Presented by: Hoosier Riverwatch With thanks to Empower Results W ATER M ONITORING 101.
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Transcript of Presented by: Hoosier Riverwatch With thanks to Empower Results W ATER M ONITORING 101.
WATER MONITORING 101
AGENDA
• Watersheds 101
• Water Monitoring 101
• Importance of study design and site selection
• Volunteer Monitoring
• Activity
WATERSHED INTRO
WHAT IS A WATERSHED?
TOPOGRAPHY IS THE KEY WATERSHED DELINEATOR
11-digit HUC
14-digit HUC
8-digit HUC
WATERSHEDS SCALE
STREAM ORDER
RIVER CONTINUUM CONCEPT
Headwaters Streams
heavily shaded, leaf litter is important
shredders / collectors are abundant
Mid-order Streams
less shaded, algae more important
grazers abundant
Large Rivers
not shaded, phytoplankton present
collectors important
WHAT IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN LAND USE AND WATER QUALITY?
WATER QUALITY
• Regulated through Clean Water Act (1972)
• Waters of U.S. must be “fishable and swimmable” by 1983
• Eliminate all pollution discharge to waters by 1985
Cuyahoga River, June 22 1969http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/06/cuyahoga_river_fire_40_years_a.html
THERE IS NO SINGLE DEFINITION OF CLEAN WATER.
HOW DO WE USE WATER?
• Beneficial uses:
Drinking water
Agriculture
Industry
Recreation
Fisheries and other aquatic life
Aesthetics
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE CLEAN WATER?
POINT SOURCE POLLUTION
• 25% of pollution in the U.S.
• Direct discharge from industry, sewage treatment plants, etc.
• Easier to identify due to “end of pipe”
NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION• 75% of Pollution in the US
• General runoff of water contaminated by poor land use, homes, streets, air, etc.
• Difficult to identify
WHY DO WE WANT TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY?
• Maintain the natural habitat for wildlife, native plants, and your community
• Support designated uses of waterbody
Fishable
Swimmable
• Protect and maintain cultural significance
• Protect drinking water (public health)
• Esthetically pleasing
WHAT MEASURES ARE PART OFWATER QUALITY EVALUATIONS?
CHEMICAL ASSESSMENT
• Dissolved Oxygen
• E. coli and general coliforms
• pH
• Biochemical Oxygen Demand 5-day
• Water Temperature Change
• Phosphates
• Nitrates and Nitrites
• Turbidity/Transparency
Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone”
TempBOD
PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT – LET’S TALK HABITAT…
Some critters aren’t suited for certain situations and know when to get out!
CITIZENS QUALITATIVEHABITAT EVALUATION INDEX
• The following all contribute to habitat and combine to give a final score:
Substrate
Fish Cover
Stream shape and human alterations
Riparian area and local land use
Depth/Velocity
Riffles/Runs
HABITAT EVALUATIONS
THE ROLE OF FLOW…
• Helps provide clues to interpret water quality data
• Channelization
• Amount of impervious surfaces
• Affect on pollutant loads & erosion
• If pollutant increases in high flow, then guess NPS because concentration increases with runoff
• If pollutant decreases with high flow, then guess PS because it is being diluted
BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENTBENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES: WHY DO WE MONITOR THEM?
• Chemistry – just a snapshot in time
• Macroinvertebrates:
Not very mobile
Spend extended period in the water
Have different levels of tolerance to pollution
• Macroinvertebrates provide idea of water quality over extended period of time
5 W’S OF WATER QUALITY MONITORING
5 W’S
• Why
• What
• Where
• When
• Who
WHY WE MONITOR
• Identify pollutants and sources
• Establish baseline data
• Document changes and trends
• Measure effectiveness
• Inform stakeholders
• Assess use attainment
• Provide information and data to support modeling
• Characterize watershed
MONITORING CHALLENGES
• Failure to evaluate data regularly
• Lack of collateral information
• Poor institutional integration
• No planned study design
WATERSHED INVENTORY
• Research
Maps and Aerial Photos
Reports & Surveys
Field Inventory
What are the Land Uses?
• In-stream Conditions
Color
Odor
Appearance
WHAT WE MONITOR
• Determine sampling goals/objectives
Environmental
Community
Educational
• What chemical and/or field samples are taken depends on objective and budget
If interested in algae blooms; sample for nutrients and collect representative algae samples for id
WHERE TO MONITOR?
• Based on sampling goals/objectives
Upstream / downstream
At bottom of watershed
Multiple sites
• Physical location
distance/convenience and access/property rights
• Safety
roadside parking, rocky inclines, high flow conditions, bacteria consideration
• Best habitat available
should be characteristic of stream reach, yet should aim to ‘level the playing field’ between sites
WHEN TO MONITOR
• Based on sampling goals/objectives
• Before and After
Monitoring before and after a large rain
Useful for determining types of pollutants washed into stream after rain and reveal changes that occurs as result of new land use
• Change Over Time
Monitoring the same site twice each year for period of 5 years
Useful in identifying trends and picking up unusual situations
WHO MONITORS (OTHER DATA SOURCES)
• Federal Agencies
EPA
USGS
Forest Service
NOAA
Fish and Wildlife
• States
IDEM
DNR
Health Department
Drinking Water Agencies
• Universities
• Counties
• Municipalities
• Tribes
• Regulated Communities
• Advocacy Organization
Nature Conservancy
• Sporting Organizations
• Watershed Organizations
• Schools, 4-H
UPPER WHITE RIVER WATERSHED
WHY WORK WITH VOLUNTEER MONITORS
• Source of credible data
• More comprehensive data
• Greater monitoring frequency
• Larger # of sites monitored
• Local knowledge
• Enhances local stewardship
• Gain support for your efforts
• Cost effective (not cost free)
CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL VOLUNTEER MONITORING PROGRAMS• Well-organized
• Sound scientific basis
• Report results
• Strong institutional support
• Make a difference
QUALITY ASSURANCE/QUALITY CONTROL
• Quality Assurance is a broad plan for maintaining quality in all aspects of a program
• Quality Control methods are established to control errors
Follow protocol
Repeated Measurements
Modified from a presentation given by Linda Green, Rhode Island Watershed Watch
ACTIVITY
• Place x on high and low points
• Place arrow pointing in direction of flow
• Mark waterfall
• Label
Headwater
Confluence
Midriver
Falls
Downriver
HW
CON
MR
DR
FALLS
X
X
LOOK AT YOUR SITE
GROUPS
• Headwaters
• Confluence
• Midriver
• Falls
• Downriver
HEADWATERS
HEADWATERS
GROUPS
• Seasons
January – Blue
April – Green
July – Yellow
October - Orange
JANUARY
JANUARY
SUMMARY
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
• www.dnr.in.gov/nrec
• Healthy Water Healthy People
March 4, Ft. Harrison SP Indianapolis, IN
• Hoosier Riverwatch
April 9, Indianapolis and South Bend
April 16, Jasper and Lake County
April 23, Gene Stratton Porter
April 30, Lake County
TAKE HOME THOUGHTS
• Everything is connected
• Use long-term thinking
• Look for the big picture and relationships
• Focus on object observations, not on blame
• Consider how pre-existing and popular opinions inform decisions
• Gather all the data that you can
QUESTIONS?