WATER QUALITY MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT OF THE RIO MORA AT THE RIO MORA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, MORA COUNTY, NM

The Rio Mora flows through the Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge (Mora, NM) for roughly 8 kilometers within a narrow, approximately 100-meter canyon in a transition zone between the Southern Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains. Stream flows within the Rio Mora are variable and highly dependent on spring runoff and summer monsoonal rains. The major management priorities of the Refuge are to reestablish the vegetation along the Rio Mora and enhance preservation and conservation of endangered aquatic organisms and plants. This study is monitoring and assessing the water quality of the Rio Mora, as the water quality in the system sets the basis for the rest of the ecosystem health. Physicochemical parameters of temperature, turbidity, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and pH have been measured in-situ since October 2014 via a YSI 6920 V2 Multiparameter Water Quality Sonde. The instrument collects water parameter measurements every 15 minutes of every day. The Sonde is transported to the laboratory every 40 days for data download and recalibration. So far, the results show that water quality fluctuates seasonally. Temperature varies from very low (31°F-34°F) in the winter, moderate (48°F-55°F) during the spring, and high (59°F-62°F) in the summer months. Turbidity ranges from low (23-28 NTU) in the summer, moderate in the winter (160-420 NTU), and high (>500 NTU) during the spring months when discharge is highest from snow melt. Dissolved oxygen values are lowest (7.89-9.39 mg/L) in the summer and highest (10.81-12.26 mg/L) during the winter months. Conductivity values correlate with turbidity values; they are lowest in the summer (0.3-0.4mS/cm) when stream flow and turbidity are low and highest in the spring (0.6-0.7mS/cm) when stream flow and turbidity are highest. Values of pH remain relatively constant (7.5-8.5); the slight to moderately alkaline character reflects the alkaline soils and sedimentary rocks over which the Rio Mora flows during its broad reach along the mountain front. We are comparing water quality trends to stream flow, land use, and other influences to assess if and how they affect stream health over time and to inform land management decisions at the Refuge.