<br />Prior to collection of water-quality samples, all
<br />sampling equipment was thoroughly cleaned with a
<br />labomtory-grade detergent, rinsed sequentially with
<br />tap water, a dilute hydrochloric acid solution, and
<br />deionized water. The cleaned sampling equipment
<br />was placed into two clean, clear plastic bags between
<br />sampling events to avoid environmental contamina-
<br />tion. Sampling equipment was thoroughly rinsed with
<br />river water prior to sampling. All personnel involved
<br />in sampling-equipment preparation and sample collec-
<br />tion and processing wore latex gloves to minimize
<br />sample contamination.
<br />Water-quality samples generally were collected
<br />using the equal-width increment method (Edwards and
<br />Glysson, 1988). The equal-width increment method
<br />provides a sample that is discharge weighted both
<br />vertically and laterally and whose volume is propor-
<br />tional to the discharge in the sampled zone. The
<br />equal-width increment method results in a representa-
<br />tive constituent concentration for the entire river cross
<br />section. A US-DH--81 water-quality sampler was
<br />used when the river was wadable, and a US-D--77
<br />water-quality sampler was used from the cableway
<br />when the river was not wadable (Edwards and
<br />Glysson, 1988). Both of these samplers use plastic
<br />components in their design; therefore, the potential of
<br />trace-element contamination resulting from sample
<br />contact with metal surfaces is minimized. After the
<br />samples were collected, aliquots of mw water for total
<br />or total-recoverable (whole-water) analyses were
<br />collected into a clean plastic bottle and acidified, using
<br />nitric acid, to a pH less than 2; additional aliquots
<br />were collected for dissolved-constituent analyses.
<br />These aliquots were filtered through a 0.45-~m filter
<br />into a clean plastic bottle and acidified using nitric
<br />acid to a pH less than 2. After the samples were
<br />collected, preserved, and processed, the samples
<br />were sent using chain-of-custody procedures to a
<br />U.S. Environmental Protection Agency contract
<br />laboratory. The samples were analyzed for dissolved
<br />(filterable through 0.45-~m filter) and total aluminum,
<br />antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, boron,
<br />cadmium, calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron,
<br />lead, magnesium, manganese, mercury, molybdenum,
<br />nickel, potassium, selenium, silver, sodium, titanium,
<br />vanadium, and zinc by using either inductively
<br />coupled plasma (ICP) or graphite furnace atomic
<br />absorption (GFAA) methods.
<br />
<br />4
<br />
<br />Quality-controllquality-assurance samples
<br />represented about 10 percent of the total samples.
<br />These included replicate samples and equipment
<br />blanks. Quality-controllquality-assurance samples
<br />were analyzed for concentrations of dissolved and
<br />total metals. Results from quality-control sample
<br />analyses indicated that cleaning procedures were
<br />acceptable and that cross contamination was not a
<br />problem.
<br />Transport of metals entering Terrace Reservoir
<br />was evaluated using data collected at site AR34.5,
<br />AlamoBa River above Terrace Reservoir (fig. I;
<br />table I). From late April 1994 through March 1995,
<br />52 water samples were collected at site AR34.5 for
<br />total-metal analyses, and 34 water samples were
<br />collected for dissolved-metal analyses. Because
<br />previous investigations (Ortiz and others, 1995)
<br />indicated that substantial metal transport occurred
<br />in the AlamoBa River Basin during minfall runoff,
<br />samples were collected using an automatic sampler
<br />at a single point within the river cross section at
<br />site AR34.5 during a few rainfall-runoff events
<br />(table I). These samples were analyzed for total
<br />or total-recoverable (whole-water) concentration
<br />of trace elements. In general, discrete samples
<br />collected during a runoff event were flow weighted
<br />the following day into a single composite sample by
<br />using guidelines described by the U.S. Environmental
<br />Protection Agency (1991) so an event-mean concen-
<br />tration could be determined. Additionally, selected
<br />discrete samples collected during a few runoff events
<br />were analyzed separately to provide information on
<br />the variability of metal concentrations that occurs
<br />during a rainfall-runoff event. To relate the metal
<br />concentration of point samples to a concentration
<br />that is representative of the entire cross section,
<br />an additional 22 point samples were collected concur-
<br />rently with equal-width increment samples collected
<br />at various streamflows.
<br />Transport of metals out of Terrace Reservoir
<br />was evaluated using data collected at site AR31.0,
<br />AlamoBa River below Terrace Reservoir (fig. I;
<br />table I). From late April 1994 through March 1995,
<br />25 water samples were collected at site AR31.0 for
<br />dissolved- and total-metal analyses. Four samples
<br />collected from November 1994 through March 1995
<br />were collected at this site during the period when the
<br />reservoir outlet was closed.
<br />
<br />As_sment 01 Metal Trsnsport Inlo snd Oul 01 Tsrracs R...rvolr, Con.jos County, Coloredo, V'I Ul3161
<br />April 1994 Through March 1995
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