Somerville Reservoir Water Quality Study

Significant fish kills occurring in Somerville Reservoir in Central Texas led to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) staff interest in investigating in-lake water quality conditions possibly contributing to them. During the summer of 2001, TPWD’s Water Quality Program collected 24-hour data at a location near the Birch Creek Unit of Lake Somerville State Park. Standard field parameters were measured, including dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH and conductivity. The data indicate temporal dissolved oxygen swings and elevated pH values at the monitoring point. A review of existing data is also presented