Study-Unit Design Summary Table
for the ALMN NAWQA Project

TIPS ON USING THE TABLE:  

1. For a summary of each study-component design click on the information symbol () in the ALMN Study Components column.
   
2. For lists of the sites/study and to access site data and/or a study location map click on the "To study data" link in the ALMN Study Components column.
   
3. For constituent lists of the data collected for each Study Component click on the parameter(s) of interest (ex. "Major ions") in the What data were collected column.
   
4. Data repeated in the What data were collected column without an active link are identical to where the data was previously listed for surface or ground water, respectively.
   

SUMMARY OF DATA COLLECTION IN THE ALMN RIVER BASIN STUDY UNIT, 1996-98

ALMN Study Components (Number of sites/wells)	What data were collected	Reason(s) for sampling	Types of sites sampled	Sampling frequency/period
SURFACE-WATER QUALITY
BASIC FIXED SITES (8) Integrator Sites (5) Indicator Sites (3) To study data	-  Contin. streamflow  - Discharge  -  Field constituents  - Major ions  - Nutrients  -  Organic carbon  -  Suspended sediment  -  Trace elements (dis.)  -  Trace elements (sus.)  -  Ecological assessment	To describe concentration, seasonal variability and loads, and to assess biological communities in different land uses.	Streams draining a variety land use types across basin, including:  - Coal mined  - Forested  - Residential /     urban  - Agricultural  - Mixed	Stream Chemistry: Monthly plus high flows; April* 1996-Sept. 1998 (*2 sites started in Oct. 1996) Trace elements (dis.) (1 per site, Sept. 1998) Trace elements (sus.) low, med., high flows (1997-98) 4 sites¹ Stream Ecology: 1996-97 (10 sites), 1998 (6 sites) (Sampled once each time period.)
INTENSIVE FIXED SITES (2) Indicator Sites (2) To study data	- Same constituents    as above  - 83  Pesticides (dis.)  - 87 Volatile organic    compounds (VOC's)    (only 1 site)	To determine concentration and timing of occurrence and to assess biological communities in targeted land uses.	Stream reaches were co-located with basic sites. Sites represent two types of predominant land-uses within the basin:  - Agricultural  - Residential /     urban	Stream Chemistry: Monthly plus high flows and storm flows and more often during high-use period, 1996-98. Stream Ecology: One 3-reach site in 1996 One 3-reach site in 1997
BED-SEDIMENT AND TISSUE STUDY (19)  Trace elements and  organic contaminants  in bed sediments (19)  and fish tissue (16)     To study data	Bed-sediment:  - Trace elements  - Carbon, total  - Chlorinated, hydro-     phobic pesticides  - Semivolatile organic     compounds (SVOC's) Fish Tissue:  - Trace metals in     fish livers  - Organic compounds     in composites of     whole fish	To determine occurrence and spatial distribution.	For all Basic and Intensive Fixed Sites and 9 additional sites: Bed-sediment: Depositional zones Fish Tissue: Samples were taken from fish species common to/across Study Unit	Bed-sediment: Summer 1996 September 1998 (Trace elements only) Fish Tissue: Summer 1996 Summer 1997 (Duplicate taxa at 2 sites)
GROUND-WATER QUALITY
STUDY UNIT SURVEY (30)  Fractured Bedrock  Survey (30) To study data	-  Ground-water levels  - Field constituents  - Major ions /     Trace metals  - Nutrients  -  Pesticides  - VOC's  - Radon  - Trace elements  - Dissolved organic     carbon (DOC)	To assess ground-water quality across the region.	Existing domestic wells located using a statistically random selection process.	Once in 1996 (July-August)
STUDY UNIT SURVEY (30)  Glaciofluvial Sediment  Survey (30) To study data	- Same as above,     except no     trace elements	To assess ground-water quality across the region.	Existing domestic wells located using a statistically random selection process.	Once in 1996 (September-October)
LAND-USE EFFECTS SURVEY (35)  Coal Mining  Land-Use Study (35) To study data	- Same as above,     except no pesticides  - Trace elements  - Chlorofluorocarbons     (CFC's)	To assess quality of recently recharged ground water.	Existing domestic wells located down gradient of recently reclaimed suface coal mines (2-12 years old).	Once in 1997 (August-October)
SPECIAL STUDIES
LOW-FLOW SYNOPTIC SURVEY OF STREAMS IN THE COAL FIELDS OF THE ALMN BASIN (121)  Standard Site Network (89)  (Surface-water chemistry only)  Intensive Site Network (32)  (Surface-water chemistry    and ecology) To study data	Standard Site Network:  - Discharge  - Mine drainage     indicators  - Field constituents  - Embeddedness     Survey Intensive Site Network  - Same as Standard     Sites  - Major ions  - Sulfate  - Trace elements  - Macroinvertebrates  - Aquatic habitat	Standard and Intensive Site Networks: To assess quality of surface water relative to type and age of coal mining in the basins. Intensive Site Network To assess spatial distribution of biological communities when subjected to mine drainage.	Standard and Intensive Site Networks: Synoptic sites selected randomly from original 298 sites of the 1979-81 Coal Hydrology Study.	Standard Site Network: Once in summer 1998 (August 14-28) Intensive Site Network  Stream Chemistry: Once in summer 1998 (August 14-28)  Stream Ecology: Once in summer 1998 (Aug. - Sept. 1998)
MERCURY SYNOPTIC (5)  As part of the National   Pilot Study of Mercury  Contamination of Aquatic  Ecosystems along Multiple  Gradients To study data	- Discharge  - Mercury compounds  - Sulfate  - Total Organic Carbon     (TOC)  - Field constituents  - Mercury compounds     in Bed-sediment  - Mercury compounds     in Fish Tissue	To assess the quality of surface water relative to mercury.	Synoptic sites selected from above listed Study Components, including; Basic Fixed Sites, Bed-Sediment and Tissue Study, and two additional sites	Once in summer 1998

 QUICK LINKS:

  Abbreviations and associated NAWQA nomenclature used in the above list and throughout this website are explained in the Glossary of Terms.

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