Recent Water Quality Trends in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas

Abstract

Protection of the limited water resources in Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a primary concern of National Park Service managers. A two year sampling program at one spring and at four sites in McKittrick Canyon examined temperature, pH, nitrate-nitrogen, ortho-phosphate, sulfates, chlorides, dissolved oxygen, total hardness and calcium hardness. A non-parametric modification of the sign test, the Cox-Stewart test for trend, was used to evaluate changes in water quality parameters over time. There are some indications of trends in the data; however, these are not presently sufficiently consistent nor of sufficient magnitude to warrant modification of current management strategies.