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Photo of Tongue River.

Photo of Tongue River

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Tongue River Surface-Water-Quality Monitoring Network

Project Chief: Jill Frankforter
Period of Project: January 2004 - Present
Cooperators: Bureau of Land Management bulletFidelity Exploration and Production Co bulletMT Dept of Natural Resources & Conservation bulletNorthern Cheyenne Tribe bulletWY State Engineer bulletMT Dept of Environmental Quality bulletWY Dept of Environmental Quality

Reconnaissance Survey of Specific Conductance along the Tongue River between the Streamflow-Gaging Stations at Monarch, Wyoming, and State Line, Montana, September 27-28, 2005

Specific conductance of the Tongue River typically increases between the U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations at Monarch, Wyoming (06299980), and State line, Montana (06306300). However, the locations of the inflows contributing the dissolved minerals that increase the specific conductance of the Tongue River are not known. A reconnaissance survey of specific conductance was conducted September 27-28, 2005, to determine where specific conductance increases through this reach. Specific conductance was measured at 23 sites along the mainstem of the Tongue River and at 21 inflows (fig. 1).

 

Measurements on September 27 began downstream from the bridge at Montana Highway 314 at 0941 hours and were completed at 1830 hours at the State line gage. Measurements on September 28 began at the Monarch gage at 0830 hours and were completed at 1130 hours upstream from the bridge at Montana Highway 314 (fig. 2; table 1). Measured inflows (table 2) included tributaries, an irrigation return flow, and permitted discharges from coalbed methane production facilities. Water-quality samples were collected for laboratory analysis from selected inflows. Sodium adsorption ratios for these samples are listed in table 2; other analytical data for these samples is available at http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/qw.

Location of sampling sites, September 27-28, 2005.

Figure 1.
Location of sampling sites, September 27-28, 2005.

Specific conductance of the Tongue River, tributaries, and other inflows

Figure 2.
Specific conductance of the Tongue River, tributaries, and other inflows between U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations at Monarch, Wyoming (06299980), and State line, Montana (06306300), September 27-28, 2005.

Table 1 . Specific conductance of the Tongue River, September 27-28, 2005, Wyoming and Montana.

[Sites are listed in downstream order. Site at river mile 0 is Tongue River at Monarch (0629998). Site at river mile 31.14 is Tongue River at State line (06306300). Abbreviations: ft3/s, cubic feet per second; µS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius. Symbol: --, no data]

Latitude

Longitude

River mile

Date

Time

Specific conductance (µS/cm)

Streamflow (ft3/s)

44º 54" 8.20'

107º 1.0" 12.1'

0

9/28/2005

0830

420

74

44º 54" 25.3'

107º 0.0" 41.6'

0.64

9/28/2005

0845

419

--

44º 54" 29.2'

107º 0.0" 30.5'

0.84

9/28/2005

0850

419

--

44º 54" 34.0'

107º 0.0" 29.4'

1.04

9/28/2005

0857

419

--

44º 54" 27.6'

107º 0.0" 2.30'

1.40

9/28/2005

0908

419

--

44º 54" 43.0'

106º 59" 40.3'

1.84

9/28/2005

0917

420

--

44º 54" 51.6'

106º 59" 29.8'

2.24

9/28/2005

0925

420

--

44º 54" 48.6'

106º 59" 19.7

2.44

9/28/2005

0936

420

--

44º 54" 47.6'

106º 59" 10.9'

2.54

9/28/2005

0938

420

--

44º 54" 33.6'

106º 58" 11.2'

3.64

9/28/2005

1016

520

--

44º 54" 26.4'

106º 57" 50.2'

3.94

9/28/2005

1024

520

--

44º 54" 28.7'

106º 57" 13.5'

4.54

9/28/2005

1050

520

--

44º 56" 44.0'

106º 56" 35.0'

12.94

9/28/2005

1130

522

--

44º 57" 33.5'

106º 55" 16.2'

15.54

9/27/2005

0941

539

--

44º 58" 24.7'

106º 54" 50.7'

17.04

9/27/2005

1100

543

--

44º 58" 55.3'

106º 53" 40.7'

19.34

9/27/2005

1140

544

--

44º 58" 56.1'

106º 53" 25.0'

19.74

9/27/2005

1200

542

--

44º 59" 31.6'

106º 53" 35.9'

20.48

9/27/2005

1215

542

--

44º 59" 41.4'

106º 53" 14.7'

20.94

9/27/2005

1235

541

--

44º 59" 16.7'

106º 53" 13.7'

21.54

9/27/2005

1253

540

--

44º 59" 56.5'

106º 52" 31.9'

22.84

9/27/2005

1400

539

--

44º 59" 24.0'

106º 49" 49.2'

27.94

9/27/2005

1645

544

--

45º 00" 32.0'

106º 50" 08.0'

31.14

9/27/2005

1830

625

195



Table 2 . Physical and chemical characteristics of inflows to the Tongue River, September 27-28, 2005, Wyoming and Montana.

[Sites are listed in downstream order. Station names for permitted discharges from coalbed methane facilities correspond to names designated by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Site type: T, tributary; I, irrigation return flow; C, permitted discharges from coalbed methane facilities. Abbreviations: ft3/s, cubic feet per second; µS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; SAR, sodium adsorption ratio. Symbol: --, no data]

 

Site name

U.S. Geological Survey station number

Latitude

Longitude

River mile

Site type

Date

Time

Stream-flow (ft3/s)

Specific conductance (µS/cm)

SAR

Goose Creek near Acme

06305700

44º 54" 44.6'

106º 58" 45.3'

2.81

T

9/28/2005

1000

87

612

0.63

Ash Creek near mouth

445700106563101

44º 57" 00.0'

106º 56" 31.0'

13.07

T

9/28/2005

1135

0.10

1,700

1.5

Youngs Creek at mouth

445817106544601

44º 58" 17.0'

106º 54" 46.2'

16.52

T

9/27/2005

1030

0.27

1,260

0.97

Unnamed irrigation return flow

--

44º 59" 39.1'

106º 53" 37.2'

20.24

I

9/27/2005

1230

--

530

--

MT-0030457-009

445949106524801

44º 59" 48.9'

106º 52" 48.4'

22.17

C

9/27/2005

1315

0.26

2,050

42

MT-0030457-008

--

44º 59" 55.2'

106º 52" 48.0'

22.27

C

9/27/2005

1340

0.002

2,160

--

MT-0030457-002

--

44º 59" 56.5'

106º 52" 31.9'

22.47

C

9/27/2005

1354

<0.01

--

--

MT-0030457-003

--

45º 00" 06.8'

106º 52" 27.2'

22.73

C

9/27/2005

1405

Dry

--

--

MT-0030457-004

450011106522501

45º 00" 10.9'

106º 52" 25.2'

22.77

C

9/27/2005

1413

0.034

1,980

53

MT-0030457-001

--

45º 00" 17.3'

106º 52" 17.9'

23.37

C

9/27/2005

1440

0.004

1,880

--

MT-0030457-010

--

45º 00" 02.7'

106º 52" 11.2'

23.67

C

9/27/2005

1450

0.009

2,040

--

MT-0030457-005

445955106515801

44º 59" 54.8'

106º 51" 57.6'

23.87

C

9/27/2005

1505

0.022

1,750

48

MT-0030457-006

--

45º 00" 09.7'

106º 51" 16.2'

24.97

C

9/27/2005

1535

0.21

1,960

--

MT-0030457-007

--

45º 00" 15.8'

106º 51" 10.8'

25.07

C

9/27/2005

1547

0.16

2,000

--

Squirrel Creek at mouth

--

45º 00" 15.5'

106º 51" 04.2"

25.12

T

9/27/2005

1600

Dry

--

--

MT-0030457-011

--

44º 59" 55.1'

106º 50" 52.0'

25.47

C

9/27/2005

1615

Dry

--

--

MT-0030457-014

--

44º 59" 53.5'

106º 50" 53.3'

25.62

C

9/27/2005

1620

0.33

1,830

--

Prairie Dog Creek near Acme

06306250

44º 59" 53.5'

106º 50" 53.3'

27.46

T

9/27/2005

1650

31

1,034

0.87

MT-0030457-012

--

44º 59" 49.6'

106º 49" 26.0'

28.71

C

9/27/2005

1715

0.056

1,990

--

MT-0030457-013

450007106495201

45º 00" 07.2'

106º 49" 51.7'

29.91

C

9/27/2005

1735

0.035

1,970

57

MT-0030457-015

450017106494001

45º 00" 17.0'

106º 49' 40.0'

30.17

C

9/27/2005

1750

2.0

2,440

58

 

 

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