Cara Cowan Watts Graduate Student Biosystems Engineering Monitoring Cara Cowan Watts Graduate Student Biosystems Engineering

Source of Class Materials Presentations and Handouts adapted from The U.S. EPA’s Water Quality Standards Academy November 27-December 1, 2006 Washington, DC

Monitoring Framework Identify Monitoring Objective Design Monitoring Project Understanding Our Water Resources Convey information and results Collect data in the field and lab Interpret data Manage data

Monitoring Objectives What does your boss need? Are the streams healthy? What is the condition of waters entering or leaving the state or tribal jurisdiction? Are the fish safe to eat? Is this restoration project working? Designated Use(s)

Designated Uses

Objectives and Scale Assess a specific water quality improvement project Stream reach scale Identifying healthy and degraded streams within a watershed Watershed Scale Determine baseline condition Region, State, Reservation or Nationwide Evaluate water quality trends

Designing Monitoring Program Take broader Monitoring Objectives and translate them into specific monitoring goals Goals expressed as questions which specify needs “Is it safe to swim in the stream?” Pathogens, nutrients, and flow Existing data available Who, what, how and where of monitoring

Biggest Design Factor

Costs Per Site Costs per site $1000/site $5000/site - Seasonal employees - Permanent Staff - 2 person field crews - 3 to 4 person field crews - Consumables - Consumables + equipment - Sites close-by, easy access - Remote sites - Simple reporting - Glossy reporting Lab costs (per sample): Water (Conventionals): $70 to $150 Water (Metals): $25 to $115 Water (Priority pollutants): $100 to $200 Water (Pathogens): $20 to $50 Fish Tissue Contaminants: $150 to $1500 Macroinvertebrates (identification & counting): $150 to $350

Who Monitors? States and Tribes implement monitoring programs under CWA 106 Federal agencies monitor to support their management and research needs Volunteer and citizen groups monitor to understand local conditions Other organizations include local government & academic organizations

What Should be Monitored? Select core indicators appropriate for assessing attainment with designated uses Aquatic life Recreation Public water supply Fish and shellfish consumption Identify supplemental indicators as needed Address potential problems in watersheds Identify causes of biological impairment Investigate emerging concerns

What in Detail Aquatic Life Recreation Drinking Water Fish / Shellfish Biological communities Basic chemistry (e.g. DO, pH) Nutrients Flow Habitat assessment Landscape condition Pathogen indicators (E. coli, enterococci) Nuisance plant growth Chlorophyll Trace metals Pathogens Nitrates Salinity Sediments/TDS Mercury Chlordane DDT PCBs T H Ambient toxicity Sediment toxicity Other chemicals of concern in water or sediment Health of organisms Hazardous chemicals Aesthetics VOCs (in reservoirs) Hydrophyllic pesticides Algae

The How Protocols Field methods Laboratory methods vary Aspects Chemistry Biology Habitat http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/PTGPOD/236423h~Woman-College-Student-in-Chemistry-Lab-Posters.jpg

The Where Site specific Area wide Upstream Downstream Paired watershed http://www.water.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/79062A6F-90B9-4E5A-BCDF-A63251706704/0/what_is_a_watershed.gif

Best Approaches Apply multiple tools efficiently to support multiple objectives Use statistically-valid surveys to assess status and trends in condition and stressors and to evaluate program effectiveness Integrate models & landscape analysis to complement survey results and predict locations of vulnerable waters Target site-specific monitoring to verify condition and develop management actions

Wadeable Streams Assessment Generate report on the condition of streams of the U.S. by 3/06 Build State capacity for monitoring and assessment Enhance data comparability and integration of State programs The States Assess the Nation’s Streams

Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP)

Managing Data Determine data management at desk Spreadsheets fine unless large volume of data EPA’s STORET data storage and retrieval Free oracle database and user support to share and archive data New warehouse provides quick access to data of documented quality (www.epa.gov/storet) EPA’s Water Quality Exchange (WQX) Redesigned STORET to facilitate easier upload and download of water quality data GIS supports data analysis and interpretation Record sampling locations (lat, long & stream name) National Hydrography Dataset

Assessment Methodology Available Data Applicable Water Quality Criteria Hierarchy of indicators and tools used Document procedures Address numeric criteria, narrative criteria and designated uses Define data quality and documentation needs Describe analytical approaches for interpreting data and information

Methodology Considerations Magnitude and duration of exceedances Age of data Number of data points – more sites vs. more frequency Data quality Multiple data types Define what is “healthy”

Communicating Results Summarize the information Provide an interpretation of the data and not numbers Use oral presentations and written documents to communicate results Provide to States, Tribes, other interested or affected parties Use newspapers and other public media

Reporting 305(b) water quality inventory report Extent of all state waters that meet the goals of the CWA, including WQS attainment Causes and sources contributing to impairments 303(d) list of waters needing TMDL Impaired & threatened waters Impaired by pollutants States required to submit every 2 years Tribes are not required to submit either 303(d) or 305(b) EPA approval/disapproval of 303(d) list

Questions?