Reconnaissance of stormwater-runoff water quality of the Big Piney Creek segment of the Cedar-Piney Creeks watershed, Yell County, Arkansas

A reconnaissance of the Big Piney Creek watershed was made between June 1981 and January 1982 to assess the water quality of selected streams in the watershed. Streamflow was measured and water samples were collected three times at each of three sites during the study. All samples were collected during periods of stormwater runoff. The water was soft (7 to 20 milligrams per liter of hardness as calcium carbonate) and dissolved-solids concentrations ranged from 36 to 74 milligrams per liter. Suspended-sediment concentrations ranged from 7 to 144 milligrams per liter. The 5-day biochemical oxygen-demands, total-nitrogen concentrations and total-phosphorus concentrations ranged from 1.5 to 6.8 milligrams per liter, 0.54 to 5.8 milligrams per liter, and 0.03 to 0.56 milligram per liter, respectively. Fecal-coliform bacteria were present in large enough concentrations at two of the sites (340 to 490 colonies per 100 milliliters and 1,200 to 6,000 colonies per 100 milliliters) to indicate that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criterion for bathing waters and the Arkansas water-quality standard may be exceeded at times. Total-iron concentrations greater than 1,000 micrograms per liter (the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criterion for protection of freshwater aquatic life) were detected at least once at all sites. (USGS)