South Dakota Real-Time Water Quality

The U.S. Geological Survey's streamgaging network provides information to resource managers and others to make informed decisions about floods and water availability. Up to the present time, available technology has provided for very limited abilities to describe water quality in real time. The only kinds of water quality information that have been available in real time have been specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, temperature and pH. However, real-time water quality data on a wide range of variables is extremely important.  It has not been possible to provide water-quality information in the same timely manner. To obtain immediate and continuous water-quality information, the USGS, in cooperation with other Federal, State, and local  agencies, has been using an innovative real-time monitoring approach in several South Dakota studies. Continuously recorded data and data from periodic collection of water-quality samples are being used to develop statistical  relations between certain properties of water that can be measured continually and transmitted in near real time and chemical constituents of concern that cannot be measured continuously. 

The statistical (regression) analysis used to estimate these constituent concentrations are site specific and have limitations. The estimates can have large uncertainties caused by measurement and laboratory analytical errors and some of the uncertainty is caused by the regression analysis itself. Such analyses can never be expected to provide a full explanation of all of the variability in the data. Users are cautioned to consider the uncertainties when applying this information to specific issues. Although the uncertainties can be large, the estimates provided by this new method can have considerable utility for protecting human health and for improving the overall knowledge of water quality. The USGS will continue to work with health and water-quality agencies in South Dakota and nationwide to improve on the ability to provide real-time water quality information of the greatest possible accuracy.

Currently, no sites are funded for estimated concentrations within South Dakota. For more information, please call Joyce Williamson at 605-394-3219 or email at jewillia@usgs.gov.

Additional sites provide realtime continuous water-quality data (without estimated concentrations) in South Dakota.

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