Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake 


River and Five Tributaries in the upper 


Snake River Basin, Grand Teton National 


Park, Wyoming, 1998-2002


By Melanie L. Clark, Wilfrid J. Sadler, and Susan E. O’Ney 

Prepared in cooperation with the 

National Park Service 

Scientific Investigations Report 2004-5017


U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior 

Gale A. Norton, Secretary 

U.S. Geological Survey

Charles G. Groat, Director 

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2004

For sale by U.S. Geological Survey, Information Services


Box 25286, Denver Federal Center


Denver, CO 80225


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Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to


reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report.

iii

CONTENTS

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

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

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

Environmental setting and general hydrology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Sampling sites and description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Water-quality characteristics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Water types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Snake River, water years 1998-2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Synoptic study of eastern tributary basins, 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Pilgrim Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Pacific Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Buffalo Fork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Spread Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Ditch Creek. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

FIGURES

1. Map showing location of sampling sites in the upper Snake River Basin, Grand Teton 

National Park, Wyoming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2. Graph showing hydrologic conditions during water-quality sampling events on the Snake 

River above Jackson Lake at Flagg Ranch, Wyoming (site 1), water years 1998-2002, and 

Pacific Creek at Moran, Wyoming (site 5), 2002, Grand Teton National Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

3. Trilinear diagram (Piper, 1944) showing water composition for streams in the upper Snake 

River Basin, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

4-6. Graph Showing:

4. Streamflow and dissolved-solids concentrations for samples collected from the Snake 

River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, water years 1998-2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

5. Relation between dissolved-solids concentrations and streamflow for samples collected 

from the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, water years 1998-2002. . . . .16

6. Suspended-sediment concentrations and relation with streamflow for samples collected 

from the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, water years 1998-2002. . . . .17

7. Map showing distribution of land cover in the Pilgrim Creek Basin, Grand Teton National

Park, Wyoming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

8. Graph showing streamflow and dissolved-solids, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and 

suspended-sediment concentrations for Pilgrim Creek, Grand Teton National Park, 

Wyoming, 2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

9. Map showing distribution of land cover in the Pacific Creek Basin, Grand Teton National 

Park, Wyoming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
iv 

FIGURES--Continued 

10. 	 Graph showing streamflow and dissolved-solids, total-nitrogen, total-phosphorus, and 


suspended-sediment concentrations for Pacific Creek, Grand Teton National Park, 


Wyoming, 2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28


11. 	 Map showing distribution of land cover in the Buffalo Fork Basin, Grand Teton National 


Park, Wyoming.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30


12. 	 Graph showing streamflow and dissolved-solids, total-nitrogen, total-phosphorus, and 


suspended-sediment concentrations for Buffalo Fork, Grand Teton National Park, 


Wyoming, 2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31


13. 	 Map showing distribution of land cover in the Spread Creek Basin, Grand Teton National 


Park, Wyoming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33


14. 	 Graph showing streamflow and dissolved-solids, total-nitrogen, total-phosphorus, and 


suspended-sediment concentrations for Spread Creek, Grand Teton National Park, 


Wyoming, 2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34


15. 	 Map showing distribution of land cover in the Ditch Creek Basin, Grand Teton National 


Park, Wyoming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36


16.	 Graph showing streamflow and dissolved-solids, total-nitrogen, total-phosphorus, and 


suspended-sediment concentrations for Ditch Creek, Grand Teton National Park, 


Wyoming, 2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37


TABLES 

1. 	 Sampling sites in the upper Snake River Basin, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming . . . . . . . . . .4


2. 	 Pesticide compounds, type, and reporting levels for samples collected in the upper Snake 


River Basin, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 1998-2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7


3. 	 State of Wyoming water-quality criteria for surface waters and U.S. Environmental Protection 


Agency water-quality criteria for selected constituents, 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9


4. 	 Number of samples collected at the Snake River sites, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 


water years 1998-2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12


5.	 Summary statistics for physical and chemical constituents for the Snake River above Jackson 


Lake at Flagg Ranch, Wyoming (site 1), water years 1998-2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13


6.	 Summary statistics for physical and chemical constituents for the Snake River at Moose, 


Wyoming (site 12), water years 1998-2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14


7. 	 Detections of pesticide compounds in samples collected from the Snake River, Grand Teton 


National Park, Wyoming, water years 1998-2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16


8.	 Results for physical and chemical constituents for a synoptic study on Pilgrim Creek, Pacific 


Creek, Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, and Ditch Creek, Grand Teton National Park, 


Wyoming, 2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18


9.	 Results for fecal-coliform-bacteria samples for a synoptic study on Pilgrim Creek, Pacific 


Creek, Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, and Ditch Creek, Grand Teton National Park, 


Wyoming, 2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22


10.	 Possible source distribution of animal types, in percent, for ribotype patterns of Escherichia


coli isolates in samples collected during a synoptic study on Pilgrim Creek, Pacific Creek, 


Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, and Ditch Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2002. . . . .22

v 

Conversion Factors, Datum, and Abbreviations


Multiply By To obtain 

Length 

inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter (mm) 

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km) 

Area 

square mile (mi2

) 2.590 square kilometer (km2) 

Volume 

cubic foot (ft3

) 0.02832 cubic meter (m3) 

Flow rate 

cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second (m3

/s) 

Mass 

pound 0.4536 kilogram 

Temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) may be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) as follows: 

°F = (1.8 x °C) + 32 

Vertical coordinate information is referenced to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 

(NGVD29). 

Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 

(NAD83). 

Water year: Water year is the 12-month period, October 1 through September 30, and is designated by the calendar year in which it ends. Thus, the water year ending September 30, 2002, is 

called the 2002 water year. 

Abbreviated water-quality units used in this report: 

col/100 mL colonies per 100 millimeters 

mg/L milligrams per liter 

μg/L micrograms per liter 

μS/cm microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius 

< less than 

> greater than 

Abbreviations used in this report: 

GCMS Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry 

NLCD National Land Cover Data 

NPS National Park Service 

NWQL National Water Quality Laboratory 

SMCL Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level 

USEPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

USGS U.S. Geological Survey 
Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five 

Eastern Tributaries in the upper Snake River Basin, Grand 

Teton National Park, Wyoming,1998-2002 

By Melanie L. Clark1, Wilfrid J. Sadler1, and Susan E. O’Ney2 

ABSTRACT 

To address water-resource management objectives of the 

National Park Service in Grand Teton National Park, the U.S. 

Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Park Service has conducted water-quality sampling in the upper Snake 

River Basin. Routine sampling of the Snake River was conducted during water years 1998-2002 to monitor the water quality of the Snake River through time. A synoptic study during 

2002 was conducted to supplement the routine Snake River 

sampling and establish baseline water-quality conditions of five 

of its eastern tributaries—Pilgrim Creek, Pacific Creek, Buffalo 

Fork, Spread Creek, and Ditch Creek. Samples from the Snake 

River and the five tributaries were collected at 12 sites and analyzed for field measurements, major ions and dissolved solids, 

nutrients, selected trace metals, pesticides, and suspended sediment. In addition, the eastern tributaries were sampled for fecalindicator bacteria by the National Park Service during the synoptic study. 

Major-ion chemistry of the Snake River varies between an 

upstream site above Jackson Lake near the northern boundary 

of Grand Teton National Park and a downstream site near the 

southern boundary of the Park, in part owing to the inputs from 

the eastern tributaries. Water type of the Snake River changes 

from sodium bicarbonate at the upstream site to calcium bicarbonate at the downstream site. The water type of the five eastern 

tributaries is calcium bicarbonate. Dissolved solids in samples 

collected from the Snake River were significantly higher at the 

upstream site (p-value<0.001), where concentrations in 43 samples ranged from 62 to 240 milligrams per liter, compared to the 

downstream site where concentrations in 33 samples ranged 

from 77 to 141 milligrams per liter. Major-ion chemistry of Pilgrim Creek, Pacific Creek, Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, and 

Ditch Creek generally did not change substantially between the 

upstream sites near the National Park Service boundary with the 

National Forest and the downstream sites near the Snake River; 

however, variations in the major ions and dissolved solids 

existed between basins. Variations probably result from differences in geology between the tributary basins. 

1U.S. Geological Survey 

2National Park Service 

Concentrations of dissolved ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate 

in all samples collected from the Snake River and the five eastern tributaries were less than water-quality criteria for surface 

waters in Wyoming. Concentrations of total nitrogen and total 

phosphorus in samples from the Snake River and the tributaries 

generally were less than median concentrations determined for 

undeveloped streams in the United States; however, concentrations in some samples did exceed ambient total-nitrogen and 

total-phosphorus criteria for forested mountain streams in the 

Middle Rockies ecoregion recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to address cultural eutrophication. 

Sources for the excess nitrogen and phosphorus probably are 

natural because these basins have little development and cultivation. 

Concentrations of trace metals and pesticides were low 

and less than water-quality criteria for surface waters in Wyoming in samples collected from the Snake River and the five 

eastern tributaries. Atrazine, dieldrin, EPTC, or tebuthiuron 

were detected in estimated concentrations of 0.003 microgram 

per liter or less in 5 of 27 samples collected from the Snake 

River. An estimated concentration of 0.008 microgram per liter 

of metolachlor was detected in one sample from the Buffalo 

Fork. The estimated concentrations were less than the reporting 

levels for the pesticide analytical method. 

Suspended-sediment concentrations in 43 samples from 

the upstream site on the Snake River ranged from 1 to 604 milligrams per liter and were similar to suspended-sediment concentrations in 33 samples from the downstream site, which 

ranged from 1 to 648 milligrams per liter. Suspended-sediment 

concentrations in 38 samples collected from the tributary 

streams ranged from 1 to 286 milligrams per liter. Seasonal 

variations were observed in suspended-sediment concentrations. Concentrations were highest in samples collected during 

late spring and lowest in samples collected during the fall in 

response to variations in streamflow. 

Concentrations of fecal coliform in samples collected from 

the five eastern tributary streams ranged from less than 1 colony 

per 100 milliliters to greater than 200 colonies per 100 milliliters. A microbial source-tracking method determined that 

ribotype patterns for Escherichia coli isolates generally were 

matched to wildlife sources. Avian, bovine, and deer and elk 

sources were most frequently identified. Human sources were 

matched in 6 percent or less of the isolates for each basin. 
2 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

INTRODUCTION 

Over three million people each year visit Grand Teton 

National Park in northwestern Wyoming. The Park has some of 

the most stunning mountain scenery and wildlife in the United 

States. The Snake River is one of the most significant features 

of the Park, and visitors enjoy the river’s aesthetic qualities, use 

the river for recreation, and consume fish caught from the river. 

The Snake River and its tributaries are designated as “outstanding waters” (Class 1) through Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, 2001a). The maintenance of the Park’s good quality waters is one of the highest 

management objectives for the National Park Service (NPS). 

To address water-resource management objectives of the 

NPS in Grand Teton National Park, the U.S. Geological Survey 

(USGS) in cooperation with the National Park Service has conducted water-quality sampling in the upper Snake River Basin. 

Water-quality sampling on the Snake River has been conducted 

at two sites that were routinely sampled during water years 

1998-2002, to meet various objectives of the NPS. To further 

characterize water quality in the upper Snake River Basin, a 

synoptic study was conducted during 2002 on five eastern tributaries to the Snake River—Pilgrim Creek, Pacific Creek, Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, and Ditch Creek. Samples from the 

Snake River and the five tributaries were collected and analyzed 

for field measurements, major ions and dissolved solids, nutrients, selected trace metals, pesticides, and suspended sediment. 

In addition, the eastern tributaries were sampled for fecalindicator bacteria by the National Park Service during the synoptic study. Land covers or land uses such as low-density residential housing, gravel mining, grazed shrubland, and cultivated lands presently occur within or near the Park’s boundaries 

in these basins. In addition, the basins are heavily used during 

all seasons for recreation, including hiking, biking, camping, 

hunting, skiing, and snowmobiling. Baseline water-quality 

information from these studies will be used by the NPS in the 

future to assess how proposed land-cover or land-use changes 

in these basins may affect the water resources of Grand Teton 

National Park. 

Purpose and Scope 

The purpose of this report is to describe the water-quality 

characteristics of selected streams in the upper Snake River 

Basin that flow through Grand Teton National Park. The following characteristics are described in this report: 

1.	 Water types of selected streams in the upper Snake River 

Basin; 

2.	 Water-quality conditions for streamflow, dissolved solids, 

nutrients, trace metals, pesticides, and suspended 

sediment for two sites on the Snake River during water 

years 1998-2002; and 

3.	 Land cover and baseline water-quality conditions for 


streamflow, dissolved solids, nutrients, trace metals, 


pesticides, suspended sediment, and fecal-indicator 


bacteria for two sites on Pilgrim Creek, Pacific Creek, 


Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, and Ditch Creek during a 


synoptic study in 2002.


Environmental Setting and General Hydrology 

The upper Snake River Basin lies within the Middle Rocky 

Mountain Province (Omernik, 1987) and incorporates parts of 

Yellowstone National Park, the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, which is administered by Grand Teton National 

Park, and Grand Teton National Park (fig. 1, table 1). The upper 

basin is bounded by several mountain ranges and the geology is 

diverse with rocks that range in age from Precambrian era to 

Cenozoic era. The Teton Range, which bounds the upper basin 

to the west, is an upthrown, tilted fault-block composed of granitic rocks with pegmatite, layered gneiss and migmatite, 

strongly foliated augen gneiss, and ultramafic rocks from the 

Precambrian era (Love and others, 1992). The steepness of the 

Teton Range along its eastern fault makes the mountains the 

focal point of Grand Teton National Park. A volcanic plateau in 

Yellowstone National Park and the Absaroka Range bound the 

northern part of the upper basin. The volcanic plateau consists 

primarily of Quaternary-period rhyolite flows and tuff with 

intrusive igneous rocks. The Absaroka Range consists of lightcolored volcanic conglomerates and andestitic volcaniclastic 

rocks from the Tertiary period (Love and Christiansen, 1985). 

The Washakie Range forms the eastern boundary of the upper 

basin and consists of thrust-faulted, asymmetrical anticlines 

(Nolan and Miller, 1995). Bedrock geology of the Washakie 

Range predominantly includes sedimentary rocks of marine origin, including Mesozoic-era sandstones, siltstones, and shales 

(Love and others, 1992). The Jackson Hole structural basin lies 

between the mountain ranges. The deposits that compose the 

surficial geology in the upper basin include Quaternary-period 

alluvium and colluvium, gravel, pediment, and fan deposits, 

landslide deposits, and glacial deposits (Love and others, 1992). 

Relief in the study area in the upper basin ranges in elevation 

from 13,770 feet at the summit of the Grand Teton to 6,431 feet 

at the Snake River at Moose, Wyoming in the Jackson Hole 

structural basin. 

The area has cold winters and warm summers. Temperatures at the Moose, Wyoming climate station ranged from 

-3.4o

C in January to 26.7oC in July (Western Regional Climate 

Center, 2004) during the period 1948-2003, based on average 

monthly maximum temperatures. Average temperatures 

decrease with increasing elevation. Annual precipitation, which 

primarily falls in the form of snow, ranges from about 21 inches 

near Moose, Wyoming (Western Regional Climate Center, 

2004) to more than 70 inches in the Teton Range (Oregon Climate Service, 2000). 
INTRODUCTION 3 

111 00 °′ 110 45 °′ 110 30 °′ 110 15 °′ 

Figure 1. Location of sampling sites in the upper Snake River Basin, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. 

River 

River 

Ventre

Gros 

Rive r 

Hoback 

Snake 

Snake 

Snak r e Rive 

River 

Mosquito 

M oose 

Creek 

Cr eek 

Creek

Teton 

Teton 

Moose 

Fork 

N orth 

River 

Creek 

C o n a n t Cree k

Creek 

Creek 

Granite 

Creek 

Creek 

Creek 

Creek 

Creek 

Creek

Spread 

Ditch 

Creek 

Buffalo 

Buffalo 

Buffalo

Fork 

Pacif

P

ic

ilgrim 

Creek 

Atlantic 

Creek 

Creek 

Cr eek 

C reek 

Coulter 

Wolverine 

Fork 

Fk

S o 

North 

Fork 

North 

Fish 

Bacon 

Cottonw ood 

Crystal 

Creek 

Cache 

Horse

Fall 

Jackson 

Lake 

Leigh

Lake 

Grassy

Lake 

Jenny 

Lake 

T w o Ocean

 Lake 

Emma Matilda

 Lake 

Phelps

Lake 

Lower Slide 

Lake 

43 15 °′ 

Base modified from U.S. Dept. of 

Commerce, Bureau of the Census 

digital data, 1995 

Public land survey system modified 

from Wyoming Water Resources Center 

digital data, 1994 

Lambert Conformal Conic projection 

Standard parallels 43 and 44 

Central meridian -110°30′ 

° ° 

0 

0 

5 

5 

10 MILES 

R. 112 W. R. 111 W. R. 110 W.

R. 114 W. R. 113 W.

R. 116 W. R. 115 W.

R. 117 W. 

R. 118 W. 

T. 40 N. 

T. 41 N. 

T. 42 N. 

T. 43 N. 

T. 44 N. 

T. 45 N. 

T. 46 N. 

T. 47 N. 

T. 48 N. 

T. 39 N. 

T. 38 N. 

Jac kson 

Moran 

Absaroka 

Range 

Washakie

Range 

Teton Wilderness 

Moose 

Ke l l y 

22 

189 187

187 

26 

26 

26 

89 

89 

287 

287 

Grand Teton 

National 

Park 

National 

Elk Refuge 

T A R G H E E N A T I O N 

A 

L 

F 

O 

R 

E 

S 

T

WYOMING 

B R I D G E R - T E T O N 

N A T I O N A L 

F O R E S T 

Pinyon Peak 

Highlands 

Mount Leidy 

Ja

Highlands

ckson

Hole 

T e t o n R a n g e 

John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 

Memorial Parkway 

10 KILOMETERS 

EXPLANA TION 

Sampling site

 and number

 (table 1) 

Grand Teton 

National Park 

Yellowstone 

National Park 

WYOMING 

1 

2 

4 

5 

7 6 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

3 

Fla g g 

Ranc h 

12 

44 00 °′ IDAHO

43 45 °′ 

43 30 °′ 
4 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

Table 1. Sampling sites in the upper Snake River Basin, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. 

Site U.S. Geological Streamflow- Period of record 

number Survey station gaging Site name used for analyses 

(fig. 1) number station in this report 

1 13010065 Yes Snake River above Jackson Lake at Flagg Ranch, Wyoming water years 1998­

2002 

2 435529110335101 No Pilgrim Creek below National Park Service boundary, near 2002 

Moran, Wyoming 

3 13010450 No Pilgrim Creek near Moran, Wyoming 2002

 4 435459110275401 No Pacific Creek above National Park Service boundary, near 2002

Moran, Wyoming 

5 13011500 Yes Pacific Creek at Moran, Wyoming 2002 

6 13011900 Yes Buffalo Fork above Lava Creek near Moran, Wyoming 2002

 7 13012000 No Buffalo Fork near Moran, Wyoming 2002

 8 13012490 No Spread Creek at diversion dam near Moran, Wyoming 2002

 9 13012500 No Spread Creek near Moran, Wyoming 2002 

10 13013530 No Ditch Creek below South Fork near Kelly, Wyoming 2002 

11 13013600 No Ditch Creek near Moose, Wyoming 2002 

12 13013650 Yes Snake River at Moose, Wyoming water years 1998­

2002 

The general hydrology of the Snake River, Pilgrim Creek, 

Pacific Creek, Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, and Ditch Creek is 

typical of mountainous areas in Wyoming. Peak streamflows 

occur in late spring or early summer with the melting of the 

annual snowpack. Ground water generally sustains flows in 

these perennial streams throughout the year, although reaches 

of some of the tributary streams in the lower parts of their basins 

may lose water to coarse Quaternary deposits and occasionally 

become dry for short periods. Hydrologic conditions in the 

upper Snake River Basin varied substantially during water 

years 1998-2002 in response to variations in precipitation. 

Annual runoff for the Snake River above Jackson Lake at Flagg 

Ranch, Wyoming (site 1) ranged from 853,600 acre-feet during 

water year 1999 (Swanson and others, 2000), when annual precipitation was about 120 percent of the 30-year average (1971­

2000), to 382,600 acre-feet during water year 2001 (Swanson 

and others, 2002), when precipitation was about 65 percent of 

the 30-year average (1971-2000) for the basin. Precipitation 

was about 90 percent of the 30-year average (1971-2000) in the 

upper Snake River Basin for water year 2002; however, because 

of three consecutive years of below average precipitation, 

hydrologic conditions during 2002 were considered to be 

drought conditions (Swanson and others, 2003). Hydrographs 

for water years 1998-2002 for the Snake River above Jackson 

Lake at Flagg Ranch, Wyoming (site 1) and for calendar year 

2002 for Pacific Creek near Moran, Wyoming (site 5) show the 

hydrologic conditions during the water-quality sampling events 

(fig. 2). 

Sampling Sites and Description 

Water-quality sampling has been conducted at an upstream 

and downstream site on the Snake River to characterize the 

water-quality conditions through Grand Teton National Park 

(fig. 1). The upstream site on the Snake River (site 1) is at Flagg 

Ranch, located along John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway and above the Grand Teton National Park boundary and 

Jackson Lake. The downstream site on the Snake River is at 

Moose, Wyoming (site 12), near the southern boundary of 

Grand Teton National Park. The monitoring objectives and 

sampling frequency for the Snake River sites have been variable 

through time. The period of record for water-quality data collected by the USGS at site 1 is from 1986 to present (2004). A 

period of high intensity sampling occurred during 1991-93 as 

part of the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Program. 

Routine water-quality sampling has been conducted from 1998 

to present (2004) at site 1. The period of record for waterquality data collected by the USGS at site 12 is from 1971 to 

present (2004). Routine water-quality sampling has been conducted from 1995 to present (2004) at site 12. Water-quality 

data for site 1 and site 12 is most comparable during water years 

1998-2002, in terms of sampling frequencies and methods for 

laboratory analyses. Samples collected from the Snake River by 

the USGS during water years 1998-2002 were analyzed for 

field measurements, major ions and dissolved solids, nutrients, 

iron, manganese, pesticides, and suspended sediment. 
INTRODUCTION 5 

15,000


10,000


5,000 

2,000 

1,000 

500 

200 

100 

Site 1 

O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S 

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 

YEAR 

10,000


5,000


2,000


1,000


500


200


100


50


20


10


5


2


1


Site 5 

14 28 14 28 14 28 14 28 14 28 14 28 14 28 14 28 14 28 14 28 14 28 14 28 

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 

DATE 

EXPLANATION 

Mean daily streamflow Sampling events 

Figure 2. Hydrologic conditions during water-quality sampling events on the Snake River above Jackson Lake at Flagg 

Ranch, Wyoming (site 1), water years 1998-2002, and Pacific Creek at Moran, Wyoming (site 5), 2002, Grand Teton National Park. STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND FEET PER SECOND 

Water-quality sampling sites for the synoptic study were 

located on Pilgrim Creek, Pacific Creek, Buffalo Fork, Spread 

Creek, and Ditch Creek, which flow east to west or southwest 

from the Absaroka Range, the Washakie Range, or their associated highlands (fig. 1). An upstream site for each tributary was 

selected near the Bridger-Teton National Forest and Grand 

Teton National Park boundary (sites 2, 4, 6, 8, 10). Downstream 

sites were located near the confluence with the Snake River 

(sites 5, 7, 9, 11), except for the downstream site on Pilgrim 

Creek (site 3), which was above the confluence with Jackson 

Lake. Samples were collected during four sampling events in 

June, July, September, and November 2002. Samples collected 

from the eastern tributaries (sites 2-11) by the USGS were analyzed for field measurements, major ions and dissolved solids, 

nutrients, iron, manganese, and suspended sediment during all 

four sampling events. Synoptic-study samples for selected trace 

metals and pesticides were analyzed during the June sampling 

event. In addition to the samples collected by the USGS, the 

NPS collected fecal-indicator bacteria samples from the eastern 

tributary sites during the June and July sampling events of the 

synoptic study. Samples were analyzed for concentrations of 

fecal coliform, and individual Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolates 

were analyzed using a microbial source-tracking method. 

Acknowledgments 

The authors thank the people who assisted with the study 

described in this report, including Christine Dramissi Oschell 

from the NPS for assisting in the collection of bacteria data and 

Kathy Tonnessen of the NPS for providing colleague review. 

Thanks are extended to USGS colleagues in the Riverton, Wyo­
6 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

ming Field Office and the Idaho Falls, Idaho Field Office for 

collecting data used in this report, Merry Gamper for assisting 

in the data compilation, Mike Sweat and Janet Carter for providing reviews, and Suzanne Roberts and Emily Sabado for 

assisting in the preparation of illustrations and editorial assistance, respectively. 

METHODS

 Field measurements for the Snake River and synoptic 

study sampling were made onsite using USGS standard methods as described in Rantz and others (1982) and the National 

Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data (U.S. 

Geological Survey, 1997 to 2004). Field measurements 

included streamflow, dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, and water temperature. For some sampling events, 

streamflow was computed from stage-streamflow ratings at 

sites with USGS streamflow-gaging stations. Samples generally 

were collected with depth-integrating samplers. For wadeable 

conditions, a DH-81 sampler with an equal-width-integrating or 

multiple-vertical sampling technique was used to crosssectionally composite samples. For nonwadeable conditions, 

which included high flows on the Snake River and Buffalo 

Fork, a D-77 or D-95 sampler and equal-width- or equaldischarge-integrating sampling techniques were used to crosssectionally composite samples. A few samples during the synoptic study were collected using a hand-dip method when the 

streams were too shallow for a sampler. Pesticide samples generally were collected using a hand-dip method. Samples for 

fecal-indicator bacteria were collected by the NPS using a handdip method described by Suess (1982). Five replicate samples 

of fecal coliform were collected during each sampling event. 

Cross-sectionally composited samples were combined in a 

cone or churn splitter and processed, preserved, and shipped 

according to USGS standard methods (U.S. Geological Survey, 

1997 to 2004). Samples for major ions, nutrients, and trace metals were filtered onsite using a 0.45-micron disposable capsule 

filter. Data that are reported for filtered constituents in tables are 

discussed as “dissolved” in the text of this report. Samples were 

analyzed for major ions, nutrients, trace metals, and pesticides 

at the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) in 

Lakewood, Colorado. Sediment samples were analyzed for suspended concentrations at the USGS sediment laboratory in Helena, Montana (Lambing and Dodge, 1993). Samples for fecalindicator bacteria were filtered and incubated by the NPS using 

the membrane filtration procedure for fecal coliform described 

by the American Public Health Association (1989). Analyses of 

E. coli isolates were conducted at the University of Washington. 

Major-ion analyses for filtered constituents included dissolved calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chloride, and 

sulfate. Analyses for major ions were conducted using the 

inductively coupled plasma method with atomic emission spectrometry and ion-exchange chromatography as described in 

Fishman and Friedman (1989) and Fishman (1993). Acid neutralizing capacities, which are unfiltered, were measured at 

NWQL for some Snake River samples in order to account for 

bicarbonate and carbonate. Alkalinities, which are filtered, 

were measured in the field or NWQL for the remaining Snake 

River samples and the synoptic-study samples. Acidneutralizing capacities and alkalinities generally were analyzed 

using fixed end-point titrations. The major-ion analyses also 

included dissolved-solids concentrations, which often are used 

as a general indicator of stream-water quality. The analysis of 

dissolved solids measures the residue on evaporation at 180oC 

of all of the dissolved constituents, with the primary contributors being the major ions and nonionic silicon that is reported in 

terms of the equivalent concentration of silica. 

Nutrient analyses included nitrogen and phosphorus species. Colorimetry and Kjeldahl digestion methods for filtered 

and unfiltered nutrients are described in Fishman (1993) and 

Patton and Truitt (2000). Nitrogen species included filtered 

ammonia plus organic nitrogen as nitrogen, unfiltered ammonia 

plus organic nitrogen as nitrogen, filtered ammonia as nitrogen, 

filtered nitrite as nitrogen, and filtered nitrite plus nitrate as 

nitrogen, referred to as nitrate in this report. Nitrate, the oxidized form of nitrogen, typically is the most common form of 

dissolved nitrogen in streams. Total nitrogen in this report is the 

sum of the unfiltered ammonia plus organic nitrogen and 

nitrate. Phosphorus species included filtered orthophosphate as 

phosphorus, filtered phosphorus, and unfiltered or total phosphorus. Nutrient data for the Snake River samples were censored to a common reporting level in order to statistically summarize the data for the 5-year sampling period. 

Filtered iron and manganese were analyzed for samples 

collected from the Snake River and during the synoptic study. 

Additional selected filtered trace metals analyzed during the 

synoptic study included dissolved arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, selenium, and zinc. Analyses for dissolved arsenic, cadmium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, selenium, and zinc were conducted using the inductively coupled 

plasma mass-spectrometry methods as described in Fishman 

(1993), Faires (1993), and Garbarino (1999). Analyses for chromium were conducted using atomic-absorption spectrophotometry in conjunction with a graphite-furnace method as 

described by McLain (1993). 

Samples for pesticides were filtered at the laboratory 

through a 0.70-micron filter. Analyses for pesticide compounds 

included 26 commonly used herbicides, 17 commonly used 

insecticides, and 4 breakdown products. Analyses for pesticide 

compounds were made using a gas chromatography and mass 

spectrometry (GCMS) method (Zaugg and others, 1995). The 

pesticide compounds and the maximum reporting level reported 

for each pesticide for the study period are listed in table 2. A 

lower reporting level may have been reported for some compounds; however, the maximum reporting level for a compound 

is used in this report in order to compare data among sites and 

during the 5-year sampling period for the Snake River samples. 

The GCMS method developed at the NWQL measures pesticide compounds at very low concentrations, often 10 to 
METHODS 7 

Table 2. Pesticide compounds, type, and reporting levels for samples collected in the upper Snake River Basin, 

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 1998-2002. 

Pesticide Type Reporting level, in 

micrograms per liter 

2,6-Diethylaniline Breakdown product 0.006 

Acetochlor Herbicide .006 

Alachlor Herbicide .004 

Alpha-HCH Breakdown product .005 

Atrazine Herbicide .007 

Benfluralin Herbicide .01 

Butylate Herbicide .002 

Carbaryl Insecticide .041 

Carbofuran Insecticide .02 

Chlorpyrifos Insecticide .005 

Cyanazine Herbicide .018 

DCPA Herbicide .003 

Deethylatrazine Breakdown product .006 

Diazinon Insecticide .005 

Dieldrin Insecticide .005 

Disulfoton Insecticide .02 

EPTC Herbicide .002 

Ethalfluralin Herbicide .009 

Ethoprop Insecticide .005 

Fonofos Insecticide .003 

Lindane Insecticide .004 

Linuron Herbicide .035 

Malathion Insecticide .027 

Methyl azinphos Insecticide .05 

Methyl parathion Insecticide .006 

Metolachlor Herbicide .013 

Metribuzin Herbicide .006 

Molinate Herbicide .002 

Napropamide Herbicide .007 

p,p’-DDE Breakdown product .006 

Parathion Insecticide .01 

Pebulate Herbicide .004 

Pendimethalin Herbicide .022 

cis-Permethrin Insecticide .006 

Phorate Insecticide .011 

Prometon Herbicide .02 

Pronamide Herbicide .004 

Propachlor Herbicide .01 

Propanil Herbicide .011 

Propargite Insecticide .02 

Simazine Herbicide .011 

Tebuthiuron Herbicide .02 

Terbacil Herbicide .034 

Terbufos Insecticide .02 

Thiobencarb Herbicide .005 

Triallate Herbicide .002 

Trifluralin Herbicide .009 
8 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

1,000 times lower than U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

(USEPA) drinking-water standards and method reporting levels 

commonly used at other analytical laboratories. 

Samples collected by the NPS that contained fecalcoliform colonies were sent to Dr. Mansour Samadpour at the 

University of Washington for further analysis of E. coli isolates. 

E. coli isolates were analyzed by a source-tracking method that 

includes genetic fingerprinting using ribosomal RNA typing. 

Gel electrophoresis and southern hybridizations were used to 

compare the ribotype patterns produced for each isolate to a 

library of known host patterns for human and animals using discriminant analysis (Farag and others, 2001). Isolates in the reference library are from around the country and not specific to 

the study area, which may cause some isolates to be unidentified and classified as unknown. Results of analysis yielded the 

presumptive source for the E. coli isolates. The percentage of 

isolates that were matched to a presumptive source are reported. 

As part of the synoptic study, the distribution of land cover 

for the Pilgrim Creek, Pacific Creek, Buffalo Fork, Spread 

Creek, and Ditch Creek Basins was determined using the 

National Land Cover Data (NLCD), which is a 30-meter resolution, raster-based dataset that includes land-cover data compiled for Wyoming during 1986-93. Because most of the study 

area is contained within the National Forest or the National 

Park, land cover has not changed substantially since the data 

were compiled. Details of the NLCD land-cover classification 

process are discussed in Vogelmann, Sohl, Campbell, and Shaw 

(1998) and Vogelmann, Sohl, and Howard (1998). Land-cover 

classifications in the basins included: water (open water, snow/ 

ice), developed (residential, commercial, industrial, transportation), barren (bare rock/sand/clay, quarries/strip mines/pits, 

transitional), forested upland (deciduous, evergreen and mixed 

forest), shrubland, herbaceous upland natural/semi-natural vegetation (grasslands/herbaceous), herbaceous planted/cultivated 

(pasture/hay, row crops, small grains, fallow, urban and recreation grasses), and wetlands (woody wetlands, emergent herbaceous wetlands). 

Data in this report are summarized using boxplots and nonparametric statistics. For boxplots, the lower and upper edges of 

the box indicate the 25th and 75th percentiles, respectively. The 

median is a line within the box, and whiskers extend to the minimum and maximum values. Nonparametric statistical techniques were used to test for correlations and statistical differences between data sets because the data distribution was 

unknown. Spearman’s correlation coefficient (Spearman’s 

Rho) was used to measure the strength and direction of the relation between variables (Helsel and Hirsch, 1992). The coefficient is determined using linear correlation of ranks of the data 

values instead of actual data values and is resistant to the effects 

of outliers. Spearman’s Rho values range between -1 and +1; a 

negative value indicates an inverse relation between the data 

ranks. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to test for statistical differences between two data sets. This test determines 

whether two distributions of ranked data, rather than actual data 

values, are similar. Statistical significance was determined 

using a 95 percent confidence level (alpha=0.05). 

Water-quality data in this report are compared to State of 

Wyoming water-quality criteria for surface waters or USEPA 

water-quality criteria (table 3) that apply to water-column constituents (Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, 

2001b; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2003). Acute 

concentrations are based on a 1-hour average concentration. 

Chronic concentrations are based on a 4-day average concentration. Several of the criteria in table 3 are dependent upon other 

factors and are not a single value. The acute and chronic values 

for dissolved cadmium, copper, manganese, nickel, and zinc are 

dependent upon hardness values. For this report, the lowest 

hardness value reported for any of the tributary waters during 

the synoptic study was used to calculate the aquatic criteria 

shown in table 3 and represents a conservative value for comparing the trace metal concentrations for samples collected 

from the tributaries. Chromium analyses were not speciated for 

oxidation states. Chromium (VI), the most toxic of the chromium species, is used for comparison and represents a conservative value because all the chromium probably is not in the 

form of chromium (VI). For the chronic criterion for ammonia, 

the highest reported temperature (23oC) and highest reported 

pH (8.8) for all samples were used to select a conservative value 

for comparing samples. In addition to water-quality criteria, 

nutrient data are compared to median concentrations determined by Clark and others (2000) for undeveloped stream 

basins in the United States. Clark and others (2000) computed 

flow-weighted concentrations; however, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in this report were not flow-weighted 

because continuous streamflow data were not available for most 

sites. Total-nitrogen and total-phosphorus concentrations also 

are compared to ambient water-quality criteria recommendations prepared by the USEPA for forested mountain streams in 

the Middle Rockies ecoregion to address cultural eutrophication 

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000). Fecal-coliform 

concentrations in this report are compared to the USEPA recommended limit for a single sample for recreational contact 

with water of 400 colonies per 100 milliliters (col/100 mL) 

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1976). 

Suspended-sediment loads were calculated for the eastern 

tributaries in the synoptic study using instantaneous streamflow, the suspended-sediment concentration, and a conversion 

factor. The equation for the load calculation was: 

SSL = Q x SSC x 0.0027 (1) 

where: 

SSL is the suspended-sediment load, in tons per day; 

Q is the instantaneous streamflow, in cubic feet per 

second; and 

SSC is the suspended-sediment concentration, in milligrams per liter. 
-- --

--

-- --

-- --

-- --

-- --

-- --

--

--

-- --

-- --

-- --

--

-- --

METHODS 9 

Table 3. State of Wyoming water-quality criteria for surface waters and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency waterquality criteria for selected constituents, 2002. 

[All criteria are from Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (2001b) unless otherwise noted. All constituents in micrograms per liter 

unless otherwise noted. mg/L, milligrams per liter; --, no data available] 

Constituent Aquatic-life acute 

criterion 

Aquatic-life chronic 

criterion 

Human-health 

criterion, fish and 

drinking water1 

Prio rity p o llutants 

Arsenic 340 150 7 

Cadmium2 1.88 1.28 35 

Chromium (VI) 16 11 3100 

Copper2 6.6 4.7 4

1,000 

Nickel2 247 28 3100 

Selenium 20 5 350 

Zinc2 62 62 45,000 

Dieldrin 0.24 0.056 0.00014 

No n-p rio rity p o llutants 

Dissolved oxygen (mg/L)5 8.0, 4.0 

pH (standard units) 6.5-9.0 

Chloride (mg/L) 860 230 7

250 

Fluoride (mg/L) 34 

Ammonia (mg/L) 1.23 6

.38 

Nitrite (mg/L) 31 

Nitrite plus nitrate (mg/L) 310 

Iron 1,000 7300 

Manganese2 1,740 970 750 

Alachlor 3

9.0 

Atrazine 33.0 

Carbofuran 340 

Chlorpyrifos .083 .041 

Malathion .1 

Parathion .065 .013 

Simazine 34.0 

1

Except where otherwise noted, values are based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Section 304(a) criteria recommendations assuming consumption of 2 liters of water and 6.5 grams of aquatic organisms per day. 

2

Based on a hardness value of 47 milligrams per liter. 

3

Criterion is based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking water Maximum Contaminant Level (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2003). 

4

Value is based on taste and odor effects and is more stringent than if based solely on toxic or carcinogenic effects. 

5For Class 1 cold waters, 8.0 applies to early life stages, 4.0 applies to other life stages; instantaneous values. 

6

Based on early life stages of fish present and conditions of 23oC and a pH of 8.8. 

7

Criterion is based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels, which are nonenforceable guidelines for contaminants that may cause cosmetic effects (such as skin or tooth discoloration) or aesthetic effects (such as taste, odor, or color) in drinking water (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2003). 
10 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

WATER-QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS 

Water-quality characteristics in the upper Snake River 

Basin are presented in this section. The water types for the 

Snake River and the five eastern tributaries of Pilgrim Creek, 

Pacific Creek, Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, and Ditch Creek, 

are described. Water-quality characteristics for the Snake River 

are described for water years 1998-2002. Water-quality characteristics from the synoptic study are summarized by basin for 

calendar year 2002. 

Water Types 

Water type is a means of classifying stream waters based 

on their major-ion chemistry (Hem, 1985). Water type can be 

determined by plotting water composition consisting of the 

major cations (generally calcium, magnesium, potassium, and 

sodium) and the major anions (generally bicarbonate, chloride, 

fluoride, sulfate, and nitrate) on a trilinear diagram (Piper, 

1944). The water type of the Snake River (fig. 3) changes from 

a sodium bicarbonate type at the upstream site above Jackson 

Lake at Flagg Ranch (site 1) to a calcium bicarbonate type at the 

downstream site at Moose, Wyoming (site 12). Sulfate and 

chloride are about 40 percent of the anion composition at the 

upstream site (site 1) compared to about 20 percent at the downstream site (site 12). Geothermal waters from Yellowstone 

National Park may contribute to the relatively high sodium, 

chloride, and sulfate concentrations in the Snake River at the 

upstream site (Cox, 1973) in addition to contributions due to 

variations in geology. Waters from Pilgrim Creek, Pacific 

Creek, Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, and Ditch Creek are calcium bicarbonate type. The compositions of most of the eastern 

tributary waters are very similar except for Ditch Creek, where 

sulfate is about 20 percent or greater of the anion composition, 

compared to the other tributaries, where sulfate is less than 

10 percent of the anion composition. Variations in the bedrock 

geology between the basins probably control the differences 

between the major-ion compositions of the tributaries. The tributary waters contribute to the relatively higher percentage of 

calcium and bicarbonate in the Snake River at site 12 compared 

to site 1. 

The quality of major-ion analyses was checked using ion 

balances, and results were considered to be of good quality. 

About 95 percent of the samples from the Snake River had ion 

balances within +/- 5.3 percent. The median percent difference 

for the ion balances for samples from the Snake River was 

-1.8 percent. About 95 percent of the samples from the eastern 

tributaries had ion balances within +/- 3.4 percent. The median 

percent difference for the ion balances for samples from the five 

eastern tributaries was -1.9 percent. These results indicate that 

unmeasured constituents or constituents that were measured but 

were not included in the ion-balance calculation, such as 

organic anions, nutrients, and trace metals, do not substantially 

contribute to the ionic composition of the water. 

Snake River, Water Years 1998-2002 

The headwaters of the Snake River are in Yellowstone 

National Park and the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The river 

drains 486 square miles of relatively undeveloped land at the 

upstream sampling site above Jackson Lake at Flagg Ranch, 

Wyoming (site 1). Park facilities exist and vehicle traffic and 

recreational use in the basin is high upstream from site 1. About 

7 miles downstream from site 1, the Snake River flows into 

Jackson Lake, which is a regulated reservoir primarily constructed for agricultural projects in Idaho with a storage capacity of 847,000 acre-feet (Maupin, 1995). The Snake River, as it 

flows out of Jackson Lake and through Grand Teton National 

Park, is a braided, meandering stream with a well-developed 

alluvial system consisting of generally coarse, gravel- and 

cobble-sized material. The downstream sampling site on the 

Snake River at Moose, Wyoming (site 12) is about 23 miles 

downstream from Jackson Lake Dam, along a major road, and 

near the visitor center for the Park. Between site 1 and site 12, 

the basin primarily drains undeveloped areas of Grand Teton 

National Park and the Bridger-Teton National Forest; however, 

land covers such as developed areas of low-density residential 

housing, gravel mining, grazed shrubland, and cultivated lands 

occur within or near the Park’s boundaries in some of the tributary basins. The major concessions for Grand Teton National 

Park are located in the reach between site 1 and site 12, and 

vehicle traffic and recreational use of the Park is high. The river 

drains 1,677 square miles at the downstream site, which 

includes about 770 square miles of area drained by Pilgrim 

Creek, Pacific Creek, Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, and Ditch 

Creek. 

Water-quality samples were routinely collected from the 

Snake River above Jackson Lake at Flagg Ranch, Wyoming 

(site 1) and the Snake River at Moose, Wyoming (site 12) during water years 1998-2002 (table 4). Summary statistics for 

field measurements, major ions and dissolved solids, nutrients, 

iron, manganese, and suspended sediment for the 43 samples 

collected at site 1 and the 33 samples collected at site 12 are 

shown in tables 5 and 6, respectively. Because of the large number of pesticide compounds analyzed with relatively few detections, summary statistics are not presented for pesticides. The 

data indicate that water in the Snake River generally is of good 

quality. 

Sampling events on the Snake River covered a wide range 

of streamflows during the period water years 1998-2002 

(fig. 4). Instantaneous streamflow measurements made during 

sampling events ranged from 190 to 6,900 cubic feet per second 

(ft3/s) for the Snake River above Jackson Lake at Flagg Ranch, 

Wyoming (site 1). Streamflows at Moose, Wyoming (site 12) 

were significantly higher than site 1 (p-value<0.001) and 

ranged from 620 to 10,600 ft3/s. Streamflow at site 12 is highly 

regulated by reservoir releases from Jackson Lake Dam. 

 Dissolved-solids concentrations for samples collected 

from the Snake River above Jackson Lake at Flagg Ranch, 

Wyoming (site 1) ranged from 62 to 240 milligrams per liter 

(mg/L). Dissolved-solids concentrations for samples collected 
11 

 100

 0 

WATER-QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS 

10

0

0

01

0

8

 8

0

Ca

e

lc

d

0

6

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0

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ium

0

2

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0

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0

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 0 

0

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2

0

0

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Figure 3.

Calcium

 20 

40 

60 

80 

100 

ANIONS 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

Site 1

 Site 12 

Site 2

 Site 3 

Site 4

 Site 5 

Site 6

 Site 7 

Spread Creek Basin

 Site 8

 Site 9 

Ditch Creek Basin

 Site 10

 Site 11 

 Trilinear diagram (Piper, 1944) showing water composition for streams in the upper Snake River Basin, Grand Teton 

National Park, Wyoming, 2002. 

PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL MILLIEQUIVALENTS PER LITER 

Chloride, fluoride, and nitrate 

CATIONS

Upper Snake River Basin

Pilgrim Creek Basin

Pacific Creek Basin

Buffalo Fork Basin

EXPLANATION 

te

0

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4

0

4

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0

rb

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ium

c

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0

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 4

 6 8

0

0

0

00

 1

 0 
12 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

Table 4. Number of samples collected at the Snake River sites, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 

water years 1998-2002. 

Number of samples 

Water year Snake River above Jackson 

Lake at Flagg Ranch, 

Wyoming (site 1) 

Snake River at Moose, 

Wyoming (site 12) 

1998 6 6 

1999 6 6 

2000 6 6 

2001 14 6 

2002 11 9 

from the Snake River at Moose, Wyoming (site 12) were significantly lower than site 1 and ranged from 77 to 141 mg/L 

(p-value<0.001). Dissolved-solids concentrations at site 1 probably are higher than at site 12 because of inputs of geothermal 

waters, which are high in dissolved solids, from Yellowstone 

National Park (Cox, 1973). In addition, the rocks in the upper 

basin upstream from site 1 primarily are younger volcanic rocks 

compared to the diverse geology in the basin at site 12, which 

includes some volcanic rocks, sedimentary rocks, and the resistant granitic and metamorphic rocks of the Teton Range (Love 

and Christiansen, 1985). 

Dissolved-solids concentrations were higher during water 

years 2001-2002 compared to water years 1998-2000 for several samples collected at site 1; the higher dissolved-solids concentrations probably are related to the drought conditions in the 

basin during water years 2001-2002, although sampling frequency also varied during this time period. The dissolved-solids 

concentrations for samples collected at site 12 generally were 

less variable than at site 1 during water years 2001-2002, probably as a result of the regulated streamflows from Jackson Lake. 

Dissolved-solids concentrations and streamflow typically have 

an inverse relation for streams originating from mountainous 

areas because the concentrated base flow generally is diluted 

during increased streamflow resulting from precipitation and 

snowmelt (fig. 5). Both sites exhibit the flow-dilution relation; 

however, Spearman’s Rho correlation coefficient for dissolvedsolids concentrations and streamflow was stronger at the unregulated upstream site (-0.975) compared to the correlation coefficient for the downstream site with regulated flows (-0.771). 

Concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus species generally were low in samples from the Snake River above Jackson 

Lake at Flagg Ranch, Wyoming (site 1) and the Snake River at 

Moose, Wyoming (site 12). All samples of dissolved ammonia 

and nitrate were less than the water-quality criteria for surface 

waters in Wyoming. The median dissolved-nitrate concentrations at both sites were less than the reporting level of 

0.05 mg/L, which is less than the median concentration of 

0.087 mg/L determined for undeveloped streams in the United 

States (Clark and others, 2000). Median concentrations of total 

nitrogen of 0.11 mg/L at site 1 and site 12 were less than the 

median total-nitrogen concentration of 0.26 mg/L determined 

for undeveloped streams in the United States (Clark and others, 

2000). The maximum concentrations of total nitrogen at both 

sites were higher than the ambient total-nitrogen criterion of 

0.34 mg/L for forested mountain streams in the Middle Rockies 

ecoregion recommended by the USEPA to address cultural 

eutrophication (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000). 

In over 75 percent of the samples, dissolved-orthophosphate 

concentrations were less than the reporting level of 0.02 mg/L 

and total-phosphorus concentrations were less than the reporting level of 0.06 mg/L. Maximum concentrations of total phosphorus at site 1 (0.407 mg/L) and site 12 (0.522 mg/L) were 

higher than the median concentration of total phosphorus of 

0.022 mg/L determined for undeveloped streams in the United 

States (Clark and others, 2000) and the ambient totalphosphorus criterion of 0.015 mg/L for forested mountain 

streams in the Middle Rockies ecoregion recommended by the 

USEPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000). 

Sources of nutrients in the basin probably are mostly natural, 

although a few septic systems exist and agricultural sources of 

nutrients may exist in the basin, primarily downstream from 

site 1. 

Dissolved iron and manganese were the only trace metals 

analyzed in samples collected from the Snake River. Neither 

iron nor manganese is classified as a priority pollutant with 

aquatic criteria established. The maximum dissolved-iron concentration for 43 samples collected from the Snake River above 

Jackson Lake at Flagg Ranch, Wyoming (site 1) was 38 micrograms per liter (μg/L), and the maximum concentration from 

33 samples collected at the downstream site at Moose, Wyoming (site 12) was 27 μg/L. These concentrations are substantially less than the Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level 

(SMCL) of 300 μg/L established by the USEPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2003). The maximum dissolvedmanganese concentration for 43 samples collected at site 1 was 

9.3 μg/L, and the maximum concentration for 33 samples collected at site 12 was 7.0 μg/L. These concentrations are substantially less than the SMCL of 50 μg/L established by the USEPA 

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2003). 
WATER-QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS 13 

Table 5. Summary statistics for physical and chemical constituents for the Snake River above Jackson Lake at Flagg Ranch, Wyoming 

(site 1), water years 1998-2002. 

[mg/L, milligrams per liter; oC, degrees Celsius; μg/L, micrograms per liter; <, less than. Data reported as filtered are discussed as “dissolved” in the text of this 

report.] 

Constituent Number of 

samples Minimum 25th percentile Median 75th percentile Maximum 

Streamflow, instantaneous, in cubic feet per second 43 190 281 400 909 6,900 

Oxygen, dissolved, in mg/L 43 7.8 9.2 10.4 11.2 12.2 

pH, unfiltered, standard units 43 7.0 7.6 7.8 8.0 8.4 

Specific conductance, unfiltered, in microsiemens per 43 82 193 250 295 358 

 centimeter at 25o

C 

Temperature, air, o

C 43 -12.0 -2.0 4.0 11.4 30.0 

Temperature, water, oC 43 0.0 1.5 4.0 9.0 19.0 

Hardness, unfiltered, in mg/L as calcium carbonate 43 29 46 52 61 82 

Calcium, filtered, in mg/L 43 9.00 14.2 16.1 18.9 25.1 

Magnesium, filtered, in mg/L 43 1.56 2.53 2.91 3.32 4.66 

Potassium, filtered, in mg/L 43 .90 2.68 4.14 4.96 5.46 

Sodium adsorption ratio 43 .4 1.0 1.7 2.0 2.2 

Sodium, filtered, in mg/L 43 4.70 18.1 28.4 35.1 43.4 

Acid neutralizing capacity, unfiltered, in mg/L as calcium 17 41 55 63 66 71 

carbonate 

Alkalinity, filtered, in mg/L as calcium carbonate 23 13 63 73 84 107 

Chloride, filtered, in mg/L 43 2.84 8.99 15.4 18.8 23.4 

Fluoride, filtered, in mg/L 43 .23 1.3 2.1 2.4 2.8 

Silica, filtered, in mg/L 43 9.83 24.2 33.2 35.8 40.0 

Sulfate, filtered, in mg/L 43 4.4 17.2 25.2 33.3 45.6 

Dissolved solids, residue on evaporation at 180oC, in mg/L 43 62 129 178 206 240 

Ammonia plus organic nitrogen, unfiltered, in mg/L as 43 <.10 <.10 0.11 0.19 0.50 

nitrogen 

Ammonia, filtered, in mg/L as nitrogen 43 <.04 <.04 <.04 <.04 .05 

Nitrate, filtered, in mg/L as nitrogen 43 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 .12 

Orthophosphate, filtered, mg/L as phosphorus 43 <.02 <.02 <.02 <.02 .03 

Phosphorus, unfiltered, in mg/L as phosphorus 43 <.06 <.06 <.06 <.06 .407 

Iron, filtered, in μg/L 43 8 11 12 17 38 

Manganese, filtered, in μg/L 43 <4.0 <4.0 <4.0 4.4 9.3 

Suspended sediment, in mg/L 43 1 2 4 14 604 
14 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

Table 6. Summary statistics for physical and chemical constituents for the Snake River at Moose, Wyoming (site 12), water years 1998-

2002. 

[mg/L, milligrams per liter; oC, degrees Celsius; μg/L, micrograms per liter; <, less than. Data reported as filtered are discussed as “dissolved” in the text of this 

report.] 

Constituent Number of 

samples Minimum 25th 

percentile Median 75th 

percentile Maximum 

Streamflow, instantaneous, in cubic feet per second 33 620 941 1,280 4,150 10,600 

Oxygen, dissolved, in mg/L 33 7.7 9.0 10.6 11.5 12.6 

pH, unfiltered, standard units 33 7.9 8.1 8.2 8.5 8.8 

Specific conductance, unfiltered, in microsiemens per 33 127 158 192 202 215 

 centimeter at 25o

C 

Temperature, air, oC 33 -8.0 0.5 10.0 17.0 34.5 

Temperature, water, oC 33 0.0 2.0 7.0 13.0 20.0 

Hardness, unfiltered, in mg/L as calcium carbonate 33 49 57 80 84 91 

Calcium, filtered, in mg/L 33 14.4 17.0 23.8 24.7 26.7 

Magnesium, filtered, in mg/L 33 3.05 3.53 5.09 5.41 5.86 

Potassium, filtered, in mg/L 33 .57 1.58 1.76 1.88 2.07 

Sodium adsorption ratio 33 .3 .4 0.4 0.4 0.6 

Sodium, filtered, in mg/L 33 5.14 7.26 7.97 8.72 10.7 

Acid neutralizing capacity, unfiltered, in mg/L as calcium 17 56 63 81 88.5 95 

carbonate 

Alkalinity, filtered, in mg/L as calcium carbonate 16 55 63 86.5 90 94 

Chloride, filtered, in mg/L 32 .75 3.33 3.99 5.03 5.63 

Fluoride, filtered, in mg/L 33 .28 .48 .56 .65 2.3 

Silica, filtered, in mg/L 33 11.2 13.9 15.3 15.9 17.4 

Sulfate, filtered, in mg/L 32 5.6 8.3 10.2 10.8 12.7 

Dissolved solids, residue on evaporation at 180o

C, in mg/L 33 77 100 123 126 141 

Ammonia plus organic nitrogen, unfiltered, in mg/L as 33 <.10 <.10 0.11 .16 .58 

 nitrogen 

Ammonia, filtered, in mg/L as nitrogen 32 <.04 <.04 <.04 <.04 .05 

Nitrate, filtered, in mg/L as nitrogen 33 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 .12 

Orthophosphate, filtered, mg/L as phosphorus 32 <.02 <.02 <.02 <.02 .02 

Phosphorus, unfiltered, in mg/L as phosphorus 33 <.06 <.06 <.06 <.06 .522 

Iron, filtered, in μg/L 33 <10 <10 <10 <10 27 

Manganese, filtered, in μg/L 33 <4.0 <4.0 <4.0 <4.0 7.0 

Suspended sediment, in mg/L 33 1 3 7 21 648 
WATER-QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS 15 

15,000 

Site 1 

(43) (33) 

10,000 15,000 STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND 

10,000 

DISSOLVED-SOLIDS DISSOLVED-SOLIDS STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC

CONCENTRATION, CONCENTRATION, FEET PER SECOND FEET PER SECOND

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

0 

50 

100 

150 

200 

250 

Site 1 

75th percentile 

Median (50th percentile) 

25th percentile 

Minimum value 

1,000 

1,000 

100


15,000


10,000 

Site 12 

SITE 1 SITE 12


100


1,000 

EXPLANATION 

Sample 

(62) Number of samples 100


1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
 Maximum value 

YEAR 

DISSOLVED-SOLIDS CONCENTRATION, 

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 

(43) (33) 

250
 250


Site 12

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 200
 200


150
 150


100
 100


50
 50


0 0 

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
 SITE 1 SITE 12


YEAR 

Figure 4. Streamflow and dissolved-solids concentrations for samples collected from the Snake River, 

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, water years 1998-2002. 
16 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

400 

300 

200 

100 

10 

100 1,000 10,000 

Site 1 

STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND 

200 

100 

10 

100 1,000 10,000 

Site 12 

STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND 

Figure 5. Relation between dissolved-solids concentrations 

and streamflow for samples collected from the Snake River, 

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, water years 1998-2002. 

Seventeen pesticide samples were collected from the 

Snake River above Jackson Lake at Flagg Ranch, Wyoming 

(site 1) and 10 pesticide samples were collected at Moose, Wyoming (site 12). Two samples were collected annually at both 

sites during water years 1998-2002, including a low-flow sample collected in October, November, or December and a highflow sample collected in May or June. During 2001, seven additional pesticide samples were collected at site 1. Concentrations 

for all pesticide compounds were less than the reporting levels 

shown in table 2 for all 27 samples. One pesticide compound 

was identified with mass spectrometry in 5 of the 27 samples; 

however, concentrations were less than the reporting level and, 

as such, are reported as estimated concentrations (table 7). The 

estimated concentration of dieldrin (0.003 μg/L) was higher 

than the State of Wyoming drinking-water standard for human 

health of 0.00014 μg/L (table 3). Dieldrin is an organochlorine 

insecticide, which is a class of pesticides that have been banned 

in the United States since the 1970’s and 1980’s (Larson and 

others, 1997). The rate of pesticide detections in samples from 

the Snake River is low compared to pesticide detections in sam- DISSOLVED-SOLIDS CONCENTRATION, DISSOLVED-SOLIDS CONCENTRATION, IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 

ples from streams nationwide (Larson and others, 1997) 

because pesticide use in the basin probably is minimal, particularly upstream from site 1, which drains Forest Service and 

National Park lands. Atmospheric transport can occur for some 

pesticides, including atrazine (Goolsby and others, 1995). 

 Suspended-sediment concentrations for samples collected 

from the Snake River above Jackson Lake at Flagg Ranch, 

Wyoming (site 1) ranged from 1 to 604 mg/L and were not significantly different (p-value=0.245) from suspended-sediment 

concentrations for samples collected from the Snake River at 

Moose, Wyoming (site 12), which ranged from 1 to 648 mg/L. 

Several samples collected during water years 2001-2002 had 

low concentrations of suspended sediment of 1 mg/L. The low 

suspended-sediment concentrations probably are related to 

drought conditions in the basin. Unlike dissolved-solids concentrations and streamflow, suspended-sediment concentrations and streamflow typically have a direct relation (fig. 6) 

because suspended sediment is carried to streams during overland flow events or is resuspended from the stream bottom from 

turbulent flows. Spearman’s Rho correlation coefficient for 

suspended-sediment concentrations and streamflow was 0.814 

at site 1 and 0.868 at site 12. 

Table 7. Detections of pesticide compounds in samples collected 

from the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, water 

years 1998-2002. 

Pesticide Estimated concentration, in Sample date compound micrograms per liter 

SnakeRiverabo ve Jac kso n Lake atF lag g Ranc h, W y o m ing (site 1) 

October 22, 1997 Atrazine 0.003 

June 20, 2000 EPTC .001 

October 30, 2000 Dieldrin .003 

Snake River at M o o se, W y o m ing (site 12) 

October 20, 1997 Atrazine .003 

December 15, Tebuthiuron Detected but not quantified 

1999 

Synoptic Study of Eastern Tributary Basins, 2002 

Samples were collected during the synoptic study of five 

eastern tributary basins in 2002 to include high-flow conditions 

(June), the period during and following high visitor use in the 

Park (July and September), and low-flow conditions (November). Results of the field measurements and inorganic constituents for the water-quality sampling conducted by the USGS for 

the synoptic study are shown in table 8 and indicate water in the 

eastern tributaries generally is of good quality. Results for the 

10 pesticide samples collected in June are not presented for each 

site because all concentrations were less than the reporting levels for all constituents (table 2). Results of the fecal-coliformbacteria samples collected by the NPS and the possible source 

distribution of animal types from the ribotype patterns for the 

E. coli isolates are shown in table 9 and table 10, respectively. 
WATER-QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS 17 

1,000 (43) (33)

1,000 

Site 1 500 IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT CONCENTRATION, 

0.1 

SITE 1 SITE 12 

SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT

CONCENTRATION, IN CONCENTRATION, IN

MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 100 

10 

1 

200 

100 

50 

20 

10 

5 

0.1 2 

1 1,000 

10 

1 

Site 12 

EXPLANATION 

Sample 

0.1 

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 (62) Number of samples 

YEAR Maximum value 

0.5 

0.2

MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 100 

0.1 

1 

10 

100 

1,000 

Site 1

SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT

MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

75th percentile 

25th percentile 

Median (50th percentile)

CONCENTRATION, IN

Minimum value 

100 200 500 1,000 2000 5,000 10,000 

STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND 

SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT

CONCENTRATION, IN

MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 

1,000 

100 

10 

1 

0.1 

100 200 500 1,000 2,000 5,000 10,000 

Site 12 

STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND 

Figure 6. Suspended-sediment concentrations and relation with streamflow for samples collected from the Snake River, Grand 

Teton National Park, Wyoming, water years 1998-2002. 
-- -- -- -- -- --

18 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

Table 8. Results for physical and chemical constituents for a synoptic study on Pilgrim Creek, Pacific 

[ft3/s, cubic feet per second; mm Hg, millimeters of mercury; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μS/cm, microsiemens per 

Site 

number 

2 

Date 

06-11-02 

Time 

0930 

Instantaneous 

discharge, 

ft3

/s 

225 

Barometric 

pressure, 

mm Hg 

592 

Dissolved 

oxygen, 

mg/L 

10.8 

Dissolved 

oxyen, 

percent of 

saturation 

105 

pH, 

unfiltered 

field, 

standard units 

8.1 

Specific 

conductance, 

unfiltered , 

μS/cm 

125 

Temperature, 

air, 

° C 

5.0 

Temperature, 

water, 

° C 

Pilg rim 

3.5 

07-22-02 1315 34 596 7.8 105 8.3 190 20.0 17.5 

09-16-02 1330 16 591 8.2 103 8.4 205 22.0 14.0 

11-05-02 0900 11 596 11.4 100 8.1 231 -2.0 .0 

3 06-11-02 1200 198 596 10.2 105 8.1 126 12.0 6.0 

07-22-02 1500 27 598 6.6 91 8.3 190 19.5 19.0 

09-16-02 1615 10 591 7.6 100 8.6 200 17.0 16.0 

11-05-02 1200 2.2 596 11.5 101 8.3 239 -1.0 .0 

Pacific 

4 06-11-02 1500 716 595 10.0 106 7.8 130 9.5 7.0 

07-23-02 0930 119 600 9.0 104 8.0 192 17.0 11.0 

09-16-02 1130 46 594 8.8 103 8.3 226 14.5 11.0 

11-05-02 1500 32 595 11.6 102 7.8 230 .5 .0 

5 06-12-02 1330 581 601 9.1 103 7.7 138 15.0 10.0 

07-23-02 1200 137 603 7.5 97 8.1 200 19.0 16.0 

09-17-02 0900 55 593 8.5 99 8.2 236 8.0 11.0 

11-05-02 1330 56 596 10.6 94 7.7 239 .0 .5 

Buffalo 

6 06-12-02 0945 1,080 597 11.0 113 7.7 127 10.0 6.0 

07-23-02 1615 548 600 8.2 101 7.4 111 19.0 14.0 

09-17-02 1130 199 592 8.6 98 7.8 180 10.0 10.0 

11-04-02 1445 148 594 11.1 98 8.7 241 -1.0 .0 

7 06-12-02 1630 1,220 597 9.2 104 7.8 135 14.0 10.0 

07-23-02 1400 743 605 7.8 98 7.8 122 19.0 15.0 

09-17-02 1345 214 593 8.8 103 7.8 191 7.0 11.0 

11-06-02 1345 175 596 11.7 103 8.1 218 5.0 .0 

8 06-13-02 0915 175 595 10.1 107 8.2 159 14.0 

Sp read 

7.0 

07-24-02 0930 67 595 8.3 101 8.3 211 20.0 13.0 

09-18-02 1100 37 588 9.2 104 8.1 232 8.0 9.0 

11-06-02 0930 24 594 11.1 98 8.1 260 -4.5 .0 

9 06-13-02 1115 124 596 8.8 107 8.1 162 16.0 13.0 

07-24-02 1145 4.8 602 7.8 109 8.4 233 26.0 20.0 

09-17-02 1600 1.5 590 8.6 104 8.3 266 9.0 12.0 

11-06-02 1130 11 596 11.4 100 8.0 269 -1.0 .0 

10 06-13-02 1700 48 595 8.2 102 8.0 170 17.0 14.0 

07-24-02 1600 5.4 595 7.0 103 8.5 282 32.0 22.0 

09-18-02 1400 3.5 590 8.7 105 8.8 323 10.0 12.0 

11-06-02 1630 3.0 593 11.6 102 8.3 359 1.0 .0 

11 06-13-02 1430 46 608 7.5 100 8.4 208 19.0 18.0 

07-24-02 1400 8.2 610 7.6 112 8.6 311 29.0 23.0 

09-18-02 0930 .17 601 9.3 104 8.4 384 8.5 9.5 

11-06-02 1300 .00 5.0 
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

WATER-QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS 19 

Creek, Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, and Ditch Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2002. 

centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; ° C, degrees Celsius; μg/L, micrograms per liter; <, less than; E, estimated; --, no data] 

Hardness, 

unfiltered 

mg/L as 

CaC03 

Calcium, 

filtered, 

mg/L 

Magnesium, 

filtered, 

mg/L 

Potassium, 

filtered 

mg/L 

Sodium 

adsorption 

ratio 

Sodium, 

filtered, 

mg/L 

Alkalinity, 

mg/L as 

CaC03 

Chloride, 

filtered, 

mg/L 

Fluoride, 

filtered, 

mg/L 

Silica, 

filtered, 

mg/L 

C reek 

58 17.8 3.25 0.49 0.1 2.54 64 0.42 E0.06 6.46 

89 27.7 4.84 .70 .2 4.20 96 .49 E.06 7.34 

97 30.2 5.20 .77 .2 4.83 E104 E.30 E.07 7.57 

100 31.7 5.31 .80 .2 5.11 E112 <.20 <.17 7.91 

57 17.6 3.23 .50 .1 2.60 64 .82 E.07 6.51 

88 27.4 4.77 .63 .2 4.14 97 E.24 E.08 7.28 

94 29.2 5.06 .74 .2 4.74 E102 .56 E.06 6.83 

110 35.2 5.95 .84 .2 5.95 122 E.16 <.17 8.75 

C reek 

58 17.5 3.60 .80 .1 2.55 62 .68 E.06 11.7 

87 26.0 5.34 1.12 .2 4.01 91 .83 E.07 13.3 

100 30.7 6.33 1.09 .2 5.10 E105 1.02 E.08 11.9 

110 31.8 6.54 .95 .2 5.26 E99 E.11 <.17 11.9 

63 18.9 3.78 .87 .2 2.81 67 .65 E.08 11.7 

93 28.1 5.61 1.29 .2 4.19 97 E.32 E.07 14.0 

110 32.2 6.26 1.19 .2 4.77 E114 .54 E.08 12.8 

110 33.7 6.58 1.14 .2 4.91 116 .25 <.17 13.1 

F o rk 

58 16.5 4.20 1.29 .2 2.88 63 1.15 E.06 18.9 

47 12.9 3.53 1.62 .2 2.75 53 1.29 <.10 20.4 

76 21.5 5.47 2.00 .2 4.66 E84 2.89 E.10 21.9 

95 26.7 6.84 1.91 .3 6.38 109 4.58 <.17 21.5 

60 17.1 4.21 1.30 .2 3.09 67 1.93 E.08 17.8 

52 14.8 3.72 1.43 .2 3.13 57 2.37 <.10 21.6 

81 23.1 5.74 1.91 .3 5.24 E91 2.89 E.08 21.2 

94 26.7 6.72 1.90 .3 6.37 103 3.52 <.17 22.2 

C reek 

78 22.5 5.18 .70 .2 3.34 80 .77 E.08 7.25 

100 29.6 6.53 .86 .2 4.21 106 .95 E.09 7.36 

110 32.1 7.14 .98 .2 4.71 E115 1.29 E.10 7.31 

120 35.8 8.12 1.02 .2 5.34 129 .23 <.17 8.38 

74 21.6 4.97 .71 .2 3.26 81 .50 .11 6.93 

110 33.2 7.23 .91 .2 4.31 118 .62 E.09 7.29 

130 38.7 8.45 1.07 .2 4.77 E134 .86 E.10 8.34 

130 38.1 8.58 1.06 .2 5.62 133 .32 <.17 8.87 

C reek 

75 23.4 4.08 1.19 0.3 5.00 78 1.43 E0.11 8.58 

120 38.4 7.02 1.29 .3 8.76 122 1.19 E.11 9.75 

150 45.3 8.11 1.32 .4 9.82 E138 1.30 .13 10.2 

170 52.2 8.67 1.16 .3 10.3 153 .30 <.17 11.6 

94 27.5 6.10 1.04 .2 5.05 88 1.11 .21 9.44 

150 40.8 11.6 1.30 .2 5.71 114 1.51 .35 7.16 

180 49.3 14.5 1.43 .2 6.25 E132 1.99 .42 9.40 
20 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

Table 8. Results for physical and chemical constituents for a synoptic study on Pilgrim Creek, Pacific Creek, 

Solids, Ammonia + Ammonia + Nitrite Ortho- Sulfate residue on 	 Ammonia Nitrite phosphate, Phosphorus, Site 	 + nitrate Date filtered, evaporation organic, organic, filtered, filtered, filtered, number mg/L at 180° C, filtered, unfiltered, filtered, mg/L as N mg/L as P mg/L filtered, 

filtered mg/L mg/L as N mg/L as N mg/L as N mg/L as N 

Pilg rim 

2	 06-11-02 2.6 77 E0.07 

07-22-02 4.4 106 E.07 

09-16-02 5.7 116 E.05 

11-05-02 6.6 125 <.10 

0.17 <0.04 <0.05 <0.008 <0.02 0.008 

.10 <.04 <.05 <.008 <.02 .007 

E.09 <.04 <.05 <.008 <.02 E.004 

E.06 <.04 <.06 <.008 <.02 .006 

3	 06-11-02 2.7 75 E.07 

07-22-02 4.5 116 E.08 

09-16-02 5.7 114 E.06 

11-05-02 7.4 130 <.10 

.17 <.04 <.05 <.008 <.02 .009 

E.07 <.04 <.05 <.008 <.02 .006 

E.09 <.04 <.05 <.008 <.02 E.003 

E.06 <.04 <.06 <.008 <.02 E.004 

Pacific 

4	 06-11-02 6.1 83 E.08 

07-23-02 10.0 125 .11 

09-16-02 12.5 135 <.10 

11-05-02 13.4 134 <.10 

.13 <.04 E.02 <.008 E.01 .014 

E.06 .07 <.05 <.008 E.01 .013 

E.07 <.04 <.05 <.008 <.02 .006 

E.06 <.04 <.06 <.008 <.02 .008 

5	 06-12-02 6.1 93 E.09 

07-23-02 9.1 124 E.07 

09-17-02 10.9 141 E.05 

11-05-02 11.7 137 <.10 

.15 <.04 E.02 <.008 E.01 .014 

E.06 <.04 <.05 <.008 E.01 .010 

E.08 <.04 <.05 <.008 <.02 .007 

E.07 <.04 <.06 <.008 <.02 .008 

Buffalo 

6	 06-12-02 3.5 89 E.09 

07-23-02 2.8 80 E.07 

09-17-02 5.2 120 <.10 

11-04-02 8.3 145 E.05 

.20 <.04 <.05 <.008 .03 .035 

.47 <.04 <.05 <.008 .05 .053 

E.08 <.04 <.05 <.008 .03 .042 

E.07 <.04 <.06 <.008 .04 .045 

7	 06-12-02 3.7 97 E.07 

07-23-02 2.8 85 E.07 

09-17-02 5.4 126 E.08 

11-06-02 7.1 133 E.06 

2.7 <.04 <.05 <.008 .03 .035 

.18 <.04 <.05 <.008 .04 .044 

E.09 <.08 <.05 <.008 .03 .040 

E.07 <.04 <.06 <.008 .04 .044 

Sp read 

8	 06-13-02 5.9 100 .12 

07-24-02 7.5 124 E.07 

09-18-02 8.0 129 E.06 

11-06-02 10.8 140 E.05 

.19 <.04 <.05 <.008 <.02 .007 

.14 <.04 <.05 <.008 <.02 .005 

E.09 <.04 <.05 <.008 <.02 E.003 

E.07 <.04 <.06 <.008 <.02 E.003 

9	 06-13-02 5.9 103 E.06 

07-24-02 8.2 139 <.10 

09-17-02 9.2 156 <.10 

11-06-02 10.9 149 E.08 

.19 <.04 <.05 <.008 <.02 .007 

.12 E.03 <.05 <.008 <.02 E.002 

.15 <.04 <.05 <.008 <.02 <.004 

E.08 <.04 <.06 <.008 <.02 E.002 

Ditch 

10	 06-13-02 11.8 116 0.18 

07-24-02 27.2 171 E.09 

09-18-02 33.8 199 E.08 

11-06-02 37.6 216 E.07 

0.24 E0.03 <0.05 <0.008 E0.01 0.022 

.18 <.04 <.05 <.008 <.02 .013 

.12 <.04 <.05 <.008 <.02 .006 

E.07 <.04 <.06 <.008 E.01 .010 

11	 06-13-02 21.4 139 .19 

07-24-02 49.5 199 E.06 

09-18-02 64.8 235 E.08 

11-06-02 -- -- --

.24 <.04 <.05 <.008 E.01 .017 

.15 <.04 <.05 <.008 <.02 E.004 

.10 <.04 <.05 <.008 <.02 <.004 

-- -- -- -- -- -­
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

WATER-QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS 21 

Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, and Ditch Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2002.--Continued 

Suspended Phosphorus,	 Arsenic Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Iron, Manga- Nickel, Selenium, Zinc, sediment 

filtered, filtered, filtered, filtered filtered, nese, filtered, filtered, filtered, concen- unfiltered, 

μg/L μg/L	 μg/L μg/L μg/L filtered, 

μg/L μg/L μg/L tration, mg/L	 μg/L mg/L 

C reek--C o ntinued 

0.106 0.3 0.09 <0.8 0.6


.012 -- -- -- --


.006 -- -- -- --


.006 -- -- -- -­


11 4.3 0.51 <0.3 3 137 

<10 E1.7 -- -- -- 5 

<10 <2.0 -- -- -- 1 

<10 E1.4 -- -- -- 1 

.097 .3 <.04 <.8 .5 

.010 -- -- -- --


E.002 -- -- -- --


.005 -- -- -- -­


E9 5.2 .49 <.3 4 105 

<10 E1.7 -- -- -- 5 

<10 <2.0 -- -- -- 1 

<10 E1.6 -- -- -- 1 

C reek--C o ntinued 

.053 .4 .63 <.8 .6


.018 -- -- -- --


.006 -- -- -- --


.016 -- -- -- -­


E9 E2.6 E.03 E.3 6 46 

<10 E1.2 -- -- -- 4 

<10 E1.1 -- -- -- 1 

<10 E1.3 -- -- -- 11 

.048 .5 .16 <.8 .5


.015 -- -- -- --


.009 -- -- -- --


.016 -- -- -- -­


E10 5.8 .49 <.3 1 45 

<10 5.2 -- -- -- 3 

<10 7.6 -- -- -- 2 

E5 7.0 -- -- -- 5 

F o rk--C o ntinued 

.141 .6 .12 <.8 .5


.40 -- -- -- --


.045 -- -- -- --


.061 -- -- -- -­


E10 6.1 .38 E.2 4 112 

<10 4.9 -- -- -- 286 

<10 8.4 -- -- -- 2 

E9 12.8 -- -- -- 11 

.141 .5 .04 <.8 .5


.095 -- -- -- --


.045 -- -- -- --


.059 -- -- -- -­


10 8.4 .72 <.3 2 105 

E5 3.7 -- -- -- 43 

E7 10.9 -- -- -- 3 

<10 10.3 -- -- -- 13 

C reek--C o ntinued 

.074 .4 .06 <.8 .7


.084 -- -- -- --


.026 -- -- -- --


.026 -- -- -- -­


27 5.2 .73 <.3 2 65 

35 E2.6 -- -- -- 81 

45 E2.5 -- -- -- 22 

13 4.1 -- -- -- 20 

.062 .4 .13 <.8 .6 

.007 -- -- -- --


<.004 -- -- -- --


.007 -- -- -- -­


20	 4.3 .78 E.2 2 51 

12 E.9 -- -- -- 3 

<10 <2.0 -- -- -- 1 

<10 E1.6 -- -- -- 2 

C reek--C o ntinued 

.058 0.5 0.11 <0.8 0.9


.025 -- -- -- --


.009 -- -- -- --


.015 -- -- -- -­


16 6.1 0.94 <0.3 45 27 

<10 3.5 -- -- -- --

E8 E1.5 -- -- -- 6 

<10 E2.0 -- -- -- 1 

.047 1.0 .17 <.8 .8


.010 -- -- -- --


E.002 -- -- -- -­


12 E2.3 .85 E.3 3 24 

<10 E.9 -- -- -- 5 

<10 <2.0 -- -- -- 1 
22 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Table 9. Results for fecal-coliform-bacteria samples for a synoptic study on Pilgrim Creek, Pacific Creek, Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, 

and Ditch Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2002.

[<, less than; >, greater than] 

Site 

number

(fig. 1)

Site name Number of 

samples

Minimum 

concentration, in 

colonies per 100 

milliliters

Maximum 

concentration, in 

colonies per 100 

milliliters

June 2002 sam p ling event

 2 Pilgrim Creek below National Park Service boundary, near Moran, Wyoming 5 6 17

 3 Pilgrim Creek near Moran, Wyoming 5 4 8

 4 Pacific Creek above National Park Service boundary, near Moran, Wyoming 5 23 34

 5 Pacific Creek at Moran, Wyoming 5 70 130

 6 Buffalo Fork above Lava Creek near Moran, Wyoming 5 4 9

 7 Buffalo Fork near Moran, Wyoming 5 12 19

 8 Spread Creek at diversion dam near Moran, Wyoming 5 <1 <1

 9 Spread Creek near Moran, Wyoming 5 13 28

10 Ditch Creek below South Fork near Kelly, Wyoming 5 3 8

11 Ditch Creek near Moose, Wyoming 5 2 4

July 2002 sam p ling event

 2 Pilgrim Creek below National Park Service boundary, near Moran, Wyoming 5 19 33

 3 Pilgrim Creek near Moran, Wyoming 5 4 24

 4 Pacific Creek above National Park Service boundary, near Moran, Wyoming 5 25 38

 5 Pacific Creek at Moran, Wyoming 5 16 39

 6 Buffalo Fork above Lava Creek near Moran, Wyoming 5 32 58

 7 Buffalo Fork near Moran, Wyoming 5 57 93

 8 Spread Creek at diversion dam near Moran, Wyoming 5 17 32

 9 Spread Creek near Moran, Wyoming 5 21 82

10 Ditch Creek below South Fork near Kelly, Wyoming 5 63 100

11 Ditch Creek near Moose, Wyoming 5 95 >200

Table 10. Possible source distribution of animal types, in percent, for ribotype patterns of Escherichia coli isolates in samples 

collected during a synoptic study on Pilgrim Creek, Pacific Creek, Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, and Ditch Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2002.

[--, not applicable. Percentages in table may not total 100 percent, owing to rounding of individual values.]

Source Pilgrim Creek 

(sites 2 and 3)

Pacific Creek

(sites 4 and 5)

Buffalo Fork 

(sites 6 and 7)

Spread Creek 

(sites 8 and 9)

Ditch Creek 

(sites 10 and 11)

Avian 32 21 31 6 35

Bear 2 -- 2 10 --

Bovine 13 24 6 22 12

Canine 5 5 26 13 2

Deer and elk 11 19 22 25 24

Duck 2 -- -- -- --

Feline 5 7 -- -- --

Horse 2 -- 2 3 --

Human 2 5 2 6 --

Rabbit 12 12 -- -- 5

Raccoon 7 2 -- -- 2

Rodent 2 5 10 3 16

Unknown 5 -- -- 10 5
Pilgrim Creek 

Pilgrim Creek Basin is the northernmost of the tributary 

basins that were part of the synoptic study and flows southwest 

from the Pinyon Peak Highlands. Pilgrim Creek drains the 

Bridger-Teton National Forest, including the Teton Wilderness 

Area, and Grand Teton National Park before flowing into Jackson Lake. The upstream site on Pilgrim Creek (site 2) is accessible by gravel road and was sampled in Grand Teton National 

Park, just downstream from the NPS and Bridger-Teton 

National Forest boundary (fig. 1). The downstream site near 

Moran, Wyoming (site 3) is along a major highway, about two 

miles downstream from site 2 and about 2.5 miles upstream 

from the entry into Jackson Lake. Pilgrim Creek Basin is the 

smallest of the eastern tributary basins in the synoptic study and 

drains about 48 square miles at the downstream site (site 3). 

Most of the drainage area for the basin (about 97 percent) is 

above the upstream site (site 2). Land cover for both sites is 

about 68 percent forested upland and about 29 percent shrubland and herbaceous upland; the remaining area is barren, wetland, and water or ice covered (fig. 7). Pilgrim Creek Basin has 

no developed lands or cultivated lands; however, recreational 

use, including horse use, is common in the basin. Pilgrim Creek 

is braided in some reaches, with an unconsolidated gravel and 

cobble streambed. 

Streamflow for Pilgrim Creek varied during the sampling 

events, and ranged from 11 ft3/s in November to 225 ft3/s in 

June at the upstream site (site 2) and from 2.2 ft3/s in November 

to 198 ft3/s in June at the downstream site (site 3) (fig. 8). 

Streamflow was less at site 3 compared to site 2 during all four 

of the sampling events, indicating that streamflow losses to 

ground water occur through the coarse alluvial deposits of Pilgrim Creek. The creek occasionally may become dry in the 

lower reaches.

 The waters of Pilgrim Creek were the most dilute of the 

five tributaries that were sampled. Dissolved-solids concentrations at the upstream site (site 2) ranged from 77 to 125 mg/L 

and were comparable to dissolved-solids concentrations at the 

downstream site (site 3), which ranged from 75 to 130 mg/L. 

For both sites, the samples with the lowest dissolved-solids concentrations were collected during June, when snowmelt runoff 

that has a short contact time with geologic materials in the basin 

dilutes the base-flow chemistry. Samples with the highest 

dissolved-solids concentrations were collected during November when ground water, which has a long contact time with geologic materials in the basin, composes a higher percentage of 

the streamflow. The range of dissolved-solids concentrations 

for samples from Pilgrim Creek were comparable to the range 

of dissolved-solids concentrations for the Snake River at 

Moose, Wyoming (site 12). 

Concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus species generally were low in samples from both sites (site 2 and site 3) on 

Pilgrim Creek. All samples of dissolved ammonia, nitrite, and 

nitrate were less than the water-quality criteria for surface 

waters in Wyoming. Dissolved-nitrate concentrations were less 

than 0.06 mg/L in all eight samples and lower than the median 

WATER-QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS 23 

concentration of 0.087 mg/L determined for undeveloped 

streams in the United States (Clark and others, 2000). Totalnitrogen concentrations in samples from both sites were less 

than the median concentration of 0.26 mg/L determined for 

undeveloped streams in the United States (Clark and others, 

2000) and the ambient total-nitrogen criterion of 0.34 mg/L for 

forested mountain streams in the Middle Rockies ecoregion recommended by the USEPA to address cultural eutrophication 

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000). All eight samples of dissolved orthophosphate were less than the reporting 

level of 0.02 mg/L. Dissolved-phosphorus concentrations were 

low in all samples, ranging from 0.003 to 0.009 mg/L. During 

high flows in June 2002, total-phosphorus concentrations of 

0.106 mg/L at site 2 and 0.097 mg/L at site 3 exceeded the totalphosphorus median concentration of 0.022 mg/L determined 

for undeveloped streams in the United States (Clark and others, 

2000). The high total-phosphorus concentrations in June correspond with the high suspended-sediment concentrations. High 

total-phosphorus concentrations typically are associated with 

sediment because phosphate sorbs to soil particles. Sources of 

nitrogen and phosphorus in the basins most likely are natural 

because the basin is undeveloped. 

Dissolved-iron and -manganese concentrations were low 

in the samples collected from the upstream site (site 2) and the 

downstream site (site 3) on Pilgrim Creek. The maximum values of dissolved iron of 11 μg/L (site 2) and dissolved manganese of 5.2 μg/L (site 3) for the eight samples collected from 

Pilgrim Creek were substantially less than the SMCLs of 

300 μg/L and 50 μg/L, respectively. During the June sampling 

of site 2 and site 3, concentrations of dissolved arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, selenium, and zinc (table 8) 

were substantially less than chronic and acute aquatic-criteria 

levels for all of the metals (table 3). Sources of trace metals in 

the Pilgrim Creek Basin most likely are natural because the 

basin is undeveloped. 

During the June sampling event, one sample was collected 

from site 2 and from site 3 and analyzed for 47 commonly used 

pesticides. All of the pesticide concentrations for both samples 

were less than the reporting levels for the compounds (table 2) 

and aquatic criteria established for surface waters in Wyoming 

(table 3). The Pilgrim Creek Basin has no developed or cultivated lands where pesticides typically are applied, so the lack of 

any pesticide detections is consistent with the undeveloped conditions of the basin. 

Suspended-sediment concentrations for samples collected 

from Pilgrim Creek (fig. 8) varied during the sampling events, 

and ranged from 1 mg/L in September and November to 

137 mg/L in June at the upstream site (site 2) and from 1 mg/L 

in September and November to 105 mg/L in June at the downstream site (site 3). The highest suspended-sediment concentrations and loads (fig. 8) were during snowmelt runoff in June 

when suspended sediment is carried to streams with overland 

flow or is resuspended from the stream bottom from turbulent 

flows. 
24 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Figure 7. Distribution of land cover in the Pilgrim Creek Basin, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

Two Ocean

Lake Pilgrim

Pilgrim

Pilgrim

Fork

East

Creek

Creek

Creek

2

3

43 55 ° ′

44 00 ° ′

110 35 ° ′ 110 30 ° ′

0

0

1 2

1 2

3

3

4 MILES

4 KILOMETERS

Barren

Forested upland

Shrubland

Herbaceous upland natural/semi-natural vegetation

Water

Wetland

3 Sampling site and number (table 1)

EXPLANATION

National land cover data modified from U.S. Geological Survey,

EROS Data Center, 2000

Hydrography modified from U.S. Dept. of Commerce,

Bureau of the Census digital data, 1995

Albers Equal-area Conic projection, Standard parallels 29°30′ and 45°30′,

Central meridian -107°30′

Site 3

Site 2

0 20 40 60 80 100

LAND COVER, IN PERCENT
40 

60 

80 

100 

120 

140 

0.2 

2 

20 

200 

WATER-QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS 25 

500
 160


140


SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT CONCENTRATION, TOTAL-NITROGEN CONCENTRATION,


IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND


SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT LOAD, IN TONS PER DAY TOTAL-PHOSPHORUS CONCENTRATION, DISSOLVED-SOLIDS CONCENTRATION, 

120


100


80


60


40


20


IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

100


50


10


5


1
 0 

0.4 0.2 IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 0.1 

0 0 

160
 150


0.001


2 3 2 3


SITE SITE


EXPLANATION 

June sample September sample 

July sample November sample 

Figure 8. Streamflow and dissolved-solids, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and suspendedsediment concentrations for Pilgrim Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2002. 

100


40


10


4


1


0.4 

0.1 

0.04 

0.01 

0.004 

0 

20 
26 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

Concentrations of fecal-coliform bacteria in samples collected from Pilgrim Creek (table 9) during the June and July 

sampling events, ranged from 6 to 33 col/100 mL at the 

upstream site (site 2) and from 4 to 24 col/100 mL at the downstream site (site 3), which are substantially less than the recommended limit for a single sample for recreational contact of 

400 col/100 mL. The ribotype patterns of the E. coli isolates for 

the five eastern tributaries were the most varied in Pilgrim 

Creek, matching at least 12 different sources. An avian source 

was the most frequently matched source, composing 32 percent 

of the isolates (table 10). Only 2 percent of the isolates from Pilgrim Creek samples were matched to a human source indicating 

that wildlife was the main contributor of fecal-indicator bacteria 

to Pilgrim Creek for the synoptic study samples. 

Pacific Creek 

Pacific Creek flows southwest from the Absaroka Range 

and the Pinyon Peak Highlands to the Snake River. Pacific 

Creek drains the Bridger-Teton National Forest, including the 

Teton Wilderness Area, before flowing through Grand Teton 

National Park (fig.1). The upstream site on Pacific Creek 

(site 4) is downstream from an established Forest Service campground and several undeveloped camp sites and upstream from 

the NPS boundary. Site 4 is accessed off a gravel road. The 

downstream site at Moran, Wyoming (site 5) is along a major 

highway, about 8 miles downstream from site 4 and about 

0.25 mile upstream from the confluence with the Snake River. 

The Pacific Creek Basin is the second largest of the eastern tributary basins that were part of the synoptic study and drains 

about 169 square miles at site 5. About 70 percent of the land 

cover for both sites is forested upland, shrubland, and herbaceous upland (fig. 9); barren highlands that resulted from forest 

fire account for about 25 percent of the remaining area. The 

Pacific Creek drainage has very little developed area; however, 

a few private residential holdings exist between site 4 and site 

5. Recreational use, including horse use, is common in the 

basin. Pacific Creek is braided at site 4 and has an unconsolidated gravel and cobble streambed through the entire reach. 

Streamflow for Pacific Creek varied during the sampling 

events (fig. 10), and ranged from 32 ft3/s in November to 

716 ft3/s in June at the upstream site (site 4) and from 55 ft3

/s in 

September to 581 ft3/s in June at the downstream site (site 5). 

Except for the site visit made during snowmelt runoff in June, 

streamflows increased from site 4 to site 5, which is attributable 

to some inflow from small tributaries, and possibly to groundwater discharge through the coarse alluvium in the lower part of 

the basin. 

Dissolved-solids concentrations at the upstream site 

(site 4) ranged from 83 to 135 mg/L and were comparable to 

dissolved-solids concentrations at the downstream site (site 5), 

which ranged from 93 to 141 mg/L. For both sites, the samples 

with the lowest dissolved-solids concentrations were collected 

during June, when snowmelt runoff that has a short contact time 

with geologic materials in the basin dilutes the base-flow chemistry. Samples with the highest dissolved-solids concentrations 

were collected during September. Ground water, which has a 

longer contact time with geologic material in the basin, probably was the primary source of streamflow in September. The 

range of dissolved-solids concentrations for samples from 

Pacific Creek were comparable to the range of dissolved-solids 

concentrations for the Snake River at Moose, Wyoming 

(site 12). 

Concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus species generally were low in samples from both sites (site 4 and site 5) on 

Pacific Creek. All samples of dissolved ammonia, nitrite, and 

nitrate were less than the water-quality criteria for surface 

waters in Wyoming. Dissolved-nitrate concentrations were less 

than 0.06 mg/L and lower than the median concentration of 

0.087 mg/L determined for undeveloped streams in the United 

States (Clark and others, 2000). Total-nitrogen concentrations 

in all eight samples were less than the ambient total-nitrogen 

criterion of 0.34 mg/L for forested mountain streams in the 

Middle Rockies ecoregion recommended by the USEPA to 

address cultural eutrophication (U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, 2000). Total-phosphorus concentrations of 

0.053 mg/L at site 4 and 0.048 mg/L at site 5 for samples collected during June exceeded the total-phosphorus median concentration of 0.022 mg/L determined for undeveloped streams 

in the United States (Clark and others, 2000). Total-phosphorus 

concentrations in five samples exceeded the ambient totalphosphorus criterion of 0.015 mg/L for forested mountain 

streams recommended by the USEPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000). Generally, sources of nitrogen and phosphorus in the basin probably are natural because the basin is 

mostly undeveloped; however, an established campground and 

undeveloped camp sites exist and septic systems may exist in 

the basin, which also could contribute to nutrient concentrations. 

Dissolved-iron and -manganese concentrations were low 

in samples collected from both sites (site 4 and site 5) on Pacific 

Creek. The maximum values of dissolved iron of 10 μg/L 

(site 5) and dissolved manganese of 7.6 μg/L (site 5) for the 

eight samples collected from Pacific Creek were substantially 

less than the SMCLs of 300 μg/L and 50 μg/L, respectively. 

During the June sampling of site 4 and site 5, concentrations of 

dissolved arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, selenium, and zinc (table 8) were less than chronic and acute 

aquatic-criteria levels for all of the metals (table 3). The highest 

concentration of cadmium of 0.63 μg/L for all 10 samples collected in June from the eastern tributaries for trace metals was 

in the sample collected at site 4. Sources of trace metals in the 

Pacific Creek Basin most likely are natural because the basin is 

mostly undeveloped. 

During the June sampling event, one sample was collected 

from site 4 and site 5 and analyzed for 47 commonly used pesticides. All of the pesticide concentrations for both samples 

were less than the reporting levels for the compounds (table 2) 

and aquatic criteria established for surface waters in Wyoming 

(table 3). The Pacific Creek Basin has less than 0.01 percent 

developed land and no cultivated lands where pesticides typi­
WATER-QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS 27

Figure 9. Distribution of land cover in the Pacific Creek Basin, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

110 30 ° ′ 110 22 30 °′′′ 110 15 ° ′ 110 07 30 ° ′ ′′

43 52 30 °′′′

44 00 ° ′

44 07 30 °′′′

01234

0 3 1 4 2

5 MILES

5 KILOMETERS

Mink

Creek

Creek

Creek

Creek

Fork

North

Buffalo

Creek

Pacific

Snake R

Pilgrim

Pacific

4

5

Emma Matilda

Lake

Two Ocean

Lake

Barren

Forested upland

Shrubland

Herbaceous upland natural/semi-natural vegetation

Water

Developed

Wetland

4 Sampling site and number (table 1)

EXPLANATION

National land cover data modified from U.S. Geological Survey, EROS Data Center, 2000

Hydrography modified from U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census digital data, 1995

Albers Equal-area Conic projection, Standard parallels 29°30′ and 45°30′,

Central meridian -107°30′

Site 5

Site 4

0 20 40 60 80 100

LAND COVER, IN PERCENT

Trail

Creek

Atlantic

Creek
28 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

1,500 160
 DISSOLVED-SOLIDS CONCENTRATION, SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT LOAD, IN TONS PER DAY TOTAL-PHOSPHORUS CONCENTRATION, IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 

1,000 

140


SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT CONCENTRATION, TOTAL-NITROGEN CONCENTRATION, STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND 

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER	 IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 

500


200


100


120


100


50


20


80


10


60


40


5


20


2


1
 0 

0.3 0.2 

0.2 

0.1 

0.1 

0 0 

80
 150


100


50


20


60


10


5


2


40
 1


0.5 

0.2 

20
 0.1 

0.05 

0.02 

0 0.01 

4	 5 4 5


SITE SITE


EXPLANATION 

June sample September sample 

July sample November sample 

Figure 10. Streamflow and dissolved-solids, total-nitrogen, total-phosphorus, and suspendedsediment concentrations for Pacific Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2002. 
cally are applied, so the lack of any pesticide detections is consistent with the generally undeveloped conditions of the basin. 

Suspended-sediment concentrations for Pacific Creek 

(fig. 10) varied during the sampling events, and ranged from 

1 mg/L in September to 46 mg/L in June at the upstream site 

(site 4) and from 2 mg/L in September to 45 mg/L in June at the 

downstream site (site 5). The highest suspended-sediment concentrations and sediment loads (fig. 10) were during snowmelt 

runoff in June when suspended sediment is carried to streams 

with overland flow or is resuspended from the stream bottom 

from turbulent flows. Sediment loads were comparable between 

Pilgrim Creek (fig. 8) and Pacific Creek during June; however, 

suspended-sediment concentrations were substantially less in 

Pacific Creek. 

Concentrations of fecal-coliform bacteria in samples collected from Pacific Creek (table 9) during the June and July 

sampling events ranged from 23 to 38 col/100 mL at the 

upstream site (site 4) and from 16 to 130 col/100 mL at the 

downstream site (site 5), which are substantially less than the 

recommended limit for a single sample for recreational contact 

of 400 col/100 mL. The ribotype patterns of the E. coli isolates 

most frequently matched a bovine source, which composed 

24 percent of the isolates (table 10). The bovine source is most 

likely bison because cattle are not grazed in the basin. A human 

source was matched in 5 percent of the isolates. 

Buffalo Fork 

The Buffalo Fork flows west out of the Washakie Range to 

the Snake River (fig. 1). The upstream site on the Buffalo Fork 

(site 6) is located along a primary highway that is one of the 

main routes to Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton 

National Park and is at the NPS and Forest Service boundary. 

About 88 percent of the basin is upstream from site 6. The Buffalo Fork near Moran, Wyoming (site 7) is about 6 miles downstream from site 6, also along the highway, and about 0.5 mile 

upstream from the confluence with the Snake River. The Buffalo Fork Basin is the largest of the eastern tributary basins that 

were part of the synoptic study and drains about 378 square 

miles at site 7. About 61 percent of the land cover is forested 

upland and about 34 percent is shrubland and herbaceous 

upland at both sites (fig. 11). Of the five eastern tributary basins, 

the Buffalo Fork Basin has the highest percentage of developed 

land, although it accounts for less than 0.05 percent of the land 

cover. Developed lands, which exist upstream from site 6 and 

site 7, include private ranches and residences, commercial services, and campgrounds. Cultivated land cover accounts for 

about 0.4 percent of the Buffalo Fork Basin at site 7. The primary crop grown in Teton County, including the Buffalo Fork 

Basin, is hay (Wyoming Agricultural Statistics Service, 2003). 

The remaining drainage area is barren highlands, water or ice 

covered, and wetlands. Vehicle traffic is high through the Buffalo Fork Basin and recreational use and grazing occur in the 

basin. The Buffalo Fork is a meandering and braided stream, 

with a sand, gravel, and cobble streambed. 

WATER-QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS 29 

The Buffalo Fork contributes the most streamflow to the 

Snake River of the eastern tributaries that were part of the synoptic study. Streamflow for the Buffalo Fork varied during sampling events, and ranged from 148 ft3

/s in November to 

1,080 ft3/s in June at site 6 and from 175 ft3

/s in November to 

1,220 ft3/s in June at site 7 (fig. 12). Streamflows increased 

from the upstream site to the downstream site during all the 

sampling events, which is attributable to some inflow from tributaries, including Lava Creek (fig. 11), and possibly to groundwater discharge through the alluvium. 

Dissolved-solids concentrations at the upstream site 

(site 6) ranged from 80 to 145 mg/L and were comparable to 

dissolved-solids concentrations at the downstream site (site 7), 

which ranged from 85 to 133 mg/L. For both sites, the samples 

with the lowest dissolved-solids concentrations were collected 

during the July sampling period. The reason for the lower dissolved-solids concentrations during July compared to June, 

when streamflow was higher, could not be determined; however, thunderstorms occurred during the July sampling event in 

the Buffalo Fork Basin that may have produced some runoff. 

Samples with the highest dissolved-solids concentrations were 

collected during November, when ground water, which has a 

longer contact time with material, contributes to streamflow. 

The range of dissolved-solids concentrations for samples from 

Buffalo Fork were comparable to the range of dissolved-solids 

concentrations for the Snake River at Moose, Wyoming 

(site 12). 

Concentrations of the nutrient species varied in samples 

collected from site 6 and site 7 on the Buffalo Fork. All samples 

of dissolved ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate were less than the 

water-quality criteria for surface waters in Wyoming. The 

dissolved-nitrate concentrations in all eight samples were less 

than the median concentration of 0.087 mg/L determined for 

undeveloped streams in the United States (Clark and others, 

2000). Total-nitrogen concentrations in samples from site 6 in 

July (0.47 mg/L) and site 7 in June (2.7 mg/L) exceeded the 

median total-nitrogen concentration of 0.26 mg/L determined 

for undeveloped streams in the United States (Clark and others, 

2000) and the ambient total-nitrogen criterion of 0.34 mg/L for 

forested mountain streams in the Middle Rockies ecoregion recommended by the USEPA to address cultural eutrophication 

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000). The totalnitrogen concentration of 2.7 mg/L was the highest totalnitrogen concentration for all 39 samples collected from all the 

tributary sites. Phosphorus concentrations were higher in samples from the Buffalo Fork compared to the other four basins. 

Dissolved-orthophosphate concentrations in all eight of the 

samples exceeded the orthophosphate median concentration of 

0.01 mg/L determined for undeveloped streams in the United 

States (Clark and others, 2000). Total-phosphorus concentrations for all eight samples collected from the Buffalo Fork 

exceeded the total-phosphorus median concentration of 

0.022 mg/L determined for undeveloped streams in the United 

States (Clark and others, 2000) and the ambient totalphosphorus criterion of 0.015 mg/L for forested mountain 

streams recommended by the USEPA (U.S. Environmental 
30 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Figure 11. Distribution of land cover in the Buffalo Fork Basin, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

110 30 ° ′ 110 15 ° ′ 110 00 ° ′

43 45 ° ′

44 00 ° ′

0 5

0 5

10 MILES

10 KILOMETERS

7

6

Fork

Fork

Lava

Blackrock

Pacific

Creek

Cre

Creek

ek

Cub

Creek

Fork

North

Buffalo

South

Bu o ffal

Buffalo

Site 7

Site 6

National land cover data modified from U.S. Geological Survey,

EROS Data Center, 2000

Hydrography modified from U.S. Dept. of Commerce,

Bureau of the Census digital data, 1995

Albers Equal-area Conic projection, Standard parallels 29°30′ and 45°30′,

Central meridian -107°30′

0 20 40 60 80 100

LAND COVER, IN PERCENT

Barren

Forested upland

Shrubland

Herbaceous upland natural/semi-natural vegetation

Water

Developed

Herbaceous planted/cultivated

Wetland

7 Sampling site and number (table 1)

EXPLANATION
1 

2 

5 

10 

20 

50 

500 

WATER-QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS 31 

1,500 160


1000


140


SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT CONCENTRATION, TOTAL-NITROGEN CONCENTRATION, STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND 

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

TOTAL-PHOSPHORUS CONCENTRATION, DISSOLVED-SOLIDS CONCENTRATION, SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT LOAD, IN TONS PER DAY IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER120


100


80


60


40


20


200


100


2


1
 0 

3
 0.5 

2.8 

2.6 

2.4 0.4 

2.2 

1.8 0.3 

1.6 

1.4 

1.2 0.2 

0.8 

0.6 0.1 

0.4 

0.2 

0 0 

300
 500


0.1 

6 7 6 7


SITE SITE


EXPLANATION 

June sample September sample 

July sample November sample 

280


200
 260


240
 100


220
 50


200


20
 180


160
 10


140
 5


120


2
 100


80
 1


60
 0.5 

40


0.2 20


Figure 12. Streamflow and dissolved-solids, total-nitrogen, total-phosphorus, and suspendedsediment concentrations for Buffalo Fork, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2002. 

0 
32 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

Protection Agency, 2000). The total-phosphorus concentration 

of 0.40 mg/L in a sample collected at site 6 in July was the 

highest total-phosphorus concentration for all 39 samples collected from the tributary sites. The highest concentrations of 

total phosphorus are associated with high suspended-sediment 

concentrations in samples from the Buffalo Fork because phosphate sorbs to soil particles. The primary source of the phosphorus may be marine sedimentary rocks in the basin; however, 

developed areas and cultivated lands also may have contributed 

to nutrient concentrations. 

Dissolved-iron and -manganese concentrations were low 

in the samples collected from both sites (site 6 and site 7) on the 

Buffalo Fork. The maximum values of dissolved iron of 

10 μg/L (site 6 and site 7) and dissolved manganese of 

12.8 μg/L (site 6) for the eight samples collected from Buffalo 

Fork were substantially less than the SMCLs of 300 μg/L and 

50 μg/L, respectively. Manganese concentrations for the Buffalo Fork sites generally were higher compared to the other tributary basins. During the June sampling event for site 6 and 

site 7, concentrations of dissolved arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, selenium, and zinc (table 8) were substantially less than chronic and acute aquatic-criteria levels for 

all of the metals (table 3). Concentrations of trace metals in the 

Buffalo Fork Basin were comparable to concentrations in undeveloped basins, like Pilgrim Creek, indicating that sources of 

metals probably are natural in this basin. 

During the June sampling event, one sample was collected 

from site 6 and site 7 and analyzed for 47 commonly used pesticides. All of the pesticide concentrations for both samples 

were less than the reporting levels for the compounds (table 2) 

and aquatic criteria established for surface waters in Wyoming 

(table 3). One pesticide, metolachlor, was detected in the sample from site 7 in June; the concentration was less than the 

reporting level, but was estimated to be 0.008 μg/L. Metolachlor typically is applied to row crops and along highway 

right-of-ways before plants emerge from the soil to control certain broadleaf and annual grassy weeds. 

Suspended-sediment concentrations for Buffalo Fork 

(fig. 12) varied during the sampling events, and ranged from 

2 mg/L in September to 286 mg/L in July at the upstream site 

(site 6) and from 3 mg/L in September to 105 mg/L in June at 

the downstream (site 7). The high suspended-sediment concentration and load (fig. 12) in the July sample from site 6 may have 

been contributed by runoff from isolated thunderstorms that 

occurred during the sampling event or from irrigation return 

flows. Buffalo Fork contributed the highest loads of suspended 

sediment to the Snake River of the five eastern tributaries. 

Concentrations of fecal-coliform bacteria in samples collected from the Buffalo Fork (table 9) during the June and July 

sampling events ranged from 4 to 58 col/100 mL at the 

upstream site (site 6) and from 12 to 93 col/100 mL at the downstream (site 7), which are substantially less than the recommended limit for a single sample for recreational contact of 

400 col/100 mL. The ribotype patterns of the E. coli isolates 

matched an avian source in 31 percent of the isolates (table 10). 

Although the Buffalo Fork Basin has the most developed land 

of the eastern tributary basins, a human source was matched by 

only 2 percent of the isolates during the study, which is similar 

to the results for the undeveloped basins of Pilgrim Creek and 

Pacific Creek. 

Spread Creek 

Spread Creek drains west from the Mount Leidy Highlands and the Bridger-Teton National Forest to the Snake River 

(fig. 1). The upstream site on Spread Creek (site 8) is in the 

National Forest about 1 mile upstream from the NPS boundary 

and is accessed by gravel road. Site 8 is immediately upstream 

from a small diversion dam that diverts water for irrigation to 

the lower basin. Site 9 is located along a major highway and 

about 3 miles downstream from site 8. The drainage area of the 

basin at site 9 is about 120 square miles, and about 80 percent 

of that area is upstream from site 8. The upper basin essentially 

is undeveloped except for some gravel roads. Over 90 percent 

of the land cover for both sites is forested upland, shrubland, 

and herbaceous upland (fig. 13); the remaining drainage area is 

largely barren highlands, and some wetlands and water. The 

basin at the downstream site on Spread Creek (site 9) drains 

some areas of developed land and cultivated lands, but they are 

less than 0.05 percent of the drainage area. A large temporary 

gravel mining operation was located off the stream channel 

between site 8 and site 9. Recreational use in the basin is common, and grazing occurs in the lower basin. The streambed at 

both sites is composed of unconsolidated coarse gravel and cobble, and the stream is typically braided. 

Streamflow for Spread Creek varied during the sampling 

events, and ranged from 24 ft3

/s in November to 175 ft3/s in 

June at site 8 and from 1.5 ft3

/s in September to 124 ft3/s in June 

at site 9 (fig. 14). Streamflow decreased from upstream to 

downstream during all sampling events, primarily due to irrigation diversions during June, July, and September and possibly 

losses to ground water through the coarse alluvium. 

Dissolved-solids concentrations at site 8 ranged from 100 

to 140 mg/L and were comparable to dissolved-solids concentrations at site 9, which ranged from 103 to 156 mg/L. For both 

sites, the samples with the lowest dissolved-solids concentrations were collected during June, when snowmelt runoff that 

has a short contact time with geologic materials in the basin 

dilutes the base-flow chemistry. Samples with the highest 

dissolved-solids concentrations were collected during November at the upstream site and during September at the downstream site. Streamflow at the downstream site was lowest during September, when streamflow may still be diverted for 

irrigation. The minimum and maximum dissolved-solids concentrations were slightly higher in Spread Creek compared to 

Pilgrim Creek, Pacific Creek, and Buffalo Fork, and probably 

results from differences in geology that includes a larger area of 

Cretaceous shale and sandstone in the Spread Creek Basin 

(Love and others, 1972). 

Concentrations of nitrogen species generally were low in 

samples from site 8 and site 9 on Spread Creek. All samples of 
WATER-QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS 33

Figure 13. Distribution of land cover in the Spread Creek Basin, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

110 30 ° ′ 110 22 30 °′′′ 110 15 ° ′

43 37 30 °′′′

43 45 ° ′

0 2

0 2

4 MILES

4 KILOMETERS

9

8

Snake

R

Elk Ranch

Reservoir

Lower Slide

 Lake

Spread

Spread

Spread

Creek

Creek

Creek

Cotton o

w

o

d

Creek

Slate

Fork

Carmichael

Creek

Creek

Ditch

Creek

B ro lack ck

Fork

Fork

North

South

Site 9

Site 8

National land cover data modified from U.S. Geological Survey,

EROS Data Center, 2000

Hydrography modified from U.S. Dept. of Commerce,

Bureau of the Census digital data, 1995

Albers Equal-area Conic projection, Standard parallels 29°30′ and 45°30′,

Central meridian -107°30′

0 20 40 60 80 100

LAND COVER, IN PERCENT

Barren

Forested upland

Shrubland

Herbaceous upland natural/semi-natural vegetation

Water

Developed

Herbaceous planted/cultivated

Wetland

8 Sampling site and number (table 1)

EXPLANATION
34 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

300
 180


200


160


SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT CONCENTRATION, TOTAL-NITROGEN CONCENTRATION,


IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND


SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT LOAD, IN TONS PER DAY TOTAL-PHOSPHORUS CONCENTRATION, DISSOLVED-SOLIDS CONCENTRATION, 

100


50


20


10


5


2


140


IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 120


100


80


60


40


20


1
 0 

0.4 0.2 IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

0.2 0.1 

0 0 

100
 40


0 0.001


8 9 8 9


SITE SITE


EXPLANATION 

June sample September sample 

July sample November sample 

Figure 14. Streamflow and dissolved-solids, total-nitrogen, total-phosphorus, and suspendedsediment concentrations for Spread Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2002. 

20


10


80
 5


2


1


60
 0.5 

0.2 

0.1 

40


0.05 

0.02 

0.01 20


0.005 

0.002 
 dissolved ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate were less than the waterquality criteria for surface waters in Wyoming. Concentrations 

of dissolved nitrate and total nitrogen in all eight samples were 

less than median concentrations of 0.087 mg/L and 0.26 mg/L, 

respectively, determined for undeveloped streams in the United 

States (Clark and others, 2000) and the ambient total-nitrogen 

criterion of 0.34 mg/L for forested mountain streams in the 

Middle Rockies ecoregion recommended by the USEPA to 

address cultural eutrophication (U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, 2000). A study by Hall and Tank (2003) determined 

that Spread Creek had a higher gross primary productivity and 

areal nitrogen uptake rate compared to other streams they studied in Grand Teton National Park. In all four samples from site 8 

and the June sample from site 9, concentrations of total phosphorus exceeded the total-phosphorus median concentration of 

0.022 mg/L determined for undeveloped streams in the United 

States (Clark and others, 2000) and the ambient totalphosphorus criterion of 0.015 mg/L for forested mountain 

streams recommended by the USEPA (U. S. Environmental 

Protection Agency, 2000). Total-phosphorus concentrations 

generally were higher at site 8 compared to site 9. The sources 

of phosphorus in Spread Creek probably are natural, because 

the upper basin is undeveloped. 

Dissolved-iron and -manganese concentrations were low 

in the samples collected from the upstream site (site 8) and the 

downstream site (site 9) on Spread Creek. The maximum values 

of dissolved iron of 45 μg/L (site 8) and dissolved manganese 

of 5.2 μg/L (site 8) for the eight samples collected from Spread 

Creek were substantially less than the SMCLs of 300 μg/L and 

50 μg/L, respectively. The concentrations of dissolved iron 

were consistently higher in the Spread Creek Basin compared to 

the other tributary basins. During the June sampling of site 8 

and site 9, concentrations of dissolved arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, selenium, and zinc (table 8) were substantially less than chronic and acute aquatic-criteria levels for 

all of the metals (table 3). Sources of trace metals in the Spread 

Creek Basin most likely are natural because the basin is mostly 

undeveloped. 

During the June sampling event, one sample was collected 

from site 8 and site 9 and analyzed for 47 commonly used pesticides. All of the pesticide concentrations for both samples 

were less than the reporting levels for the compounds (table 2) 

and aquatic criteria established for surface waters in Wyoming 

(table 3). The Spread Creek Basin has very little developed and 

cultivated lands where pesticides typically are applied, so the 

lack of any pesticide detections is consistent with the generally 

undeveloped conditions of the basin. 

Suspended-sediment concentrations for Spread Creek varied during the sampling events, and ranged from 20 mg/L in 

November to 81 mg/L in July at the upstream site (site 8) and 

from 1 mg/L in September to 51 mg/L in June at the downstream site (site 9; fig. 14). The highest suspended-sediment 

loads (fig. 14) were during snowmelt runoff in June when suspended sediment is carried to streams with overland flow or is 

resuspended from the stream bottom from turbulent flows. 

Suspended-sediment concentrations were 3 mg/L or less at 

WATER-QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS 35

site 9 for three of the four samples, indicating that the offchannel gravel mining operation probably was not substantially 

contributing sediment to Spread Creek during the sampling 

events of the synoptic study. 

Concentrations of fecal-coliform bacteria in samples collected from Spread Creek (table 9) during the June and July 

sampling events ranged from less than 1 to 32 col/100 mL at the 

upstream site (site 8) and from 13 to 82 col/100 mL at the downstream (site 9), which are substantially less than the recommended limit for a single sample for recreational contact of 

400 col/100 mL. The ribotype patterns of the E. coli isolates 

matched deer and elk sources in 25 percent of the isolates and 

human sources in 6 percent of the isolates (table 10). The source 

for about 10 percent of the isolates for Spread Creek was 

unknown. 

Ditch Creek 

Ditch Creek is the southernmost of the tributaries that were 

part of the synoptic study and flows from the Mount Leidy 

Highlands southwest to the Snake River (fig. 1). The upstream 

site on Ditch Creek near Kelly, Wyoming (site 10) is in the 

Bridger-Teton National Forest and drains about 23 square 

miles. Site 10 is accessed by gravel road and is about 0.5 mile 

upstream from the NPS boundary. Ditch Creek near Moose, 

Wyoming (site 11) is about 6 miles downstream from site 10 

and about 0.3 mile upstream from the confluence with the 

Snake River. The site is located downstream from a major highway and parking turn out for Grand Teton National Park. The 

drainage area at site 11 is about 62 square miles, and is the second smallest of the tributary basins. About 98 percent of the 

land cover for the upstream site is forested upland, shrubland, 

and herbaceous upland (fig. 15); most of the remaining area is 

wetland or barren highland. No developed or cultivated land 

cover exists upstream from site 10. About 87 percent of the land 

cover at the downstream site (site 11) is forested upland, shrubland, and herbaceous upland. Most of the remaining land cover 

in the lower basin is cultivated, primarily with hay meadows 

and some developed inholdings within Grand Teton National 

Park and the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Recreational use in 

the basin is common, and grazing occurs in the lower basin. The 

stream at site 10 is high gradient and the channel is composed 

of boulders and large cobbles. The stream at the lower site is 

incised and has well-embedded cobbles. 

Ditch Creek contributes the least flow to the Snake River 

of the tributaries that were part of the synoptic study. Streamflow for Ditch Creek varied during sampling events, and ranged 

from 3.0 ft3/s in November to 48 ft3/s in June at site 10 and from 

no flow in November to 46 ft3/s in June at site 11 (fig. 16). 

Streamflow was lower at site 11 compared to site 10 during 

June, September, and November, probably due to diversions 

and losses to ground water. 

 The waters of Ditch Creek were the most concentrated of 

the five tributaries that were part of the synoptic study. 

Dissolved-solids concentrations at site 10, which ranged from 
36 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Figure 15. Distribution of land cover in the Ditch Creek Basin, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

Ditch

North

Snake

Gros Ventre

River

River

South

Middle

Creek

Creek

Ditch

Fork

Fork

Fork

11

10

Lower

Slide

Lake

110 37 30 °′′′ 110 30 ° ′

43 37 30 °′′′

43 45 ° ′

0

0

1 2

1 2

3

3

4 MILES

4 KILOMETERS

Barren

Forested upland

Shrubland

Herbaceous upland natural/semi-natural vegetation

Water

Developed

Herbaceous planted/cultivated

Wetland

11 Sampling site and number (table 1)

EXPLANATION

0 20 40 60 80 100

Site 11

Site 10

National land cover data modified from U.S. Geological Survey, EROS Data Center, 2000

Hydrography modified from U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census digital data, 1995

Albers Equal-area Conic projection, Standard parallels 29°30′ and 45°30′,

Central meridian -107°30′

LAND COVER, IN PERCENT
37 

100 

WATER-QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS 

250 

240 

SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT CONCENTRATION, TOTAL-NITROGEN CONCENTRATION, STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND 

SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT LOAD, IN TONS PER DAY TOTAL-PHOSPHORUS CONCENTRATION, DISSOLVED-SOLIDS CONCENTRATION, 

10 200

1 

0.1 

0.01 

0.001 

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 160 

120 

80 

40 

0 

0.4 0.2 

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITERIN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

0.2 0.1

0 0 

40 15 

10 

4 

1 

0.4 

0.1 

0.04

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 20 

0.01 

0.004 

0.001 

0.0004 

0 0.0001 

10 11 10 11 

SITE SITE 

EXPLANATION 

June sample September sample 

July sample November sample 

Figure 16. Streamflow and dissolved-solids, total-nitrogen, total-phosphorus, and suspendedsediment concentrations for Ditch Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 2002. 
38 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

116 to 216 mg/L, were slightly lower than dissolved-solids concentrations at site 11, which ranged from 139 to 235 mg/L. For 

both sites, the samples with the lowest dissolved-solids concentrations were collected during June, when snowmelt runoff that 

has a shorter contact time with geologic materials in the basin 

dilutes the base-flow chemistry. The higher dissolved-solids 

concentrations, compared to the other eastern tributaries, probably are the result of differences in geology that includes a 

larger area of Cretaceous and Jurassic rocks, including shale, 

siltstone, and sandstone (Love and others, 1972). Some thermal 

springs that exist in the basin may contribute to the dissolvedsolids concentrations. The range of dissolved-solids concentrations for samples from Ditch Creek generally were higher than 

the range of dissolved-solids concentrations for the Snake River 

at Moose, Wyoming (site 12). 

All concentrations of dissolved ammonia, nitrite, and 

nitrate in samples from Ditch Creek were less than the waterquality criteria for surface waters in Wyoming. Dissolvednitrate concentrations were less than the median concentration 

of 0.087 mg/L determined for undeveloped streams in the 

United States (Clark and others, 2000). Total-nitrogen concentrations were less than the median concentration of 0.26 mg/L 

determined for undeveloped streams in the United States (Clark 

and others, 2000) and the ambient total-nitrogen criterion of 

0.34 mg/L for forested mountain streams in the Middle Rockies 

ecoregion recommended by the USEPA to address cultural 

eutrophication (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000). 

All samples of dissolved orthophosphate were less than the 

reporting level of 0.02 mg/L. Total-phosphorus concentrations 

in three samples from Ditch Creek exceeded the totalphosphorus median concentration of 0.022 mg/L determined 

for undeveloped streams in the United States (Clark and others, 

2000) and the ambient total-phosphorus criterion of 

0.015 mg/L for forested mountain streams recommended by the 

USEPA (2000). Although Ditch Creek has the highest percentage of cultivated land cover (over 12 percent at the downstream 

site), nutrient concentrations generally were comparable to concentrations in samples from the undeveloped basins. 

Dissolved-iron and -manganese concentrations were low 

in the samples collected from the upstream site (site 10) and 

downstream site (site 11) on Ditch Creek. The maximum values 

of dissolved iron of 16 μg/L (site 10) and dissolved manganese 

of 6.1 μg/L (site 10) for the seven samples collected from Ditch 

Creek were substantially less than the SMCLs of 300 μg/L and 

50 μg/L, respectively. Concentrations of dissolved arsenic 

(1.0 μg/L at site 11), copper (0.90 μg/L at site 10), nickel 

(0.94 μg/L at site 10) and zinc (45 μg/L at site 10) were higher 

in samples collected from Ditch Creek compared to the other 

basins (table 8) during the June sampling event. However, concentrations of dissolved arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, 

nickel, selenium, and zinc were less than chronic and acute 

aquatic-criteria levels for all of the metals (table 3). The source 

of trace metals at site 10 probably is natural because the basin is 

undeveloped upstream from site 10. 

During the June sampling event, one sample was collected 

from site 10 and site 11 and analyzed for 47 commonly used 

pesticides. All of the pesticide concentrations for both samples 

were less than the reporting levels for the compounds (table 2) 

and aquatic criteria established for surface waters in Wyoming 

(table 3). Although the Ditch Creek Basin has the highest percentage of cultivated lands, the sample from site 11 did not have 

any more pesticide detections than samples from sites in undeveloped basins. 

Suspended-sediment concentrations for Ditch Creek varied during the sampling events, and ranged from 1 mg/L in 

November to 27 mg/L in June at the upstream site (site 10) and 

from 1 mg/L in September to 24 mg/L in June at the downstream (site 11). The highest suspended-sediment concentrations were during snowmelt runoff in June when suspended sediment is carried to streams with overland flow or is resuspended 

from the stream bottom from turbulent flows. The sediment 

load to the Snake River from Ditch Creek during high flow in 

June (fig. 16) was the lowest from eastern tributaries that were 

part of synoptic study. 

The samples with the highest fecal-coliform concentrations were collected from Ditch Creek (table 9). Concentrations 

of fecal-coliform bacteria in samples collected from Ditch 

Creek during the June and July sampling events ranged from 3 

to 100 col/100 mL at the upstream site (site 10) and from 2 to 

greater than 200 col/100 mL at the downstream (site 11). The 

ribotype patterns of the E. coli isolates most frequently matched 

an avian source, which accounted for 35 percent of the isolates 

(table 10). 

SUMMARY 

Water-quality sampling of streams in Grand Teton 

National Park in the upper Snake River Basin has been conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the 

National Park Service to meet various objectives of the National 

Park Service. Routine sampling of the Snake River was conducted during water years 1998-2002 to monitor the water quality of the Snake River through time. In addition, a synoptic 

study was conducted during 2002 on five eastern tributaries to 

the Snake River—Pilgrim Creek, Pacific Creek, Buffalo Fork, 

Spread Creek, and Ditch Creek. Samples from the Snake River 

and the five tributaries were collected and analyzed for field 

measurements, major ions and dissolved solids, nutrients, 

selected trace metals, pesticides, and suspended sediment. In 

addition, the eastern tributaries were sampled for fecalindicator bacteria by the National Park Service during the synoptic study. 

Water-quality characteristics are summarized for two sites 

on the Snake River for water years 1998-2002 and for two sites 

on each of five eastern tributaries for the synoptic study in 2002. 

Data from routine monitoring at sites on the Snake River in 

Grand Teton National Park during water years 1998-2002 indicate that stream-water quality generally is of good quality. Differences in water quality primarily were in response to natural 

differences in geology and variations in precipitation. Stream­
flow during water years 1998-2002 for the Snake River ranged 

from above normal to below normal in response to variations in 

precipitation. Water types for the Snake River ranged from 

sodium bicarbonate at the upstream site above Jackson Lake to 

calcium carbonate at the downstream site near Moose, Wyoming. Dissolved-solids concentrations in 43 samples from the 

upstream site on the Snake River ranged from 62 to 240 milligrams per liter and were significantly higher (p-value<0.001) 

than dissolved-solids concentrations in 33 samples from the 

downstream site, which ranged from 77 to 141 milligrams per 

liter. Geothermal waters from Yellowstone National Park and 

differences in geology probably are the source of the differences in major-ion chemistry. 

Concentrations of nutrients generally were low in samples 

collected from the Snake River. Concentrations of dissolved 

ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in all samples collected from the 

Snake River during water years 1998-2002 were less than the 

water-quality criteria for surface waters in Wyoming. The 

median concentrations of nitrate at both the upstream site 

(<0.05 milligram per liter) and downstream site (<0.05 milligram per liter) on the Snake River were less than the median 

concentration of 0.087 milligram per liter determined for undeveloped streams in the United States; however, total-nitrogen 

and total-phosphorus concentrations in some samples from the 

Snake River did exceed the ambient criteria of 0.34 milligram 

per liter and 0.015 milligram per liter, respectively, that are recommended for forested mountain streams in the Middle Rockies ecoregion by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to 

address cultural eutrophication. Sources for the excess nitrogen 

and phosphorus probably are natural because these basins have 

little development and cultivation; however, a few anthropogenic sources, such as campgrounds, septic systems, and cultivated lands, do exist in the basins. 

Concentrations of trace metals and pesticides were low in 

samples collected from the Snake River. The maximum 

dissolved-iron concentration for all Snake River samples 

(38 micrograms per liter) was substantially less than the Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level of 300 micrograms per 

liter. The maximum dissolved-manganese concentration 

(9.3 micrograms per liter) also was substantially less than the 

Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level of 50 micrograms per 

liter. Concentrations of all analyzed pesticides were less than 

the reporting level in 27 samples from the Snake River. Five 

samples from the Snake River had detectable concentrations of 

the pesticides atrazine, EPTC, dieldrin, and tebuthiuron. Concentrations of all of the detectable pesticides were 0.003 microgram per liter or less. 

Suspended-sediment concentrations in 43 samples from 

the upstream site on the Snake River ranged from 1 to 604 milligrams per liter and were comparable to suspended-sediment 

concentrations in 33 samples from the downstream site, which 

ranged from 1 to 648 milligrams per liter. Concentrations of 

suspended sediment generally were highest in samples collected during late spring and lowest in samples collected during 

the fall in response to variations in streamflow. 

SUMMARY 39 

Data from a synoptic study during 2002 in the upper Snake 

River Basin indicate that stream water of five eastern tributaries 

to the Snake River generally is of good quality. The water type 

of Pilgrim Creek, Pacific Creek, Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, 

and Ditch Creek was calcium bicarbonate. Concentrations of 

dissolved solids ranged from 75 milligrams per liter in a sample 

from Pilgrim Creek to 235 milligrams per liter in a sample from 

Ditch Creek. Differences in dissolved-solids concentrations 

between sites probably are due to differences in geology in the 

basins. Seasonal variations in dissolved-solids concentrations 

also occurred as a result of variations in streamflow. 

Concentrations of nutrients generally were low in samples 

collected from the five eastern tributary streams. Concentrations of dissolved ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in all samples 

collected from the synoptic study during 2002 were less than the 

water-quality criteria for surface waters in Wyoming. Concentrations of nitrate in all 39 samples collected during the synoptic 

study were less than the median concentration of 0.087 milligram per liter determined for undeveloped streams in the United 

States. Total-nitrogen and total-phosphorus concentrations in 

some samples from the tributaries exceeded the ambient criteria 

of 0.34 milligram per liter and 0.015 milligram per liter, respectively, that are recommended for forested mountain streams in 

the Middle Rockies ecoregion by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Generally, sources for the excess nitrogen and 

phosphorus probably are natural because these basins have little 

development and cultivation; however, a few anthropogenic 

sources, such as campgrounds, septic systems, and cultivated 

lands, do exist in the basins. 

Concentrations of trace metals and pesticides were low in 

samples collected from Pilgrim Creek, Pacific Creek, Buffalo 

Fork, Spread Creek, and Ditch Creek. The maximum dissolvediron concentration for all tributary synoptic study samples was 

45 micrograms per liter, which is substantially less than the Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level of 300 micrograms per 

liter. The maximum dissolved-manganese concentration for all 

tributary synoptic study samples was 12.8 micrograms per liter, 

which is substantially less than the Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level of 50 micrograms per liter. Concentrations of 

dissolved arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, selenium, and zinc in tributary samples collected during June 2002 

as part of the synoptic study were less than the aquatic criteria 

established for these metals for surface waters in Wyoming. Of 

the 47 pesticides that were analyzed in 10 samples from the tributary sites, only metolachlor was detected in one sample from 

the Buffalo Fork at a concentration of 0.008 microgram per 

liter. 

Suspended-sediment concentrations ranged from 1 milligram per liter for samples collected from Pilgrim Creek, Pacific 

Creek, Spread Creek and Ditch Creek to 286 milligrams per 

liter for a sample collected from Buffalo Fork. Suspendedsediment concentrations generally were comparable between 

upstream and downstream sites on the tributaries. Concentrations of suspended sediment generally were highest in samples 

collected during late spring and lowest in samples collected during the fall in response to variations in streamflow. 
40 Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

Concentrations of fecal coliform in samples collected from 

the eastern tributary streams ranged from less than 1 colony per 

100 milliliters in a sample collected from Spread Creek to 

greater than 200 colonies per 100 milliliters in a sample collected from Ditch Creek. A microbial source-tracking method 

determined that ribotype patterns for Escherichia coli isolates 

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32 percent of the isolates from Pilgrim Creek, 31 percent of the 

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from Ditch Creek. Bovine sources were the dominant match in 

Pacific Creek and accounted for 24 percent of the isolates. Deer 

and elk sources were the dominant match in Spread Creek and 

accounted for 25 percent of the isolates. Human sources were 

matched in 6 percent or less of the isolates for each basin. 

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