UNM WR 573: Field Methods Fall 2021

The hydrology, chemistry, and biology of a stream are strongly interconnected, and must all be considered when assessing the overall state of a water body. In this investigation, we seek to answer the following research question:

What are the differences in water quality and quantity between a rural headwater stream and an urban main-stem river?

For our investigation, we measured, analyzed, and compared water quality and quantity characteristics in a rural headwater stream (Las Huertas Creek, abbreviated as LH) and an urban main-stem river (The Rio Grande, abbreviated as RG) located near and in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At each of our two locations, we measured water quality and quantity at a downstream site (abbreviated as D), a midstream site (abbreviated as M), and an upstream site (abbreviated as U) for a total of six sites in our study. We defined these areas as the location abbreviation followed by the site abbreviation; for example, the Las Huertas Downstream site was defined as LH_D while the Rio Grande Upstream site was defined as RG_U.

To answer our research question, we measured hydrologic, chemical, and biological parameters at each of our six sites. For hydrology, we measured discharge and soil hydraulic conductivity; for chemistry, we measured temperature, specific conductivity, conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, alkalinity, anions, and cations; for biology, we measured chlorophyll a, benthic macroinvertebrates, organic matter, and riparian vegetation. Below is a description of our study locations and our parameter methods followed by parameter results and a discussion.