A WATERSHED ASSESSMENT OF TRIBUTARY STREAMS OF THE CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER IN THE PIEDMONT OF HEARD COUNTY, GEORGIA

The West Georgia Watershed Assessment includes 27 sample stations on 15 streams in Heard County, Georgia that will be monitored for one year for 21 water quality parameters. Heard County is a mostly rural county located in the Piedmont of west Georgia. Dominant land cover includes forest, pasture, and hay. Residential and commercial land usage is limited to principal highways and three small towns. Coal- and gas-powered electricity generation are important industries in eastern Heard County because of the intersection of railroads, power lines, a major gas pipeline, and the Chattahoochee River. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has classified two of the 15 tributary streams as partially supporting their designated uses (fishing) because of high levels of fecal coliform bacteria. A third stream exhibits elevated fecal coliform levels and additionally has restricted biotic diversity, and is thus classified as partially supporting its designated uses. The results of our study show that all but one stream has normal dissolved oxygen (DO) levels. This stream, already classified as partially supporting its designated uses, has a minimum DO of 4.57 mg/L and heads in farmland east of Heard County. Water quality parameters with positive correlations with rain events are turbidity, TSS, and fecal coliform bacteria indicating runoff from land cover effects water quality. The highest fecal coliform values (>200 colonies/100mL) are associated with pastureland. Weakly negative correlations are observed between rain events and pH and specific conductivity, likely due to dilution of stream water with acid rain. The nutrient load of Heard County streams is relatively low compared to major rivers of the United States. Based on our measured parameters the health of most streams in the study area is good.