OUTDOOR CORNER: MISSOURI TAKES NOTE OF ITS RESOURCES IN QUALITY WATER MONTH

Many volunteers and professionals help to protect the waters of Missouri. To recognize the efforts of these people, Gov. Mel Carnahan signed a proclamation declaring September "Quality Water Month." My job is to monitor water quality in the Mississippi River as part of the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP), a 15-year project that began in 1987.

The LTMRP is a joint venture between the National Biological Service and the five Upper Mississippi River System states (Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin). Long-term goals of the program are to understand the system, show resource trends and impacts, develop management alternatives, manage information and develop reports. In all, six field stations collect and send biological and physical data to a central repository located in Wisconsin.

The field station at Cape Girardeau began monitoring the river in 1991. The study area is 50 miles long with Cape Girardeau situated in the center of the reach. In addition to water quality monitoring, we have people monitoring fisheries, invertebrates, vegetation, habitat and doing special projects.

Water quality staff measure parameters that could affect the biology of plants and animals living in and along the river. Often, these parameters are interrelated. Common parameters include dissolved oxygen, pH, water clarity (secchi), water depth, temperature, conductivity and turbidity.

Many organisms can't live below a certain level of oxygen in the water (usually two milligrams/liter). The secchi reading relates to the amount of sunlight penetrating the water, thus affecting temperature and the growth of aquatic plants. This in turn influences oxygen levels because plants release oxygen.

Turbidity is a measure of suspended particles in water and affects fish activity. For example, a fish feeding by sight would have a harder time catching prey in dirty water.

Conductivity is the ability of water to conduct electricity and depends on the amount and type of dissolved substances in the water.

The pH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity of water. Most living things (except plants) like a pH close to the middle of the scale. Both conductivity and pH are affected by land use in the watershed.

We also collect water for chemical samples. Chemical parameters consist of dissolved metals, ammonia, phosphate, nitrate and chlorophyll. Chemical amounts in the river depend on the land use of the watershed as well as pollution and other factors.

Water quality also handles the collection of aquatic invertebrates which include insects, mussels, and shrimp; habitat information and habitat improvement projects.

The data we collect is entered into a computer system along with the data from the other field stations. LTRMP data is available for use by river biologists, managers, decision makers and users up and down the length of the river.

When people see us with our boat and find out what we do the first question the usually ask is, "How is the water quality anyway?" In all honesty we have to answer that we don't really know. We are monitoring the quality of the water in the river as it is now; we don't have much information on the what the river was originally. There are so many things that influence the river's water: navigation effects, sedimentation, lack of aquatic vegetation, land use and pollution to name a few.

Missouri has lots of water besides the Mississippi River. There are rivers and lakes everywhere in the state. Citizens can get involved to ensure that Missouri's waters stay as healthy as they can be. The Conservation Department sponsors programs such as Missouri Stream Teams and Water Quality Volunteers. Call your local Conservation Department office to learn more about these programs.

Lesly Conaway is a fisheries management specialist for the Missouri Department of Conservation.