Funding Program:
Fisheries: Aquatic and Endangered Resources
Statement of Problem: A report by Fairchild et al. (2003) indicated that Fort Cobb Reservoir is highly eutrophic. A greater understanding of the sources, loading, and effects of nutrients in runoff from the Fort Cobb Watershed is needed. This report formed the basis of an Central Region Integrated Science Proposal funded for 2006-2007 (Project 86420). The four disciplines within the USGS Central Region (Biology, Water, Geography, and Geology) are conducting an Integrated Assessment of the Fort Cobb Watershed. This task is the BRD component.
Objectives: 1) Determine the spatial and temporal trends in water quality within Fort Cobb Reservoir; 2) Quantify the degree of eutrophication of the reservoir; 3) Merge these data with those being collected by the other disciplines (Water: characterization of nutrient loading; Geology: remote sensing of the Watershed to characterize current land and water condition; and Geography: chronicle historic land use of the watershed)