Water Quality Variations and Trends in Monument and Fountain Creeks

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addition, a statistical analysis of spatial trends of streamflow and selected water - quality properties and constituents among seven stations for a similar period of record (water years 1980 -88) was performed. Finally, results of a seasonal Kendall test applied to identify trends in the time series of stream - flow and each water - quality property and constituent that met specific criteria, for the period of record at each station, are presented. Approach Data from nine water - quality stations were used in the analysis of water - quality variations and trends (table 1). Streamflow and water - quality properties and constituents evaluated during the study were limited to the following: instantaneous streamflow, specific conductance, pH, water temper- ature, dissolved oxygen, hardness as calcium carbonate, dissolved calcium, dissolved magnesium, dissolved chloride, dissolved sulfate, suspended solids, nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen, total ammonia as nitrogen, un- ionized ammonia as nitrogen, total ammonia plus organic nitrogen, total organic nitrogen as nitrogen, total phosphorus, total cadmium, total recoverable copper, dissolved iron, total recoverable iron, total recoverable lead, dissolved manganese, total recoverable manganese, total recoverable nickel, total selenium, total recoverable zinc, 5 -day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total coliform bacteria, fecal coliform bacteria, and fecal streptococcus bacteria. Although data for instantaneous streamflow, water temperature, and dissolved - -oxygen concentrations are included in the analyses, these measure- ments are time dependent, and substantial daily variations generally occur. The data are presented for comparative purposes and to provide background information for future uses. Un- ionized ammonia as nitrogen was estimated using the method of Thurston and others reported in Willingham (1976). The method uses water temperature, pH, and ammonia- nitrogen concentration data. Summary statistics were compiled for streamflow and the water - quality proper- ties and constituents based on data available for each station. Comparison of streamflow and each water - quality property and constituent was made among stations that had available data. Box plots were used to display the varia- bility of data at each station and to qualitatively compare data among stations. Statistical comparisons also were made on the data from stations 07103747 Monument Creek at Palmer Lake; 07104000 Monument Creek at Pikeview; 07104905 Monument Creek at Bijou Street at Colorado Springs, hereinafter referred to as Monument Creek at Bijou; 07103700 Fountain Creek near Colorado Springs; 07105500 Fountain Creek at Colorado Springs; 07105530 Fountain Creek below Janitell Road below Colorado Springs, hereinafter referred to as Fountain Creek below CSWWTP (Colorado Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant); and 07105905 Fountain Creek above Little Fountain Creek below Fountain, herein- after referred to as Fountain Creek below Fountain, for water years 1980 through 1988 to determine the existence and significance of trends among the stations. The comparisons were made using the stations where sufficient data had been collected during a common period of record. Time - series trends in streamflow, water - quality properties, and concentrations of constituents were computed for all stations. 4