Establishing a Water Quality
Network Station — A Case History
HARRY STIERLI, In Charge, Equipment Development, Water Quality Section
Basic Data Branch,
Division of Water Supply and Pollution Control
Public Health Service
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
Cincinnati, Ohio
MAX T. OREM, Chief, Water Pollution Section
Division of Sanitary Engineering
Indiana State Board of Health
Indianapolis, Indiana
R. DON BLAIR, Hydraulic Engineer and Bridge Superintendent
White County Bridge Commission
New Harmony, Indiana
INTRODUCTION
In the long range program for the Ohio River Basin a National Water
Quality Network station was needed near the mouth of the Wabash River.
This station required a rather interesting and relatively complex installation
on a bridge pier at New Harmony, Indiana. It was established with the cooperation of the Indiana State Board of Health and the White County (Illinois)
Bridge Commission. Operation of this station is conducted jointly with the
Indiana State Board of Health and the Bridge Superintendent. The station is
also a part of the Indiana Water Quality Monitoring Program. This paper
presents steps taken in the selection of the actual site location together with
details of design, installation and collection of the water quality data for
Indiana's Water Quality Monitoring Program and the National Water Quality
Network.
INDIANA'S WATER QUALITY MONITORING PROGRAM (1)
This Program was initiated in 1956. The original purpose of the Program
was to obtain information on the normal amounts of radiological materials
present in the waters of the State. Arrangements were made with local observers to collect samples at ten strategic locations and to ship them to
Indianapolis for analysis in the laboratory. Since information on the chemical
composition of the streams would be valuable for present and future uses the
the sampling was expanded to include certain chemical analyses.
The results obtained from these original ten stations proved very interesting. In April 1957, the program was expanded to cover the entire state.
At that time it was believed that approximately 50 sampling stations located
at strategic points would give a fairly good picture of the general conditions
of the streams.
The sampling stations are located on the major watercourses and near
U. S. Geological Survey gaging stations. Stream flow, at the time of sampling, is beneficial in data interpretation; however, it was not possible to
locate all stations near gaging stations.
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