Water Quality Monitoring in the Buck Creek Watershed and Facilitation of Buck Creek Watershed Partnership

Abstract

The “Water Quality Monitoring in the Buck Creek Watershed and Facilitation of Buck Creek Watershed Partnership” project was developed to continue water quality monitoring on Buck Creek and to continue to engage watershed stakeholders during the Buck Creek WPP review process. This project continued monthly monitoring of Buck Creek when flowing water was present and kept the watershed partnership engaged through public meetings and semi-annual newsletters.

Water quality monitoring began in May 2011 during the early stages of the most intense one-year drought on record in Texas and ran through April 2013. While much of the state returned to a semi-normal state of moisture conditions, the Texas Panhandle did not fare so well. The drought coupled with increased groundwater pumping to keep crops viable yielded sufficient water to sample in the creek during four sampling dates in this two-year period.