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0 (- , ...... w ...... , -:l . reach between Neodesha, Kansas, and Nowata, Oklahoma, was conducted by Kansas, Oklahoma, and the Environmental Health Center, U. S. Public Health Service, in 1948. East of Coffeyville (river miles 169.7) the average phenol content of the Verdigris River during the survey was found to be 60 parts per billion, and at this point the stream had a "petroleum-like" odor; dOWIlstream (river miles 167.1) the average phenol content had been reduced to 9 ppb and further reduced to 3 ppb at the Nowata Water Works (river miles 120.3). Average dis- solved oxygen values below COffeyville ranged f"rom 4.5 to 7.3 Plllll- >11th B.O.D. values from 2.1 to 6.4 ppm. During the period of the investigation, August 24 through October 1, 1948, the daily discharge of the Verdigris River at Independence, Kansas, gradually fell from 240 to 33 c.f".s. The average discharge for the month of" September was 73 c.f". s. Stream flow conditions immediately preceding and during the investigation were unfavorable to the determination of critical stream water quality. Maximum chloride data have been collected since 1920 by the Kansas State Board of Health. Maximum data were presented in a report prepared by the U. S. Public Health Service in 1944 (Verdigris River Investigation. pre- pared by the U. S. Public Health Service at the request of" the Chief" of Engineers, U. S. A~, in cooperation with the District Engineer, U. S. Engineer Office, Tulsa, Oklahoma). . The trend in the lower portion of the basin has been to abandon the Verdigris River as a source of municipal _ter supply. High salt content and obnoxious tastes and odors, primarily caused by pollution entering the stream, have caused the cities of Tulsa, Bartlesville, Claremore, Hominy and Pawhuska, Oklahoma, to abandon the river and develop at great expense other vater sup- plies f"rom less polluted sources. Nowata and Barnsdall may be f"orced to take similar action in the f"uture unless pollution above their intakes is abated. Water quality throughout the lower Verdigris Basin can best be described as poor and at times entirely unsuited to municipal _ter supply, fish life, etc. Based on the U. S. Public Health Service report, conservation storage for the specific purposes of" pollution abatement and low flow regulation is provided in the reservoir projects completed or authorized f"or construction by the Corps of" Engineers in this basin. The completed Fall River and Hulah projects each have 17,000 acre f"eet provided f"or this purpose and a total of 22,000 acre feet is proposed in the three other authorized projects. Neosho River Basin 'J Water quality problems in this basin are principally those associated with oil f"ield brine, mine wastes and municipal sewage. The Kansas State Board of" Health reports localized municipal sewage pollution occurs at low flows be- low Peabody, Florence and Emporia (primarily due to separate industrial sewer serving a packing plant) on the Cottonwood River and below Chanute, Erie, Oswego and Chetopa on the main stem. Inadequately treated sewage discharged into Labette Creek by the City of" Parsons impaired the sanitary quality of this stream, however, plant improvements were under construction in 1951. The Spring River in the Tri~tate area is reported by the Kansas State Board of" Health to be polluted by coal and metal mine wastes in the reach, Pittsburg, Kansas to the State line. Acid mine wastes discharged into some of" the tribu- taries of" the Neosho have destroyed all aquatic life. In general, acidities of metal mine wastes range up to 4000 ppm, total iron up to about 1000 ppm with pH values f"rom 2.8 to 7.3. Pollution by mine wastes ~ be considered from two angles 5-11.