ABSTRACT

From September through October 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, collected and analyzed water-quality samples from streams in the Yazoo River basin within the Mississippi Alluvial Plain ecoregion in northwestern Mississippi. Water-quality samples were collected at 56 sites in the study area and analyzed for various physical and chemical characteristics including, but not limited to, suspended sediment, nutrients, and chlorophyll a. Additionally, water temperature, pH, specific conductance, and dissolved oxygen data were measured at 28 of the sites using multiparameter water-quality meters at 30-minute intervals for a minimum of 48 hours. Data collected for this project will be used in the development of water-quality criteria for nutrients. The nutrient data will enhance existing datasets and support evaluation of cause and effect relations for nutrient criteria development. In addition, these indicators will assist in the development and evaluation of restoration and remediation plans for water bodies not meeting their designated uses, as stated in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Water Act Section 303(d).

First posted March 5, 2010