Management Issues in the Lake Michigan Basin  Aquatic invasive species  Nutrient enrichment  Beach Health  Contaminants – in Sediments, Fish and Drinking Water  Nuisance algal blooms  Habitat degradation  Loss and Alteration of Coastal Wetlands  Fisheries and food web changes

Current Monitoring Efforts  Need to identify historical and current monitoring for Cyanobacteria and toxins and related factors  USGS is developing a mapper tool and database to pull together as much Great Lakes monitoring data as possible.

59 National Monitoring Network sites and predominant Landuse

nutrient monitoring, toxics monitoring, virus sampling What?

When? Data calibration Calibration to monthly Base flow measurements Stormflow (6 storms/yr.) Fixed-interval samples 60 environmental samples per site

How? real-time sensors Surrogates for: Suspended sediment, Nutrients, Chloride

30 National Monitoring Network sites with real-time flow and water-quality information

All real-time monitoring available at:

Real-time water quality monitors Multi-parameter (YSI) Sonde Why Continuous QW Monitoring? Improves our understanding of hydrology and water quality Continuous data (every 15 minutes) -- captures seasonal, diurnal, and event-driven fluctuations Reduces Time and Costs associated with manual sampling. Few discrete samples (20 per year) used to develop QW interpretations. Estimating non-monitored constituents involves regressions to discharge. Use water-quality data to predict water-quality data!

Surrogate load estimates Using monitoring sensors, collected samples to provide estimates of concentrations and loads of other constituents time-series-based estimator to provide on-line (filter) and off-line (smoother) estimates of concentrations For: sediment, chloride, and nutrients including ammonia plus organic nitrogen and total phosphorus estimates will: use past and current information from discrete measurements utilize continuous measurements of surrogate water-quality constituents be computed using data before and after the time of estimation

Determine Baseline and Sources of Toxic Contaminant Loadings Automated sampling for viruses Two to three basins up stream of the selected NMN sites monitored for human and animal viruses, wastewater indicators, veterinary antibiotics, protozoa, and bacterial pathogens  Monitor at 8 Nutrient site potential watersheds:  Manitowac,  Milwaukee,  Fox,  Clinton,  Rougue,  Maumee  Portage  Plus 1 other in Michigan  Monitor for viruses and pathogens using auto virus sampler, monthly and 6 storms

Determine Baseline and Sources of Toxic Contaminant Loadings  Organochlorine pesticides, PCB’s and PBDE’s  (30 analytes plus Total PCB’s and 5 PCB Congeners)  Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons  (34 analytes)  Wastewater Indicator Chemicals  (44 analytes)  Pharmaceuticals  (44 analytes)

Determine Baseline and Sources of Toxic Contaminant Loadings deployed at all 15 AOC sites in fall of 2010 Sample for: PAH’s and Total PCB’s Alkylated PAH’s, Pharmaceuticals Sampling will be upstream of AOC’s and when applicable downstream of AOC’s determine if upstream is a continuing loading source for the AOC. Sediment traps at 15 AOC sites in the Great Lakes Sediment traps at 15 AOC (Area of Concern) sites in the Great Lakes

Flood Inundation Mapping FIMI es/Misc_Images/gis.jpg USGS Real-time streamgage data National Weather Service flood forecasts High-water marks

USGS FIMI Focus Areas  Major flood documentation studies using high-water marks  Static inundation map libraries at gages/flood forecast points  Real-time, dynamic applications for the future

Annual Fish Stock Assessments  Scientists assess results of trawl  Helps determine prey/predator balance  Long-term: >70 yrs of USGS data

Zebra Mussels  One of the most visible invasive species in the Great Lakes  These filter feeders have cleaned up lake water, allowing greater light penetration

Algae in the Great Lakes  Nuisance algae has been increasing  Related to dreissenid mussels – light penetration in water  USGS research on Cladophora and beach closure issues

Beach Health  Beaches are closed when too many pathogens are detected in water  Need to track sources and make earlier and better predictions of closing  USGS beach research on models and methods for better predictions

Wetlands  Wetlands in Great Lakes are critical to restoration and protection  USGS research in many places such as Metzger Marsh on Lake Erie  Important for lake level regulation

Sediment traps at 15 AOC sites in the Great Lakes