Triangle Area, NC, Water Supply Monitoring
The Research Triangle area, located within the upper Cape Fear and Neuse River basins, is one of the most rapidly developing areas in the Nation. Growth has increased demand for water from public suppliers, the majority of which draw water from streams and lakes in the region. Growth also brings the threat of greater loads of contaminants and new contaminant sources that, if not properly managed, could adversely affect water quality.
In 1988, several local governments, with assistance from Triangle J Council of Governments (TJCOG), formed the Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project. With cooperative assistance from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Project has tracked water-quality conditions and trends in many of the area's water-supply reservoirs, rivers, and selected tributaries since October 1988.
Background:
Concerns about lake eutrophication and contaminants that affect drinking-water quality have remained major priorities since the Project began. Additional concerns have been addressed as they arose. For example, pesticides and PCBs, pharmaceutical compounds, disinfection by-products, microbial pathogens such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, mercury, and cyanotoxins have all been investigated during previous phases, and a series of USGS reports have been published to summarize the results. The sustainability of water supplies depends on water availability as well as water quality; therefore, 10 streamflow-gaging stations are also supported by the Project.
New public health concerns have recently emerged in the Triangle area related to probable carcinogens in drinking water. Higher levels of bromide, 1,4-dioxane, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been previously reported in portions of the Cape Fear River basin; however, information is lacking for many of the water-supply sources in the Triangle area. Bromide supports the formation of brominated trihalomethanes. 1,4-dioxane is an organic solvent that is a probable human carcinogen, and evidence is emerging regarding the negative health impacts of PFAS exposure as well. Water suppliers need additional information about these constituents; therefore, the USGS is investigating their occurrence and distribution in Triangle area water supplies while continuing the long-term monitoring program for conventional water-quality constituents.
Objective:
The project currently is in Phase IX, which spans the period July 2022-June 2027. Water-quality and hydrologic monitoring from Phase VIII will continue, with the addition of constituents of current concern to municipal water suppliers. Specific objectives for Phase IX are to:
- Continue monitoring major ions, nutrients, suspended sediment, and chlorophyll-a to document water-quality conditions throughout the study area and to provide data that can be used in the future to quantify loads to water-supply reservoirs and evaluate water-quality trends.
- Investigate additional constituents of concern to local water suppliers, including bromide, 1,4-dioxane, and PFAS.
- Operate a network of 10 continuous-streamflow stations and make the data available in real time.
Approach:
The USGS samples nine water-supply reservoir sites and four stream sites six times per year. Dissolved oxygen, pH, water temperature, specific conductance, turbidity, nutrients, major ions (including bromide), 1,4-dioxane, and PFAS are sampled at all sites (PFAS sampling will be conducted for one year only). In addition, suspended sediment is monitored at stream sites. Chlorophyll, water clarity, iron, and manganese are measured at water-supply reservoir sites. Eight additional streams in the study area are sampled by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as part of their Ambient Monitoring System. The USGS samples 12 of these sites during selected storm events on a rotational basis to quantify concentrations at high flows. As part of this project, the USGS also operates continuous-record streamflow gaging stations at 10 stream sites.
Quality-assurance measures include the use of clean sampling techniques, collection of numerous quality-control samples, and extensive data review. Samples are analyzed by the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory in Denver, Colorado, and the USGS Eastern Region Sediment Laboratory in Louisville, Kentucky. All data are permanently stored and made available to the public online through the USGS National Water Information System.
Awards:
The project received a 2017 National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Innovation Award, which honors creative approaches to advancing regional community and economic development and improved quality of life. (2017 NADO Innovation Award Winners)
Sampling Locations:
Release Date: 1/26/2017
Below are data releases associated with this project.
Associated data for the Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina, October 2019 - September 2022
Associated data for the Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina, October 2017 - September 2019
Associated Data for the Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina, October 2015 - September 2017
Below are publications associated with this project.
Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina
Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina—Overview of hydrologic and water-quality monitoring activities and data quality assurance
Phytoplankton, taste-and-odor compounds, and cyanotoxin occurrence in four water-supply reservoirs in the Triangle area of North Carolina, April–October 2014
Occurrence and distribution of mercury in streams and reservoirs in the Triangle Area of North Carolina, July 2007–June 2009
Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina—Summary of monitoring activities, quality assurance, and data, October 2017–September 2019
Triangle area water supply monitoring project, North Carolina-Summary of monitoring activities, quality assurance, and data, October 2015–September 2017
Trends in water quality of selected streams and reservoirs used for water supply in the Triangle area of North Carolina, 1989–2013
Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina—Summary of monitoring activities, quality assurance, and data, October 2013–September 2015
Quality of surface-water supplies in the Triangle Area of North Carolina, water years 2012–13
Quality of surface-water supplies in the Triangle area of North Carolina, water years 2010-11
Quality of surface-water supplies in the Triangle area of North Carolina, water year 2009
Quality of surface-water supplies in the Triangle area of North Carolina, water year 2008
Below are partners associated with this project.
The Research Triangle area, located within the upper Cape Fear and Neuse River basins, is one of the most rapidly developing areas in the Nation. Growth has increased demand for water from public suppliers, the majority of which draw water from streams and lakes in the region. Growth also brings the threat of greater loads of contaminants and new contaminant sources that, if not properly managed, could adversely affect water quality.
In 1988, several local governments, with assistance from Triangle J Council of Governments (TJCOG), formed the Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project. With cooperative assistance from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Project has tracked water-quality conditions and trends in many of the area's water-supply reservoirs, rivers, and selected tributaries since October 1988.
Background:
Concerns about lake eutrophication and contaminants that affect drinking-water quality have remained major priorities since the Project began. Additional concerns have been addressed as they arose. For example, pesticides and PCBs, pharmaceutical compounds, disinfection by-products, microbial pathogens such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, mercury, and cyanotoxins have all been investigated during previous phases, and a series of USGS reports have been published to summarize the results. The sustainability of water supplies depends on water availability as well as water quality; therefore, 10 streamflow-gaging stations are also supported by the Project.
New public health concerns have recently emerged in the Triangle area related to probable carcinogens in drinking water. Higher levels of bromide, 1,4-dioxane, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been previously reported in portions of the Cape Fear River basin; however, information is lacking for many of the water-supply sources in the Triangle area. Bromide supports the formation of brominated trihalomethanes. 1,4-dioxane is an organic solvent that is a probable human carcinogen, and evidence is emerging regarding the negative health impacts of PFAS exposure as well. Water suppliers need additional information about these constituents; therefore, the USGS is investigating their occurrence and distribution in Triangle area water supplies while continuing the long-term monitoring program for conventional water-quality constituents.
Objective:
The project currently is in Phase IX, which spans the period July 2022-June 2027. Water-quality and hydrologic monitoring from Phase VIII will continue, with the addition of constituents of current concern to municipal water suppliers. Specific objectives for Phase IX are to:
- Continue monitoring major ions, nutrients, suspended sediment, and chlorophyll-a to document water-quality conditions throughout the study area and to provide data that can be used in the future to quantify loads to water-supply reservoirs and evaluate water-quality trends.
- Investigate additional constituents of concern to local water suppliers, including bromide, 1,4-dioxane, and PFAS.
- Operate a network of 10 continuous-streamflow stations and make the data available in real time.
Approach:
The USGS samples nine water-supply reservoir sites and four stream sites six times per year. Dissolved oxygen, pH, water temperature, specific conductance, turbidity, nutrients, major ions (including bromide), 1,4-dioxane, and PFAS are sampled at all sites (PFAS sampling will be conducted for one year only). In addition, suspended sediment is monitored at stream sites. Chlorophyll, water clarity, iron, and manganese are measured at water-supply reservoir sites. Eight additional streams in the study area are sampled by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as part of their Ambient Monitoring System. The USGS samples 12 of these sites during selected storm events on a rotational basis to quantify concentrations at high flows. As part of this project, the USGS also operates continuous-record streamflow gaging stations at 10 stream sites.
Quality-assurance measures include the use of clean sampling techniques, collection of numerous quality-control samples, and extensive data review. Samples are analyzed by the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory in Denver, Colorado, and the USGS Eastern Region Sediment Laboratory in Louisville, Kentucky. All data are permanently stored and made available to the public online through the USGS National Water Information System.
Awards:
The project received a 2017 National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Innovation Award, which honors creative approaches to advancing regional community and economic development and improved quality of life. (2017 NADO Innovation Award Winners)
Sampling Locations:
Release Date: 1/26/2017
Below are data releases associated with this project.
Associated data for the Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina, October 2019 - September 2022
Associated data for the Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina, October 2017 - September 2019
Associated Data for the Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina, October 2015 - September 2017
Below are publications associated with this project.
Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina
Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina—Overview of hydrologic and water-quality monitoring activities and data quality assurance
Phytoplankton, taste-and-odor compounds, and cyanotoxin occurrence in four water-supply reservoirs in the Triangle area of North Carolina, April–October 2014
Occurrence and distribution of mercury in streams and reservoirs in the Triangle Area of North Carolina, July 2007–June 2009
Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina—Summary of monitoring activities, quality assurance, and data, October 2017–September 2019
Triangle area water supply monitoring project, North Carolina-Summary of monitoring activities, quality assurance, and data, October 2015–September 2017
Trends in water quality of selected streams and reservoirs used for water supply in the Triangle area of North Carolina, 1989–2013
Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina—Summary of monitoring activities, quality assurance, and data, October 2013–September 2015
Quality of surface-water supplies in the Triangle Area of North Carolina, water years 2012–13
Quality of surface-water supplies in the Triangle area of North Carolina, water years 2010-11
Quality of surface-water supplies in the Triangle area of North Carolina, water year 2009
Quality of surface-water supplies in the Triangle area of North Carolina, water year 2008
Below are partners associated with this project.