Physical, Chemical, and Biological Data for
Two Sites on the Upper Kenai River, Alaska, 1998

By Joseph M. Dorava and Lee Ness

Abstract

Water-quality data were collected and stream characteristics were documented from two sites along the upper Kenai River in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. These data were collected to describe the current status of the sites and to provide baseline information from which changes in the future could be evaluated. Physical characteristics included channel geometry surveys, and measurements of channel widths and water discharge at each site. Chemical data included stream water temperature, dissolved-oxygen concentration, pH, specific conductance, E. coli and fecal coliform counts, and nutrient concentration. Data on concentrations of trace elements and various organic compounds in bed sediments and the tissue of slimy sculpin were also collected. Biological characteristics were evaluated using measurements of the bacteria, benthic macroinvertebrate, and fish communities.

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Dorava, J.M., and Ness, Lee, 1999, Physical, chemical, and biological data for two sites on the upper Kenai River, Alaska, 1998: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 99-258, 49 p.