Summary
A study of limnological conditions was conducted on a 168-km stretch of the Guadalupe River in central Texas for one year beginning in February, 1969. This river stretch was unique in that it had a sequence of five shallow, nonstratified, main-stream reservoirs. Flow through the study area was controlled by releases from these five reservoirs and from Canyon Reservoir, a deep-storage reservoir, located 30 km upstream. Physicochemical properties measured monthly on a diel basis at 16 stations were: dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a, pH alkalinity, specific conductance, water temperature, turbidity, transparency, water velocity, and discharge.
Seasonal and diel changes in limnological conditions were of greater magnitude in impoundments than in lotic areas. Periods of low flow and low velocity resulting in long water retention periods in impoundments coupled with greater solar input associated with long days contributed to the greatest fluctuations. Increased discharge, particularly from Canyon Reservoir, caused more uniformity of conditions throughout the study area so that conditions at all points approached average seasonal conditions.
Longitudinal variations in physicochemical conditions were influenced by the impoundment of water, effluent of sewage disposal plants, reaeration through turbulence, and was greatly affected by seasonal periods of drought and flooding.
High dissolved oxygen in impoundments was accompanied by high chlorophyll a, high pH, and low bicarbonate alkalinity. These conditions indicate the importance of bicarbonate ions as a carbon source for phytoplankton in this system.
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Young, W.C., Hannan, H.H. & Tatum, J.W. The physicochemical limnology of a stretch of the Guadalupe River, Texas, with five main-stream impoundments. Hydrobiologia 40, 297–319 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00016775
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00016775