U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2007–3083

October 2007 Printed on recycled paper

Water-quality samples were collected from surface- 

(stream-) and ground-water sites on and near the Prairie Band 

Potawatomi Reservation in northeastern Kansas (fig. 1) from 

June 1996 through August 2006 as part of a cooperative study 

between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Prairie 

Band Potawatomi Nation (Schmidt and 

others, 2007). Surface- and ground-water 

quality were evaluated using applicable 

drinking-water standards to consider 

whether these resources can be used in the 

future to supply drinking water for the reservation. Presently (2007), drinking water 

on the reservation is purchased from Rural 

Water District #3 in Jackson County (Sharon Bosse, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation 

Department of Planning and Environmental 

Protection, oral commun., 2007). Results 

of water-quality analyses are summarized 

in the following sections. Water-quality 

activities for this study are documented 

in several reports (Trombley, 1999, 2001; 

Schmidt, 2004; Schmidt and others, 2007). 

 Dissolved Solids and Major Ions

Dissolved-solids concentrations 

typically were less than the 500-mg/L 

criteria established for drinking water. 

Generally, dissolved-solids concentrations in surface- and ground-water samples did not regularly exceed the Secondary Drinking-Water Regulation (SDWR) 

of 500 mg/L (milligrams per liter) set 

by the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency (2006), with the exception of one 

surface-water site and one ground-water 

site (LSC06 and MW03, fig. 1). The 

surface-water site is located downstream 

from a wastewater-treatment facility, and 

elevated dissolved-solids concentrations 

in water from well MW03 probably are 

the result of dissolution of sedimentary 

rocks. 

Sodium concentrations in surface- and 

ground-water-quality samples on the 

reservation frequently were equal to 

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or greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

(USEPA) 20-mg/L Drinking-Water Advisory (DWA) in finished drinking water for people who are on restricted sodium 

diets (500 milligrams per day) (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2006). 

39°25'

50' 95°40'

39°15'

20'

Base from U.S. Geological Survey digital data, 1:24,000, 1991

Albers Equal Area Conic projection

Standard parallels 29°30' and 45°30; central meridian 96° 

0 1 2 3 4 5 KILOMETERS

0 1 2 3 4 5 MILES

EXPLANATION

Ecoregions

 IV, Great Plains Grass and Shrublands

 VI, Corn Belt and Northern Great Plains

 Boundary of ecoregion

Boundary of drainage basin

Boundary of reservation

U.S. Geological Survey stream-water-quality

 monitoring site and identifier—Red identifier 

 indicates quarterly samples collected at site

U.S. Geological Survey ground-water-quality 

 monitoring site and identifier

K Rd.

H Rd.

J Rd.

G Rd.

F Rd.

E Rd.

M Rd.

N Rd.

Q Rd.

158 Rd.

150 Rd.

142 Rd.

134 Rd.

126 Rd.

118 Rd.

110 Rd.

166 Rd.

174 Rd.

182 Rd.

190 Rd.

196 Rd.

158 Rd.

158 Rd.

95°55' 45'

Ecoregion boundary from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2000)

Mayetta

Hoyt

75

75

16

Sewagetreatment

lagoon

Wastewatertreatment

facility

Wastewatertreatment plant

Creek

Little

Creek

James

Crow

Creek

Creek

South

Cedar

Bills

Soldier

Creek

Big Elm

Little Elm

Creek

Creek

Soldier

Creek

SC03

SC04

SC08

SC09

SCC01

SC05

SC06

SC01

SC02

MW09

MW10 MW11

LSC01

LSC02

BC01

MW06 MW07 MW08 S28-4

pumping

well

MW03

MW01

MW04

MW02

MW02

MW05

LSC03

LSC06

LSC07

LSC04

LSC05

LSC09 LSC08

LSC04

Index map

KANSAS

Prairie Band

Potawatomi

Nation

Reservation

Prairie Band Potawatomi

Nation Reservation

SC07

Jackson

County

Figure 1. Location of water-quality monitoring sites on and near Prairie Band Potawatomi 

Reservation, northeastern Kansas.

Prepared in cooperation with the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

Significant Findings from a Water-Quality Study on 

Prairie Band Potawatomi Reservation, Northeastern 

Kansas, June 1996 through August 2006

By Heidi E. Mehl, Heather C. Ross Schmidt, and Larry M. Pope
 Nutrients

Nitrate exceeded USEPA recommended criterion for 

aggregate nutrient ecoregion VI in surface-water samples. Nitrite plus nitrate (sometimes referred to as “nitrate”) 

concentrations exceeded nutrient ecoregion criterion 

(0.633 mg/L) in 20 percent of surface-water samples. Total 

nitrogen concentrations also exceeded the recommended 

criterion (1.22 mg/L) in 25 percent of surface-water samples. 

Ecoregion criteria are from USEPA (2000). 

Large concentrations of nitrite plus nitrate were detected 

in one monitoring well. All five water samples analyzed 

from well MW11 had concentrations of nitrite plus nitrate 

exceeding the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 

10 mg/L (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2006). 

Agricultural activities in the area and the proximity of the 

well to an open hand-dug well may contribute to these relatively large nitrite plus nitrate concentrations. 

Total phosphorus concentrations frequently exceeded 

the aquatic-life goal in surface-water samples. Some 

surface-water samples from every site exceeded the USEPA 

recommended goal of 0.10 mg/L established to limit cultural 

eutrophication (nutrient enrichment) of flowing water (U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, 1986).

 Trace Elements

Arsenic, boron, and iron exceeded their respective waterquality criteria in ground-water samples from some 

wells. Trace elements were found in small concentrations in 

ground-water samples, with a few wells exceeding USEPA 

drinking-water-quality criteria (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2006). Arsenic was detected in water from 

well MW06 at concentrations two to three times larger than 

the MCL of 10 μg/L (micrograms per liter). Boron exceeded 

the DWA of 600 μg/L in water from well MW03, and iron 

consistently exceeded the SDWR of 300 μg/L in water from 

wells MW01, MW03, and MW06. The implication of these 

large concentrations of trace elements is that before ground 

water from some areas on the reservation can be used as a 

drinking-water supply, treatment may be needed to remove 

excessive amounts of some trace elements. Trace elements 

did not exceed USEPA water-quality criteria in surface-water 

samples. 

 Pesticides and Organic Compounds

Pesticides were detected frequently in surface-water 

samples, occasionally exceeding water-quality criteria. 

Surface-water samples were analyzed using the ELISA 

(enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) triazine herbicide 

screen. Five quarterly sampled monitoring sites had some 

detection of pesticides in 58 percent of samples; however, 

only one of these samples exceeded the USEPA MCL for 

atrazine of 3.0 μg/L as an annual average (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2006). 

Pesticides were not detected frequently in ground-water 

samples. Alachlor, atrazine, cyanazine, and simazine were 

detected occasionally in water from some wells at small 

concentrations (less than 0.1 μg/L). 

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 Bacteria

Fecal bacteria are common in surface water on the reservation. For example, Escherichia coli (E. coli) were routinely 

detected in surface-water samples from every site, at times 

in densities greater than the single-sample maximum of 

9,760 col/100 mL (colonies per 100 milliliters of water) set by 

the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (2004) for 

secondary contact recreation such as wading, fishing, trapping, and hunting. Fecal bacteria densities tended to be largest 

during the spring and summer months (May and June) when 

streamflows were largest. 

Fecal bacteria occasionally were detected in ground-water 

samples in low densities. Ground-water samples from the 

reservation generally showed little to no fecal contamination. 

Enterococci were most frequently detected, with some number 

of colonies in 57 percent of samples collected. 

 References

Kansas Department of Health and Environment, 2004, Kansas 

surface water quality standards: Information available on Web, 

accessed February 6, 2007, at http://www.kdheks.gov/water/

download/swqs_numeric_criteria.pdf

Schmidt, H.C. Ross, 2004, Quality of water on the Prairie Band 

Potawatomi Reservation, northeastern Kansas, May 2001 

through August 2003: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2004–5243, 69 p.

Schmidt, H.C. Ross, Mehl, H.E., and Pope, L.M., 2007, Water 

quality on the Prairie Band Potawatomi Reservation, northeastern Kansas, June 1996 through August 2006: U.S. Geological 

Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5201, 75 p. 

Trombley, T.J., 1999, Surface-water quality on the Prairie Band 

of Potawatomi Reservation, northeastern Kansas, June 1996 

through November 1998: U.S. Geological Survey WaterResources Investigations Report 99–4266, 67 p.

Trombley, T.J., 2001, Quality of water on the Prairie Band 

Potawatomi Reservation, northeastern Kansas, February 

1999 through February 2001: U.S. Geological Survey WaterResources Investigations Report 01–4196, 51 p.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1986, Quality criteria for 

water, 1986: U.S. Environmental Agency Report 440/5–86–

001, unnumbered pages. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000, Ambient water 

quality criteria recommendations—information supporting 

the development of State and tribal nutrient criteria, rivers 

and streams in nutrient ecoregion VI: Washington D.C., EPA 

822–B–00–017, December 2000, information available on 

Web, accessed May 2004 at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/

criteria/nutrient/ecoregions/rivers/rivers_6.pdf

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2006, 2006 Edition of the 

drinking water standards and health advisories: Washington, 

D.C., EPA 822–R–06–013, summer 2006, information available on Web, accessed February 13, 2007, at http://www.epa.

gov/waterscience/criteria/drinking/dwstandards.pdf

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Prepared by Lawrence Pubishing Service Center

For additional information visit the USGS Web site at:

http://ks.water.usgs.gov

or contact:

U.S. Geological Survey

Director, Kansas Water Science Center

4821 Quail Crest Place

Lawrence, Kansas 66049–3839

(785) 842–9909 or E-mail: dc_ks.usgs.gov