A comprehensive water quality study was conducted from September 2004
through June 2005 in the Mendenhall Valley (Juneau, Alaska) to assess the current state of water
quality and the effectiveness of ongoing restoration projects in Jordan and Duck
Creeks. In addition, a bioassessment of Duck Creek was conducted in April and
June of 2005.
The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effects of ongoing
development on the water quality of streams within the Mendenhall Watershed.
The stream corridor of Duck Creek has undergone extensive development but
has also been the subject of broad restoration efforts. A suite of water quality
parameters was collected at three representative sites on Duck Creek and
Jordan Creek. The goal of data collection was to provide baseline water quality
information as well as information that can be used to assess pre-established
and ongoing restoration efforts on Duck and Jordan Creeks.
The specific goals of this project included:
• To document existing water quality conditions in Duck and Jordan Creeks
• To provide water quality data for the Jordan Creek Watershed
Assessment
• To use water quality data for Duck Creek and data from Jordan Creek to
differentiate natural versus anthropogenic inputs
• To use water quality data for Duck Creek to aid in assessments of various
restoration efforts both finished and underway on Duck Creek
• To conduct a bioassessment on Duck Creek in order to evaluate the
effectiveness of ongoing restoration projects
