Technical Report

Water Quality Monitoring of the Middle Rio Grande: Annual Baseline Condition and Trends of Key Water Quality Parameters October 2006 - July 2008 Final Report

URL: https://webapps.usgs.gov/mrgescp/documents/Surface%20Water%20Quality%20Bureau_2009_Water%20Quality%20Monitoring%20of%20the%20MRG%20Annual%20Baseline%20Condidtion%20and%20Trends%20of%20Key%20Water%20Quality%20Parameters%20October%202006-July%202008.pdf

Date: 2009/07/01

Author(s): New Mexico Environment Department Surface Water Quality Bureau

Publication: Report prepared for Middle Rio Grande Endangered Species Act Collaborative Program, 56 p.

Abstract:

The Middle Rio Grande Endangered Species Act Collaborative Program (MRGESACP) contracted with the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Surface Water Quality Bureau (SWQB) to conduct water-quality monitoring and assessment to determine if poor water quality is contributing to the decline of Rio Grande silvery minnow (RGSM) populations in the Middle Rio Grande (MRG).

SWQB conducted quarterly sampling of water and sediment, toxicity tests, and annual fish tissue collection and analysis at ten stations in the MRG selected by the MRGESACP. The survey extended from Bosque del Apache, downstream of San Antonio, north to the Angostura Diversion, upstream of Bernalillo covering approximately 290 km (180 miles) of river. This report details the survey work completed between October 2006 and September 2008. In addition to the sampling conducted specifically for this grant, SWQB solicited and compiled water chemistry data for sites on the MRG within the study area from other sources and earlier SWQB studies conducted between 2000 through 2008.