Prepared in cooperation with the National Park Service

The Water-Quality Partnership for National Parks—

U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service, 1998–2016

Background

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Park 

Service (NPS) work together through the USGS–NPS WaterQuality Partnership to support a broad range of policy and management needs related to high-priority water-quality issues in 

national parks. The program was initiated in 1998 as part of the 

Clean Water Action Plan, a Presidential initiative to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. Partnership 

projects are developed jointly by the USGS and the NPS. Studies 

are conducted by the USGS and findings are used by the NPS to 

guide policy and management actions aimed at protecting and 

improving water quality. 

The National Park Service manages many of our Nation’s 

most highly valued aquatic systems across the country, including 

portions of the Great Lakes, ocean and coastal zones, historic 

canals, reservoirs, large rivers, high-elevation lakes and streams, 

geysers, springs, and wetlands. So far, the Water-Quality Partnership has undertaken 217 projects in 119 national parks. In 

each project, USGS studies and assessments (http://water.usgs.

gov/nps_partnership/pubs.php) have supported science-based 

management by the NPS to protect and improve water quality in 

parks. Some of the current projects are highlighted in the NPS 

Call to Action Centennial initiative, Crystal Clear, which celebrates national park water-resource efforts to ensure clean water 

for the next century of park management (http://www.nature.nps.

gov/water/crystalclear/).

New projects are proposed each year by USGS scientists 

working in collaboration with NPS staff in specific parks. Project 

selection is highly competitive, with an average of only eight 

new projects funded each year out of approximately 75 proposals that are submitted. Since the beginning of the Partnership 

in 1998, 189 publications detailing project findings have been 

completed. The 217 studies have been conducted in 119 NPSadministered lands (fig. 1), extending from Denali National Park 

and Preserve in Alaska to Everglades National Park in Florida, 

and from Acadia National Park in the Northeast to park lands in 

Hawaii and Pacific Island territories in the West. Project goals 

range from periodic stream monitoring, to determining the 

occurrence and concentrations of contaminants and the potential for them to exceed human health or aquatic life criteria, to 

conducting interpretive studies to evaluate the effect(s) on or 

vulnerability of national park resources to visitor usage and other 

natural and anthropogenic activities.

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and 

is used herein under license. Copyright © 2014 Esri 

and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Number of park projects

EXPLANATION

1

2 to 4

5 to 7

8 to 10

Park location with projects 

highlighted in report

Figure 1. U.S. Geological Survey and 

National Park Service (USGS–NPS) 

Water-Quality Partnership project 

locations from 1998 to 2016.

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2016–3041

July 2016
Examples of Partnership Studies and Science-Based Management

Several examples help illustrate how the USGS and the NPS have developed and applied scientific information resulting from 

partnership studies to the management of water quality in our national parks. Recent projects in four national parks illustrate how 

the USGS and the NPS have worked together to: (1) identify and quantify impacts of historical mining operations to help prioritize 

cleanup efforts, (2) evaluate effects of nutrient loading and water-level management on reservoir eutrophication, (3) evaluate recreational-use effects on water quality, and (4) provide visitors with near real-time estimates of bacterial water-quality conditions for 

those planning direct water-contact recreation in park waters.

Historic Mining and Reclamation: Denali National Park and Preserve

Many NPS-managed lands have experienced impacts from 

land use activities, including mining, logging, road construction, 

urban and suburban growth, and development and water diversion projects. Evaluation of both water-quality impacts from past 

development and the effectiveness of environmental remediation projects has been an important contribution of the partnership program. In Denali National Park and Preserve (NP&P) 

alone, there were 35 active mining operations underway when a 

court-ordered injunction ceased most activity in 1985. A recently 

completed assessment of mining reclamation at Kantishna Hills 

in Denali NP&P in Alaska shows how research on the effectiveness of specific management strategies was used to improve 

water quality (Brabets and Ourso, 2013).

The Kantishna Hills is an area of low-elevation mountains 

in the northwestern part of Denali NP&P. Streams draining 

the Kantishna Hills are clear-water streams derived from rain, 

snowmelt, and subsurface aquifers, and they support nine species 

of fish, including the arctic grayling and three other species of 

salmon. Past mining, primarily for gold, silver, lead, antimony, 

and zinc, which began in 1903 and continued until 1985, caused 

acid mine drainage and excessive sediment loads that severely 

degraded water quality and aquatic habitat. Currently, the effects 

of mining are visible on more than 1,500 acres of land within 

12 watersheds in the Kantishna Hills area (fig. 2).

Due to a short growing season and other factors, recovery through natural processes is limited and several reclamation projects have been implemented on multiple streams in 

the Kantishna Hills region in an effort to improve degraded 

water quality. Reclamation strategies consisted of (1) removing 

hazardous materials, such as barrels of diesel fuel and lead acid 

batteries, contaminated soils, and abandoned mining equipment; 

(2) reconstructing flood-plain and stream-channel structures to 

stabilize stream banks from erosion; (3) flattening and moving 

tailing piles out of the flood plain or rerouting channels away 

from tailings piles; and (4) revegetating sites. A study by the 

USGS and the NPS was undertaken during the years 2008–2011, 

in order to assess the water quality of Kantishna Hills streams 

and to determine whether reclamation efforts have proven effective and could be applied to other streams (fig. 3). 

The macroinvertebrate data from Kantishna Hills were 

compared with other macroinvertebrate data in Alaska collected by the USGS, mostly representing pristine, undeveloped 

watersheds and using the same data-collection protocols. Results 

showed that Caribou Creek, a reclaimed stream, had biological 

quality, as estimated from macroinvertebrate populations, similar 

to an undisturbed reference site (Rock Creek). In contrast, Slate 

Creek and Friday Creek, two streams that were abandoned after 

extensive mining, with no reclamation efforts, exhibited the 

Figure 2. Iron red-stained streambed in Slate Creek, Kantishna 

Hills area, Alaska, resulting from acid mine drainage caused by 

the mobilization and transport of iron sulfides from upstream 

ore deposits. Photograph taken August 21, 2008, by Dan Long, 

U.S. Geological Survey.

worst biological stream conditions. This study showed the success of site reclamation following intensive mining within this 

sensitive environment and supports the likely benefits of similar 

reclamation to restore water quality in other mining-affected 

streams. 

Due to reclamation efforts, the study established that Caribou Creek now meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA) turbidity water-quality standard and, as a result, the 

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation removed the 

creek from the Clean Water Act section 303(d) list. During the 

study period, with the exception of Slate Creek, measured values 

of stream acidity (pH) for all sites were within an acceptable 

range (from 7.5 to 8.5) for cold-water fish growth and survival. 
Figure 3. Assessment of the 

effectiveness of mine reclamation 

for restoring the water quality of 

Caribou Creek in Denali National 

Park and Preserve, Alaska, 

required extensive monitoring, 

which included onsite field 

measurements and collection 

of water samples for laboratory 

analyses. Photograph by Dan 

Long, U.S. Geological Survey.

Measurements of pH at Slate Creek ranged from 6.2 to 7.8. The 

NPS used these results to proceed with reclamation of Slate 

Creek, which accomplished a similar result with reduced turbidity. The Denali National Park and Preserve is now proceeding 

to apply these reclamation practices to other streams to continue 

reducing the number of impaired stream miles.

Nutrient-Loading Impacts at Voyageurs National Park

Nutrient loading to NPS-managed lakes and streams from 

land use development outside national park boundaries, as well 

as park activities, is a common operational challenge. Excessive 

nutrient enrichment from sources such as septic systems, agricultural production, atmospheric deposition, and municipal wastewater can lead to eutrophication and degraded biological conditions. Nutrient enrichment has led to excessive algal growth in 

Kabetogama Lake in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota. The 

southwest shore of Kabetogama Lake is not part of the park and, 

therefore, the shore is open for development; numerous homes, 

cabins, and resorts have been built along the roughly 19 kilometers of shoreline. This southwest lake shore is a potential source 

of nutrients to Kabetogama Lake. Residential and commercial 

areas on Ash River, which flows into Kabetogama Lake from the 

south, also are a potential source of nutrients. 

USGS–NPS partnership projects were initiated in 2008 

and 2012 to examine nutrient loading to Kabetogama Lake and 

to evaluate the effectiveness of water-management operations 

intended to improve water quality (fig. 4).

In 2000, dam operations at Kabetogama Lake were modified with the intent to restore more natural water dynamics and to 

improve water quality by reducing nutrient levels. In particular, 

the new operational rules for water storage and discharge were 

Figure 4. Water-quality monitoring of Kabetogama Lake in 

Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, showed the effectiveness of 

reservoir water-level management for reducing nuisance algae. 

Photograph by Victoria Christenson, U.S. Geological Survey.
expected to lower phosphorus loading by lessening the effects of 

drying and rewetting of sediments from fluctuating water levels, 

reducing nutrient inputs resulting from littoral vegetation, and 

reducing nutrient concentrations because of increased volume 

and dilution.

Nutrient concentrations, algae, and nuisance-bloom 

conditions were evaluated in relation to changes in water-level 

management of Kabetogama Lake through extensive waterquality sampling in 2008 and 2009 (Christensen and others, 

2011). This study found that algal levels had decreased since 

the beginning of water-level manipulations, even though there 

had not been substantial changes in total phosphorus concentrations. Comparisons were made of measurements of water 

clarity, chlorophyll a (Chla), and trophic state indices taken 

before and after the water-level management changes in 2000—

1977–1999 and 2000–2011, respectively (Christensen and Maki, 

2015). Average Secchi-depth transparency improved (from 1.9 

to 2.1 meters), average open-water season Chla concentration 

decreased from 9.9 to 6.2 micrograms per liter, and the trophic 

state index decreased from 57 to 50 in Kabetogama between 

1977–1999 and 2000–2011, respectively. Together, these studies 

indicate that the water-management rules instituted in 2000 had 

improved water quality in Kabetogama Lake.

As the United States and Canada border splits the system 

of lakes that include Kabetogama Lake, rules governing operation of the privately owned dams on these lakes are set by the 

International Joint Commission (IJC). An objective of the IJC’s 

2000 Rule Curves was to benefit the aquatic ecosystems of these 

lakes. In prescribing these rules, the IJC requested that resource 

agencies evaluate whether the intended ecological benefits are 

occurring in the system. This USGS–NPS study of Kabetogama 

Lake provided information that has been shared with the IJC for 

consideration during their ongoing review and will be used to 

determine whether to maintain or modify the 2000 Rule Curves. 

Nutrient impacts to water bodies are a growing concern at many 

other parks and recreation areas. The use of hydrologic controls 

and other nutrient-management information resulting from this 

study can play an important role in assisting management decisions in these other areas as well.

Visitor-Use Impacts at Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and 

Yosemite National Parks

Wilderness areas in the United States are extensively used 

by day hikers, backpackers, and pack animals, with recreational 

visitor-use days approaching 17 million per year in 2010, with 

an expected increase of nearly 20 percent by 2050. The NPS 

is concerned that visitor activities in high-use areas of wilderness may be degrading water quality. The influence of pack 

animals and backpackers on water quality in wilderness lakes 

and streams was evaluated in Sequoia, Kings Canyon (Clow 

and others, 2013), and Yosemite National Parks, California. 

The project included synoptic surveys of water quality in park 

wilderness areas with differing types and amounts of visitor use, 

classified as (1) minimal use, (2) backpacker only, and (3) mixed 

backpacker and pack-animal use (fig. 5). The study paired waterquality sampling upstream and downstream of areas with these 

three use classifications and applied intensive monitoring using 

instream sensors to examine temporal variations in water quality.

Mean fecal-indicator bacterial (Escherichia coli [E. coli]) 

concentrations, measured during the synoptic sampling at 

minimal-use, backpacker, and mixed-use (backpacker and stock 

animal use) sites, were 0.3, 1.1, and 2.8 colony-forming units 

(CFU) per 100 milliliters (mL), respectively. Mean total coliform concentrations at minimal, backpacker, and mixed-use sites 

were 79, 162, and 214 CFU per 100 mL, respectively (fig. 6). 

For both E. coli and total coliforms, concentrations were lower 

at minimal-use sites than at mixed-use sites, and concentrations 

at backpacker use sites were intermediate. The paired sampling 

component of the project showed that in comparison to upstream 

values, water downstream of mixed-use areas had higher concentrations of E. coli and some nutrients, while water downstream 

of backpacker use was minimally influenced when compared to 

upstream values. Visitor use with pack animals appears to have a 

small, but statistically significant influence on stream-water quality, as indicated by both the synoptic sampling and the paired 

upstream-downstream sampling approach. Intensive monitoring 

Figure 5. Streamflow 

and water-quality 

sampling at Sequoia, 

Kings Canyon, and 

Yosemite National 

Parks, California, 

showed that pack 

animals can have a 

small, but statistically 

significant influence 

on water quality in 

wilderness areas. 

Photograph by Harrison 

Forrester, National Park 

Service.
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK

KINGS CANYON

NATIONAL PARK

Minimal

Backpacker

Mixed

Use category

Major roads

Maintained trails

0 

1 to 3

4 to 6

7 to 9

10 to 15

E. coli, in colony forming units

per 100 milliliters

EXPLANATION

0 5 10 KILOMETERS

0 5 10 MILES

Figure 6. Concentrations of E. coli bacteria in streams and lakes 

of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California, during 

fall 2010, categorized by the level and major type of recreational 

land use.

at a subset of sites documented that nutrient, E. coli, and particulate concentrations were low, except during storms, when 

they sometimes substantially increased. Additional USGS–

NPS partnership studies in other parks are currently underway 

to better understand the relationships between specific visitoruse activities and water-quality impacts.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks have used 

results from the USGS–NPS partnership study to support the 

parks’ Wilderness Stewardship Plan. Prior to the study, the 

parks had received anecdotal reports of water-quality degradation in heavily used areas, but data were not available to 

ascertain the veracity of those observations. Although total 

coliforms are ubiquitous in the environment, previous studies 

used total coliforms as an indicator of fecal contamination 

and suggested pack stock as the source. In contrast, the partnership study demonstrated that levels of E. coli, a fecalindicator bacterial species within the total coliform group, 

were low, except during brief periods at the height of overland runoff and did not relate to the levels of total coliforms. 

Multiple potential sources for E. coli and other bacteria, 

such as humans, wildlife, and pack animals, were identified. 

The new science-based information from the USGS study 

indicates that visitor use, including pack animals at current 

and projected levels, has some effects during runoff events; 

however, they do not occur at levels that represent a major 

threat to natural resources or human health.

Recreational Use Warnings at Cuyahoga Valley 

National Park

Many waters within national parks are used recreationally 

and must be monitored by park management to ensure the waters 

are safe for human contact. The EPA designates recreational 

waters as bathing, primary contact, or secondary contact, and 

each designation has its own water-quality standards. Based 

on the EPA guidance, the State of Ohio has designated the 

Cuyahoga River within Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CUVA) 

as primary contact water. Primary contact waters are suitable 

for full body-contact recreation, such as swimming, canoeing, 

and scuba diving, and have an E. coli single-sample standard of 

298 CFU per 100 mL. Between 2004 and 2011, 50 percent of 

the samples collected by the USGS exceeded this water-quality 

standard. The EPA has named sections of the Cuyahoga River, 

including sections within CUVA, as areas of concern within the 

Great Lakes region. 

The Cuyahoga Valley National Park managers wanted 

the ability to promote greater recreational use of the river and 

needed an automated approach to give advance warning to 

the 2.2 million annual park visitors when bacterial levels are 

expected to exceed standards. A nowcasting system used to 

estimate recreational water-quality conditions of the Cuyahoga 

River was a result of several projects within CUVA that started 

in 2004. Regression models, based on turbidity levels within the 

river, were used to estimate E. coli concentrations. The estimated 

recreational water-quality condition (based on the Ohio singlesample standard) was then posted to the Ohio Nowcast Web site 

(http://ny.water.usgs.gov/maps/ohnowcast/) for public notification. Prior to 2012, regression models were dependent on manual 

daily sample collection and were labor intensive (fig. 7). 

Figure 7. Water-quality sampling at the Cuyahoga River’s 

Lock 29 Bridge in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio. 

Photograph by Amie Brady, U.S. Geological Survey.
Recreational Use Warnings at Cuyahoga Valley 

National Park—Continued

In 2012, a new partnership project installed an instream 

water-quality turbidity sensor and a near real-time data transmitter at Jaite, Ohio, a site centrally located on the Cuyahoga 

River within the national park (Brady and Plona, 2015). 

Turbidity and water-temperature data from the sensor are 

relayed every 15 minutes, providing near real-time values for 

the Cuyahoga River nowcast.

Project personnel developed new regression models 

based on the instream sensor values for turbidity and hourly 

radar rainfall data from the National Weather Service. 

Manual sample collection was not needed to run the models; therefore, estimated water-quality conditions could be 

posted to the Nowcast Web site by 9 a.m. each day during 

the recreational season. New models were tested during the 

recreational seasons of 2012–2014 and accurately predicted 

the E. coli levels 79 percent of the time. Project personnel 

determined that the Jaite Nowcasts could predict conditions 

at another site—Lock 29, 5.3 miles upstream, 77 percent of 

the time. Therefore, the Jaite Nowcasts can be used to predict 

E. coli concentrations for the Cuyahoga River between Jaite 

and Lock 29.

The installation of a near real-time sensor on the 

Cuyahoga River gives CUVA’s managers a new tool in 

providing park visitors timely water-quality results for recreational activities. Because the data are near real time, the 

likelihood of park managers unnecessarily issuing an alert 

that limits river activities is greatly reduced. This stretch of 

the river is a favorite among kayakers and the public, who can 

now plan their recreational activities by checking online for 

predicted daily bacteria levels.

Summary

The U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service 

(USGS–NPS) Water-Quality Partnership supports USGS-led 

studies that provide scientific information needed by the NPS 

to protect and restore water quality in national parks. Identification of research and investigation needs by NPS resource 

managers, combined with a rigorous proposal and study plan 

review process, ensures that priority NPS water-quality issues 

are addressed by USGS scientists. 

Since 1998, the Water-Quality Partnership has enabled 

the NPS to make informed management decisions based on 

USGS data analyses and interpretations. The partnership 

promotes the interaction of park staff with USGS scientists 

and creates long-standing relationships for continued sciencebased resource management. This program continues to 

produce high-quality, cost-effective products that are used to 

make informed decisions regarding aquatic-resource protection 

of national park lands for current and future generations to enjoy. 

References Cited

Brabets, T.P., and Ourso, R.T., 2013, Water quality of streams 

draining abandoned and reclaimed mined lands in the 

Kantishna Hills area, Denali National Park and Preserve, 

Alaska, 2008–11: U.S. Geological Scientific Investigations 

Report 2013–5048, 72 p., accessed July 7, 2014, at http://

pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2013/5048/pdf/sir20135048.pdf.

Brady, A.M.G., and Plona, M.B., 2015, Towards automating 

measurements and predictions of Escherichia coli concentrations in the Cuyahoga River, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 

Ohio, 2012–14: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2015–5094, 30 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/

sir20155094.

Christensen, V.G., Maki, R.P., and Kiesling, R.L., 2011, Relation of nutrient concentrations, nutrient loading, and algal 

production to changes in water levels in Kabetogama Lake, 

Voyageurs National Park, northern Minnesota, 2008–09: 

U.S. Geological Scientific Investigations Report 2011–5096, 

50 p., accessed July 7, 2014, at http://pubs.usgs.gov/

sir/2011/5096/pdf/sir2011_5096.pdf.

Christensen, V.G., and Maki, R.P., 2015, Trophic state in Voyageurs National Park Lakes before and after implementation of 

a revised water-level management plan: Journal of the American Water Resources Association, v. 51, no. 1, p. 99–111, 

accessed July 7, 2014, at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jawr.12234.

Clow, D.W., Forrester, H., Miller, B., Roop, H., Sickman, J.O., 

Ryu, H., and Domingo, J.S., 2013, Effects of stock use and 

backpackers on water quality in wilderness in Sequoia and 

Kings Canyon National Parks, USA: Environmental Management, v. 52, no. 6, p. 1400–14.

By Mark A. Nilles,1

 Peter E. Penoyer,2 Amy S. Ludtke,1 and 

Alan C. Ellsworth2

1

U.S. Geological Survey.

2

National Park Service.

For more information:

Access publications and learn more about the 

USGS–NPS Water-Quality Partnership at 

http://water.usgs.gov/nps_partnership/.

Email: manilles@usgs.gov

ISSN 2327-6932 (online)

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/fs20163041