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The hydrology and water quality of Swatara Creek were studied by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, Bureau of State Parks, from July 1981 through September 1984. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of anthracite-coal raining and other point and nonpoint sources on the water quality of a planned 10,500 acre-foot reservoir. The Swatara State Park Reservoir is planned to be used for recreation and drinking-water supply for the city of Lebanon and surrounding communities. Annual precipitation during 1982, 1983, and 1984 was about 8 percent below, near normal, and 29 percent above the long-terra average, respectively. The average annual precipitation during a year with near-normal precipitation, the 1983 water year, was 47 inches at Pine Grove. Mean streamflows during 1982, 1983, and 1984 were about 15 percent below, 4 percent above, and 50 percent above the long-term average, respectively. The average streamflow to the planned reservoir area during the 1983 water year was about 220 cubic feet per second. Inflows to, and downstream discharge from, the planned reservoir were poorly buffered. Median alkalinity ranged from 4 to 7 mg/L (milligrams per liter) and median acidity ranged from 2 to 5 mg/L at the three sampling locations. Maximum total-recoverable iron, aluminum, and manganese concentrations were 100,000, 66,000, and 2,300 yg/L (micrograms per liter), respectively. During 1983 the annual discharges of total-recoverable iron, aluminum, and manganese to the planned reservoir area were estimated to be 692, 300, and 95 tons, respectively. About 37 percent of the total-recoverable iron and 91 percent of the total-recoverable aluminum measured was in the suspended phase. The data indicated that mine drainage affects the quality of Swatara Creek and will affect the quality of the planned reservoir. Manuscript approved for publication June 7, 1988. 1 In addition to mine drainage, point-source nutrient and metal discharges will probably affect the planned reservoir. For example, in September 1983, Swatara Creek was sampled downstream from a point source. A dissolved-phosphorus concentration of 14 rag/L and a total ammonia plus organic nitrogen concentration of 8.2 rag/L were measured. At the same location, concentrations of totalrecoverable aluminum, chromium, copper, iron, and lead were 35, 300, 110, 1,300, and 32 yg/L, respectively. Inflows to the planned Swatara State Park Reservoir are estimated to be acidic and rich in nutrients and select metals. Unless an effort is made to improve the quality of water from point and nonpoint sources, these conditions may impair the planned uses for the reservoir. Conservation releases from the reservoir need to be carefully controlled or these conditions also may degrade the water quality downstream. INTRODUCTION Background Plans for the Swatara State Park Reservoir began in July 1968 when $2.7 million was authorized by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in Act 220 for dam and reservoir construction by the Pennsylvania Department of General Services. In December 1980, an additional $7.8 million was authorized in Act 228. The multipurpose reservoir would be used for recreational activities, such as fishing, swimming, and boating, and as a water supply for Lebanon and downstream communities. The proposed reservoir is to be built downstream from areas extensively mined for anthracite during the past two centuries. As a result of the raining activities, numerous culmi/ piles exist over a substantial part of the surface of the study area. A U.S. Geological Survey report by Stuart, Schneider, and Crooks (1967, p. 63) gave an indication of the expected water quality in the planned reservoir in the following statement: "At Inwood the water probably will be slightly acidic (pH below 7.0) most of the time, culm will form a considerable amount of the sediment that deposits in the reservoir, and iron and manganese residues of mine wastes and coal washings will probably be above desirable limits for many types of uses." The report pointed out the need for abatement of acid mine drainage prior to construction of the reservoir, if the reservoir were built at Inwood. Several alternative sites for the reservoir also were studied during this investigation. I/ Residue from coal-separation procedures, 2 As part of Operation Scarlift administered by the Department of Environmental Resources Berger Associates Inc. (1972); Gannett, Fleming, Corrdry and Carpenter, Inc.; and Anthracite Research and Development Company, Inc., determined sources and amounts of mine drainage entering the Swatara Creek headwaters. Their studies identified five abandoned deep-mine pool overflows Middle Creek, Indian Head, Colket, Good Spring No. 3, and Good Spring No. 1 as the primary sources of acid niine drainage in a 14.9-mi2 (square mile) area in the Swatara Creek headwaters. Refuse piles and strip mines were identified as the second and third largest sources of acid. Study results also included recommendations and costs for abatement of acid mine drainage in the upper Swatara Creek watershed. In June 1931, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources (PaDER), Bureau of State Parks, began the water-quality phase of the preimpoundment investigation. This investigation (preconstruction in content) was to characterize the water quality and sediment of inflows to, and discharge downstream from the planned reservoir and to estimate the effect of the reservoir on downstream water quality. As a result of findings presented in the preliminary report by Fishel and Richardson (1986), construction of the reservoir ^as temporarily suspended. A task force of Federal, State, and local officials and scientists was then formed and chaired by Senator David J. Brightbill in June 1984, to advise PaDER on future plans for the reservoir and to identify the sources of pollution in the Swatara Creek watershed. Purpose and Scope This report updates results of water-quality analyses presented in the preliminary report by Fishel and Richardson (1986) and lists the average annual loads of suspended sediment and those metals and nutrients for which sufficient data have been collected. The scope of the study includes (a) the measurement of concentrations of suspended sediment, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and other constituents common to acid mine drainage (iron, aluminum, manganese, sulfate, and acidity) in surface-water inflows and in the discharge downstream from the planned reservoir, (b) the calculation of loads for the same constituents transported to the planned reservoir during a year with near-normal streamflow, the 1983 water year ' > (°) t^e measurement of nutrient and metals concentrations in the bottom material of Swatara Creek and in the soils in the area of the planned reservoir, and (d) a projection of future quality of water in and downstream from the planned reservoir. U The water year is the 12-month period beginning on October 1 and ending on September 30; it is designated by the calendar year in which it ends. Approach In order to characterize the water and sediment in the planned reservoir area, three sites were selected at which streamflow and water-quality data were collected for 3 years. Streamflow was measured continuously at two sites upstream from the planned reservoir that represent the major inflows to the reservoir from two subbasins with differing land uses; one is a 72.6-ini2 area of predominantly anthracite mining (mined site) and the other is a 34.3-mi2 area of forest and agricultural land (forested and agricultural site). The third site was a partial-record station downstream from the planned dam (downstream site). Data collected at the downstream site were used to determine the effects of mixing of the two upstream inflows and to represent the water quality in the l67-mi2 Swatara Creek basin. Streamflow data were compared to the 65 years of record from Swatara Creek at Harper Tavern a site 15.9 mi downstream from the study area to characterize streamflows during the study. Strearaflow hydrographs for the 3-year study were separated to determine the ground water (base flow) and overland-runoff (storraflow) contributions to the planned reservoir. Strearaflow durations were calculated to determine the expected frequency of occurrence of a particular flow. Annual chemical constituent loads to the planned reservoir were estimated for a year with near-normal Streamflow (the 1983 water year) by using the subdivided-day method discussed by Porterfield (1972). In addition, relations between chemical constituent concentrations and discharges and suspendedsediment concentrations and Streamflow were developed. Regression statistics for these relations were calculated, and the least-squares method was used to fit regression lines to the data. Relations among instantaneous total-metals and phosphorous concentrations and instantaneous suspended-sediment concentration for storms were used to estimate missing concentration data during selected storms. This information is needed to construct daily storm concentration hydrographs required for the subdivided-day method. In order to estimate the frequency of occurrence for a particular chemical discharge, Strearaflow durations were calculated for base flows and storraflows as outlined by Miller (1951). The calculated base-flow durations were then combined with the results of the regression between Streamflow and instantaneous base flow chemical discharges to develop the chemical-discharge durations (listed in table 18). The same procedure was used to develop chemical-discharge durations for storraflows. An estimated mean base-flow discharge was calculated as the average of the 5-percent increments of the duration tables using the techniques described by Miller (1951). Relations between air and water temperatures measured in Pine Grov

water-resources investigations report

Preimpoundment hydrologic conditions in the Swatara Creek (1981-84) and estimated postimpoundment water quality in and downstream from the planned Swatara State Park Reservoir, Lebanon and Schuylkill counties, Pennsylvania