U.S. Geological Survey

Water-Resources Investigations Report

U.S. Department of the Interior

Changes in Streamflow and Summary

of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the

North Fork Red River Basin Upstream

from Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and

Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

03–4086

Prepared in cooperation with the

BUREAU OF RECLAMATION

Photograph of Lake Altus dam taken by S. Jerrod Smith.
U.S. Geological Survey

Water-Resources Investigations Report

U.S. Department of the Interior

Changes in Streamflow and Summary

of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the

North Fork Red River Basin Upstream

from Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and

Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

By S. Jerrod Smith and Kenneth L. Wahl

03–4086

Prepared in cooperation with the

BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
Smith, S.J., and Wahl, K.L.—Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin

Upstream from Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999—USGS/WRIR 03–4086

Printed on recycled paper
U.S. Department of the Interior

GALE A. NORTON, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

CHARLES G. GROAT, Director

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District Chief

U.S. Geological Survey

Water-Resources Division

202 NW 66 St., Bldg. 7

Oklahoma City, OK 73116
CONTENTS III

CONTENTS

Abstract ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Purpose and scope ........................................................................................................................................................... 2

Description of the study area .......................................................................................................................................... 2

Climate ............................................................................................................................................................................ 2

Geologic setting .............................................................................................................................................................. 2

Background and previous studies ................................................................................................................................... 4

Data analyzed ............................................................................................................................................................................ 4

Climatic data ................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Hydrologic data .............................................................................................................................................................. 4

Major-ion and load data ................................................................................................................................................ 10

Methods of analysis ................................................................................................................................................................ 10

Kendall's tau and Kendall slope estimator .................................................................................................................... 10

Base-flow determination ............................................................................................................................................... 11

Stiff and Piper diagrams ............................................................................................................................................... 11

Constituent load and yield computation ....................................................................................................................... 12

Precipitation trends ................................................................................................................................................................. 12

Streamflow trends ................................................................................................................................................................... 12

McClellan Creek near McLean, Texas (station 07301200) .......................................................................................... 15

Sweetwater Creek near Kelton, Texas (station 07301410) and near Sweetwater,

Oklahoma (station 07301420) ........................................................................................................................ 15

North Fork Red River near Carter, Oklahoma (station 07301500) ............................................................................... 20

Comparison of Streamflow Trends between the North Fork Red River and Beaver-North Canadian

River study areas ............................................................................................................................................. 20

Major-ion chemistry ............................................................................................................................................................... 22

Stiff diagrams ................................................................................................................................................................ 22

Piper diagrams .............................................................................................................................................................. 27

Constituent load and yield estimates ...................................................................................................................................... 27

Summary ................................................................................................................................................................................. 34

Selected references ................................................................................................................................................................. 35

ILLUSTRATIONS

Figures 1–2. Maps showing:

1. North Fork Red River basin upstream from Lake Altus with streamflow-gaging stations and

water-quality monitoring stations ........................................................................................................................... 3

2. Oklahoma Climate Division 4 and the North Fork Red River study area............................................................... 5

Figure 3. Graph showing mean monthly precipitation for Oklahoma Climate Division 4, water years 1896-1995................. 6

Figure 4. Map showing generalized surficial geology of the North Fork Red River study area with streamflow-gaging

stations and water-quality monitoring stations .......................................................................................................... 7

Figure 5. Subsurface-geologic and major time-stratigraphic units in the North Fork Red River basin .................................... 9

Figures 6–10. Graphs showing:

6. Annual precipitation for Oklahoma Climate Division 4, water years 1896–1995 ................................................ 14

7. Annual streamflow, annual base flow, and base-flow index of McClellan Creek near McLean, Texas,

(07301200) 1968–80, and annual peak discharge, 1968–80, 1987–93, and 1995–97.......................................... 17

8. Annual streamflow, annual base flow, and base-flow index of Sweetwater Creek near Kelton, Texas,

(07301410) 1963–99, and annual peak discharge, 1962–99................................................................................. 18

9. Annual streamflow, annual base flow, and base-flow index of Sweetwater Creek near Sweetwater Oklahoma,

(07301420) 1987–99, and annual peak discharge, 1962–99................................................................................. 19

10. Annual streamflow, annual base flow, and base-flow index of the North Fork Red River near Carer,

Oklahoma, (07301500) 1945–62, 1965–99, and annual peak discharge, 1945–99 .............................................. 21
IV CONTENTS

Figure 11. Stiff diagram showing mean major-ion concentrations at five water-quality stations in the North Fork

Red River study area.................................................................................................................................................23

Figure 12. Graph showing mean concentrations of selected major ions in the North Fork Red River study area...................24

Figure 13. Stiff diagram showing change in mean major-ion concentrations with discharge at two stations

in the North Fork Red River study area ....................................................................................................................26

Figures 14–18. Piper diagrams showing:

14. Major-ion water-quality data from McClellan Creek near McLean, Texas, (07301200), 1965–69 and

1974–80 .................................................................................................................................................................28

15. Major-ion water-quality data from the North Fork Red River near Shamrock, Texas, (07301300),

1964–69 and 1974–80............................................................................................................................................29

16. Major-ion water-quality data from Sweetwater Creek near Kelton, Texas, (07301410), 1964–68 and

1974–80 ................................................................................................................................................................30

17. Major-ion water-quality data from the North Fork Red River near Erick, Oklahoma, (07301450),

1960–62 ................................................................................................................................................................31

18. Major-ion water-quality data from the North Fork Red River near Carter, Oklahoma, (07301500),

1960–61 and 1973–76............................................................................................................................................32

TABLES

1. Summary of streamflow record for gaging stations with greater than 10 years of record in the North Fork Red

River study area .........................................................................................................................................................10

2. Summary of major-ion data for water-quality stations in the North Fork Red River study area .........................................11

3. Regression equations used in the estimation of dissolved and suspended constituent loads ..............................................13

4. Results of trend tests on precipitation data, Oklahoma Climate Division 4, 1896-1995 .....................................................15

5. Results of trend tests on annual streamflow volume, annual base-flow volume, base-flow index, and annual

peak discharge ...........................................................................................................................................................16

6. Changes in mean major-ion composition with discharge at water-quality stations in the North Fork Red

River study area .........................................................................................................................................................25

7. Estimated mean-annual loads of sulfate, chloride, and dissolved solids in the North Fork Red

River study area .........................................................................................................................................................33

8. Estimated mean-annual yields of sulfate, chloride, and dissolved solids in the North Fork Red

River study area .........................................................................................................................................................34
CONTENTS V

CONVERSION FACTORS, ABBREVIATIONS, AND HORIZONTAL DATUM

Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83).

Multiply By To obtain

Length

inch (in) 2.54 centimeter

inch (in) 25.4 millimeter

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer

Area

acre 4,047 square meter

square mile (mi2

) 2.590 square kilometer

Volume

cubic foot (ft3

) 0.02832 cubic meter

acre-foot (acre-ft) 1,233 cubic meter

Flow rate

gallon per day (gal/d) 0.003785 cubic meter per day

acre-foot per year (acre-ft/yr) 1,233 cubic meter per year

cubic foot per second (ft3

/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second

Mass

ton per day (ton/d) 0.9072 metric ton per day

ton per year (ton/yr) 0.9072 metric ton per year

ton per year per square mile [(ton/yr)/mi2

] 0.3503 metric ton per year per square kilometer
VI CONTENTS
1

Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion

Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River

Basin Upstream from Lake Altus, Northwestern

Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

By S. Jerrod Smith and Kenneth L. Wahl

ABSTRACT

Upstream from Lake Altus, the North Fork

Red River drains an area of 2,515 square miles.

The quantity and quality of surface water are

major concerns at Lake Altus, and water-resource

managers and consumers need historical information to make informed decisions about future

development. The Lugert-Altus Irrigation District

relies on withdrawals from the lake to sustain

nearly 46,000 acres of agricultural land.

Kendall's tau tests of precipitation data

indicated no statistically significant trend over the

entire 100 years of available record. However, a

significant increase in precipitation occurred in

the last 51 years. Four streamflow-gaging stations

with more than 10 years of record were maintained in the basin. These stations recorded no

significant trends in annual streamflow volume.

Two stations, however, had significant increasing

trends in the base-flow index, and three had

significant decreasing trends in annual peak flows.

Major-ion chemistry in the North Fork Red

River is closely related to the chemical composition of the underlying bedrock. Two main lithologies are represented in the basin upstream from

Lake Altus. In the upper reaches, young and

poorly consolidated sediments include a range of

sizes from coarse gravel to silt and clay. Nearsurface horizons commonly are cemented as

calcium carbonate caliche. Finer-grained gypsiferous sandstones and shales dominate the lower

reaches of the basin. A distinct increase in

dissolved solids, specifically sodium, chloride,

calcium, and sulfate, occurs as the river flows over

rocks that contain substantial quantities of

gypsum, anhydrite, and dolomite. These natural

salts are the major dissolved constituents in the

North Fork Red River.

INTRODUCTION

The quantity and quality of surface water are

major concerns at Lake Altus, and water-resource

managers and consumers need historical information

to make informed decisions about future development.

To address these concerns, the U.S. Geological

Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, conducted a study of historic streamflow conditions, major-ion chemistry, and loads in the North Fork

Red River basin upstream from Lake Altus, Oklahoma.

The North Fork Red River drains an area of

about 4,828 square miles before joining the Red River

at the southern border of Oklahoma. Three important

tributaries of the North Fork Red River—McClellan

Creek, Sweetwater Creek, and the Elm Fork—join the

river along a 220-mile total length. One large

impoundment, Lake Altus, is located about 73.4 miles

upstream from the junction with the Red River. The

Bureau of Reclamation began construction of the Lake

Altus dam in 1941 as part of the W.C. Austin Project.

Storage operations began in 1946, and the project was

completed in 1948 (Oklahoma Water Resources

Board, 1990). The purposes of the W.C. Austin project

were flood control, water supply for the city of Altus,

and irrigation. In 2002, the Lugert-Altus Irrigation

District relied on withdrawals from the lake to sustain
2 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from Lake

Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

nearly 46,000 acres of agricultural land (A. Ensley,

Lugert-Altus Irrigation District, oral commun., 2002).

For the portion of the North Fork Red River

basin upstream from Lake Altus, consumptive water

use in 1995 was estimated at 108 million gallons per

day (R.L. Tortorelli, USGS, written commun., 2001).

Ground-water supplied the majority of that amount.

The western half of the basin, because of greater irrigation requirements, withdrew more than twice as

much water as the eastern half. Withdrawals in the

western half were predominantly supplied by ground

water (94 percent) while the eastern half relied on

surface water (72 percent). Irrigated agriculture was

the greatest consumer of water resources in the basin

in 1995, accounting for 82 percent of total withdrawals, 79 percent of ground-water withdrawals, and

89 percent of surface water withdrawals (R.L.

Tortorelli, USGS, written commun., 2001).

Purpose and Scope

This report summarizes a study of historic

streamflow conditions and surface-water quality in the

North Fork Red River basin upstream from Lake

Altus, Oklahoma. The primary goals of this report are

to 1) present statistical trends in streamflow, 2)

summarize major-ion chemistry, and 3) summarize

annual dissolved and suspended loads and yields. This

report also presents statistical trends in annual precipitation from water years 1896 to 1995.

Description of the Study Area

The study area was the portion of the North

Fork Red River basin upstream from the dam at Lake

Altus (fig. 1). The study area extends 147 miles from

the High Plains headwaters at Amarillo, Texas, to the

westernmost exposure of the Wichita Uplift near

Lugert, Oklahoma (Johnson and others, 1972). The

study area covered four counties in Texas (Carson,

Gray, Potter, and Wheeler) and five counties in Oklahoma (Beckham, Greer, Kiowa, Roger Mills, and

Washita) (fig. 1). About two thirds of the study area is

in the Texas Panhandle. The study area covered 2,515

square miles, of which 399 square miles were noncontributing (Blazs and others, 2001).

Climate

The semiarid climate in the North Fork Red

River basin is caused by the position of the basin on

the leeward side of the Rocky Mountains. Mean

annual precipitation increases steadily to the east as

the effect of the mountains decreases. The basin headwaters receive about 17 inches of mean annual precipitation, and the basin outlet receives about 26 inches

(Daly and others, 1994). In Oklahoma Climate Division 4 (fig. 2) most rainfall occurs from spring and

early summer storms, usually peaking in May (fig. 3).

Storms tend to move rapidly, but can cause intense

localized flooding. Warm and humid conditions are

typical of Oklahoma and Texas in summer, but sometimes there are prolonged periods of drought. Most

thunderstorms that occur in the summer are too localized to produce substantial runoff (Cooter, 1991).

A fall peak in precipitation occurs in September

(fig. 3). The least precipitation occurs during the

winter months and commonly is a combination of rain,

ice, and snow. About 95 percent of annual precipitation is lost to evapotranspiration (Pettyjohn and others,

1983, p. 23). Mean annual runoff for 1951-80 is less

than 2.5 percent of the mean annual precipitation,

ranging from 0.2 to 1 inch per year across the study

area (Gebert and others, 1987).

Geologic Setting

The North Fork Red River basin lies on the

southern limb of a broad syncline that abuts the

Wichita Uplift in the study area. The bedrock in the

westernmost third of the study area is the Ogallala

Formation of Tertiary age (fig. 4) consisting mostly of

clay to gravel-sized unconsolidated sediment with

intermittent layers of calcium carbonate caliche (fig.

5). In northwestern Texas, the Ogallala Formation is

usually blanketed with the Quaternary-age Blackwater

Draw Formation1

 (Texas Bureau of Economic

Geology, 1992). A large number of small playa lakes

are scattered throughout the extent of this formation

that resulted from the scouring action of winds and

dissolution of soluble layers of underlying bedrock

1Geologic names and stratigraphic ages in this report are

accepted by the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology or the Oklahoma Geological Survey and are not necessarily the same as those

used by the U.S. Geological Survey.
3

North Fork Red River study areaBeaver-North Canadian River study areaState boundaryCounty boundaryStreamCity

Active streamflow stationInactive streamflow stationActive water-quality stationInactive water-quality station

Figure 1. North Fork Red River basin upstream from Lake Altus with streamflow-gaging stations and water-quality monitoring stations.
4 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from Lake

Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

(Oklahoma Water Resources Board, 1990, p. 52).

High rates of evaporation in the Texas Panhandle

concentrate salts in these lakes, which eventually leach

to ground water. Natural springs and seeps are

common at the base of the Ogallala Formation

(Marine, 1963, p. 4). In northwestern Texas, the Ogallala Formation, Blackwater Draw Formation, and

overlying alluvial deposits form the High Plains

Aquifer.

The bedrock in the eastern two-thirds of the

basin consists of Permian age, gypsiferous shale and

sandstone (figs. 4 and 5). Beds of gypsum, anhydrite,

and dolomite are common among the Permian age

shales (Scott and Ham, 1957). In the Blaine Formation

of Permian age, some individual beds of gypsum are

more than 25 feet thick in outcrops (Scott and Ham,

1957, p. 28). Terrace and dune-sand deposits of

Quaternary age overlie a substantial portion of the

lower basin (fig. 4).

Background and Previous Studies

High-salinity surface water is a major concern

in southwestern Oklahoma. Natural salts are the major

dissolved constituents in surface water and excessive

salt concentrations can limit the uses of the water. In

tributaries below Lake Altus, such as the Elm Fork of

North Fork Red River (fig. 1), water commonly

contains such large concentrations of salts that it is

unusable for most purposes. For this reason, the lake

was impounded just a few miles upstream from the

Elm Fork and North Fork Red River junction to store

the relatively fresh water from the upstream portion of

the basin (Oklahoma Water Resources Board, 1990, p.

34). In terms of geologic sources, the greatest contributors of dissolved solids in southwestern Oklahoma

are halite (sodium chloride) and gypsum/anhydrite

(calcium sulfate). In the North Fork Red River basin,

these salts occur naturally throughout much of the

Permian-age units (fig. 5). Dolomite (calcium-magnesium carbonate) also is present in these units.

The Beaver-North Canadian River study area

(fig. 1) is similar in climate and geologic setting to the

North Fork Red River study area. Wahl and Tortorelli

(1997) examined changes in streamflow characteristics

of the Beaver-North Canadian River and determined

that annual streamflow volume and annual peak

discharges had been decreasing, especially at gaging

stations underlain by the Ogallala Formation. Wahl

and Tortorelli (1997, p. 48) attributed decreases in

peak discharges to streambed infiltration, channel

storage, and the increasing number of stock ponds in

the basin. Annual base-flow volumes also decreased

significantly at some upstream stations, but remained

constant or increased at downstream stations. The ratio

of annual base flow to annual streamflow (the baseflow index) increased at all but one of the stations. The

base-flow index increased downstream and was most

pronounced at the more downstream stations near

Woodward and Seiling (fig. 1). Citing Wahl and Wahl

(1988), the authors related these changes in streamflow to withdrawals of ground water from the High

Plains Aquifer.

DATA ANALYZED

Climatic Data

Precipitation data were analyzed with Kendall's

tau procedure as part of an examination of streamflow

trends in the basin. At the time of the study described

in this report, the U. S. Historical Climatology

Network (HCN) precipitation database was available

for water years 1896 through 1995 (Easterling and

others, 1996; Karl and others, 1990). Because the

streamflow data analyzed in this report began in 1945,

the subset of data from 1945 to 1995, and the entire

record of precipitation data were summarized for

Oklahoma Climate Division 4 (fig. 2) and analyzed for

temporal trends. The precipitation record is most accurate for the more humid, eastern portion of the basin.

Hydrologic Data

Five continuous-stage gages were installed in

the North Fork Red River study area between 1945

and 1999. Four of the five stations had a period of

record exceeding 10 years and were used to discern

hydrologic trends (table 1). Streamflow in lower

McClellan Creek has been regulated since the late

1940s by Lake McClellan, which lies about 20 river

miles upstream from station 07301200 (fig. 1). All

streamflow data for station 07301200 on McClellan

Creek were collected after the impoundment of Lake

McClellan. That streamflow-gaging station was

discontinued after water year 1980 but was maintained
5

Figure 2. Oklahoma Climate Division 4 and the North Fork Red River study area.
6 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from Lake

Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

6543210

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

MEAN MONTHLY PRECIPITATION, IN INCHES

Figure 3. Mean monthly precipitation for Oklahoma Climate Division 4, water years 1896-1995.


9

System Group Formation Thickness

(feet) Physical character

Quaternary alluvium, dune sand,

sheet sand, and terrace

0-170 Silt, sand and clay deposits from

the North Fork Red River and tributaries

Blackwater Draw Formation0-100 Wind-deposited sand and silt on the

Ogallala Formation in Texas

Tertiary Ogallala Formation 0-600 Light tan to salmon, mostly unconsolidated clay, silt, sand and gravel

with near-surface zones of caliche

Permian

Quartermaster Formation0-400 Reddish-brown fine-grained sandstone, siltstone, and silty shale

weakly cemented by iron oxide,

calcium carbonate, and calcium

sulfate

Cloud Chief Formation 0-400 Reddish-brown to orange-brown

shale interbedded with siltstone

and sandstone; some dolomite and

much gypsum in lower part

Whitehorse Group Rush Springs Sandstone

Marlow Formation

0-390 Red to pink, massive, very-fine

grained, gypsiferous sandstone

El Reno Group

Dog Creek Shale 0-80 Red, brown, and green gypsiferous

shales with several beds of siltstone, sandstone, and dolomite;

occasionally contains large dolomite concretions

Blaine Formation 0-140 Beds of white massive gypsum and

thin beds of gray medium-grained

dolomite or dolomitic limestone

separated by well defined red and

green shale units

Flowerpot Shale 0-150 Red-maroon blocky shales with

thin beds of gypsum and dolomite

Duncan Sandstone 0-40 Grayish-brown to buff, indurated,

highly cross-bedded, ripplemarked, nonfossiliferous, silty to

very fine dolomitic sandstone with

interbedded shale

Hennessey Group — 0-500 Red to buff nonfossiliferous shale

with calcareous fine-grained sandstone stringers and calcium sulfate

concretions

Cambrian — — — Igneous rocks of the Wichita Uplift

Figure 5. Subsurface-geologic and major time-stratigraphic units in the North Fork Red River basin (Scott

and Ham, 1957; Carr and Bergman, 1976; and Luckey and Becker, 1999).
10 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from

Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

Table 1. Summary of streamflow record for gaging stations with greater than 10 years of record in the North Fork Red

River study area

Station

number Station name Period of record tested(complete water year)

Years of record

tested

Mean-annual

streamflow

(acre-feet)

07301200 McClellan Creek near McLean, Texas1

1

Streamflow on McClellan Creek near McLean, Texas, is regulated by Lake McClellan about 20 miles upstream

1968-1980 13 14,544

07301410 Sweetwater Creek near Kelton, Texas 1963-1999 37 10,150

07301420 Sweetwater Creek near Sweetwater, Oklahoma 1987-1999 13 19,214

07301500 North Fork Red River near Carter, Oklahoma 1945-1962, 1965-1999 53 98,398

as a high-flow station, recording annual peaks between

1987-93 and 1995-97. The other three stations with 10

or more years of streamflow record were operational as

continuous-stage gages at the time of this report

(2003).

Major-Ion and Load Data

Elevated dissolved solids content in surface

water is commonly the result of natural dissolution of

earth materials. Common minerals such as halite

(NaCl), gypsum (CaSO4 * 2H2O), calcite (CaCO3),

and dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) are among the most

soluble minerals. For the North Fork Red River basin,

these four common minerals typically account for 95

percent or more of the dissolved solids. Mine waste,

oilfield brines, agricultural products, and industrial

chemicals can introduce other ions to surface water.

The U.S. Geological Survey National Water

Information System (NWIS) database was queried for

data on major-ion chemistry at five stations in the basin

(table 2). Chemical data were reduced to only those

samples that reported all major ions (calcium, magnesium, sodium, bicarbonate, sulfate, and chloride;

potassium was optional). Bicarbonate concentration

was assumed to be equal to acid-neutralizing capacity

reported as bicarbonate. Anion-cation balances were

performed to validate the dissolved-ion data. Only

samples with a balance less than 5 percent were used

in the analysis. There are not enough available data to

support an analysis of temporal trends in major-ion

concentrations in the basin, so this report focused on

spatial differences in water quality between the five

stations.

Suspended-sediment data also were available at

discontinued surface-water station 07302000 (North

Fork Red River near Granite, OK). This station

recorded 12 water years (1904-08, 1938-44) of

discharge data until the completion of the Lake Altus

dam. Those data provide an estimate of suspendedsediment loads being supplied to Lake Altus.

METHODS OF ANALYSIS

Kendall's Tau and Kendall Slope Estimator

Kendall's tau (Kendall, 1938, 1975) is a rankbased statistic that tests for the presence of trends. It is

generally insensitive to outlying values and can be

applied even when some values in a series are missing

(Wahl and Tortorelli, 1997, p. 9). The value of the tau

statistic is a number between 1 and -1; endpoints that

reflect positive and negative trends, respectively. In

this report, a probability (p) value was reported with

each tau statistic, and a 95 percent confidence level

(p = 0.05) indicated a significant trend. When a trend

was significant, the Kendall slope (Sen, 1968) was

calculated to estimate the general slope of the trend.
11

Table 2. Summary of major-ion data for water-quality stations in the North Fork Red River study area

[Numbers in parentheses indicate the cation or anion proportion of the constituent. meq/L, milliequivalents per liter; %, percent]

Station

number Station name

Period of

record used

in analysis

(water year)

Number

of

samples

used in

analysis

Mean cation concentrations Mean anion concentrations

Calcium,

dissolved

(meq/L)

Magnesium,

dissolved

(meq/L)

Sodium and

potassium,

dissolved

(meq/L)

Bicarbonate,

dissolved

(meq/L)

Sulfate,

dissolved

(meq/L)

Chloride,

dissolved

(meq/L)

07301200 McClellan

Creek near

McLean,

TX

1965-1969,

1974-1980

67 3.51

(32.6%)

1.63

(15.1%)

5.64

(52.3%)

3.54

(32.9%)

2.60

(24.2%)

4.62

(42.9%)

07301300 North Fork

Red River

near

Shamrock, TX

1964-1969,

1974-1980

69 14.4

(53.4%)

3.73

(13.8%)

8.82

(32.7%)

2.48

(9.23%)

14.0

(52.1%)

10.4

(38.7%)

07301410 Sweetwater

Creek near

Kelton,

TX

1964-1968,

1974-1980

77 5.26

(51.9%)

2.09

(20.6%)

2.79

(27.5%)

4.35

(43.2%)

4.54

(45.1%)

1.17

(11.6%)

07301450 North Fork

Red River

near Erick,

OK

1960-1962 18 10.3

(38.4%)

6.05

(22.5%)

10.5

(39.1%)

3.20

(11.9%)

15.4

(57.4%)

8.23

(30.7%)

07301500 North Fork

Red River

near Carter,

OK

1960-1961,

1973-1976

102 11.0

(38.8%)

6.34

(22.4%)

11.0

(38.8%)

3.21

(11.4%)

15.3

(54.3%)

9.69

(34.4%)

Locally-weighted scatterplot smoothing (Cleveland and McGill, 1984; Cleveland, 1985), or

LOWESS, was used to dampen variability and illustrate trends. LOWESS is preferable to a moving

average, especially when the period of record is small,

because every data point has an influence on the

smoothing curve. The magnitude of influence, or

weight, of a single point on any part of the curve

decreases with distance.

Base-Flow Determination

Values of base flow were derived using BFI

(Base Flow Index), a FORTRAN program developed

by Wahl and Wahl (1988, 1995) derived from a procedure proposed by the Institute of Hydrology (1980a,

1980b). This program divides the water year into Nday periods based on the length of a typical

hydrograph recession. After the minimum streamflow

in each N-day period is identified, adjacent minimums

are compared to establish turning points on a baseflow hydrograph. When these points are connected on

semi-logarithmic paper, the area beneath the base-flow

hydrograph is an estimate of the base-flow volume

(Wahl and Tortorelli, 1997, p. 12). The two stations on

Sweetwater Creek (07301410 and 07301420) used

N=3; the other two stations (07301200 and 07301500)

used N=5.

Stiff and Piper Diagrams

Stiff (1951) diagrams were used to illustrate

average major-ion concentrations at each water-quality

station. In these diagrams, milliequivalent concentra-
12 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from

Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

tions are plotted horizontally from a vertical zero axis

with cations on the left and anions on the right.

Another type of diagram was used to illustrate differences in major-ion compositions between stations. In

Piper (1944) diagrams, anion and cation compositions

are plotted on separate ternary diagrams, and the positions are projected into a quadrilinear, diamondshaped grid. Locations of the points on the diagram

reveal the general water composition, imply a source,

and illustrate mixing trends.

Constituent Load and Yield Computation

Sulfate, chloride, and dissolved solid loads were

calculated at each station having at least 10 years of

discharge record. Only daily discharge record has

adequate resolution to make annual load estimates in

streams of variable streamflow. However, constituent

concentration data are collected periodically, not

continuously. Because dissolved-constituent concentrations are correlated with discharge, estimated

continuous water-quality estimates can be generated at

each streamflow-gaging station. For this report,

concentrations of sulfate, chloride, and dissolved

solids were estimated for each day of the water year

using linear or logarithmic regressions of constituent

concentrations compared to instantaneous discharge.

Daily dissolved loads of each constituent, in tons per

day, were estimated using equation 1:

Daily Load = 0.0027Qa (1)

where Q is mean daily discharge in cubic feet per

second, a is the regression-estimated mean daily

concentration of the dissolved constituent in milligrams per liter (table 3), and 0.0027 is a conversion

factor in units of liter*second*tons per milligram*day*foot3

. Values for each day of the water year

were added to estimate the annual dissolved load for

each station. The annual dissolved load was divided by

the drainage area upstream from each station to obtain

estimates of annual dissolved constituent yields.

Suspended sediment was analyzed in a similar procedure.

The station near Sweetwater, Oklahoma,

(07301420) did not have water-quality data for sulfate,

chloride, and dissolved solids, but did have measurements of specific conductance. For each measurement

of specific conductance at station 07301420, sulfate,

chloride, and dissolved solids concentrations were

estimated by using linear regression equations (table

3) derived from measurements of specific conductance

and constituent concentrations at the station near

Kelton (07301410). Subsequently, another regression

was performed between the conductance-estimated

concentrations and instantaneous discharge measured

at station 07301420 (table 3). Only a few small tributaries join Sweetwater Creek in the 15 miles between

station 07301410 near Kelton, Texas, and station

07301420 near Sweetwater, Oklahoma.

PRECIPITATION TRENDS

The precipitation record for Oklahoma Climate

Division 4 was tested as an annual series (1 value per

year for 1896-1995) using the Kendall's tau test. The

test of the annual series resulted in a tau of 0.12, indicating a small increasing trend (table 4). However, the

test of the entire precipitation record was not significant at a 95 percent level of confidence (p = 0.07).

The amount of annual precipitation in Oklahoma Climate Division 4 varied between 42 and 15

inches over 100 years. However, the LOWESS curve

remained fairly constant at about 27 inches per year

until 1945, after which it steadily increased (fig. 6).

Based on this inflection point, the data were split into

pre-1945 (49 years) and post-1945 (51 years) subsets.

The Kendall's tau test on the 1896-1944 subset of the

data indicated an insignificant decreasing trend with a

tau of -0.04 and a p-value of 0.70 (table 4). The 1945-

1995 trend was positive and significant with a tau of

0.23 and a p-value of 0.02 (table 4). The Kendall slope

for this 51-year subset was 0.14 inch per year (table 4).

STREAMFLOW TRENDS

Streamflow characteristics were examined at

each of the four streamflow-gaging stations having a

period of record exceeding 10 years (table 1, figs. 7-

10). The data were summarized by water year before

doing statistical analysis. Using the Kendall's tau test,

four streamflow characteristics were tested for trends:

annual streamflow volume, annual base-flow volume,

base-flow index, and annual peak discharge (table 5).
13

Table 3. Regression equations used in the estimation of dissolved and suspended constituent loads

[R2, coefficient of determination; Q, instantaneous discharge in cubic feet per second; SC, specific conductance in microSiemens per centimeter

at 25 degrees Celcius; [SO4

-2], sulfate concentration in milligrams per liter; [Cl-

], chloride concentration in milligrams per liter; [DS], dissolved

solids concentration in milligrams per liter; [SS], suspended sediment concentration in milligrams per liter]

Station

number Constituent Regressiontype Regression equation R2

Regressions of constituent concentrations and specific conductance

07301420

(from data

for station

07301410)

sulfate linear [SO4

-2] = 0.4942(SC) - 238.75 0.8773

chloride linear [Cl-

] = 0.0540(SC) - 6.8684 0.6300

dissolved solids linear [DS] = 0.7669(SC) - 98.971 0.9840

Regressions of constituent concentrations and instantaneous discharge

07301200 sulfate linear [SO4

-2] = -0.6596(Q) + 132.82 0.1301

chloride linear [Cl-

] = -1.8402(Q) + 190.71 0.4185

dissolved solids linear [DS] = -3.2316(Q) + 691.92 0.2396

07301410 sulfate logarithmic [SO4

-2] = -63.767ln(Q) + 353.24 0.8113

chloride logarithmic [Cl-

] = -6.2173ln(Q) + 55.935 0.6742

dissolved solids logarithmic [DS] = -90.357ln(Q) + 810.50 0.8164

07301420 sulfate logarithmic [SO4

-2] = -140.42ln(Q) + 757.08 0.7116

chloride logarithmic [Cl-

] = -14.856ln(Q) + 100.67 0.6381

dissolved solids logarithmic [DS] = -214.41ln(Q) + 1,441.4 0.7116

07301500 sulfate logarithmic [SO4

-2] = -57.706ln(Q) + 942.37 0.1562

chloride logarithmic [Cl-

] = -6.0272ln(Q) + 368.06 0.0063

dissolved solids logarithmic [DS] = -96.202ln(Q) + 2,193.1 0.0786

07302000 suspended sediment logarithmic [SS] = 3,360.2ln(Q) - 13,197 0.5387
14 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from

Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999 Annual Precipitation LOWESS Curve 504540353025

201510

ANNUAL PRECIPITATION, IN INCHES

1895

1900

1905

1910

1915

1920

1925

1930

1935

1940

1945

1950

1955

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

WATER YEAR

Figure 6. Annual precipitation for Oklahoma Climate Division 4, water years 1896–1995.
15

Table 4. Results of trend tests on precipitation data, Oklahoma Climate Division 4, 1896-1995

[shaded values are statistically significant at the p=0.05 level; --, no data]

Series,

water years

Years of

record

tested

Kendall’s tau

p-value for

Kendall’s

tau

Mean annual

precipitation

(inches)

Trend slope

(inches per

year)

Annual, 1896-1995 100 0.12 0.07 26.13 --

Annual, 1896-1944 49 -0.04 0.70 25.51 --

Annual, 1945-1995 51 0.23 0.02 26.74 0.14

McClellan Creek near McLean, Texas

(station 07301200)

Based on 13 years of record (1968-1980), the

LOWESS curve and Kendall's tau (-0.36) for annual

streamflow at station 07301200 indicated a decreasing

streamflow trend (fig. 7, table 5), however, the trend is

not significant (p = 0.10). That streamflow-gaging

station was discontinued after water year 1980 but was

maintained as a high-flow station, recording annual

peaks between 1987-93 and 1995-97. Annual peak

discharge for McClellan Creek near McLean

(07301200) has a tau of -0.37, and the trend is significant (p = 0.02) over 23 years of discontinuous record

(table 5). According to the Kendall slope estimator,

annual peaks have decreased at an average rate of 120

cubic feet per second per year (table 5).

Annual base flow at McClellan Creek has

decreased at a rate of 166 acre-feet per year from

1968-1980. This decrease is possibly related to

increases in irrigated agriculture in the Texas

Panhandle. As a result of ground-water withdrawal,

the saturated thickness of the High Plains Aquifer has

declined more than 100 feet in some areas of the basin

(Luckey and others, 1981; McGuire and Sharpe,

1997). Lowered water levels in the aquifer may have

reduced the hydraulic gradient of ground water near

the stream, in turn decreasing ground-water discharge

to streams. The base-flow index, however, did not

change significantly over the period of record from

1968 to 1980. During the 13 years of record, base flow

accounted for a median of nearly 30 percent of the

annual streamflow (table 5).

Sweetwater Creek near Kelton, Texas

(station 07301410) and near Sweetwater,

Oklahoma (station 07301420)

Sweetwater Creek near Kelton, Texas,

(07301410) is similar to the station on McClellan

Creek in terms of both geologic setting and median

annual streamflow (fig. 4, table 5). Sweetwater Creek

near Kelton had no significant trend in annual streamflow, but did have a significant decreasing trend in

annual peak discharge over 37 years of record (table 5,

fig. 8). The Kendall slope of the peak discharge trend

is -11 cubic feet per second per year (table 5).

Unlike the station on McClellan Creek, there

was not a significant decrease in annual base flow at

Sweetwater Creek near Kelton (fig. 8, table 5).

However, there was a significant increase in the baseflow index with a rise of 0.0044 (0.44 percent) per year

(table 5). Most values of base-flow index for Sweetwater Creek near Kelton are greater than 0.5 and the

median value is 0.667, indicating that most of the

annual streamflow volume is base flow (fig. 8, table 5).

No significant trends in annual streamflow or

base flow were evident at Sweetwater Creek near

Sweetwater, Oklahoma, (07301420) (fig. 9, table 5).

Base flow at the Sweetwater station supplied a median

of 76.0 percent of the annual streamflow, slightly more
16 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from

Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

.

Table 5. Results of trend tests on annual streamflow volume, annual base-flow volume, base-flow index, and annual

peak discharge

[ft3/s, cubic feet per second; shaded values are statistically significant at the p=0.05 level; --, no data]

Streamflow

parameter

Period of

record tested

Years

of

record

tested

Kendall’s tau

p-value

for

Kendall’s

tau

Median Trend

slope

07301200 McClellan Creek near McLean, Texas

Annual Streamflow (acre-feet) 1968-1980 13 -0.36 0.10 11,820 --

Annual Base Flow (acre-feet) 1968-1980 13 -0.44 0.04 3,409 -166

Base-Flow Index 1968-1980 13 0.10 0.67 0.293 --

Annual Peak Discharge (ft3/s) 1968-1980,

1987-1993,

1995-1997

23 -0.37 0.02 1,180 -120

07301410 Sweetwater Creek near Kelton, Texas

Annual Streamflow (acre-feet) 1963-1999 37 0.02 0.90 9,681 --

Annual Base Flow (acre-feet) 1963-1999 37 0.16 0.17 6,532 --

Base-Flow Index 1963-1999 37 0.27 0.02 0.667 0.0044

Annual Peak Discharge (ft3/s) 1962-1999 38 -0.37 0.00 390 -11

07301420 Sweetwater Creek near Sweetwater, Oklahoma

Annual Streamflow (acre-feet) 1987-1999 13 0.00 1.00 17,780 --

Annual Base Flow (acre-feet) 1987-1999 13 0.00 1.00 13,040 --

Base-Flow Index 1987-1999 13 0.10 0.67 0.760 --

Annual Peak Discharge (ft3

/s) 1986-1999 14 0.14 0.51 265 --

07301500 North Fork Red River near Carter, Oklahoma

Annual Streamflow (acre-feet) 1945-1962,

1965-1999

53 0.06 0.50 84,330 --

Annual Base Flow (acre-feet) 1945-1962,

1965-1999

53 0.40 0.00 23,190 713

Base-Flow Index 1945-1962,

1965-1999

53 0.53 0.00 0.300 0.0085

Annual Peak Discharge (ft3/s) 1945-1999 55 -0.19 0.04 6,140 -86
17

1.00.80.60.40.20.0

1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980

WATER YEAR

1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980

WATER YEAR

0

8,0007,0006,0005,0004,0003,0002,0001,000

W, IN ACRE-FEET ANNUAL BASE FLO

1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980

WATER YEAR

0

5,000

40,00035,00030,00025,00020,00015,00010,000

W, IN ACRE-FEET ANNUAL STREAMFLO

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995

WATER YEAR

0

7,0003,500

28,000

24,500

21,00017,500

14,000

10,500

ANNUAL PEAK DISCHARGE,

IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

Annual Peak Discharge

LOWESS Curve

LOWESS Curve

Annual Base Flow

LOWESS Curve

Annual Streamflow

LOWESS Curve

BASE-FLOW INDEX

(BASE FLOW / TOTAL FLOW)

Base-Flow Index

Figure 7. Annual streamflow, annual base flow, and base-flow index of McClellan Creek near McLean, Texas, (07301200) 1968–80, and annual peak discharge,1968–80, 1987–93, and 1995–97.
18 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from

Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 WATER YEAR

0

900600300

1,5001,200

ANNUAL PEAK DISCHARGE,

IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

WATER YEAR

0

5,000

25,000

20,00015,00010,000

W, IN ACRE-FEET ANNUAL STREAMFLO

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

WATER YEAR

1.00.80.60.40.20.0

BASE-FLOW INDEX

(BASE FLOW / TOTAL FLOW)

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

WATER YEAR

0

5,000

20,00015,00010,000

W, IN ACRE-FEET ANNUAL BASE FLO

Annual Streamflow

LOWESS Curve

Annual Base Flow

LOWESS Curve

Annual Peak Discharge

LOWESS Curve

Base-Flow Index

LOWESS Curve

Figure 8. Annual streamflow, annual base flow, and base-flow index of Sweetwater Creek near Kelton, Texas, (07301410) 1963–99, and annual peak discharge,1962–99.
19

1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

WATER YEAR

0

50,00040,00030,000

20,00010,000

W, IN ACRE-FEET ANNUAL STREAMFLO

0

5,000

30,00025,00020,00015,000

10,000

W, IN ACRE-FEET ANNUAL BASE FLO

1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

WATER YEAR

1.00.80.60.40.20.0

BASE-FLOW INDEX

(BASE FLOW / TOTAL FLOW)

1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

WATER YEAR

0

500

2,5002,0001,5001,000

ANNUAL PEAK DISCHARGE,

IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

Annual Peak Discharge

LOWESS Curve

Annual Streamflow

LOWESS Curve

Annual Base Flow

LOWESS Curve

WATER YEAR

1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

Base-Flow Index

LOWESS Curve

Figure 9. Annual streamflow, annual base flow, and base-flow index of Sweetwater Creek near Sweetwater, Oklahoma, (07301420) 1987–99, and annual peak

discharge, 1986–99.
20 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from

Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

than the median base-flow contribution calculated at

Kelton (66.7 percent) several miles upstream (table 5).

North Fork Red River near Carter,

Oklahoma (station 07301500)

North Fork Red River near Carter, Oklahoma,

(07301500) has the longest period of record—53 years

between water years 1945 and 1999. The LOWESS

curve for annual streamflow resembles a sinusoidal

curve with a slight upturn in the last 15 years of record

(fig. 10). The annual streamflow record had no statistically significant trend with a Kendall's tau value of

0.06 and a p-value of 0.50 (table 5).

Trends in the other three parameters are all

significant at this station. The p-values for annual base

flow and base-flow index were both 0.00 (table 5).

Annual peaks significantly decreased over the period

of record (table 5). The p-value for the test on peaks

was 0.04, and the slope of the trend was -86 cubic feet

per second per year, or just greater than 1 percent of

the median per year (table 5).

The slope of the LOWESS curve for total annual

base flow increased slightly in 1962 and increased

again in 1978 (fig. 10). The Kendall slope estimator

indicated the annual volume of base flow increased by

an average 713 acre-feet each year (table 5). As a

result of the greater contribution of base flow, the

base-flow index also increased significantly at a rate of

nearly 1 percent per year (table 5). For the first 10

years of record, base-flow index values were generally

less than 0.2, or 20 percent of the annual streamflow

(fig. 10). After 40 years of steady increase, the baseflow index at the station near Carter exceeded a value

of 0.6, or 60 percent of the annual streamflow in 1992

(fig. 10). The 1992-1999 period marked a shift in the

hydrology of the river from one dominated by surface

runoff to one dominated by base flow.

Several possible explanations exist for the

increased proportion of base flow in the North Fork

Red River. An increase in the number of retention

structures, such as stock ponds, would dampen storm

peaks by decreasing the amount of runoff reaching the

river. For several counties in the Texas and Oklahoma

Panhandles, Wahl and Tortorelli (1997) reported an

increase in the number of stock ponds from 100 to

1,000 between 1940 and 1990. More efficient irrigation techniques and farming practices also could play a

role in increasing the base-flow index by retarding

peak discharges and inducing more recharge.

According to Luckey and Becker (1999, p. 56),

dryland agriculture practices tend to enhance recharge

from precipitation and decrease the amount of surface

runoff. Artificial recharge or a reduction in the rate of

ground-water extraction from aquifers could increase

annual base flow and the base-flow index.

Comparison of Streamflow Trends

between the North Fork Red River and

Beaver-North Canadian River study areas

Four streamflow-gaging stations with more than

10 years of record were maintained in the basin from

1945 to 1999. These stations recorded no significant

trends in annual streamflow volume (table 5). Base

flow, however, decreased significantly at the most

upstream station (07301200) and increased significantly at the most downstream station (07301500)

(table 5). There was no significant change in base flow

at two stations on Sweetwater Creek. Two of the

streamflow stations had significant increasing trends in

the base-flow index and three had significant

decreasing trends in annual peak flows (table 5). The

base-flow index increased at all four stations in the

North Fork Red River basin as it did at most stations in

the Beaver-North Canadian River basin (Wahl and

Tortorelli, 1997). However, the increase in base-flow

index was only statistically significant at Sweetwater

Creek near Kelton (07301410) and North Fork Red

River near Carter (07301500) (table 5). This increase

in the base-flow index is most apparent in the downstream part of the North Fork Red River study area

near Carter (07301500) as it was at the station near

Woodward (fig. 1) in the downstream part of the

Beaver-North Canadian River study area, located

about 65 miles north of the North Fork Red River

study area (Wahl and Tortorelli, 1997, p. 27).

Another characteristic shared by both study

areas is a general decrease in peak discharge. For the

three North Fork Red River study area stations with

significant trends in peak discharge, the decrease is

greatest at stations on or near the Ogallala Formation

(fig. 4). Estimating the difference between the beginning and ending values of the LOWESS curve, the

decreases are: 4,000 to 500 cubic feet per second (-88

percent) near McLean (fig. 7), 800 to 150 cubic feet

per second (-81 percent) near Kelton (fig. 8), and

9,000 to 5,000 cubic feet per second (-44 percent) near
21

1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

WATER YEAR

0

50,000

300,000250,000200,000150,000100,000

W, IN ACRE-FEET ANNUAL STREAMFLO

1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

WATER YEAR

1.00.80.60.40.20.0

BASE-FLOW INDEX

(BASE FLOW / TOTAL FLOW)

1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

WATER YEAR

0

80,00060,00040,00020,000

140,000120,000100,000

W, IN ACRE-FEET ANNUAL BASE FLO

1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

WATER YEAR

0

60,00050,00040,00030,00020,00010,000

ANNUAL PEAK DISCHARGE,

IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

Annual Peak Discharge

LOWESS Curve

Annual Streamflow

LOWESS Curve

Annual Base Flow

LOWESS Curve

Base-Flow Index

LOWESS Curve

Figure 10. Annual streamflow, annual base flow, and base-flow index of the North Fork Red River near Carter, Oklahoma, (07301500) 1945–62, 1965–99, andannual peak discharge, 1945–99.
22 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from

Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

Carter (fig. 10). This pattern is similar to that reported

by Wahl and Tortorelli (1997, p. 35) for the BeaverNorth Canadian River study area. The stations near

McLean and Kelton are located only a few miles

downstream from the base of the Ogallala Formation

of Tertiary age (fig. 4). In climate and geologic setting

they are similar to the station near Woodward on the

North Canadian River (fig. 1). The station near Carter

(07301500) is geologically similar to the North Canadian station near Seiling (fig. 1).

In contrast to the Beaver-North Canadian River,

most trends in streamflow are not as pronounced in the

North Fork Red River upstream from Lake Altus. If

these trends are a result of High Plains ground-water

extraction as Wahl and Tortorelli (1997) suggest, it is

logical that trends are less pronounced because the

High Plains Aquifer underlies less than half of the

North Fork Red River basin upstream from Lake

Altus, whereas it underlies more than 90 percent of the

portion of the Beaver-North Canadian basin studied by

Wahl and Tortorelli (1997).

MAJOR-ION CHEMISTRY

Stiff diagrams

The two major tributaries of the North Fork Red

River upstream from Lake Altus had somewhat

different major-ion concentrations. The station on

McClellan Creek near McLean (07301200) was the

only one of the five water-quality stations that had

greater concentrations of sodium and chloride than

calcium and sulfate (fig. 11, table 2). The likely source

of the sodium and chloride is water from salt springs

that exist throughout the area near the base of the

Ogallala Formation (fig. 4).

Compared to the McClellan Creek station, water

quality at Sweetwater Creek near Kelton (07301410)

was similar with respect to total dissolved-solids

content, but calcium and sulfate were predominant

constituents, not sodium and chloride (fig. 11, table 2).

The primary source of calcium and sulfate in Sweetwater Creek is probably gypsum or anhydrite of the

Quartermaster Formation and Whitehorse Group of

Permian age (fig. 4, fig. 5). Of all five water-quality

stations, the stations on McClellan Creek and Sweetwater Creek (07301200 and 07301410) had the

greatest proportions of bicarbonate (fig. 11, table 2).

Bicarbonate at these stations may be derived from the

Ogallala Formation, which has multiple zones of

calcium carbonate caliche (fig. 4, fig. 5).

For all three stations on the North Fork Red

River, the Stiff (1951) diagrams were similar anvil or

wide hourglass-shaped polygons (fig. 11). The bases

of the polygons were slightly wider than the tops. This

configuration indicates water rich in calcium sulfate

with slightly smaller concentrations of sodium chloride (table 2). The calcium sulfate was almost certainly

derived from Permian-age units, all of which are rich

in gypsum and anhydrite (fig. 5). Mean major-ion

concentrations in the North Fork Red River are established upstream from the Shamrock, Texas, station

(07301300).

Concentrations of dissolved magnesium in the

North Fork Red River increased in a downstream

direction (fig. 12, table 2). An increase in magnesium

can be caused by the dissolution of dolomite (which

also is abundant in the Permian-age bedrock of the

area) (Scott and Ham, 1957; Hem, 1989, p. 97).

However, compared to station 07301300, stations

07301450 and 07301500 had decreases in calcium

concentration that were almost identical in magnitude

to increases in magnesium concentration (fig. 12, table

2). Therefore, dedolomitization, or dolomite dissolution paired with calcite precipitation, may be responsible for the elevated concentrations of magnesium in

the downstream direction, according to the reaction:

The net result is a decreased concentration of

dissolved calcium and an increased concentration of

dissolved magnesium (Back and others, 1983).

Some water-quality stations had a change in

chemical concentrations with discharge. For the

station on McClellan Creek (07301200), the chemical

concentrations remained fairly constant (table 6). The

only difference was a 11.7 and 15.7 percent increase in

dissolved sodium and dissolved chloride concentrations, respectively, during low discharge compared to

high discharge (table 6). Several miles downstream on

the North Fork Red River near Shamrock (07301300),

the major-ion concentrations changed with streamflow

(fig. 13, table 6). At discharges less than or equal to 10

cubic feet per second, dissolved sodium and chloride

concentrations decreased by an average of 20.8 and

28.0 percent, respectively, compared to discharges

greater than 10 cubic feet per second (table 6). In

CaMg(CO3)2+Ca2+ Gypsum Dissolution 2CaCO3+Mg2+
23

Milliequivalents per Liter

15 10 5 0 5 10 15

07301450 - North Fork Red Rivernear Erick, Oklahoma

ClHCO3-SO4-2

Na + K + +

Mg+2

Ca+2

Milliequivalents per Liter

15 10 5 0 5 10 15

07301500 - North Fork Red Rivernear Carter, Oklahoma

ClHCO3-SO4-2

Na + K + +

Mg+2

Ca+2

Milliequivalents per Liter

15 10 5 0 5 10 15

ClHCO3-

SO4-2

Na + K + +

Mg+2

Ca+2

07301300 - North Fork Red Rivernear Shamrock, Texas

Milliequivalents per Liter

15 10 5 0 5 10 15

07301410 - Sweetwater Creeknear Kelton, Texas

ClHCO3-SO4-2

Na + K + +

Mg+2

Ca+2

Milliequivalents per Liter

15 10 5 0 5 10 15

07301200 - McClellan Creeknear McLean, Texas

Na + K + +

Mg+2

Ca+2

ClHCO3-SO4-2

EXPLANATION

= Sodium plus Potassium= Magnesium= Calcium= Chloride= Bicarbonate= Sulfate

Na + KMgCaClHCOSO

+ +

+2

+2

-

-

-2

3

4

Figure 11. Mean major-ion concentrations at five water-quality stations in the North Fork Red River study area (periods of record in table 2).
24 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from

Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

86420

1816141210

07301200 07301300 07301410 07301450 07301500

USGS WATER-QUALITY STATION

SulfateCalciumMagnesiumBicarbonate

SweetwaterCreek nearKelton, Texas

McClellan Creeknear McLean, Texas

North ForkRed River nearShamrock, Texas

North Fork RedRiver near Erick,Oklahoma

North Fork RedRiver near Carter,Oklahoma

MEAN CONCENTRATION,

IN MILLIEQIVALENTS PER LITER

Figure 12. Mean concentrations of selected major ions in the North Fork Red River study area (periods of record in table 2).
25

Table 6. Changes in mean major-ion composition with discharge at water-quality stations in the North Fork Red River study

area

[Numbers in parentheses indicate percent difference between high-flow and low-flow discharge ((concentrationlowflow-concentrationhighflow)/concentrationhighflow). ft3

/s, cubic feet per second; meq/L, milliequivalents per liter, >, greater than; ≤, less than or equal to; %, percent]

Station

number Station name

Period of

record

used in

analysis

(water

year)

Discharge

(ft3/s)

Number

of

samples

used in

analysis

Mean cation concentrations Mean anion concentrations

Calcium,

dissolved

(meq/L)

Magnesi

um,

dissolved

(meq/L)

Sodium

and

potassiu

m,

dissolved

(meq/L)

Sulfate,

dissolved

(meq/L)

Chloride,

dissolved

(meq/L)

Bicarbon

ate,

dissolved

(meq/L)

07301200 McClellan

Creek near

McLean,

TX

1965-

1969,

1974-

1980

High,

> 10

27 3.58 1.60 5.31 2.57 4.27 3.64

Low,

≤ 10

38 3.45

(-3.63%)

1.67

(4.38%)

5.93

(11.7%)

2.66

(3.50%)

4.94

(15.7%)

3.46

(-4.95%)

07301300 North Fork

Red River

near

Shamrock,

TX

1964-

1969,

1974-

1980

High,

> 10

43 11.6 3.68 10.3 10.3 12.7 2.62

Low,

≤ 10

23 21.8

(87.9%)

4.48

(21.7%)

8.16

(-20.8%)

22.4

(117%)

9.15

(-28.0%)

2.44

(-6.87%)

07301410 Sweetwater

Creek near

Kelton,

TX

1964-

1968,

1974-

1980

High,

> 10

38 4.56 1.68 2.50 2.90 1.01 4.79

Low,

≤ 10

38 6.28

(37.7%)

2.62

(56.0%)

3.29

(31.6%)

6.56

(126%)

1.45

(43.6%)

4.12

(-14.0%)

07301450 North Fork

Red River

near Erick,

OK

No discharge data available

1960-

1962

07301500 North Fork

Red River

near Carter,

OK

1960-

1961,

1973-

1976

High,

> 50

51 10.4 6.00 10.8 14.2 9.65 3.35

Low,

≤ 50

51 11.5

(10.6%)

6.67

(11.2%)

11.1

(2.78%)

16.5

(16.2%)

9.72

(0.725%)

3.07

(-8.36%)
26 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from

Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

07301300 North Fork Red River

near Shamrock,Texas

07301410 Sweetwater Creek near

Kelton,Texas

Milliequivalents per Liter

25 20 15 10 5 0 5 10 15 20 25

ClHCO3

-

SO4

-2

Na + K + +

Mg+2

Ca+2

When discharge is less than or equal to

10 cubic feet per second

Milliequivalents per Liter

15 10 5 0 5 10 15

ClHCO3

-

SO4

-2

Na + K + +

Mg+2

Ca+2

When discharge is less than or equal to

10 cubic feet per second

EXPLANATION

= Sodium plus Potassium

= Magnesium

= Calcium

= Chloride

= Bicarbonate

= Sulfate

Na + K

Mg

Ca

Cl

HCO

SO

+ +

+2

+2

-

-

-2

3

4

Milliequivalents per Liter

25 20 15 10 5 0 5 10 15 20 25

Na + K + +

Mg+2

Ca+2

When discharge is greater than

10 cubic feet per second

ClHCO3

-

SO4

-2

Milliequivalents per Liter

15 10 5 0 5 10 15

ClHCO3

-

SO4

-2

Na + K + +

Mg+2

Ca+2

When discharge is greater than

10 cubic feet per second

Figure 13. Change in mean major-ion concentrations with discharge at two stations in the North Fork Red River study area

(periods of record in table 2).
27

contrast, mean dissolved calcium and sulfate concentrations at low discharge were both about 22

milliequivalents per liter—nearly double the mean

high-flow concentrations (table 6). These elevated

concentrations of calcium and sulfate indicate the

station is downstream from a calcium sulfate source.

Small springs issuing from the gypsum-rich Blaine

Formation (fig. 4) are probably the major contributor

of the calcium and sulfate.

On Sweetwater Creek near Kelton (07301410),

low-discharge concentrations of calcium, magnesium,

sodium, sulfate, and chloride were greater than highdischarge concentrations (fig. 13, table 6). Dissolved

calcium and sulfate concentrations increased by 37.7

percent and 126 percent, respectively (fig. 13, table 6).

For bicarbonate, the concentration decreased 14

percent during low discharge compared to high

discharge (table 6). The Sweetwater Creek station is

the only one that had a more than 10 percent change in

bicarbonate concentration with discharge (table 6).

The North Fork Red River station near Erick

(07301450) was not analyzed for changes in water

quality with streamflow because discharges were not

reported. For the station on the North Fork Red River

near Carter (07301500), the major-ion samples were

grouped by discharges exceeding and not exceeding

50 cubic feet per second. Dissolved calcium, magnesium, and sulfate increased by 10.6, 11.2, and 16.2

percent, respectively, during low discharge (table 6).

Concentrations of other ions were relatively

unchanged, except for a small decrease in bicarbonate

(-8.36 percent) (table 6).

Piper diagrams

Major-ion data from the five water-quality

stations also were analyzed using Piper (1944)

diagrams (figs. 14-18). The general location of the

points on the diagram indicate the composition of the

water and imply a source mineral. The spread of the

points reflects the variability of water composition.

When a linear pattern of variability occurs, the

endpoints of the line may represent two distinct

mineral sources indicating varying degrees of mixing.

Water-quality concentrations in samples from

McClellan Creek near McLean (07301200, fig. 14)

were similar in variability to those from the North

Fork Red River near Erick (07301450, fig. 17) and

Carter (07301500, fig. 18) but had a different composition (fig. 14). This configuration reflects a greater

proportion of calcium carbonate in McClellan Creek.

A weak mixing trend was indicated between sodiumchloride and calcium-magnesium-carbonate sources,

but major-ion chemistry remained fairly constant at

McClellan Creek near McLean.

The station on Sweetwater Creek near Kelton,

Texas, (07301410, fig. 16), had a different mixing

trend than the other four stations. Water-quality

samples plotted in a linear pattern in the upper and left

quadrants of the diamond that stretched from about 20

to 80 percent sulfate plus chloride (fig. 16). The trend

line paralleled the Sulfate plus Chloride axis, with a

nearly constant 75 percent calcium plus magnesium

(fig. 16). The proportion of chloride was relatively

constant at about 15 percent of all anions; proportions

of bicarbonate and sulfate both ranged from about 10

to 80 percent of all anions (fig. 16). Sources of calcium

sulfate and calcium carbonate were responsible for the

changes in major-ion chemistry at Sweetwater Creek

near Kelton.

The Piper diagram for the station near Shamrock (07301300, fig. 15) exhibits a well developed

mixing trend with sodium chloride and calcium sulfate

sources. Water-quality samples plotted in a linear

pattern in the upper right quadrant of the diamond that

stretched from about 50 to 95 percent calcium plus

magnesium (fig. 15). Of the five active water-quality

stations, station 07301300 near Shamrock, Texas, had

the greatest percentage of calcium sulfate with 10 of

the 69 samples exceeding 80 percent. It also was the

only station underlain by bedrock of the Blaine

Formation (fig. 4), which contains large quantities of

bedded gypsum (Scott and Ham, 1957).

The stations near Erick (07301450, fig. 17) and

Carter (07301500, fig. 18) on the North Fork Red

River displayed similar characteristics. Water-quality

samples from these two stations plotted as a cluster in

the calcium-sulfate quadrant of the diamond that

ranged from about 50 to 80 percent calcium plus

magnesium (figs. 17-18). The station near Carter

showed a weak mixing trend between calcium sulfate

and calcium-magnesium carbonate (fig. 18).

CONSTITUENT LOAD AND YIELD

ESTIMATES

Any attempt to control salinity in surface water

requires knowledge of where the dissolved material
28 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from

Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

PERCENT

CALCIUM

100

80

60

40

20

0

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

CHLORIDE

0

20

40

60

80

100

100

80

60

40

20

0

100

80

60

40

20

0

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

100

80

60

40

20

0

100

80

60

40

20

0

CaSO

(gypsum,

anhydrite)

4

CaCO

CaMg(CO )

(

dolomite)

3

3 2

calcite,

NaCl

(halite)

NaHCO3

SULFATE PLUS CHLORIDE

CALCIUM PLUS MAGNESIUM

PERCENT

PERCENT

SULFATE

SODIUM PLUS POTASSIUM

MAGNESIUM

CARBONATE PLUS BICARBONATE

EXPLANATION

Figure 14. Major-ion water-quality data from McClellan Creek near McLean, Texas, (07301200), 1965–69 and 1974–80.
29

PERCENT

CALCIUM CHLORIDE

CaSO

(gypsum,

anhydrite)

4

CaCO

CaMg(CO )

(

dolomite)

3

3 2

calcite,

NaCl

(halite)

NaHCO3

SULFATE PLUS CHLORIDE

CALCIUM PLUS MAGNESIUM

PERCENT

PERCENT

SULFATE

SODIUM PLUS POTASSIUM

MAGNESIUM

CARBONATE PLUS BICARBONATE

100

80

60

40

20

0

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

100

80

60

40

20

0

100

80

60

40

20

0

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

100

80

60

40

20

0

100

80

60

40

20

0

EXPLANATION

Figure 15. Major-ion water-quality data from the North Fork Red River near Shamrock, Texas, (07301300), 1964–69 and

1974–80.
30 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from

Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

PERCENT

CALCIUM CHLORIDE

CaSO

(gypsum,

anhydrite)

4

CaCO

CaMg(CO )

(

dolomite)

3

3 2

calcite,

NaCl

(halite)

NaHCO3

SULFATE PLUS CHLORIDE

CALCIUM PLUS MAGNESIUM

PERCENT

PERCENT

SULFATE

SODIUM PLUS POTASSIUM

MAGNESIUM

CARBONATE PLUS BICARBONATE

100

80

60

40

20

0

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

100

80

60

40

20

0

100

80

60

40

20

0

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

100

80

60

40

20

0

100

80

60

40

20

0

EXPLANATION

Figure 16. Major-ion water-quality data from Sweetwater Creek near Kelton, Texas, (07301410), 1964–68 and 1974–80
31

PERCENT

CALCIUM CHLORIDE

CaSO

(gypsum,

anhydrite)

4

CaCO

CaMg(CO )

(

dolomite)

3

3 2

calcite,

NaCl

(halite)

NaHCO3

SULFATE PLUS CHLORIDE

CALCIUM PLUS MAGNESIUM

PERCENT

PERCENT

SULFATE

SODIUM PLUS POTASSIUM

MAGNESIUM

CARBONATE PLUS BICARBONATE

100

80

60

40

20

0

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

100

80

60

40

20

0

100

80

60

40

20

0

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

100

80

60

40

20

0

100

80

60

40

20

0

EXPLANATION

Figure 17. Major-ion water-quality data from the North Fork Red River near Erick, Oklahoma, (07301450), 1960–62.
32 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from

Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

PERCENT

CALCIUM CHLORIDE

CaSO

(gypsum,

anhydrite)

4

CaCO

CaMg(CO )

(

dolomite)

3

3 2

calcite,

NaCl

(halite)

NaHCO3

SULFATE PLUS CHLORIDE

CALCIUM PLUS MAGNESIUM

PERCENT

PERCENT

SULFATE

SODIUM PLUS POTASSIUM

MAGNESIUM

CARBONATE PLUS BICARBONATE

100

80

60

40

20

0

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

100

80

60

40

20

0

100

80

60

40

20

0

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

100

80

60

40

20

0

100

80

60

40

20

0

EXPLANATION

Figure 18. Major-ion water-quality data from the North Fork Red River near Carter, Oklahoma, (07301500), 1960–61 and

1973–76.
33

originates. Therefore, mean-annual loads and yields

were estimated at each of the streamflow stations in

the study area. At station 07301500 (North Fork Red

River near Carter, OK), the active water-quality station

nearest Lake Altus, the mean-annual dissolved load

was estimated to be 187,768 tons per year (table 7). Of

this total, 68,091 tons (36 percent) were sulfate and

39,296 tons (21 percent) were chloride (table 7).

Three other stations with estimates of meanannual dissolved load are located on tributaries of the

North Fork Red River. Station 07301200 is on

McClellan Creek, the largest tributary by drainage

area. Station 07301410 near Kelton, Texas, and station

07301420 near Sweetwater, Oklahoma, are both on

Sweetwater Creek, separated by about 15 miles (fig.

1). Only a few small tributaries join Sweetwater Creek

between the Kelton and Sweetwater stations.

Though similar in discharge, McClellan Creek

and Sweetwater Creek had different load contributions

to the North Fork Red River. McClellan Creek near

McLean contributed an estimated 1,499 tons of chloride and slightly less sulfate annually (table 7). In

contrast, Sweetwater Creek near Sweetwater contributed 1,183 tons of chloride and 6,241 tons of sulfate

annual—-greater than five times more sulfate than

chloride (table 7).

Upstream from the station near Sweetwater

(07301420), Sweetwater Creek contributed 19.5

percent of the mean-annual streamflow and 8.9 percent

of the mean-annual dissolved load in the North Fork

Red River near Carter, Oklahoma, (07301500) (table

7). Together, McClellan Creek upstream from station

07301200 and Sweetwater Creek upstream from

station 07301420 accounted for about 12.5 percent of

the mean-annual dissolved load and 34.3 percent of

the mean-annual streamflow at the station near Carter

(07301500) (table 7). Most of the dissolved load at

Carter may be derived from Permian-age evaporites of

Wheeler County in Texas and Beckham County in

Oklahoma (fig. 1, fig. 4).

Mean-annual dissolved constituent yields

increased in a downstream direction for all three

constituents (table 8), perhaps owing to the downstream reaches of the river flowing over more soluble

bedrock. The mean-annual dissolved-solids yield for

the station near Carter is 80.35 tons per year per

square mile (table 8). Of this annual dissolved yield,

29.14 tons per year per square mile (36 percent) are

sulfate and 16.81 tons per year per square mile (21

percent) are chloride (table 8).

The suspended sediment load for the North Fork

Red River was measured at water-quality station

07302000 (North Fork Red River near Granite, Oklahoma) in water years 1904-08 and 1938-44, before the

emplacement of Lake Altus. The station is no longer in

service, but the station record still provides an estimate

of sediment loads supplied to the lake. Using this U.S.

Table 7. Estimated mean-annual loads of sulfate, chloride, and dissolved solids in the North Fork Red River study area

Station

number Station name Period of record(water year)

Meanannual

streamflow

(acre-feet)

Sulfate

(tons per

year)

Chloride

(tonsper

year)

Dissolved

solids

(tons per

year)

07301200 McClellan Creek near McLean, TX 1968-1980 14,544 1,264 1,499 6,671

07301410 Sweetwater Creek near Kelton, TX 1963-1999 10,150 1,978 483 6,981

07301420 Sweetwater Creek near Sweetwater, OK 1987-1999 19,214 6,241 1,183 16,775

07301500 North Fork Red River near Carter, OK 1945-1962,

1965-1999

98,398 68,091 39,296 187,768
34 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from

Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

.

Table 8. Estimated mean-annual yields of sulfate, chloride, and dissolved solids in the North Fork Red River study

area

Station

number Station name Period of record(water year)

Drainage

area

(square

miles)

Sulfate

(tons per year

per square

mile)

Chloride

(tons per year

per square

mile)

Dissolved

solids (tons per

year per square

mile)

07301200 McClellan Creek near

McLean, Texas

1968-1980 759 1.67 1.97 8.79

07301410 Sweetwater Creek near

Kelton, Texas

1963-1999 287 6.89 1.68 24.32

07301420 Sweetwater Creek near

Sweetwater, Oklahoma

1987-1999 424 14.72 2.79 39.56

07301500 North Fork Red River

near Carter, Oklahoma

1945-1962,

1965-1999

2,337 29.14 16.81 80.35

Geological Survey historical data, an average 1.6

million tons of suspended sediment were carried to the

lake annually.

A Bureau of Reclamation sediment survey

conducted at Lake Altus in 1967 reported a total

suspended and bed-load sediment inflow of 1,430,720

tons per year between 1940 and 1967 (Lara, 1971, p.

11). A second independent estimate (Lara, 1971, p. 11)

used a sediment rating curve and a flow-duration curve

for the station near Carter (07301500). That estimate

was augmented to include the drainage area between

the station near Carter and the inflow to the lake and

added 15 percent for the bed-load component for a

total suspended and bed-load sediment discharge of

1,566,100 tons per year (Lara, 1971, p. 11). When

reduced by 15 percent to remove the bed-load component, the estimates from Lara (1971) are 17 to 24

percent less than the load estimated in this report using

historical, pre-lake data.

SUMMARY

The quantity and quality of surface water are

major concerns at Lake Altus, and water-resource

managers and consumers need historical information

to make informed decisions about future development.

This report summarizes a study of historical streamflow conditions and surface-water quality in the North

Fork Red River basin upstream from Lake Altus, Oklahoma, from 1945 to 1999. The primary goals of this

study were to 1) identify and interpret statistical trends

in streamflow, 2) summarize major-ion chemistry, and

3) estimate annual suspended and dissolved loads and

yields. As part of an examination of streamflow trends,

100 years of annual precipitation record were tested.

Though no significant trend was observed in the test of

the entire annual precipitation record, a significant

trend was observed in the subset from 1945 to 1995.

Over this 51-year period, annual precipitation

increased by an average 0.14 inch per year.

Four streamflow parameters were examined at

each of the four streamflow gages in the study area.

These included annual streamflow volume, annual

base-flow volume, base-flow index, and annual peak

discharge. Annual streamflow did not change significantly at any of the four streamflow stations. Base

flow, however, decreased significantly at the most

upstream station (McClellan Creek near McLean,

07301200) and increased significantly at the most

downstream station (North Fork Red River near Carter,

07301500). There was no significant change in base

flow at two stations on Sweetwater Creek. The baseflow index increased at all four stations, but the

increase was only statistically significant at Sweetwater Creek near Kelton (07301410) and North Fork
35

Red River near Carter (07301500). The annual peak

discharge decreased significantly at three of the four

streamflow-gaging stations. A study of the BeaverNorth Canadian River reported similar decreases in

annual peak discharge due to streambed infiltration,

channel storage, and the increasing number of stock

ponds in the basin.

High-salinity surface water is a major concern

in southwestern Oklahoma because it limits the use of

water. The greatest contributors of dissolved solids in

the North Fork Red River are halite (sodium chloride)

and gypsum/anhydrite (calcium sulfate), both of which

occur naturally in the study area. Dolomite, another

abundant mineral, can increase the amount of

dissolved magnesium and decrease the amount of

dissolved calcium in the river through the process of

dedolomitization.

Major-ion water-quality data from five stations

were analyzed using Stiff diagrams. The two major

tributaries of the North Fork Red River upstream from

Lake Altus had somewhat different compositions.

McClellan Creek was dominated by sodium chloride,

and Sweetwater Creek was dominated by calcium

sulfate. Dissolved sodium chloride may discharge

from salt springs at the base of the Ogallala Formation,

which supplies base flow to McClellan Creek near

McLean (07301200). The source of calcium sulfate in

Sweetwater Creek is probably gypsum or anhydrite of

the Quartermaster Formation and Whitehorse Group

of Permian age. Concentrations of calcium and sulfate

in Sweetwater Creek near Kelton (07301410)

increased substantially during low discharge.

The Stiff diagrams for Shamrock (07301300),

Erick (07301450), and Carter (07301500) are almost

identical in shape. Therefore, major-ion chemistry in

the river is established before it reaches the station

near Shamrock, Texas. The major calcium sulfate

source could be gypsum and anhydrite of the Blaine

Formation of Permian age near Shamrock, Texas.

Concentrations of calcium and sulfate at this station

doubled during periods of low discharge, confirming

that the station is near to a gypsum/anhydrite source.

The major-ion chemistry at stations near Erick and

Carter could be influenced by dedolomitization, with

elevated concentrations of dissolved magnesium and

sulfate and reduced concentrations of calcium.

In terms of annual loads, sulfate was the major

dissolved constituent in the North Fork Red River.

Near Carter, Oklahoma, (07301500), sulfate loads

were nearly twice as great as chloride loads. Chloride,

however, was sometimes the dominant loading constituent in headwater tributaries on the Ogallala Formation of Tertiary age. Upstream from Sweetwater,

Oklahoma, Sweetwater Creek contributed 19.5 percent

of the mean-annual streamflow and 8.9 percent of the

mean-annual dissolved load in the North Fork Red

River near Carter, Oklahoma. Together, Sweetwater

Creek upstream from station 07301420 and McClellan

Creek upstream from station 07301200 accounted for

about 12.5 percent of the mean-annual dissolved load

and 34.3 percent of the mean-annual streamflow at

Carter (07301500).

From water years 1904-08 and 1938-44, before

emplacement of the Lake Altus dam, suspended sediment discharge to Lake Altus was estimated to be 1.6

million tons per year. This estimate of annual

suspended sediment discharge is greater than that

inferred from a 1967 survey of Lake Altus suspended

and bed-load sediment inflow.

SELECTED REFERENCES

Back, W., Hanshaw, B., Plummer, N., Rahn, P., Rightmore,

C. and Rubin, M., 1983, Process and rate of dedolomitization: mass transfer and 14C dating in a regional

carbonate aquifer: Geological Society of America

Bulletin, v. 94, p. 1415-1429.

Baldys, S., III, Bush, P., and Kidwell, C., 1996, Effects of

low-flow diversions from the South Wichita River on

downstream salinity of the South Wichita River, Lake

Kemp, and the Wichita River, North Texas, October

1982 - September 1992: U.S. Geological Survey

Water-Resources Investigations Report 95-4288, 23 p.

Blazs, R.L., Walters, D.M., Coffey, T.E., Boyle, D.L., and

Wellman, J.J., 2001, Water resources data, Oklahoma,

water year 2000, Volume 2. Red River basin and

ground-water wells: U.S. Geological Survey WaterData Report OK-00-2, 193 p.

Carr, J.E., and Bergman, D.L., 1976, Reconnaissance of the

water resources of the Clinton Quadrangle, westcentral Oklahoma: Oklahoma Geological Survey,

Hydrologic Atlas 5, 4 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

Cleveland, W.S., 1985, The elements of graphing data:

Monterey, Calif., Wadsworth Books, 323 p.

Cleveland, W.S., and McGill, R., 1984, Graphical perception: theory, experimentation, and application to the

development of graphical methods: Annals of Mathematical Statistics, v. 21, p. 557-569.

Cooter, E.J., 1991, General climatology, Oklahoma Climatological Survey in Tortorelli, R.L., 1991, Floods and

droughts: Oklahoma, National Water Summary 1988-
36 Changes in Streamflow and Summary of Major-Ion Chemistry and Loads in the North Fork Red River Basin Upstream from

Lake Altus, Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1945–1999

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