National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Westchester County Citizens’ Volunteer Monitoring Program Susan Darling, Environmental Planner Westchester County Department of Planning Supported by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation May 2006
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Westchester County, New York New York City Westchester County is located just north of New York City Westchester
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Westchester County Citizens’ Volunteer Monitoring Program (WCCVMP) New York State Department of Environmental Conservation grant New York State Department of Environmental Conservation grant Natural Resources Conservation Service Natural Resources Conservation Service Westchester County Soil and Water Conservation District Westchester County Soil and Water Conservation District
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Westchester County Citizens’ Volunteer Monitoring Program (WCCVMP) Goal is to establish a County-wide monitoring program with the following components: Goal is to establish a County-wide monitoring program with the following components: River and Stream Monitors Lake Monitors (2004) Monitoring Networks Online Database
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning WCCVMP Mission Create a historical baseline of water quality information throughout Westchester County Create a historical baseline of water quality information throughout Westchester County Connect communities with their water resources through education and hands on involvement Connect communities with their water resources through education and hands on involvement Allow public access to water quality monitoring information for educational purposes Allow public access to water quality monitoring information for educational purposes
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Volunteers 17 stream sites in stream sites in adult volunteers 80 adult volunteers 5 high school monitoring teams 5 high school monitoring teams
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Stream Monitoring Data Chemical Physical Biological
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Physical Conditions Surrounding Land Use and Riparian Zone Surrounding Land Use and Riparian Zone Channels, Banks, and Substrate Channels, Banks, and Substrate Temperature Temperature Weather Weather Stream Size Stream Size Water Appearance Water Appearance Algae Algae Flow Flow Litter Litter
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Chemical Conditions pH pH Alkalinity Alkalinity Salinity Salinity Nitrate-Nitrogen Nitrate-Nitrogen Orthophosphate Orthophosphate Dissolved Oxygen Dissolved Oxygen Conductivity Conductivity Turbidity Turbidity
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Biological Conditions Mayflies Mayflies Stoneflies Stoneflies Caddisflies Caddisflies Aquatic Beetles Aquatic Beetles Aquatic Worms Aquatic Worms
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Stream Monitoring Volunteers monitor one site Volunteers monitor one site Data is collected weekly from April- October (potential for winter monitoring) Data is collected weekly from April- October (potential for winter monitoring)
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning WCCVMP Water Website at “Discover” “Discover” the educational component “Explore” “Explore” the data manipulation component Online Database Online Database
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning First website View First website View
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Online Database Central location to store data Central location to store data Public access to data Public access to data Display and analyze data Display and analyze data Charts Graphs Maps Export to Microsoft Excel
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Volunteers receive a Login ID and Password that allows them to enter monitoring results only for their assigned stream stretch sites Volunteers receive a Login ID and Password that allows them to enter monitoring results only for their assigned stream stretch sites Automatically screens for extreme outliers Automatically screens for extreme outliers Data must be entered twice to eliminate typing errors Data must be entered twice to eliminate typing errors Quality Assurance Project Plan Quality Assurance Project Plan Quality Assurance
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Uploading Data User-friendly data entry forms User-friendly data entry forms Individualized training sessions Individualized training sessions Responding to volunteer feedback Responding to volunteer feedback
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Uploading Data
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning WCCVMP Water Website “Explore” Select Table Data Select Table Data View Interactive Maps View Interactive Maps Create Charts and Graphs Create Charts and Graphs Pie Bar Line Calculate Simple Statistics Calculate Simple Statistics Linear Regression t-test
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Select Data
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Graphs
National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006 Westchester County Department of Planning Questions?
Susan Darling (914) Westchester County Department of Planning Gerard E. Mulligan, AICP, Commissioner Westchester County Citizens’ Volunteer Monitoring Program A Presentation at the 2006 National Monitoring Conference San Jose, California May 10, 2006