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Water Quality Indicators: Lessons from State and Federal Officials Penn State University Atlantic Slope Consortium Human Dimensions Group May 13, 2003

Survey Goals  Identify: What water quality indicators are being used What water quality indicators are being used How they are being used How they are being used How they are useful and/or problematic How they are useful and/or problematic How development, refinement and use of indicators can be improved How development, refinement and use of indicators can be improved Key Water Quality Indicator Issues and Challenges Key Water Quality Indicator Issues and Challenges  Provide foundation for development of community surveys in selected ASC watersheds

Respondent Recruitment  “Reputational Method”  State agencies (28 Interviews) NJDEP, Delaware DNREC, PADEP, MDDNR, VAMRC, VADCR, VADEQ, NCDENR and NYDEC NJDEP, Delaware DNREC, PADEP, MDDNR, VAMRC, VADCR, VADEQ, NCDENR and NYDEC  Federal agencies (12 Interviews) EPA, NOAA, ACE, Fish & Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and USGS EPA, NOAA, ACE, Fish & Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and USGS  Interstate Watershed Commissions (6 Interviews) DRBC, SRBC, ICPRB, and CBLAD DRBC, SRBC, ICPRB, and CBLAD

Respondents’ Roles  Managers Water Resources Management Water Resources Management Development of Policies and Regulations Development of Policies and Regulations Issuing Permits and Overseeing Permitting Processes Issuing Permits and Overseeing Permitting Processes Managing planning for watersheds Managing planning for watersheds Supervising monitoring and assessment of aquatic resources Supervising monitoring and assessment of aquatic resources  Scientists Developing and Collecting Indicator Data Conducting Water Resource Assessments Designing Monitoring Programs Evaluating and Improving Indicator Metrics

What is an “Indicator”?  “Data that vary with time and tell us something about the overall health of an aquatic ecosystem or water resource” Identifies stressor, condition and/or response Identifies stressor, condition and/or response  Water Quality Standards or Criteria  Biological, Physical or Chemical Commonly Integrated as a Suite Commonly Integrated as a Suite  Land Use or Watershed Measures  Socioeconomic Indicators

How are indicators used?  Important for: Assessing Status and Monitoring Trends Assessing Status and Monitoring Trends Cause-Condition-Response ModelsCause-Condition-Response Models Regulatory Enforcement Regulatory Enforcement Defining and Evaluating StandardsDefining and Evaluating Standards Identifying “Vulnerability” StatusIdentifying “Vulnerability” Status Setting Agency Priorities Setting Agency Priorities Indirect Measure of Agency PerformanceIndirect Measure of Agency Performance

Water Quality Indicators: Strengths and Weaknesses +  Identifying impairment or degradation of water resources  Developing water quality standards and criteria  Responding to and guiding program goals  Foundation of data for future needs _  Limited by resource constraints Financial Technical Organizational  Most useful when developed as suites / multi-metrics  Challenge of maintaining scientific integrity and issue- relevance

Improving Indicator Metrics  Accuracy and Scientific Integrity Evaluation and application of new technologies Evaluation and application of new technologies  Availability and Abundance Utilizing current resources (e.g. citizens’ monitoring data) Utilizing current resources (e.g. citizens’ monitoring data) Securing support for continued indicator development Securing support for continued indicator development

Improving Indicator Use  Consistency… from development of metrics to provision for management purposes Data needed vs. data that can be obtained Data needed vs. data that can be obtained Forms in which data are collected Forms in which data are collected  Application to Water Quality Issues Gather localized or issue-specific data when possible (quality vs. quantity tradeoffs) Gather localized or issue-specific data when possible (quality vs. quantity tradeoffs) Diverse and creative formatting of data for stakeholder use Diverse and creative formatting of data for stakeholder use

Stakeholders - and - Their Concerns  State & Federal Agencies  Others NGO’s NGO’s Private Industry Private Industry Academia Academia Plus many more… Plus many more…  Similarities and Differences 1. Aquatic resources’ status and conditions 2. Standards, requirements and permitting rules 3. Resource Management 4. Development and Accuracy of Indicators

Responding to Stakeholder Concerns: Important Dimensions of Indicators  No Silver Bullet (Suites with issue-dependent components)  Iterative Process of Indicator Development  Flexibility of Formatting is Important (Audience- specific Indicator Data)

Key Findings  State and Federal agencies have a continuing need for indicator development and enhancement of current indicators  Stakeholders need data to be in multiple formats and communicated creatively  Availability and efficient allocation of funding and technical resources are fundamental challenges

Challenges  Abundance, Quality, and Efficiency of Resources Financial Financial Technical Technical Human Human  Future Needs: Indicators and Programs that are… Innovative Innovative Adaptive Adaptive Collaborative Collaborative  Where to go from here Input at the watershed level Input at the watershed level What do indicators mean to the general public? What do indicators mean to the general public?

Next Step: Community Surveys in Selected ASC Watersheds  Develop a taxonomy of watershed indicators based on ecological science  Develop a taxonomy of watershed indicators based on ecological science  Assess the relevance of these indicators to the general public  Assess the linkage between environmental indicators and indicators of social well being  Determine the qualities of indicators that increase:  Determine the qualities of indicators that increase: perceived relevanceperceived relevance the probability of their use in environmental policythe probability of their use in environmental policy the strength of the relationship between environmental and social well beingthe strength of the relationship between environmental and social well being

Thank You!  EPA STAR  Respondents  Collaborators

QUESTIONS?