1999 Lower Spanish River Survey

Please find attached the 1999 river survey information on the Spanish River.  Below is a brief explanation of the terms used in the spreadsheets:

Column A = River Temperature in Celcius

Column B = D.O. Dissolved Oxygen - is the parts per million concentration of oxygen dissolved in the river water.  The colder the river water">

1999 Lower Spanish River Survey Please find attached the 1999 river survey information on the Spanish River.  Below is a brief explanation of the terms used in the spreadsheets: Column A = River Temperature in Celcius Column B = D.O. Dissolved Oxygen - is the parts per million concentration of oxygen dissolved in the river water.  The colder the river water, the more oxygen that can be dissolved. Column C = % Sat Percent Oxygen Saturation - As mentioned above, the cooler the water, the more oxygen that can be dissolved into it.  This is actually a maximum oxygen concentration for each temperature.  Percent saturation is the percent of the maximum that is actually in the water. Column D = BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand - is the amount of oxygen that would theoretically be required to allow for the biological decomposition (decay) of all organic material found in the water.  Measured in parts per million.  Organic material includes decaying plant and animal remains, sewage (both animal and human), etc.  Our effluent contains BOD from the wood residue (i.e. bits of fibre and lignin from the process). If the BOD is too high, the oxygen levels in the river may go too low, causing distress to fish. Column E = COD Chemical Oxygen Demand - is the amount of oxygen that would theoretically be required to allow for the complete oxidation of all chemically reduced material found in the water.  Measured in parts per million.  COD is similar to BOD, with the exception that it measures much more than just the effect s of the organic material.  In terms of river health, BOD is the better metre to use, as only the organic material can be broken down (COD requires strong acids). Column F = Cond. Conductivity - is a measure of the amount of electrically conductive ions found in a solution.  all natural waters contain ions. Conductivity is measured in micro-mhos (ironically, the opposite of the unit for electrical resistance, the ohm).  There is no upper limit of conductivity, however, there are normal ranges (which the Spanish falls into). Colunn G = Calcium and sodium are obvious.  Note that both of these ions contribute to conductivity. Column H = Hardness - is the amount of calcium, aluminum, iron, and magnesium in the water.  Again, the Spanish falls into the normal range here. Column I = Alkalinity - the buffering capacity of the water to changes in pH.  As a side note, many of the lakes in the Adirondack lakes area are very low in alkalinity, making them very prone to becoming highly acidic as they cannot buffer the acid rain. Column J = pH - the acidity of the water.  The pH scale ranges from 0-14 with the lower values meaning acidic and the higher values meaning caustic.  A pH of 7 is neutral.  As a note, most rain water is slightly acidic due to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere being dissolved into the rain water and forming dilute carbonic acid (pH ~ 6.5).  Rivers are normally considered healthy with pH ranging between 5.5 and 8.5. (some will say between 5 and 9).  The Spanish is actually very neutral. Column K = Colour - is a measure of the darkness of the water, and is measured by us in various units (will be resolved by next season).  The higher the unit, the darker the water.  The Spanish is a dark water river, due primarily to the many swamps, bogs, etc. that drain into it.  Water in swamps and the like contain humic acids due to the degradation of organic matter in them.  These humic acids are long chain organic acids which contribute to the high colour in the receiving water.  The mill contributes to colour due to residual lignin in the effluent (lignin is the 'glue' in the wood that is removed during pulping and bleaching). Column L = Suspended solids - the amount of fine solid material contained in water. Column M = Depth of visibility - the traditional secchi disc, a 1 foot diametre metal disc painted black and white (high contrast) is used to measure visibility.  The disc is lowered until you cannot see it anymore, and then brought up until it can be seen again.  The secchi depth, or depth of visibility is the average of the two measurements. First column = Kilometre     1 km         9 km         Webbwood Bridge     20 km       Upper Cameron Rapids     24 km     27 km        Massey, Sauble River     32 km     36 km        Coles Rapids     42 km        Walford     48 km        Gagan's Bay     52 km        Spanish  4 May 1999 Survey of the Lower Spanish River Average Daily Flow = 1304 cfs Km A    B mg/l C %    D mg/l E F    G mg/l    H mg/l     I mg/l     J mg/l K L   M mg/l  N cm 1 12 11.2 101 2.0 29 201 11.96 4.96 20 30 7.2 40 2.2 200 9 13 10.6 100 2.1 24 199 9.76 3.56 26 26 7.2 35 2.3 160 20 13 11.4 108 2.2 23 193 8.85 3.99 12 30 7.2 35 2.4 130 24 13 11 104 2.3 25 193 10.3 8.3 22 30 7.2 35 0.6 180 27 13 11.2 106 2.2 34 189 10.81 8.94 23 26 7.2 35 1.4 130 Saub Riv 15 11.2 110 2.0 24 35 0.75 1.42 9 12 7.2 15 0.3 32 14 11.6 112 2.5 39 139 4.13 2.77 8 24 7.2 35 0.5 150 36 15 11.3 111 2.1 33 139 5.01 5.19 16 26 7.3 35 0.6 160 42 14 11.4 110 2.6 28 139 5.63 4.13 13 24 7.3 35 0.3 170 48 14 11.2 108 2.2 34 137 5.31 4.67 13 22 7.3 30 1 165 52 14 11.3 109 2.0 38 142 7.16 3.53 10 24 7.3 30 1 150 5 August 1999 Survey of the Lower Spanish River Average Daily Flow = 624 cfs Km A    B mg/l C %    D mg/l E F    G mg/l    H mg/l     I mg/l     J mg/l K L   M mg/l  N cm 1 23 7.8 89.9 1.4 33 320 30.94 16.83 60 44 7.2 40 0.5 160 9 23 7.4 85.3 1.6 35 290 27.26 15.01 54 40 7.2 40 0.6 170 20 23 7.4 85.3 1.5 40 291 26.65 15.62 56 44 7.2 40 0.2 170 24 23 7.5 86.4 1.5 31 255 23.45 13.77 50 46 7.2 40 0.4 160 27 23 7.5 86.4 1.5 34 245 21.73 13.47 49 40 7.2 40 0.8 160 Saub Riv 22 9.4 106.5 0.7 23 42 2.12 3.08 13 16 7.5 20 0.1 32 23 7.5 86.4 1.5 38 249 22.02 13.47 49 38 7.2 40 1.9 150 36 24 8.3 97.3 1.7 37 230 19.54 13.17 48 36 7.2 40 1.6 150 42 24 8 93.8 0.8 35 220 17.42 13.26 48 36 7.3 35 1.5 150 48 24 8.6 100.8 1.3 39 215 17.86 12.62 47 34 7.3 35 2.0 120 52 24 8.9 104.3 1.5 31 211 16.71 12.37 46 38 7.4 30 3.7 130 14 October 1999 Survey of the Lower Spanish River Average Daily Flow = 2433 cfs Km A    B mg/l C %    D mg/l E F    G mg/l    H mg/l     I mg/l     J mg/l K L   M mg/l  N cm 1 9 12 10.2 94% 0.8 18 279 19.61 26.56 83 40 7.3 25 1.5 20 24 27 11 10.1 92% 0.7 19 312 21.77 34.27 104 40 7.3 25 0.4 Saub Riv 10 12.4 109% 1.3 18 49 1.73 4.9 17 20 7.5 30 0.2 32 36 42 12 10 92% 1.1 18 287 22.15 26.77 84 40 7.3 30 2.3 48 52 12 10.8 100% 1.2 13 242 17.92 20.96 68 38 7.5 30 2