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WATER M ONITORING 101 A GENDA • Watersheds 101 • Water Monitoring 101 • Importance of study design and site selection • Volunteer Monitoring • Activity WATERSHED I NTRO W HAT IS A WATERSHED ? TOPOGRAPHY IS THE KEY WATERSHED DELINEATOR WATERSHEDS S CALE 8-digit HUC 11-digit HUC 14-digit HUC S TREAM O RDER R IVER C ONTINUUM C ONCEPT 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 W HAT 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 1969 http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/06/cuyahoga_river_fire_40_years_a.html T HERE IS NO SINGLE DEFINITION OF CLEAN WATER . H OW DO WE USE WATER ? • Beneficial uses: Drinking water Agriculture Industry Recreation Fisheries and other aquatic life Aesthetics H OW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE CLEAN WATER ? P OINT S OURCE P OLLUTION • 25% of pollution in the U.S. • Direct discharge from industry, sewage treatment plants, etc. • Easier to identify due to “end of pipe” N ONPOINT S OURCE P OLLUTION • 75% of Pollution in the US • General runoff of water contaminated by poor land use, homes, streets, air, etc. • Difficult to identify W HY D O W E WANT TO I MPROVE WATER Q UALITY ? • 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 W HAT M EASURES ARE PART OF WATER Q UALITY E VALUATIONS ? C HEMICAL A SSESSMENT • Dissolved Oxygen • E. coli and general coliforms • pH • Biochemical Oxygen Demand 5-day • Water Temperature Change • Phosphates • Nitrates and Nitrites • Turbidity/Transparency Temp BOD Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone” P HYSICAL A SSESSMENT – L ET ’ S TALK HABITAT … Some critters aren’t suited for certain situations and know when to get out! C ITIZENS Q UALITATIVE H ABITAT E VALUATION I NDEX • 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 H ABITAT E VALUATIONS T HE R OLE OF F LOW … • 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 B IOLOGICAL A SSESSMENT B ENTHIC M ACROINVERTEBRATES : W HY THEM ? • Chemistry – just a snapshot in time • Macroinvertebrates: • DO WE MONITOR 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 Q UALITY M ONITORING 5 W’ S • Why • What • Where • When • Who W HY W E M ONITOR • 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 M ONITORING C HALLENGES • Failure to evaluate data regularly • Lack of collateral information • Poor institutional integration • No planned study design WATERSHED I NVENTORY • • Research Maps and Aerial Photos Reports & Surveys Field Inventory What are the Land Uses? In-stream Conditions Color Odor Appearance W HAT W E M ONITOR • • 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 W HERE TO M ONITOR ? • • Based on sampling goals/objectives Upstream / downstream At bottom of watershed Multiple sites Physical location • Safety • distance/convenience and access/property rights 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 W HEN TO M ONITOR • 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 W HO M ONITORS • Federal Agencies (O THER DATA SOURCES ) • Universities EPA • Counties USGS • Municipalities Forest Service • Tribes NOAA • Regulated Communities Fish and Wildlife • Advocacy Organization • States Nature Conservancy IDEM • Sporting Organizations DNR • Watershed Organizations Health Department Drinking Water Agencies • Schools, 4-H U PPER W HITE R IVER WATERSHED W HY W ORK W ITH V OLUNTEER M ONITORS • 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) C HARACTERISTICS OF S UCCESSFUL V OLUNTEER M ONITORING P ROGRAMS • Well-organized • Sound scientific basis • Report results • Strong institutional support • Make a difference Q UALITY A SSURANCE /Q UALITY C ONTROL • 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 X • Place x on high and low points HW • Place arrow pointing in direction of flow • Mark waterfall • Label CON MR FALLS DR X Headwater Confluence Midriver Falls Downriver L OOK AT YOUR SITE G ROUPS • Headwaters • Confluence • Midriver • Falls • Downriver H EADWATERS H EADWATERS G ROUPS • Seasons January – Blue April – Green July – Yellow October - Orange JANUARY JANUARY S UMMARY U PCOMING W ORKSHOPS • 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 Q UESTIONS ?