Chesapeake Bay Program Monitoring Activities and Monitoring Network Design Chesapeake Bay Program Monitoring Activities and Monitoring Network Design Stephen D. Preston U.S. Geological Survey / Chesapeake Bay Program Office Annapolis, Maryland

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Land Use Chesapeake Bay Geography Watershed Characteristics * 64,000 square miles in area * includes parts of six States & DC * 9 major drainages Bay Characteristics * 4,500 square miles in area * encompassed by two States MD and VA * most drainage comes from PA, MD and VA PA NY MD DE WV VA

Chesapeake Bay Impairments Variety of Ecological Impacts - Eutrophication Anoxia Seasonal Algal Blooms Loss of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Loss of Economically Important Species

Tidal Water-Quality Monitoring

Objectives of Tidal Monitoring A. Characterization, Status - Water-Quality Criteria - Nutrient Reduction Goals - Biological and Ecological Indicators B. Temporal Changes - Long-Term Trends C. Tidal Water-Quality Modeling D. Understanding of Processes Related to the Attainment of Water-Quality Criteria and Other Restoration Goals

A. Cross Section of Chesapeake Bay or Tidal Tributary B. Oblique View of the “Chesapeake Bay” and its Tidal Tributaries Shallow Water Open Water Deep Water Deep Channel Open Water Habitat Shallow Water Habitat Deep Water Deep Channel Migratory Finfish Spawning and Nursery Habitat Designated Uses for Chesapeake Bay

Application of Water-Quality Criteria

Spatial Extent of Tidal Monitoring CBP Monitoring Segmentation

Potential Approaches for Tidal Monitoring A. Buoy Systems * Potential Need - Dissolved Oxygen Criteria B. Probability-Based Monitoring * Potential Need - Shallow-Water Monitoring C. Fixed-Station Monitoring * Potential Need - All Objectives, Some Designated Uses D. Continuous Underway Monitoring Systems * Potential Need - Detailed Spatial Assessment E. Remote Sensing (Aerial Over-flights, Satellite Imagery) * Potential Need - Chlorophyll Criteria Attainment

Fixed-Station Water-Quality Monitoring Network in Relation to the Open Water, Deep Water and Deep Channel Designated Uses

Interpretation Of Fixed-Station Data

Continuous Underway Monitoring

Non-Tidal Water-Quality Monitoring Network Design Non-Tidal Water-Quality Monitoring Network Design

Objectives of Non-Tidal Monitoring A. Flux from the Watershed - Load Estimation B. Temporal Changes - Long-Term Trends C. Effectiveness of BMP’s - Watershed Modeling D. Research / Education

Objectives – Load Estimation WRIR , Belval and Sprague

WRIR , Langland Objectives – Trend Analysis

Factors Affecting Nutrient Trends In Major Rivers of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Sprague and others (2000) WRIR DISCHARGE, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND TOTAL NITROGEN DAILY MEAN DISCHARGE CONCENTRATION EXPLANATION Patuxent River NITROGEN SOURCES POINT SOURCE URBAN FOREST AGRICULTURE SEPTIC ATMOSPHERIC DELIVERED LOAD, IN 10 5 KILOGRAMS PER YEAR No data gm / m 2 -yr Total Nitrogen Delivered Yield Patuxent River Basin

Time Period Time Period Chesapeake Bay Stream-Load Data Base Chesapeake Bay Stream-Load Data Base

“Non-tidal” data base Constructed in mid- 1990’s (NSC/USGS) Contains nutrient and sediment data collected by State, Federal, and NGO’s. 3 years minimum Updated through 2002 Linked to GIS so allows for analysis

703 Stream Gages 176 QW Associated with Stream Gages 313 Active Stream Gages 389 Active Water-Quality 118 Sites Meet Frequency and/or Parameter Criteria for trends >1700 Water Quality Initial Network Design

Nontidal Water- Quality Monitoring Implementation of strategies to meet water-quality criteria Nontidal network will provide first measure of water- quality improvements

Areas of different loadings Enhance network to target nutrient sources and loads –Assess reductions –Using SPARROW late 1990s version

Initial Network Design Evaluate current sites Propose new locations –Tributary Basin boundaries –High load areas