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Appendix IV
DWQ Water Quality
Monitoring Programs
in the
Watauga River Basin
Appendices
DWQ Water Quality Monitoring Programs in the Watauga River Basin
Staff in the Environmental Sciences Section (ESS) and
Regional Offices of DWQ collect a variety of
biological, chemical and physical data. The following
discussion contains a brief introduction to each
program, followed by a summary of water quality data
in the Watauga River basin for that program. For more
detailed information on sampling and assessment of
streams in this basin, refer to the Basinwide Assessment
Report for the Watauga River basin, available on the
ESS website http://www.esb.enr.state.nc.us/bar.html or by calling (919) 733-9960.
DWQ monitoring programs for the
Watauga River Basin include:
• Benthic Macroinvertebrates
• Fish Community Assessments
• Aquatic Toxicity Monitoring
• Ambient Monitoring System
Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring
Benthic macroinvertebrates, or benthos, are organisms that live in and on the bottom substrates
of rivers and streams. These organisms are primarily aquatic insect larvae. The use of benthos
data has proven to be a reliable monitoring tool, as benthic macroinvertebrates are sensitive to
subtle changes in water quality. Since macroinvertebrates have life cycles of six months to over
one year, the effects of short-term pollution (i.e., chemical spill) will generally not be overcome
until the following generation appears. The benthic community also integrates the effects of a
wide array of potential pollutant mixtures.
Criteria have been developed to assign a bioclassification to each benthic sample based on the
number of different species present in the pollution intolerant groups of Ephemeroptera
(mayflies), Plecoptera (stoneflies) and Trichoptera (caddisflies), commonly referred to as EPT. A
Biotic Index (BI) value gives an indication of overall community pollution tolerance. Different
benthic macroinvertebrate criteria have been developed for different ecoregions (i.e., mountains,
piedmont, coastal plain and swamp) within North Carolina and bioclassifications fall into five
categories: Excellent, Good, Good-Fair, Fair and Poor.
Overview of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Data
There were 15 benthic sites sampled during this assessment period. The following table lists the
total bioclassifications (by subbasin) for all benthos sites in the Watauga River basin. Benthos
sampling may slightly overestimate the proportion of Fair and Poor sites, as DWQ special
studies often have the greatest sampling intensity (number of sites/stream) in areas where it is
believed that water quality problems exist.
Summary of Bioclassifications for All Freshwater Benthic Macroinvertebrate Sites (using the most recent rating
for each site) Sampled in the Watauga River Basin
Subbasin Excellent Good Good-
Fair Fair Poor Not Rated Not
Impaired Total
04-02-01 7 5 2 0 0 0 1 15
Total (%) 47 33 13 0 0 0 7 100
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For more detailed information and the history of sampling in the Watauga River basin, refer to
the following table.
Benthic Macroinvertebrate Data Collected in the Watauga River Basin (1999-2004). Current basinwide sites are
in bold font.
Waterbody Location County Index No. Date Total
Species EPT BI EPT
BI Bioclassification
Watauga R SR 1594 Watauga 8-(1) 8/16/04 ----- 43 ----- 2.53 Excellent
Watauga R SR1580 Watauga 8-(1) 8/18/04 ----- 32 ----- 3.33 Good
7/13/99 ----- 25 ----- 3.90 Good-Fair
Watauga R NC 105 Watauga 8-(1) 8/18/04 106 55 4.01 3.27 Excellent
7/14/99 88 42 3.91 3.38 Excellent
Boone Fk SR 1561 Watauga 8-7 8/18/04 75 46 2.95 1.76 Excellent
7/13/99 72 39 2.54 1.62 Excellent
Boone Fk Off SR 1558 Watauga 8-7 8/18/04 ----- 39 ----- 3.30 Excellent
7/12/99 ----- 32 ----- 2.84 Good
Laurel Fk SR 1552 Watauga 8-10 8/18/04 58 34 2.88 2.37 Not Impaired
Laurel Fk SR 1111 Watauga 8-10 8/18/04 ----- 26 ----- 2.91 Good-Fair
7/13/99 ----- 27 ----- 3.28 Good-Fair
Cove Cr SR 1149 Watauga 8-15 8/17/04 ----- 34 ----- 3.64 Good
7/13/99 ----- 32 ----- 3.35 Good
Watauga R SR 1121 Watauga 8-(16) 8/17/04 100 47 4.46 3.67 Excellent
7/15/99 81 38 4.27 3.48 Good
Watauga R SR 1200 Watauga 8-(16) 8/17/04 110 45 4.33 3.18 Excellent
7/15/99 94 50 3.89 3.22 Excellent
Laurel Cr SR 1123 Watauga 8-17 8/17/04 ----- 35 ----- 2.33 Good
7/15/99 ----- 31 ----- 2.60 Good
Beaverdam Cr SR 1202 Watauga 8-19 8/17/04 ----- 30 ----- 2.57 Good
7/13/99 ----- 37 ----- 3.17 Good
Beech Cr US 321 Watauga 8-20 8/17/04 ----- 41 ----- 2.01 Excellent
7/15/99 ----- 38 ----- 2.51 Excellent
Elk R Off NC 184 Avery 8-22-(3) 8/16/04 71 24 5.37 4.11 Good-Fair
7/14/99 102 44 4.38 3.58 Good
Elk R SR 1305 Avery 8-22-(14.5) 8/16/04 103 43 4.33 3.17 Good
7/14/99 88 44 3.86 3.09 Excellent
Assessing Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities in Small Streams
The benthic macroinvertebrate community of small streams is naturally less diverse than the
streams used to develop the current criteria for flowing freshwater streams. The benthic
macroinvertebrate database is being evaluated, and a study to systematically look at small
reference streams in different ecoregions is being developed with the goal of finding a way to
evaluate water quality conditions in such small streams.
Presently, a designation of Not Impaired may be used for flowing waters that are too small to be
assigned a bioclassification (less than 4 meters in width) but meet the criteria for a Good-Fair or
higher bioclassification using the standard qualitative and EPT criteria. This designation will
translate into a use support rating of Supporting. However, DWQ will use the monitoring
information from small streams to identify potential impacts to small streams even in cases when
a use support rating cannot be assigned.
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DWQ will use this monitoring information to identify potential impacts to these waters even
though a use support rating is not assigned. DWQ will continue to develop criteria to assess
water quality in small streams.
Fish Community Assessments
All of the fish community sites in this subbasin were sampled by DWQ for the first time in 2004.
The 2004 basinwide assessment will therefore serve as a baseline for fish communities sampled
during the 2009 basinwide assessment period. The North Carolina Index of Biotic Integrity
(NCIBI) is used to assess biological integrity. The NCIBI uses a cumulative assessment of ten
parameters or metrics. Each metric is designed to contribute unique information to the overall
assessment. The scores for all metrics are then summed to obtain the overall NCIBI score.
Overview of Fish Community Data
There were 10 fish sites sampled in the Watauga River basin during this assessment period. The
following table lists the most recent ratings (by subbasin) for all fish community sites.
Summary of NCIBI Categories for All Freshwater Fish Community Sites (using the most recent rating for each
site) Sampled in the Watauga River Basin
Subbasin Excellent Good Good-Fair Fair Poor Not Rated Total
04-02-01 0 1 3 0 1 5 10
Total (%) 0 10 30 0 10 50 100
For detailed information regarding the fish samples collected during this assessment period, refer
to the following table.
Fish Community Data Collected in the Watauga River Basin (2004)
Waterbody Location County Index No. Date NCIBI Score NCIBI
Bioclassification
Watauga R off SR 1557 Watauga 8-(1) 05/06/04 44 Good-Fair
Boone Fk off SR 1558 Watauga 8-7 05/06/04 50 Good
Laurel Fk SR 1111 Watauga 8-10 05/05/04 --- Not Rated
Dutch Cr SR 1112/NC 194 Watauga 8-12-(1.5) 05/05/04 46 Good-Fair
Cove Cr SR 1149 Watauga 8-15 05/05/04 40 Good-Fair
12/02/04 34 Fair
Laurel Cr SR 1123 Watauga 8-17 05/04/04 --- Not Rated
Beaverdam Cr SR 1202 Watauga 8-19 05/04/04 26 Poor
Beech Cr off SR 1312 Avery 8-20 05/04/04 --- Not Rated
Elk R SR 1326 Avery 8-22-(14.5) 05/03/04 --- Not Rated
Cranberry Cr NC 194 Avery 8-22-16 05/03/04 --- Not Rated
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Aquatic Toxicity Monitoring
Acute and/or chronic toxicity tests are used to determine toxicity of permitted discharges to
sensitive aquatic species (i.e., fathead minnows and/or water fleas, Ceriodaphnia dubia). Results
of these tests have been shown by several researchers to be predictive of point source discharge
effects on receiving stream populations. Many facilities are required to monitor whole effluent
toxicity (WET) by their NPDES permit or by administrative letter. The Aquatic Toxicology Unit
(ATU) may also test other facilities. Per Section 106 of the Clean Water Act, the ATU is
required to test at least 10 percent of the major discharging facilities over the course of the
federal fiscal year (FFY). However, it is ATU’s target to test 20 percent of the major dischargers
in the FFY. This means that each major facility would be evaluated over the course of their five-
year permit. There are no requirements or targets for minor dischargers.
In addition, the ATU maintains a compliance summary for all facilities required to perform tests
and provides monthly updates of this information to regional offices and DWQ administration.
Ambient toxicity tests can be used to evaluate stream water quality relative to other stream sites
and/or a point source discharge.
Two NPDES permits in the Watauga River basin currently require WET testing. Both facility
permits have a WET limit. The number of facilities required to monitor WET has increased
steadily since 1987, the first year that WET limits were written into permits in North Carolina.
The compliance rate has risen as well. Since 1996, the compliance rate has stabilized at
approximately 90 percent. The following graph summaries WET monitoring compliance in the
Watauga River basin from 1987 to 2004. Facilities with toxicity problems during the most
recent two-year review period are discussed in the subbasin chapter (Chapter 1).
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No. Facilities % Meeting Permit Limit
NPDES facility WET compliance in the Watauga River basin (1987-2004). The compliance values were
calculated by determining whether facilities with WET limits were meeting their ultimate permit limits
during the given time period, regardless of any Special Orders of Consent (SOC) in force.
Ambient Monitoring System
The Ambient Monitoring System (AMS) is a network of stream, lake and estuarine stations
strategically located for the collection of physical and chemical water quality data. North
Carolina has more than 378 water chemistry monitoring stations statewide, including 4 stations
in the Watauga River basin. Between 23 and 32 parameters are collected monthly at each
station. The locations of these stations are listed in the following table and shown on the
subbasin map (Chapter 1). Notable ambient water quality parameters are discussed in the
subbasin chapter (Chapter 1). Refer to the 2005 Watauga River Basinwide Assessment Report
(http://www.esb.enr.state.nc.us/bar.html) for a more detailed analysis of ambient water quality
monitoring data.
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Ambient Monitoring Stations in the Watauga River Basin
Station
Number
STORET
Number
Waterbody/
Location County Class
LA1 L1700000 Watauga River SR1557 nr Shulls Mill Watauga B Tr HQW
LA2 L2000000 Watauga River NC105 nr Shulls Mill Watauga B Tr HQW
LA3 L2350000 Watauga River SR1114 nr Valle Crucis Watauga B Tr HQW
LA4 L4700000 Watauga River SR1121 nr Sugar Grove Watauga B Tr HQW
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