Description:

The Lower Blackfoot River, Idaho (17040207) was identified in the Agricultural Pollution Abatement Plans as a second priority stream segment for the reduction of agriculture related pollutants. From November 19, 1986 to July 6, 1987 a water quality study was done to observe the effects that each tributary has on the Blackfoot River and to determine the sources of water quality degradation in the tributaries. Although the tributaries had levels of suspended sediment, nitrates, nitrites, total phosphorus, dissolved ortho-phosphates, and bacteria which exceeded regulations and recommendations, the pollutants were diluted to below standards on all but one occasion in the Blackfoot River (March 2). Due to the mass wasting in the tributaries, the cattle impact, and the farming, all of which occurred simultaneously, it was impossible to determine what amount of stream pollution was due to any one factor. The near drought conditions in southeastern Idaho made it impossible to determine the normal impact of agricultural pollution on the Blackfoot River or its tributaries. 1987. Water Quality Status Report No. 78. Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Water Quality Bureau, Boise, ID. 37 pp.

Record Details:

Record Type:DOCUMENT

Product Published Date:10/17/1997

Record Last Revised:12/10/2002

Record ID: 5901

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Title :LOWER BLACKFOOT RIVER, BINGHAM COUNTY, IDAHO - WATER QUALITY STATUS REPORT, 1987

Version :1.0

State :ID

Quality Assurance:

Title :LOWER BLACKFOOT RIVER, BINGHAM COUNTY, IDAHO - WATER QUALITY STATUS REPORT, 1987

Data Use & Constraints :Methods of sample collection, preservation, and analyses followed Standard Methods (APHA, 1985), and the National Handbook of Recommended Methods for Water Data Acquisition (USGS, 1977). Table 5 contains precision of split samples and the average percent range. Table 6 contains the accuracy and confidence intervals on spiked samples. Precision was good for all parameters except ammonia (28.3%) and ortho-phosphate (29.5%). There were not enough accuracy samples taken during the study to get a true assessment of the accuracy. The accuracy of nitrate and ammonia were excellent, the TKN and total phosphorus were good, but the suspended sediment and dissolved ortho-phosphate were poor.