Determination of factors affecting dissolved oxygen levels in the Souris River to inform operation decisions and assist with water quality objectives review

This project will investigate how variations in river flow affect dissolved oxygen levels, which are important to determining river biological conditions. The project covers a 5-year period from 2019 to 2023. The proposed work is to install and maintain continuous water-quality monitoring sensors (3) to measure water temperature and dissolved oxygen at the stream gaging (flow) stations on the Souris River at the SK/ND border near Sherwood, ND, above Minot, ND and at the ND/MB border near Westhope, ND. Due to the current insufficiency of data on seasonal and diurnal dissolved oxygen levels, these sensors are needed to provide an understanding of the river water quality under the range of conditions experienced in the Souris River. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) will install and maintain the sensors. This project will result in the collection of data and creation of analysis reports containing needed information on the dynamics of dissolved oxygen in the Souris River; specifically, how flow and under-ice conditions affect oxygen levels. This information can then be integrated into control structure (reservoir) operation decisions for improving riverine dissolved oxygen levels. It will also be used to inform suitable ISRB dissolved oxygen objectives as part of the required objective review process.