Stream Data: | Gage height, stream velocity, discharge |
Water-Quality Data: | Dissolved oxygen, nitrate + nitrite, pH, specific conductance at 25°C, turbidity, water temperature |
Atmospheric Data: | None |
Latitude: | 38°31'55.40" |
Longitude: | 82°41'09.40" |
Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC): | 05090103 |
Datum: | 481.03 ft (1929 NGVD) and 480.41 ft (1988 NGVD) |
Drainage Area: | 60,816 square miles |
County in which site is located: | Lawrence County (Ohio) |
Site managed by: | Louisville District Office |
This station is operated in cooperation with the Kentucky Governor’s Office of Agriculture Policy.
The site is 9.81 miles downstream from where the Ohio River River enters Kentucky. Flow is regulated by the Greenup Dam nr Greenup, Kentucky (USGS station id 03216600).
In addition to the continuous nitrate + nitrite collected at this gaging station, discrete nitrate, particulate nitrate, phosphorus, total carbon, and suspended sediment samples also are collected. Discrete samples are collected throughout the range of hydrologic and chemical conditions.
Delivery of excess nutrients, primarily nitrogen and phosphorus, from the Ohio River to the Mississippi River could contribute to hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. The approach of the USGS Ohio Kentucky Indiana Water Science Center super gage network on the Ohio River is to monitor what nutrients and sediment are entering and leaving Kentucky. This station quantifies the concentrations of nutrients and sediment that are entering the state. In addition to the discrete water quality samples that are collected, the real-time nitrate data captures the high and low values and what occurs in between discrete samples, and can be used in the future to develop surrogate models and load/yield computations.
USGS Fact Sheet 2015-3041 provides more detailed information about super gages, how they operate, and the data they collect.
Indiana:
Tim Lathrop
(317) 600-2782
trlathro@usgs.gov
Kentucky:
Jeff Woods
(317) 600-2762
jwoods@usgs.gov