Water-quality assessment of the Trinity River Basin, Texas - Nutrients in streams draining an agricultural and an urban area, 1993-95

Open-File Report 96-322
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Abstract

Water samples collected from streams draining an agricultural area in the west-central part of the Trinity River Basin upstream from the Richland-Chambers Reservoir and from streams draining an urban area in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area during March 1993 - September 1995 were analyzed for nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus compounds). A comparison of the data for agricultural and urban streams shows the maximum concentration of total nitrogen is from an urban stream and the maximum concentration of total phosphorus is from an agricultural stream. One-half of the samples have total nitrogen concentrations equal to or less than 1.1 and 1.0 milligrams per liter in the agricultural and urban streams, respectively; and one-half of the samples have total phosphorous concentrations equal to or less than 0.04 and 0.05 milligram per liter in the agricultural and urban streams, respectively. The highest concentrations of total nitrogen in both types of streams are in the spring. The minimum concentrations of total nitrogen are during the summer in the agricultural streams and during the winter in the urban streams. Concentrations of total phosphorus in agricultural streams show negligible seasonal variability. The highest concentrations of total phosphorus are in spring and possibly late summer in the urban streams. In the midrange of streamflow in the urban streams and throughout the range of streamflow in the agricultural streams, concentrations of total nitrogen increase. Concentrations of total phosphorus increase with streamflow in the middle and upper ranges of streamflow in both agricultural and urban streams.

Study Area

Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Water-quality assessment of the Trinity River Basin, Texas - Nutrients in streams draining an agricultural and an urban area, 1993-95
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 96-322
DOI 10.3133/ofr96322
Year Published 1996
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Contributing office(s) Texas Water Science Center, Rocky Mountain Regional Office
Description 6 p.
Country United States
State Texas
Other Geospatial Trinity River basin
Online Only (Y/N) N
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details