Grand Forks County Soil Conservation District
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Grand Forks County Soil Conservation District
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English Coulee Watershed Assessment By: Kyle Glazewski, Watershed Coordinator This spring, our district is undertaking a new watershed assessment project focusing on the English Coulee Watershed. We are cooperating with the North Dakota Department of Health, City of Grand Forks, Grand Forks Water Resource District, and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on this project. We will be working on the English Coulee Watershed Assessment over the next two years. Here is some basic information on the English Coulee and our assessment. What is a watershed? A watershed is an area of land where all the water that flows/moves along the surface (i.e.-rivers, streams, runoff) flows to the same end point. In the case of the English Coulee Watershed, all of the water ultimately ends up flowing into the Red River located at the north end of Grand Forks. How big is the English Coulee Watershed? The English Coulee Watershed is just over 130 square miles, or just over 84,000 acres. Where does the English Coulee flow? The English Coulee headwaters start in the south-central part of Grand Forks County (see map 1 below) with the main channel starting around Pleasant View Township, and the Coulee flows east through the English Coulee dam, and then makes its way through the City of Grand Forks. What makes the English Coulee unique? As with any river, the English Coulee is very unique. There have been multiple projects done on the English Coulee that have changed the way that the English Coulee flows. There is a dry dam (English Coulee Dam) that was constructed to help with flood control. This dam has a reservoir that provides habitat for many species of wildlife. There are also two diversion projects that have altered the hydrology of the English Coulee. There is the “old diversion” that begins just downstream of the English Coulee Dam. There is also the “new diversion” that starts just west of the city at the intersection of 17th Ave S and 69th St N. These two diversions are in place to reduce flooding in Grand Forks. All of this work has reduced spring flow levels, which does reduce flooding, but flooding is also an important aspect in keeping the English Coulee “healthy”. The English Coulee is definitely a hot topic for some people living in our county. What is a 303d list? What is wrong with the English Coulee? The North Dakota Section 303d List of Impaired Waters lists all water bodies that are impaired (or polluted) to a point that the pollution is affecting the designated uses. Designated uses are basically what the water is or can be used for such as drinking water, recreation, or wildlife habitat. In other words, the 303d list is telling you that a river, stream, or lake is polluted to the point where humans or animals are not able to use that water without being affected by the pollution. The English Coulee is on the 303d list as not supporting wildlife and recreational uses along a 5.53 mile reach within the Grand Forks. This reach is located from about the 11th Ave S. bridge (where the main channel and a tributary come together) to the end of the English Coulee where it comes together with the Red River. The pollutants are listed as sedimentation/siltation, total dissolved solids, organic enrichment, and total fecal coliform. What are we doing during this watershed assessment? During the first year, we will be collecting stream water samples on a weekly basis during open water periods. There are six stream sample sites located throughout the watershed, including two sites within the City of Grand Forks (see map 1). These water samples will be analyzed for nutrients, total suspended solids, trace metals, cations/anions, fecal coliform, and biological/chemical oxygen demand. This will give us a good overall picture as to the water quality within the English Coulee. In addition, the USGS will be collecting stream flow information and sediment samples from these same six sites. We will also be collecting land use information, conducting a riparian assessment, and collecting macro invertebrate (bug) samples. During the second year, we will be focusing on storm water runoff within the City of Grand Forks. We’ll be monitoring the storm water outfalls throughout the city, and analyzing samples for many of the same variables. What do we hope to accomplish over the 2 years of the assessment? By the end of the English Coulee Watershed Assessment, we will have a lot of data on the English Coulee. We will utilize this information to analyze the problems within the English Coulee. It is well known that the English Coulee in Grand Forks is “dirty”. Our assessment will tell us what exactly is in the water, and how bad our problems really are. After getting our results, we will work toward finding solutions that will help improve water quality within the English Coulee Watershed.
Map 1-English Coulee Watershed with stream sample sites.
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