Water Quality of the West Branch of the Dupage River and Kline Creek, Illinois, as Evaluated Using the Arthropod Fauna and Chemical Measurements

Content Provider	Semantic Scholar
Author	Peterson, Chris E.
Copyright Year	1991
Abstract	The water quality of the West Branch of the DuPage River (W. Branch) and Kline Creek, a tributary of the W. Branch, were examined. Both streams are located in rapidly developing DuPage County, IL. Using Hilsenhoff's biotic index of the arthropod fauna and selected chemical measurements, the W. Branch was found to be moderately polluted and Kline Creek moderately to severely polluted. High mean biotic index measurements ranging from 6.28 to 7.97, ammonia­ nitrogen readings of 1.0-3.9 ppm, nitrate-nitrogen readings of 0.4-1.6 ppm, chlo­ ride readings of 231-313 ppm, and orthophosphate readings of 0.3-0.5 ppm reflect organically polluted waters in both streams. Stream channelization and modification may also be contributing to the less than optimal water quality at the headwater of the W. Branch. From 1980 through 1~88 the population of DuPage County, Illinois, grew from 658,858 to 760,800 people (DuPage County Planning Department, personal commu­ nication). As a result of the urbanization, the county has experienced a reduction and fragmentation of open space. As a means to estimate the impact of development on the natural environment, the water qualities of the West Branch of the DuPage River (W. Branch) and a tributary were examined using stream arthropod and chemical indicators. Stream analysis is practical for estimating human impacts because streams, receive anthropogenic inputs through surface runoff, ground water, and direct discharge. Also, arthropods inhabiting streams show species spe­ cific tolerances to these inputs (Hilsenhoff 1977, Paine and Gaufin 1956, Wilson and McGill 1977). The W. Branch is an ideal stream to survey in DuPage County because it transects the county by flowing north to south. The 40 km W. Branch is part of the 3553 km2 Des Plaines River drainage basin located mostly in Northeastern Illinois (Illinois Environmental Protection Agency 1988). The average gradient of the W. Branch is about 1.1 m/km. Over 70070 of the first 30 km of the stream surveyed in this study s bor ered by seven DuPage County Forest Preserves which encompass 2340 hectares of mostly mesophytic forests. However, this section directly, or indirectly via tributaries, receives dis­ charges from nine waste water treatment plants that service many of the more than 215,000 people living in the residential areas along the W. Branch. One such tributary which was examined is Kline Creek, a 5 km long stream originating just INatural Sciences, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137. 1 Peterson: Water Quality of the West Branch of the Dupage River and Kline Cr Published by ValpoScholar, 1991 128 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 24, No.3 Table 1. Sampling stations and their locations along the West Branch of the DuPage River (W. Branch) and Kline Creek, IL. Distance of a station from the headwater area is listed beside the stream's name in the parentheses.
Starting Page	1
Ending Page	1
Page Count	1
File Format	PDF HTM / HTML
Volume Number	24
Alternate Webpage(s)	https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1740&context=tgle
Language	English
Access Restriction	Open
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article