COMPARISON OF HISTORIC AND RECENT WATER QUALITY DATA FOR STREAMS NOT MEETING DESIGNATED USAGES IN WEST GEORGIA

The West Georgia Watershed Assessment (WGWA) is a yearlong study conducted by faculty and students whose purpose is to thoroughly examine the status of the waters in Carroll and Heard Counties as a baseline for future monitoring. The Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) sets forth and maintains strict guidelines for water quality in Georgia based on the water’s designated usage. The primary use for west Georgian streams is for fishing and limited recreational and drinking water purposes. Streams in compliance with EPD regulations are known as supporting, that is they support their designated uses. The WGWA collected data for 21 water quality parameters. Some of the more important parameters the EPD regulates are dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, temperature, fecal coliform bacteria, turbidity, total suspended solids, and metals. Within the southeast, fecal coliform bacteria are important. Fecal coliform in our study area is the most common cause of a stream not meeting its designated usage and low DO is the most common source of fish kills. Fecal coliform bacteria standards are seasonably variable. From May through October when human contact with the water is maximized due to warmer temperatures, 200 col./100 mL (30 day geometric mean) is allowable. However, from November through May during cooler temperatures, 1,000 col./100 mL (30 day geometric mean) is allowed and a maximum of 4,000 col./100 mL is allowed. Dissolved oxygen can only reach a minimum amount of 4 mg/L and a minimum daily average of 5 mg/L. Compared with historic data, the results of our study may change the status of several streams in the west Georgia area. Streams that previously and regularly have not met their designated usages and were partially or not supporting may now be supporting and in compliance with EPD regulations. Also, those streams that were previously supporting their designated usages may no longer be in compliance with EPD regulations because of high fecal coliform bacteria.