UI Kimberly Research and Extension Center

Water Quality Monitoring Locations

The water quality monitoring activities at the Kimberly Research and Extension Center involve sediment and chemical monitoring of various water bodies in southern Idaho since the mid 1970's. Since 1991, the university has monitored many instream locations of the Snake River from American Falls downstream to Hammet and various tributaries, irrigation return flows, and other discharges entering this reach. Additionally, water quality monitoring of irrigation systems and water quality improvement facilities has occurred during the years.

Water quality samples should be representative of the water body as closely as possible. For smaller streams, which are usually no more than 15 feet in width and less than 5 feet in depth, a grab sample in a turbulent section or down stream of a drop structure will accurately represent the average water column concentrations. Accurate depiction of average concentration in wide, low velocity sections of streams and canals may require cross section, depth integrated composite samples. However, due to the expense and manpower requirements for cross sectional depth integrated composite samples; the UI Kimberly Research and Extension Center sampling program has focused on sites where grab samples can be representative of the total flow. This has focused the monitoring locations to those locations with bridges or locations immediately downstream of major rapids.

The physical descriptions and information on the various locations where water quality has been monitored are grouped into the following tables. These tables are periodically generated from Kimberly Research and Extension Center water quality database. Each entry in a table will bring up a detailed site/location description report based on the database. If you encounter a file not found error message, please let us know.

  1. Canal Systems -- Internal monitoring of irrigation distribution systems.
  2. Fish Hatcheries -- Monitoring of various fish hatchery influents and effluents.
  3. Irrigation Return Flows -- Monitoring of irrigation drainages, typically at their mouth.
  4. Streams -- Instream monitoring of major streams, specifically the Snake River.
  5. Springs -- Monitoring of various springs which discharge to the Snake River between Milner and King Hill.
  6. Tributary -- Instream monitoring of Snake River tributaries at their mouth.
  7. WQI Facilities -- Inflow/Outflow monitoring of various water quality improvement facilities. (Constructed wetlands, sediment ponds, etc. ... )

This page was last modified on December 6, 1997. Please send your comments, suggestions and questions to: Clarence Robison, UI Kimberly Research and Extension Center, 3793 North 3600 East, Kimberly, Idaho 83341.

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