2017 Water Week Results
This year marks Utah Water Watch's 4th annual Utah Water Week and was a success! A big thank you to all of the volunteers who helped make this snapshot of Utah's water quality possible. Results show generally good water quality, with only one extreme criteria exceedance of pH. See the data for yourself by downloading it from the UWW database on CitSci.org.
Some impressive Utah Water Week statistics:
Number of monitoring events/sites: 45
Total hours sampled by all volunteers: 54.7
Total miles driven: 620.8
Warmest air temperature sampled: 32.7 ºC (90.9 F)
Coldest air temperature sampled: 9.5 ºC (49 F)
Number of dead fish seen: 0
Average water temperature: 12.9 ºC
Average pH: 7.0
Average dissolved oxygen: 7.7 mg/L
Thank you, UWW volunteers! Continue below to find mapped data.
Temperature
The average temperature for all sites was 12.8 oC (3.3 oC warmer than last year) with the coldest temperature of 5.0 C at Parley's Canyon Creek and the warmest temperature of 22.5 oC at Steed Pond. Some of these temperature differences can be attributed to changes in elevation and location of the river or stream. Streams receiving melted snow water will generally be cooler this time of year than standing water in ponds. For example, the Jordan River is significantly warmer than streams up canyon. Water temperature in streams should not exceed 20°C.
To learn more go to the temperature information page.
Dissolved Oxygen
The average for all sites was 7.7 mg/liter (ppm) with a low of 3.9 mg/liter on one location on Parley's Canyon Creek and a high of 10 mg/liter at many locations in Utah. Values 5.0 mg/liter or lower can be stressful for certain aquatic organisms.
To learn more visit the dissolved oxygen page.
Turbidity
The highest turbidity was found in the Jordan River watershed and the Lower Colorado watershed on American Fork River, Diamond Fork River and Virgin Rivers. The lower the reading, in centimeters (cm), the higher the turbidity. Overall, turbidity was high at many sites during Utah Water Week, likely due to increased flows compared during spring runoff. The most turbid sites are dark brown in color.
To learn more, visit the turbidity page.
Learn more about Utah Water Week or to see results from other years