The water quality of the Nescopeck Creek watershed is comprised of two very different characteristics. From the headwaters almost to Rte 93 the Nescopeck Creek is a beautiful, clean trout stream. The remainder of the creek all the way to the Susquehanna River is polluted by AMD (acid mine drainage). The watershed’s two largest tributaries are both affected by AMD (acid mine drainage); the Little Nescopeck Creek and Black Creek. Our five test sites are spread around the watershed to monitor the level of AMD pollution and the effect on the rest of the creek.
Pennsylvania every two years publishes a water quality report listing the streams and rivers and whether they meet the state’s water quality requirements. The upper reaches of the Nescopeck Creek are rated as attained meaning they meet the state water quality requirements to support aquatic life. The AMD polluted stretches are rated as impaired. This report is now interactive so check it out.
Draft 2022 Pennsylvania Integrated Water Quality Report
The Friends monitoring program consists of three activities:
- Chemical analysis
- Stream flow
- Macroinvertebrate survey
Chemical Analysis
Five sites are sampled monthly and tested for temperature, acidity, alkalinity, iron, pH, conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, aluminum, manganese, sulfate, nitrate-nitrogen and phosphorus. Test equipment and test methods are listed below:
- Acidity & alkalinity – Hach AMD kit using a drop count titration method
- Iron & pH – Hach AMD kit using a color comparator method
- Conductivity & turbidity – Vernier sensors w/ LabQuest computer (calibrated monthly)
- Dissolved oxygen – Hach kit using a modified Winkler method (drop count titration)
- Aluminum – Hach colorimeter using the Aluminon method no. 8012
- Manganese – Hach colorimeter using the Periodate oxidation method no. 8048
- Sulfate – Hach colorimeter – using the SulfaVer 4 method no. 8051
- Nitrate-nitrogen – LaMotte kit using a Zinc reduction method
- Phosphate – Hach colorimeter using the PhosVer 3 (ascorbic acid) method no. 8048
Stream Flow Measurement
Stream flow is measured monthly on the watershed’s two largest (& polluted) tributaries, the Little Nescopeck Creek and the Black Creek, to determine the loading of each pollutant and to see if there is any relationship between flow and concentration.
The flow is measured at bridges so that the stream width is fixed between two vertical bridge abutments and during periods of high flow the measurements are safely made without anyone entering the stream.
Test equipment used is:
- Tape measure to measure horizontal distance
- Surveyors rod – to measure stream depth
- Vernier Labquest computer & velocity sensor – to measure stream water velocity
Macroinvertebrate Survey
Annually the Friends conduct a macroinvertebrate survey near one of our test sites. Different macroinvertebrates are sensitive to different levels of stress such as temperature, pollution, habitat, etc. By collecting, identifying and counting the types of macroinvertebrates the overall health of a stream can be determined. Over time the water quality in a stream section may change and hopefully improve.
Using kick nets and a standardized protocol an overall score can be calculated and used to compare to other sites or over time. The survey is usually conducted in September or early October so when comparing data the time of year is consistent. See photo section under water quality for pictures of this activity.
