The Water Quality Program conducts annual Physical Habitat and Bioassessment monitoring on the lower Truckee River and perennial mountain streams within the reservation boundaries. The program uses a YSI EXO-1 sonde to collect field measurements in temperature, specific conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, pH, turbidity and dissolved oxygen.
Grab samples are collected, filtered, preserved and analyzed for constituents like Dissolved Reactive Phosphorous (DRP or Orthophosphate), Total Phosphorus (TP), Nitrate + Nitrite (NO2 + NO3), Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN) and Ammonia as Nitrogen (NH3-N). Samples are analyzed at the Water Quality Lab located in Sutcliffe, NV.
Monitoring is conducted on 16 Stream locations usually in early spring or after the first snow runoff occurs. At each site a 12"x 12" surber net, 500 micron mesh, is used to collect benthic macroinvertebrates at 3 different locations within each reach. A densiometer is used to obtain an estimate of canopy cover (%) along the 150 meter reach.
Monitoring is conducted on 13 Lower Truckee River locations usually during low flows (early August). At each site a 18"x 12" kick net, 500 micron mesh, is used to collect benthic macroinvertebrates at 9 different locations within each reach. A densiometer is used to obtain an estimate canopy cover (%) along the 500 meter reach.
