Temporal and Spatial variation of Water Quality in an Agricultural/Livestock Setting

Pastures with grazing livestock and further agricultural production can have unwanted impacts on water bodies. Livestock can cause erosion to embankments and sediment transport into surface water and cause contamination of nutrients to the water through fecal matter and urine. Fertility practices for maintaining high-quality pastures could potentially runoff into water sources causing an increase in nutrients disrupting the dissolved oxygen concentration levels of the water. Catalpa Creek in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi is not exempt from these potential harmful impacts caused by agriculture practices in bordering pastures. Water quality standards defined by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality relate that Dissolved Oxygen Concentrations (DO) shall be maintained at a daily average of not less than 5.0 mg/L; the normal pH of water shall be between 6.0 and 9.0; and the maximum water temperature increase above natural temperature shall not exceed 5°F (2.8°C) in streams, lakes and reservoirs. In order to identify temporal and spatial variability of water quality in a tributary of the Catalpa Creek receiving runoff from a livestock production field, biweekly stream water samples and water quality measurements are collected. The measurements include DO, temperature, pH, turbidity, salinity, Total Dissolved Solids, specific conductivity, velocity of flow, width of water column and depth of water column. Samples collected from the creek are taken to the lab where they are analyzed for Total Suspended Solids and then total and dissolved phosphorous concentrations. These samples have been collected and analyzed since December of 2021. Results from the study will determine the health of the Catalpa Creek tributary under this ecological and production system.