Water Quality Monitoring at Red Salmon CreekMeadows ElementaryMarch 21, 2013

13

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.