Senerchia, Helen, Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, 117 Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA, 16802, hks5357@psu.edu; Groh, Tyler, Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, 117 Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA, 16802, tag5611@psu.edu.
Halfmoon Creek in Center County, PA is designated as a high-quality, cold-water fishery by the US EPA, but no part of the creek currently meets its use designation, as 100% of its length is impaired by sediment. As a major contributor to water quality issues in Pennsylvania surface waters, sediment loading in streams is the target of water quality best management practices (BMPs) aimed at reducing phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) loads in surface waters.
A 319 Watershed Management Plan, developed collaboratively by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation with other partners, will be implemented to reduce sediment loading in the watershed; however, currently there is no available baseline against which to gauge the effectiveness of the BMPs outlined in the Plan. The Water Quality Monitoring Network on Halfmoon Creek study is intended to provide baseline data on streambank erosion, sediment movement, P loading, nitrate concentrations, and both dissolved and stream-surface emitted NO2 in the watershed against which Watershed Management Plan progress can be measured.
streambank erosion, sediment loading, riparian buffers, greenhouse gases