Analysis of Water Quality Trends and Pollutant Loading for Cypress Creek Watershed

Lake Houston serves as the primary drinking water source for the City of Houston. Water quality is a problem in Lake Houston due to pollutant loads coming from the influent watersheds, therefore hydrologic models and water quality predictions are key to the operation of the City of Houston drinking water treatment plants. Cypress Creek is one of the watersheds that drains into the lake and has mixed use including urban and agriculture. Rapid urban development is a concern to the water quality of Lake Houston. Water quality issues of potential concern for the lake include nutrient enrichment and aquatic life use. Statistical trend analysis and loading curves have been analyzed using data collected by the USGS at 2 sites in Cypress Creek with corresponding City of Houston water quality data at the sites for the past 10 years to characterize the behavior of the pollutant source and watershed.