Why was Prairie Creek Chosen for Detailed Study?

• Overwhelming public perception of good water quality
• Drinking water source
• Potential future development pressure
• Public recreation site
• Potential example of an area with land use practices that work to protect water quality  in the County

Click on an image below for larger version of each map.

Detailed Map

Land Use Map

List of Local Citizen Issues and Concerns Regarding Water Quality For the Prairie Creek Sub-Watershed

1.) Residential Development Pressure
2.) Conservation
3.) Recreation on Reservoir
4.)  Septic Systems
5.)  Drainage

Prairie Creek Water Quality Monitoring Results

Water quality sampling found that temperature and pH were within state or scientific standards for those parameters. Biological oxygen demand was within the standard range during some sampling events, but high during others. Dissolved oxygen was low. Total suspended solids, ammonia, nitrate (at certain sampling points), orthophosphate (at certain sampling points) and E. coli were higher than state standards. Atrazine and diazinon were within detectable limits at one point or another in this watershed during the sampling season. Biologically, Prairie Creek had a mixture of habitats and aquatic life scores, due to the low amount of flow in the creeks leading into the reservoir.

What does this mean?

It would be a good idea to keep watching this stream. Sedimentation brings nutrients and bacteria with it, lowering the amount of oxygen that is available to aquatic life, and ultimately lower the quality of the stream.