Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

8-2023

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

M. Eng.

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Degree Program

Civil Engineering, MS

Committee Chair

French, Mark

Committee Member

Vickneswaran, Tharshikka

Committee Member

Williams, Stuart

Author's Keywords

mill creek; louisville; specific conductance; dissolved oxygen; usgs gauge

Abstract

Mill Creek is the largest watershed in Southwest Jefferson County, where thousands of people live and work. Streams in the watershed have historically been channelized and altered to promote drainage, and stream health is of major concern. Louisville MSD is currently developing a watershed plan for Mill Creek by seeking understanding of current stream conditions. This paper will focus on historical trends in stream discharge and water quality. Peak and daily discharge, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, and temperature data from USGS gages at Mill Creek and the Mill Creek Cutoff was analyzed to understand how water quality and flow rates have changed in the watershed in the past 20 years, as well as between 1990 and today. Similarities in discharge trends were found between the two watersheds, but there were differences in trends for dissolved oxygen and specific conductance that impacts on water quality in either stream.

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