USE OF BIOLOGICAL DATA IN ASSESSING WATER QUALITY (INTEGRATED REPORTING) KEVIN BERRY January 19, 2017

Transcription

1 USE OF BIOLOGICAL DATA IN ASSESSING WATER QUALITY (INTEGRATED REPORTING) KEVIN BERRY January 19, 2017

2 Designated Uses: Establish Water Quality Goals Aquatic Life Recreation Fish Consumption Shellfish Harvesting Public Water Supply

3 The Biological Condition Gradient Concept Natural structure & function of biotic community maintained 1 2 Minimal changes in structure & function 3 Evident changes in structure and minimal changes in function 4 Moderate changes in structure & minimal changes in function Major changes in structure & moderate changes in function 5 Severe changes in structure & function 6 Increasing Effect of Human Activity

4 From a Regulatory Perspective: What biological condition do you want to see or not see? How to move from continuous gradient (biological phenomena) to simple dual in or out categorical thinking.

5 Biological Condition Natural 1 Native or natural condition 2 Some replacement of sensitive-rare species; functions fully maintained Minimal loss of species; some density changes may occur 3 4 Some sensitive species maintained but notable replacement by more tolerant taxa; altered distributions; functions largely maintained Degraded Tolerant species show increasing dominance; 5 sensitive species are rare; functions altered Severe alteration of structure and function Low Stressor Gradient 6 High

6 METRIC VALUE HIGH Metric Behavior Along the Stressor Gradient LOW Stressor Gradient [Effect of Human Activity] HIGH Modified from Original Courtesy of Chris Yoder, CABB

7 August 2006 FRESHWATER BIOASSESSMENT 1251 Ecological Applications, 16(4), 2006, pp by the Ecological Society of America THE BIOLOGICAL CONDITION GRADIENT: A DESCRIPTIVE MODEL FOR INTERPRETING CHANGE IN AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS SUSAN P. DAVIES 1,3 AND SUSAN K. JACKSON 2 1 Maine Department of Environmental Protection, State House Station 17, Augusta, Maine USA 2 United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C USA Abstract. The United States Clean Water Act (CWA; 1972, and as amended, U.S. Code title 33, sections ) provides the long-term, national objective to restore and maintain the... biological integrity of the Nation s waters (section 1251). However, the Act does not define the ecological components, or attributes, that constitute biological integrity nor does it recommend scientific methods to measure the condition of aquatic biota. One way to define biological integrity was described over 25 years ago as a balanced, integrated, adaptive system. Since then a variety of different methods and indices have been designed and applied by each state to quantify the biological condition of their waters. Because states in the United States use different me model the efforts of

8 Each of the break-out groups independently reported that the ecological characteristics conceptually described by tiers 1 4 corresponded to how they interpret the Clean Water Act (CWA) s interim goal for protection and propagation of aquatic life, and identified the characteristics described by tiers 1 and 2 as indicative of biological integrity.

9 HGMI (genus) Tier N Tier N Predicted Tier

10 CPMI vs BCG CPMI BCG

11 Pinelands Waters (PMI) Macroinvertebrate Calibration To Reflect PL (ONRW) Waters

12

13 Headwaters IBI Ratings 100 Excellent Headwaters Index of Biotic Integrity Poor Very poor Good Fair UB 95% CI Tier 3 UB 95% CI Tier 4 UB 95% CI Tier 5 UB 95% CI Tier Biological Condition Gradient

14 I. Macroinvertebrates AMNET and Raritan Headwater Index for High Gradient Streams (HGMI Metric) (Highlands, Ridge and Valley, Piedmont Physiographic Provinces) Category Metric Score Assessment Excellent Not Impaired Good 42 - < 63 Not Impaired Fair 21 - < 42 Impaired Poor < 21 Impaired

15 Macroinvertebrate Index for Low Gradient (CPMI Metric) Coastal Plain (Non Pinelands) Streams Category Metric Score Assessment Excellent Not Impaired Good 12 - < 22 Not Impaired Fair 6 - < 12 Impaired Poor < 6 Impaired

16 Macroinvertebrates continued: Macroinvertebrate Index for Pinelands Waters (PMI Metric) 1 Scores in the fair category are assessed as impaired if the waters are classified as PL, but are assessed as not impaired if the waters are classified as FW2. Category Metric Score Assessment Result Excellent Not Impaired Good 56 - < 63 Not Impaired Fair 34 - < 56 Impaired 1 Poor < 34 Impaired PMI was developed specifically to reflect the unique conditions of Outstanding National Resource Waters (ONRW) PL waters. Because FW2 waters are not expected to have the same biological conditions as ONRW waters, the fair category is regarded as fully attaining the aquatic life use.

17 Macroinvertebrates continued: ESTUARINE ASSESSMENTS Regional Monitoring and Assessment Program (REMAP) Assessments - Raritan & Newark Bay, Arthur Kill, Kill Van Kull Overall Metric Score Assessment Result 3 Not Impaired <3 Impaired

18 Estuarine Macroinvertebrate Assessments continued: Descriptive and Regulatory Thresholds for Barnegat Bay Biological Metric (AMBI) - Assessment Categories follow those of the European Union Water Directive Framework - Moderate Category = transitional conditions, undetermined for assessment purposes requiring further study Category Metric Score Assessment High >0.77 Not Impaired Good Not Impaired Moderate Undetermined Poor Impaired Bad <0.2 Impaired

19 Volunteer Benthic Macroinvertebrate Indices -These indices are for citizen scientists/volunteer organizations to use when identification of organisms to the genus/species level is cost-prohibitive - These indices use less detailed order/family level taxonomy to evaluate biological conditions instead of the genus level taxonomy. - The three volunteer indices apply to the State s waters using the same ecoregions as defined for AMNET - Assessment categories - reduced to three categories: Healthy, Stressed, and Undetermined.

20 Volunteer High Gradient Index (VHGMI) Category Metric Score Assessment Healthy > 20 Not Impaired Undetermined Not Assessed Stressed < 12 Impaired Volunteer Coastal Plain Index (VCPMI) Category Metric Score Assessment Healthy > 65 Not Impaired Undetermined Not Assessed Stressed < 35 Impaired

21 Volunteer Pineland Index (VPMI) Category Metric Score Assessment Result Healthy > 75 Not Impaired Undetermined Not Assessed Stressed < 45 Impaired

22 II. Fin Fish Data Northern Fish Index of Biotic Integrity (N_IBI) - Highlands, Ridge and Valley, Piedmont Physiographic Provinces Category Index Score Assessment Result Excellent Not Impaired Good Not Impaired Fair Not Impaired Poor Impaired Very Poor 0-18 Impaired

23 Fin Fish Data, continued Southern Fish Index of Biotic Integrity (S_IBI) - Inner Coastal Plain (Non Pineland) Category Metric Score Assessment Result Excellent Not Impaired Good Not Impaired Fair Not Impaired (Insufficient Data) Poor Impaired Very Poor 0-20 Impaired

24 Headwaters Index of Biotic Integrity (HIBI) - Headwaters Index of Biotic Integrity (HIBI) - Highlands, Ridge and Valley, Piedmont Physiographic Provinces Category Index Score Assessment Result Excellent Not Impaired Good Not Impaired Fair Not Impaired Poor Impaired Very Poor 0-12 Impaired

25 THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS Minimum Suite of Parameters Needed to Determine Use Is Fully Supporting Designated Use General Aquatic Life Aquatic Life - Trout Recreation Shellfish Harvest for Consumption Public Water Supply Fish Consumption Minimum Suite of Parameters Biological data Biological data and Temperature and DO Pathogenic Indicator Bacteria Fecal Coliform Nitrate Fish tissue data

26 Biological Monitoring Data Available, No Chemical/Physical Data Available Results of Biological Assessment Results of Aquatic Life Use Assessment (General and Trout) Biology is not impaired or threatened General aquatic life use is Fully Supporting. Trout aquatic life use is Insufficient Information. Biology is impaired or threatened Both aquatic life uses are Not Supporting ; biological impairment represented by Cause Unknown-Impaired Biota identified as the cause.

27 Both Biological and Chemical/Physical Data Available Results of Biological Assessment Biology is not impaired or threatened, there are no chemical exceedances, and water quality is not threatened Biology is impaired or threatened AND chemical/physical data show exceedances of aquatic life criteria or are threatened Biology is impaired or threatened BUT chemical/physical data show NO exceedances of aquatic life criteria Biology is not impaired or threatened BUT chemical/physical data show exceedances of aquatic life criteria or water quality is threatened Results of Aquatic Life Use Assessment (General and Trout) Both aquatic life uses are Fully Supporting. Both aquatic life uses are Not Supporting ; biological impairment represented by Cause Unknown-Impaired Biota and chemical/physical parameters exceeding criteria identified as the cause. Both aquatic life uses are Not Supporting ; biological impairment represented by Cause Unknown-Impaired Biota identified as the cause. Both aquatic life uses are Not Supporting ; chemical/physical parameter(s) exceeding criteria identified as the cause.

28 No Biological Data Available; Chemical/Physical Data Available Results of Biological Assessment No exceedances of aquatic life criteria Exceedance of any aquatic life criterion Results of Aquatic Life Use Assessment (General and Trout) Insufficient data to assess both aquatic life uses. Both aquatic life uses are Not Supporting ; chemical/physical parameter(s) exceeding criteria identified as the cause.

29 Additional Considerations When Evaluating Biological Data In general, biological assessments are based on the most recent results. However, the Department takes into consideration the results from previous years assessment results when making a final assessment decision. Because genus level indices provide more accurate assessments of biological conditions than order/family level indices - they are the primary means to assess benthic macroinvertebrate communities. Disturbed or impaired biota can result from drought conditions that result in reduced base flow or extreme storm events that cause very high flows. If biological communities are impaired due to such conditions, the impairment is attributed to natural conditions and the data are not considered valid for assessment purposes The Department has developed multiple biological indices based upon both fish and benthic macroinvertebrates that represent several tropic levels - each assessing different spatial and temporal scales. Where multiple indices are employed - if one indicates impairment, the aquatic life use is listed as impaired.

30 Other Uses of Biological Data, Aside from Integrated Assessment - Stream Classification: Trout Production, Trout Maintenance, Non Trout - Category One Designations: Exceptional Ecological Significance (T&E), Exceptional Bio community (Bugs & Fish) - Nutrient Criteria Development: Barnegat Bay, FW Rivers & Streams

31 Questions?