WATER QUALITY AND MACROINVERTEBRATE SAMPLING, SEVEN BASINS WATERSHED, GOLD HILL, OREGON

JBR scientists designed and managed a water quality monitoring program for the Seven Basins Watershed Council that began in the spring of 2004. The program was established in the headwater reaches of Evans Creek and has generated data for temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, alkalinity, nitrate, and phosphate. To date 50 water samples have been collected and analyzed for the above parameters. In addition, macroinvertebrates were sampled from eleven sites from spring through fall 2004 representing a total of 21 samples. The macroinvertebrate samples were analyzed by SOU students under the direction of JBR scientists with assistance of biology faculty from the university. The insects were identified to family and the results were statistically analyzed using the Family Biotic Index and the Shannon-Wiener Biodiversity Index. Over 3000 individual macroinvertebrates have been collected and identified. The data from this program is entered into the SBW Environmental Database that has been created with the software Access®. This database is coupled with GIS to display and analyze information. Once compiled and analyzed the information will shared with other stakeholders including the BLM, ODFW, DEQ, and other interested parties.

• Ray Fritchey -