Integrating Geospatial and Temporal Data for Water Quality Monitoring in Southwest Mississippi

Monitoring water quality and identifying the location and magnitude of existing and potential pollution sources and impacts are important activities to ensure clean and adequate supply of this natural resource. We used remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) to assess land use/land cover influence on water quality of streams in the Coles Creek watershed. Eleven monitoring stations were established in the watershed to quantify water quality. At each station, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, pH, specific conductance, total coliform and E. coli were measured. The data was incorporated into the GIS database for the entire watershed. Preliminary results showed spatial and temporal variability in the parameters measured. Rainfall events significantly influenced all water quality parameters measured (p<0.05).