Effects of river regulation on water quality in the lower Mokelumne River, California

Abstract

This study examines the effects of flow regulation on water quantity and quality by comparing an impounded system (Mokelumne River) with an adjacent unimpounded system (Cosumnes River). Between 1999 and 2002, the Cosumnes River displayed a strong seasonal cycle for each constituent analysed (total suspended solids, NO3-N, total nitrogen, PO4-P, total phosphorus, dissolved silicon, specific conductivity, flow), while reservoirs in the lower Mokelumne buffered and attenuated physical and chemical fluctuations creating a weak seasonal pattern. Dissolved silicon and total suspended solids were the two constituents most efficiently sequestered by the reservoirs. While the reservoirs acted as traps for most constituents, NO3-N and PO4-P were produced during the drier years of the study, 2001 and 2002. In contrast, the unimpounded reference reach in the Cosumnes was an annual source for all constituents measured. The Cosumnes delivers its highest NO3-N concentrations during the winter months (December–April), while peak concentrations in the Mokelumne occur during the snowmelt (May–July) and baseflow (August–November) seasons. Due to downstream N-limitation, this temporal shift in NO3-N export may be contributing to accelerated algal growth in the reach immediately downstream and eventually to algal biomass loading to the downstream Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.