2014 State of the Little Juniata River

Elaine Langone Center, Terrace Room

The Little Juniata River is a seventh order stream located in Blair and Huntingdon Counties of Pennsylvania. The headwaters of this watershed cre ate the western boundary of the Susquehanna River Basin. Throughout much of the twentieth century, the Little Juniata River was a target for industrial and domestic discharges, severely degrading its water quality. With the establishment of water quality regulations and enforcement by state agencies, the stream was able to support game fish by 1971, and by 1980 the health of the Little Juniata River had improved dramatically. However, there were still several point and non-point source pollution issues that continued to plague the river. The most significant issues include: nutrients from agricultural runoff, illegal roadside and sinkhole dumping, stream bank erosion, storm runoff, contamination from industrial, domestic and agricultural sites, and discharges of raw or improperly treated sewage from domestic or municipal sources. As a result, there has been a concerted effort by many interested parties, both state and local, to restore the integrity of the stream since the mid to late 1990’s. A key component of this effort has been the collection of biological and physiochemical data to monitor the river’s health. Therefore, in an effort to determine the current status of the Little Juniata River; data from previous and current studies (ranging from 1998 to 2014) under taken by multiple collaborators were complied to create a GIS database. Key indicators of stream health used in the “2014 State of the Little Juniata River” include: Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) scores for macro-invertebrates, maximum water temperatures, E. coli counts, nitrate levels, dissolved oxygen levels and pH. Data for each of the five main reaches of the Little Juniata River was analyzed. Any data of the same type within a particular reach was averaged together. Each indicator of stream health was given a distinct symbol, and a colored scaling system was used to indicate whether a parameter was in good, intermediate, or poor condit ion. Overall, the data suggested that water quality in the Little Juniata River is of intermediate condition; and shows signs of slight improvement from its headwaters to its confluence with the Juniata River.