Assessment of Surface Water Quality of Huntsville Spring Branch and Indian Creek Watersheds.

Water quality assessments were performed on two watersheds (Huntsville Spring Branch and Indian Creek) in Madison County, Al. The sites in the Huntsville Spring Branch and Indian Creek watersheds were chosen because of their close proximity to potential sources of contamination such as cow pastures, nurseries, and construction sites. All of these sources of pollution compromise the drinking water for the city of Huntsville, Alabama and surrounding areas. Water samples were collected using a WaterMark horizontal water sampler and measured for several physical and chemical properties. Bacteriological assessments were performed using the IDEXX® Collilert and Enterolert tests. All of the sites were found to have high levels of total coliform and E.coli above the recommended 5-day geometric mean. None of the enterococci levels observed were above their 5-day geometric mean. Most physical and chemical properties were found to meet official guidelines.