FACTORS CONTROLLING VARIATIONS IN WATER TEMPERATURE OF KELLER RESERVOIR AND RELATED STREAMS WITHIN MCELHATTAN CREEK WATERSHED, CLINTON COUNTY, PA

In the summer of 2016 the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC) conducted a study on McElhattan Creek to gauge the health of the wild trout population within the watershed. The study identified a significant problem that the watershed faces in relation to the difference in water temperature upstream and downstream of Keller Reservoir, which is situated alongside McElhattan Creek. This discrepancy in water temperature is affecting the wild trout population, with some showing Black Spot, a parasite found when fish are combating temperature stress.

Following up on the PFBC study, the focus of this project was to keep an extended record of water temperature above and below Keller Reservoir for the entire length of the summer, when the temperature discrepancies were observed to be at their highest. A series of HOBO Water Temp Pro data loggers were deployed at four locations in the watershed to obtain a broader picture of what could be influencing the previously observed temperature fluctuations. Monthly reports were then generated and compiled into a comprehensive file to examine trends in water temperature within the watershed. There was an isolated period (7/21/2017) when the temperature differential at two locations in McElhattan Creek, which are located upstream and downstream of Keller Reservoir, respectively, exhibited the highest range, which appears to be correlated with air temperature, which is controlled by solar radiation. A second event (7/24/2017), displayed the smallest range in temperature deviations between the same two locations following a major rain event. This event seems to be influenced by a relatively higher amount of water being discharged from Ohl Reservoir into the upstream segment of McElhattan Creek. Our data indicate that the surface water in Ohl Reservoir is relatively warmer than the water in the upstream segment of McElhattan Creek. This project also investigated water budget for Keller Reservoir to assess the contribution of various components of the hydrologic cycle.