## 4 Discussion  
Water quality impacts were assessed according to compliance with the Kentucky Water Quality Standards [15]. These standards serve as minimum requirements for all surface waters in Kentucky, as well as for maintaining and protecting them for designated uses. This study found that both forested and agricultural streams maintained pH values within acceptable limits for aquatic life (6.0 to 9.0 pH units) [15]. Notably, forested streams had a significantly higher mean pH than agricultural streams; however, pH values did not fall outside the limits for aquatic life. The water temperature was not different between the agricultural and forested streams and remained within the acceptable range for aquatic life [32]. DO levels in the forested streams were greater than in the agricultural streams, and TSS and TSS discharge levels were greater in the agricultural streams than in the forested streams. This indicates that streams in forested areas have better water quality and a greater potential to support diverse aquatic life compared to agricultural streams. TSS levels were also greater for agricultural streams during the spring, indicating that the tilling and planting seasons likely result in greater erosion. A potential necessity for expanded (wider) riparian zones beyond what is currently implemented to safeguard stream water chemistry and support greater aquatic diversity. Similar trends have been reported in various studies, emphasizing the superior water quality in forested watersheds compared to agricultural ones [33; 34; 35; 36]. For instance, a study in the Lower Grand River Watershed in Missouri demonstrated significant correlations between geologic and land use characteristics and water quality parameters in 35 independent sub-watersheds [14]. The most forested watershed exhibited the best water quality, while the predominantly agricultural watershed displayed the poorest quality and greatest temporal variation [31]. The results from other studies also highlight the positive influence of forest cover on water quality indicators over specific periods [37; 38]. Higher forest cover has been associated with increased dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations [39], a pattern observed in our study where DO levels remained above the threshold and were significantly greater than the levels in the agricultural streams. In our study, forested sites consistently exhibited lower TSS concentrations compared to agricultural sites, with instances of TSS levels nearing 80 mg/L. Elevated TSS levels have been associated with adverse effects on aquatic life, including mortality in eggs and larvae, gill damage in certain fish species, and increased mortality among juvenile salmonids; effects observed from levels as low as 25 mg/L up to increased mortality at 500 mg/L [40; 41]. Studies have indicated that changes in land cover, particularly increased cropland, can lead to elevated TSS concentrations, suggesting agriculture is a potential contributor to increased sediment levels [42]. Research has shown a correlation between a decrease in forest cover and increased turbidity, TSS, and total dissolved solids (TDS) by 8.41% and 4.17%, respectively [43]. The Pearson correlation analysis results for this study indicate a correlation between pH and DO. Similar results were found in other studies [44; 45]. [PERSON] (2009) reported a correlation of 0.51 between pH and DO [46], while our study reported a correlation of 0.58 for agricultural streams and 0.56 for forested streams. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline
**Land Cover** & **Parameter 1** & **Parameter 2** & **r** & **_p-Value_** \\ \hline Forested & Flow & TSS discharge & 0.93 & \textless{}0.0001 \\  & TSS & TSS discharge & 0.62 & \textless{}0.0001 \\  & TSS & Flow & 0.56 & \textless{}0.0001 \\  & pH & DO & 0.56 & \textless{}0.0001 \\  & DO & TSS & 0.25 & 0.0002 \\  & Temp. & pH & 0.22 & 0.0011 \\  & Temp. & DO & 0.18 & 0.0081 \\  & pH & Flow & 0.18 & 0.0105 \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}