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BANNOCK CREEK, POWER COUNTY, IDAHO - WATER QUALITY STATUS REPORT, 1980 - 1981
Description:
Bannock Creek, Idaho (17040206) is a small agricultural watershed. The basin is partially on the Fort Hall Reservation. Several large farms and leases of reservation land are active in the watershed. Bannock Creek and its tributaries were sampled for suspended sediment load and chemical quality during 1980 and 1981. Five main stream stations and a series of tributary stations were utilized. The data were used to develop a sediment rating curve for the watershed, and a more specific curve for the creek near the mouth. Land uses in the watershed were mapped. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) was used to predict soil loss from the watershed. USLE predications and sediment rating curve measurements were comparable within relatively wide limits. Chemical quality of the creek was summarized with a Water Quality Index. Those results show the stream to be severely polluted with sediment between April and June. Serious water quality problems exist on an annual basis with regard to sediment, fecal coliform bacteria, nutrients, and turbidity. Several critical erosion areas in the watershed are presented on a basin map. It is recommended that Best Management Practices and other aggressive erosion control practices be instituted in these areas. Perry, J.A. and D. Tanner. 1982. Water Quality Status Report No. WQ-48. Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Division of Environment, Boise, ID.