Water Quality Monitoring at Red Salmon CreekMeadows ElementaryMarch 21, 2013
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Our Monitoring Site Summary of Red Salmon Creek
• Located off Mounts Road, north of
I-5, on the old McBride’s Farm,
now a part of the Nisqually Land
Trust.
• The headwaters (source) of the Red
Salmon Creek begin at Nisqually
Lake, on Ft. Lewis land.
• The mouth of Red Salmon Creek is
located at the Nisqually Reach,
where the waters join in Puget
Sound.
About Red Salmon Creek…
• The place we go to monitor Red Salmon Creek used to be a farm. There is still a farmhouse, out buildings, and a few fruit trees. Some restoration projects have been started to enhance the riparian zone. From the site we can see and hear I-5, and passing trains on nearby railroad tracks.
Nisqually Watershed Overview
Important resources of the
watershed include:
• shellfish harvesting in the
Nisqually Reach
• diverse forest ecosystems
• Rich estuary habitat
Current issues in the
watershed include:
• Removal of old farm dikes
to allow salt water
intrusion
• Efforts to educate
homeowners about proper
septic care
Water Quality Data
Water Quality
Test Results
Dissolved Oxygen in
October was 9.06 mg/L and in February it was 10 mg/L
Temperature 11.5 c in
October, and 10 c in February
pH was 7.5 in October
and in February
Fecal Coliform was 46
colonies/100mL in February
Turbidity was 1.6 JTU’s in
October, and 5 JTU’s in February
Nitrates in October were 0.66 and in
February the results were 0+
Data Interpretation• Overall, we think the data for Red Salmon
Creek looks pretty good. The fecal coliform @ 46 colonies is still considered safe and is under the 50 colonies per 100 mL…but we wouldn’t dare drink it.
• What could be done to improve water quality at our site? We can see a lot of work has already gone in to make our site even better. We noticed many trees have been planted to improve the riparian zone.