified from Suplee et al. (2012)

0

200

400Algal Chl a(mg/m2)

Site 9Site 10

Site 12Site 15.5

60

30

0

Total P(μg/L)

Water quality criteriarelate to nutrient concentrations.

…its what biota ‘see’.

UCFR – spatial and temporal trends in N and P

But, what causes change?

Month

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Q

(m3/s)

0

20

40

60

80

100

Q(cfs)

0

1000

2000

3000

Galen (7)Deer Ldg (9)Garrison (10)Drummond (11)Gold Cr (12)Turah (13)

UCFR Discharge Record (1984-2013): a gaining river system

+ΔQ withdownstreamprogression

Nutrient Flux (F) and Load (L):

concentration (mass/vol)

discharge (vol/time)

Qflux

(mass/time)

flux (mass/time)

time (time)

Tload

(mass)

0 50 100 150 2000

5

10

15

0

10

20

0

20

40

0

5

10

15

Distance Downstream (km)

TN Flux (kg/month)

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

Total N flux vs. distance - 1980s (n = 7 years)

space holder

UCFR TN fluxincreases with distancedownstream

Total N flux : 1986 – 1992 (7 years)

(Mg/month)

0 50 100 150 2000

1

2

0

2

4

0

4

8

0

1

2

Distance Downstream (km)

TP Flux (kg/month)

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

TP flux vs. distance - 1980s (n = 7 years)

space holder

UCFR TP fluxincreases with distancedownstream

Total P flux : 1986 – 1992 (7 years)

(Mg/month)

0 50 100 150 2000

1

2

3

0

1

2

3

0

1

2

3

0

1

2

3

Distance Downstream (km)

SRP Flux (kg/month)

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

SRP flux vs. distance - 1980s (n = 7 years)

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UCFR SRP fluxincreases with distancedownstream

Soluble Reactive P flux : 1986 – 1992 (7 years)

(Mg/month)

0 50 100 150 2000

2

4

0

3

6

9

0

3

6

9

0.0

0.4

0.8

Distance Downstream (km)

NO3-N Flux

(kg/month)

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

Nitrate flux vs. distance - 1980s (n = 7 years)

space holder

UCFR nitrate fluxvaries with distancedownstream

Nitrate flux : 1986 – 1992 (7 years)

Most ofthe increase happens at the head of the continuum… especiallyduring winter.

(Mg/month)

0 50 100 150 2000

2

4

0

3

6

9

0

3

6

9

0.0

0.4

0.8

Distance Downstream (km)

NO3-N Flux

(kg/month)

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

Nitrate flux vs. distance - 1980s (n = 7 years)

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Nitrate flux : 1986 – 1992 (years)

In some placesnitrate fluxdecreases with distancedownstream

(Mg/month)

Missoula

Anaconda

Butte

7

9

10

11

12

13

Voluntary Nutrient Reduction Program (VNRP) sites

LittleBlackfoot River

Deer Lodge

Garrison

Gold Creek

Bonita

Turah

Warm Springs

WSTPs

0 50 100 150 2000

2

4

6

0

3

6

9

0

3

6

9

0.0

0.5

1.0

Distance Downstream (km)

NO3-N Flux

(kg/month)

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

Nitrate flux vs. distance - 1999-2001 (n = 3 years)

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Nitrate flux : 1999 – 2001 (3 years)

UCFR nitrate fluxdecreases in the same locationsand with patterns similarto 10 yearsearlier

(Mg/month)

0 50 100 150 2000

5

10

15

0

10

20

0

20

40

0

5

10

15

Distance Downstream (km)

TN Flux (kg/month)

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

Total N flux vs. distance - 1999-2001 (n = 3 years)

space holder

UCFR TN fluxincreases with distancedownstreamwith patternssimilar to 10years earlier

Total N flux : 1999 – 2001 (3 years)

(Mg/month)

0 50 100 150 2000

2

4

0

3

6

9

0

3

6

9

0.0

0.5

1.0

Distance Downstream (km)

NO3-N Flux

(kg/month)

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

Nitrate flux vs. distance - 2005 (n = 1 years)

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Nitrate flux : 2005 (1 year)

UCFR nitrate fluxdecreases in the same locationsand with patterns similarto 10 yearsearlier

(Mg/month)

1986-1992 1999-2001 2005

0 50 100 150 2000

2

4

6

0

3

6

9

0

3

6

9

0.0

0.5

1.0

NO3-N Flux

(kg/month)

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

0 50 100 150 200

Distance Downstream (km)

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

0 50 100 150 200

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

Riverine hotspot for NO3- removal: variation in space and time

7

9 1012

Biota!(Mg/month)

2005-2009

1998-2004

0

450

300

150

Total N(μg/L)

Modified from Suplee et al. (2012)

0

200

400Algal Chl a(mg/m2)

Site 9Site 10

Site 12Site 15.5

60

30

0

Total P(μg/L)

But what is it that what biota ‘see’?

Water quality criteriarelate to Total N and Total P.

Act as reservoirs for more bioavailable forms.

Relative abundance of inorganic (i.e., reactive) N and P change seasonally

AtomicN:P

where: N = DIN = NO2- + NO3

- + NH4+

P = orthophosphate

AtomicN:P

0

10

20

30Warm Springs (7)

0

100

200

300

Deer Lodge (9)

J M S DM J NF A J A O

0

40

80Gold Creek (11)

Winter: P-limitation Summer: N-limitation

Relative abundance of inorganic (i.e., reactive) N and P change seasonally

green algae (Cladophora)- nutrient-rich- high N concentrations

bluegreen algae (bacteria)- P-rich- low N concentrations

N N

Nostoc

Nostoc

Conclusions

Declining concentrations – evidence of management success

Seasonal variation in river N and P flux = differential connections

Declining N03-N flux = biological self-purification? algal uptake vs. denitrification

Role of biological N-fixation

Floodplain restoration and influences on C, N, and P dynamics

Distance Downstream (km)

NutrientConcentrations

Spring

Summer

Current nutrient monitoring in the UCFR: MT DEQ

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7 9 10 12

7 9 10 12

0 50 100 150 200

Current monitoring along the UCFR

MT DEQ maintainsmonitoring of water quality inthe UCFR ata reduced numberof sites from Juneto September

…concomitant monitoring of benthic algalstanding crops(Vicki Watson,UM, MT DEQ)