Precipitation, streamflow and water quality data from selected sites in the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 1993-95

Abstract

Precipitation and hydrologic data were collected at 28 precipitation sites and stream sites in the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County from October 1993 through June 1995 to identify the type, concentration, and amount of nonpoint-source stormwater runoff within the area. The data collected include measurements of precipitation; streamflow; physical characteristics, such as water temperature, pH, specific conductance, biochemical oxygen demand, oil and grease, and suspended sediment concentrations; and concentrations of nutrients, metals and minor constituents, and organic compounds. These data should provide valuable information needed for (1) planned watershed simulation models, (2) early warning of possible flooding, (3) estimates of nonpoint-source constituent loadings to the Catawba River, and (4) characterization of water quality in relation to basin conditions. Purpose and Scope The purpose of this report is to summarize the precipitation and hydrologic data collected in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County from October 1993 through June 1995. The data collected include measurements of precipitation; streamflow; physical characteristics, such as water temperature, pH, specific conductance, biochemical oxygen demand, oil and grease, and suspended sediment concentrations; and concentrations of nutrients, metals and minor Abstract 1 constituents, and organic compounds. This report also describes the field and laboratory methods used to collect and analyze these data. The data-collection network that was initiated in October 1993 with the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County consists of precipitation sites and 8 stream sites, which are needed to determine the effects of land development on water quality and to evaluate the effectiveness of control measures (fig. 1). Six of the sites define runoff characteristics from streams with differing land-use characteristics within the city, and two of the sites define runoff characteristics from streams located within the county. These data should provide valuable information needed for stormwater management, estimates of nonpointsource constituent loadings to the Catawba River, and information needed to calibrate watershed models necessary for evaluating stormwater management options. Study Area and Sites Mecklenburg County is located in south-central North Carolina within the southern Piedmont Province and covers an area of 528 square miles. The county is bounded on the west by the Catawba River and its reservoirs, Lake Norman, Mountain Island Lake, and Lake Wylie (fig. 1). The Catawba River drains approximately 75 percent of the county. The remaining 25 percent is drained by the Rocky River and its tributaries in the Pee Dee River Basin (McCachren, 1980). Lake Norman is the major watersupply reservoir for several municipalities in northern Mecklenburg County. Mountain Island Lake supplies Charlotte and several other municipalities in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties. Charlotte is the principal municipality in Mecklenburg County and the largest city in North ...

BUILDUP, WASHOFF, AND EVENT MEAN CONCENTRATIONS1

“…Potential use of this method is demonstrated through an application to storm event mean concentration sampling data collected by the USGS for the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utility Department in the southern Piedmont Province of North Carolina (Robinson et al, 1996(Robinson et al, , 1998. These data were collected with the intention of defining runoff characteristics from streams with differing land use characteristics within the city and county.…”

Lake Hickory, North Carolina: Analysis of ambient conditions and simulation of hydrodynamics, constituent transport, and water-quality characteristics, 1993-94

“…Concentrations of NO2+NO3, NH4, and PO4 in Snow Creek were set at 0.6 mg/L, 0.3 mg/L, and 0.15 mg/L, respectively. These values are based on median concentrations of these constituents measured in urban streams in Charlotte, N.C. (Robinson, Hazell, and Garrett, 1998). For the base (undeveloped, or 1993-94) simulation, NO2+NO3 concentrations in Snow Creek ranged from 0.053 to 0.320 mg/L; NH4 concentrations ranged from 0.002 to 0.048 mg/L; and PO4 concentrations ranged from 0.001 to 0.005 mg/L.…”