Cedar
Creek Reservoir
Ecological
health rating
Cedar Creek Reservoir rated fair in 2007. The overall ecological health score for the reservoir has been in the fair range all years monitored.
TVA monitors one location on Cedar Creek—the deep, still water near the dam—usually on a two-year cycle.
Cedar
Creek Reservoir Ecological Health Ratings, 1994-2007
Click chart for
raw data.
The table below
shows the ratings for individual ecological health indicators at Cedar
Creek in 2005. These ratings are briefly explained in the paragraphs that
follow.
|
Ecological
Health Indicators at
Cedar Creek Reservoir, 2007
|
|
Monitoring
location
|
Dissolved
oxygen
|
Chlorophyll
|
Fish
|
Bottom
life
|
Sediment
|
| Forebay |
|
|
|
|
|
Dissolved oxygen
As in previous years, dissolved oxygen rated poor. The lower half of the water column had low dissolved oxygen concentrations during the summer months, with some areas completely devoid of oxygen.
Chlorophyll
Consistent with previous years, average summer chlorophyll concentrations were low, resulting in a good rating for this indicator.
Fish
The fish community rated at the high end of the fair range. Although the catch rate was lower than expected, monitoring showed a good variety of species.
Bottom life
Bottom life rated fair, primarily because of the low number and low variety of animals found in samples collected from the reservoir bottom. Ratings for bottom life in Cedar Creek tend to fluctuate from year to year. Because there are so few bottom-dwelling animals due to low dissolved oxygen, the ratings are easily influenced by the presence or absence of a few species.
Sediment
As in previous years, sediment quality rated good. No pesticides or PCBs were detected and concentrations of metals were within expected background levels.
See definitions of
ecological health indicators and monitoring locations.
|
|
Fish
consumption advisories
There are no fish
consumption advisories for Cedar Creek Reservoir. TVA collected
channel catfish and largemouth bass from the reservoir for tissue analysis
in
fall 2003. The results, which were similar to those of previous years, were provided to state agencies in
Alabama. TVA will analyze fish from the reservoir again in autumn 2007.
Tennessee Valley Authority
