U.S. Department of the Interior 

 U.S. Geological Survey 

 Fact Sheet 2005–3080 

 August 2005 

 Prepared in cooperation with the Johnson County Stormwater Management Program

 Effects of Contaminant Sources on Stream-Water Quality in 

Johnson County, Northeastern Kansas, October 2002 Through 

June 2004 

 —Casey J. Lee, David P. Mau, and Teresa J. Rasmussen 

Printed on recycled paper

 The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the 

Johnson County Stormwater Management Program, investigated selected streams in Johnson County, northeast Kansas, to 

determine the effects of point- and nonpoint-source contamination on stream-water quality and their relation to varying land 

use. Johnson County streams are an important resource for 

irrigation, drinking water, aquatic life, and recreation. Waterquality conditions were determined by collection and analysis 

of stream-water and streambed-sediment samples. The streams 

studied were located in urban areas of the county (Brush, 

Dykes Branch, Indian, Tomahawk, and Turkey Creeks), developing areas of the county (Blue River and Mill Creek), and 

in more rural areas of the county (Big Bull, Captain, Cedar, 

Kill, and Little Bull Creeks). The 

information from this study can be 

used by Johnson County officials 

to evaluate existing water-quality conditions, identify areas of 

potential point- and nonpointsource contamination, and develop 

strategies to improve water-quality 

conditions. 

 This fact sheet summarizes the 

results of a water-quality investigation conducted in Johnson County 

from October 2002 through June 

2004 (Lee and others, 2005). The 

complete report is available on the 

World Wide Web at: http://ks.water.

usgs.gov/Kansas/studies/qw/joco 

 Introduction 

 Johnson County, located in 

northeast Kansas, is the most populous and fastest growing county 

in the State (U.S. Census Bureau, 

2004). Increasing population has 

caused changes in land use, resulting in more residential, commercial, and industrial developments 

and increased impervious surface 

area (such as roads, houses, businesses, and parking lots), which 

may have a substantial effect on 

stream-water quality. This contamination may come from point 

sources (such as wastewater-treatment effluent) and nonpoint 

sources (such as stormwater runoff, leaky sewage lines, septic 

tanks, and atmospheric deposition). Stormwater runoff may 

contain contaminants as diverse as fecal contamination from 

pets, livestock, and wildlife to dissolved solids, hydrocarbons, 

and trace elements from roads and parking lots. These contaminants may remain dissolved in stream water, adsorb to streambed or suspended sediment, or accumulate in aquatic life. 

 Stream segments in five Johnson County watersheds (Blue 

River, Cedar Creek, Indian Creek, Kill Creek, and Mill Creek) 

have been designated as water-quality impaired, and the Kansas 

Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has estab-

 Photographs showing Indian Creek at State Line Road (site IN6, fig. 1) during base-flow 

and stormflow conditions. 

Stormflow 

condition

Base-flow 

condition
lished section 303(d) listing and total maximum daily loads 

(TMDLs) for these stream segments (Kansas Department of 

Health and Environment, 2004b). TMDLs are quantitative 

objectives and strategies used to achieve water-quality standards. The water-quality standards constitute goals to fully 

support the designated uses of streams, lakes, and wetlands. 

 Johnson County municipalities are subject to the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) National Pollutant 

Discharge and Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II stormwater program designed to reduce the effects of stormwater runoff 

on surface-water quality. These regulations include establishing best management practices (BMPs) to curtail surface-water 

contamination from urban and suburban stormwater runoff. 

 Water-Quality Contaminants Studied 

 Several types of contaminants were analyzed that can affect 

the health and use of streams. Suspended sediment can destroy 

stream habitat and transport many other water-quality contaminants. Large concentrations of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus species) encourage excessive growth of algae and aquatic 

plants, which may produce taste-and-odor problems in drinking 

water, reduce dissolved oxygen concentrations, and potentially 

lead to fish kills. USEPA and KDHE have established recreational water-quality criteria that are based on the densities 

of fecal coliform, Escherichia coli (E. coli), and enterococci 

bacteria in water that correlate to human illness (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1986; Kansas Department of 

Health and Environment, 2004a). Trace metals and pesticides 

can persist in the environment, accumulate in streambed sediment and aquatic life, and may be toxic to humans and aquatic 

life. Organic wastewater compounds (chemicals used in and 

around the home, which typically are associated with wastewater effluent) and pharmaceutical compounds (prescription and 

nonprescription drugs, also associated with wastewater effluent) 

are potential environmental concerns because of possible physiological effects on aquatic life and as indicators of human-waste 

contamination. 

 Watershed Descriptions 

 Urban development 

has changed the landscape 

of many Johnson County 

watersheds (fig. 1). Between 

1990 and 2003, land parcels devoted to residential, 

business, and industrial uses 

have increased by 45 percent 

and in many of these watersheds constitute more than 

one-half of land uses (U.S. 

Census Bureau, 2004; Kevin 

Skridulis, Johnson County 

Appraiser’s Office, written 

commun., 2004). In the five 

most urban watersheds, more 

than 20 percent of the total 

area is covered by impervious surfaces (roads, houses, 

businesses) (Shannon Porter, 

Johnson County Automated 

Information Mapping System, 

written commun., 2003). In 

addition to the changing 

landscape, 9 of 13 watersheds 

contain wastewater-treatment 

discharges. Seven of these 

discharges were sampled during this study. 

 Sample Collection 

 Base-flow samples were 

collected by USGS during sustained fair-weather 

streamflow conditions 

from 31 stream sites during 

November 4−7, 2002, and 

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 Figure 1. Urban and rural land use in Johnson County, northeast Kansas, 2003. Land use from Johnson County 

Automated Information Mapping System (written commun., 2003). 
from 42 sites during July 14−18, 2003 (fig. l). A minimum of 

three stormflow samples were collected from six sites located 

in the Blue River, Cedar Creek, Indian Creek, Kill Creek, 

Mill Creek, and Turkey Creek watersheds from October 2002 

through June 2004. Fifteen streambed-sediment samples were 

collected from nine watersheds from March 31 through April 3, 

2003. Samples were analyzed for suspended sediment, dissolved solids and major ions, nutrients, fecal indicator bacteria, 

pesticides, and wastewater compounds. Selected samples also 

were analyzed for pharmaceutical compounds. 

 Point Sources of Water-Quality Contaminants 

 Wastewater-treatment facilities (WWTFs) were the major 

source of streamflow during base-flow sampling. Nutrients, 

wastewater, and pharmaceutical compound concentrations were 

largest during base flow at sites immediately downstream from 

WWTFs. Concentrations of these contaminants decreased in 

samples collected from sites farther downstream from WWTF 

discharges because of potential degradation, adsorption to 

streambed sediment, or consumption by aquatic biota. 

 Secondary treatment processes used by WWTFs appeared to 

affect the concentrations of many water-quality contaminants 

during base flow. Samples of discharge from two WWTFs 

with trickling-filter secondary treatment processes (sites TO3 

and TU3) exceeded KDHE chronic aquatic-life use criteria 

for ammonia in surface water during the July 2003 base-flow 

synoptic survey (Kansas Department of Health and Environment, 2004a). Samples of discharge from trickling-filter 

facilities generally had the largest concentrations of wastewater 

compounds of all Johnson County stream-water samples (fig. 

2). Concentrations of caffeine (stimulant), nonylphenoldiethoxylate (detergent surfactant), and tris(2-butoxyethyl) 

phosphate (flame retardant and plasticizer) in Johnson County 

WWTF discharges from sites TO3 and TU3 were larger than 

maximum concentrations in a comparable study in Minnesota 

(Lee and others, 2004). Concentrations of nutrients, silver, and 

most wastewater compounds were largest in streambed-sediment samples collected immediately downstream from WWTF 

discharges, indicating point-source contamination. 

 Nonpoint Sources of Water-Quality Contaminants 

 Land use and time of year affected the occurrence and 

magnitude of many water-quality contaminants originating 

from nonpoint sources. Samples collected during stormflow 

contained the largest suspended-sediment concentrations and 

fecal indicator bacteria densities, which may indicate that nonpoint sources were the primary sources of these constituents. 

Base-flow samples from sites located upstream from WWTF 

discharges in urban areas contained larger fecal indicator bacteria densities and wastewater compound concentrations than 

samples collected from sites upstream from WWTF discharges 

in rural areas. Dissolved-solids concentrations were largest 

in winter stormflow samples collected from urban sites likely 

because of runoff. A sample collected from site IN6 (Indian 

Creek at State Line Road) on January 26, 2004, had a chloride 

concentration of 1,000 milligrams per liter, which exceeded the 

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 Figure 2. The largest concentrations of organic wastewater compounds were detected in samples from wastewater-treatment discharges with 

trickling-filter secondary treatment processes (sites MI2, TO3, and TU3). 
KDHE acute aquatic-life use criterion (860 milligrams per liter) 

likely due to effects from road-salt application (Kansas Department of Health and Environment, 2004a). Pesticide concentrations were the largest in spring stormflow samples collected 

in rural watersheds, likely because of agricultural pesticide 

application. 9,10-Anthraquinone (bird repellent), caffeine 

(stimulant), carbazole (component of coal tar and petroleum 

products), nonylphenol-diethoxylate (detergent surfactant), and 

tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (flame retardant and plasticizer) 

also were detected at the largest concentrations (greater than 

1 microgram per liter) of all wastewater compounds analyzed in 

stormflow samples at sites downstream from urban watersheds. 

Relatively large concentrations of wastewater compounds in 

stormflow samples indicate that these water-quality contaminants have nonpoint sources. 

 Streambed-sediment samples contained many water-quality contaminants that may have adverse effects on humans and 

aquatic life. Trace elements, total chlordane, total dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), polyaromatic hydrocarbons 

(PAHs), and selected wastewater compounds were not as linked 

to WWTF discharges and had the largest concentrations in 

streambed-sediment samples collected from watersheds with 

primarily urban land uses. 

 Information to Protect Johnson County Streams 

 The information from this study can be used by Johnson 

County officials to evaluate the condition of Johnson County 

streams, identify potential source areas of contamination, and 

develop practices to reduce contaminant effects on Johnson 

County streams. 

 References 

 Kansas Department of Health and Environment, 2004a, Kansas 

register, article 28−16−28e, Surface water quality standards: 

Topeka, Kansas, Secretary of State, 10 p. 

 Kansas Department of Health and Environment, 2004b, Total 

maximum daily load designations: Information available on 

the Web, accessed June 15, 2004, at http://www.kdhe.state.

ks.us/tmdl/ 

 Lee, C.J., Mau, D.P, and Rasmussen, T.J., 2005, Effects of 

point and nonpoint sources on water quality and relation to 

land use in Johnson County, northeastern Kansas, October 

2002 through June 2004: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2005−5144, 104 p. 

 Lee, K.E., Barber, L.T., Furlong, E.T., Cahill, J.D., Kolpin, 

D.W., Meyer, M.T., and Zaugg, S.D., 2004, Presence and 

distribution of organic wastewater compounds in wastewater, surface, ground, and drinking waters, Minnesota, 

2000–02: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2004−5138, 47 p. 

 U.S. Census Bureau, 2004, Kansas population of county by 

decennial census, 1900-90: Information available on the 

Web, accessed July 15, 2004, at http://quickfacts.census.

gov/qfd/states/20/20091.html and http://www.census.gov/ 

population/cencounts/ks190090.txt 

 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1986, Ambient water 

quality for bacteria – 1986: Information available on the 

Web, accessed August 4, 2004, at http://www.epa.gov/ 

waterscience/beaches/1986crit.pdf 

 For additional information on Johnson County water quality, 

visit the USGS Web site at: 

 http://ks.water.usgs.gov/Kansas/ 

 studies/qw/joco 

 or contact 

 Kansas Water Science Center Director 

 U.S. Geological Survey 

 4821 Quail Crest Place 

 Lawrence, Kansas 66049–3839 

 (785) 842–9909 

 E-mail: dc_ks@usgs.gov 

 USGS scientist measuring water-quality conditions at Mill Creek at Johnson 

Drive (site MI7).