PARENT SESSION
Oral Session 1: Aquatic Ecology I: Rivers, Nutrients, and Water Quality.
Presiding: D Kashian
Monday, August 2, 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM, Meeting Room A 105.
Analysis of landuse, climate, stream buffers, and water quality in the upper Green River Basin of Kentucky.
Meier, O.*,1, Grubbs, S.1, Meier, A.1, Anmala, J.1, 1 Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, USA
ABSTRACT- The Green River basin of Kentucky, with 151 fish species and 73 mussel species (including 9 endangered species), has an aquatic faunal community among the highest in biodiversity in the U.S. The most diverse and least impacted watershed within this area, the upper Green River basin, has been targeted for a USDA Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to restore pasture and crop land along the Green River and its tributaries to riparian buffer. We initiated a sampling program to develop a comprehensive picture of pre-restoration conditions in the region. Measurements of water quality, habitat parameters, and fish and macroinvertebrate species were taken at 43 sites in the upper Green River basin during 2002. We have completed quantification of landuse types for the watershed, at smaller scales within the watershed, and for streamside buffers of 50, 150, and 300 feet for the tributaries and mainstem river of the watershed using GIS. We have also completed monthly analyses of the relationships between landuse and water quality parameters. Artificial neural network (ANN) modeling using input variables of watershed landuse types, streamside buffer landuse types, 48-hour precedent precipitation, and water temperature, with selected water quality parameters, such as fecal coliform bacteria, as output parameters, show relationships that vary between sampling periods and are most strongly related to the single variable of precipitation. High fecal coliform values in this system are potentially related to both animal input (from animal feeding operations) and human input (from failing septic systems and straight pipes). Correlations of water quality parameters with potential animal and human sources of input, performed at several scales, suggest that human inputs have a larger contribution than animal inputs. The presence of exceptionally well-developed karst in parts of this watershed make inputs of both human and animal waste difficult to keep out of the aquatic ecosystem.
Key words: water quality, riparian buffer, landuse, karst