Fordville dam

fordville dam watershed assessment:

 

         

The Grand Forks County Water Resource District, Nelson County Water Resource District, and Walsh County Water Resource District are working in cooperation to perform the water quality assessment of the Fordville Dam reservoir.  The assessment is projected to take place over two years, from July 2008 until June 2010.  Water sampling performed by the Grand Forks Soil Conservation District is taken at three locations, one for water flowing into, water at the deepest location, and water flowing out of the reservoir.  The field measurements and water sampling schedule is twice per week from spring melt through May and once per week in June until the stream locations freeze over.  The lake samples will be collected twice per month from May through September, and once per month in October through April as conditions permit.  Water samples are sent to the North Dakota Department of Health Chemistry Lab in Bismarck for analysis.  Trace metals (Arsenic, Selenium, Cadmium for example), nutrients (such as Phosphorus and Nitrogen), fecal coliform, e.coli, suspended solids, and chlorophyll are a few of the tests being performed.  The U.S. Geological Survey is collecting stream flow data at the inlet and outlet stream sites.  The North Dakota Department of Health publishes a list of water bodies in the state in danger of being or already unable to support designated uses, such as recreation or wildlife habitat.  The 2008 version of the list designated the 197 acre Fordville Dam as “fully supporting but threatened” for recreation due to excess nutrients in the water, promoting warm season algal blooms, or eutrophication.  The data gathered in this assessment will be used to generate a Non Point Source Pollution Assessment Report, and determine actions to reduce the effects of non-point source pollutants.