Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring

Transcription

1 Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Image or Graphic Savage River Watershed Association March 10, 2012 New Germany State Park 1

2 Water Quality Parameters Establish baseline conditions Conductivity Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Temperature ph 2

3 LaMotte PockeTester Hand held water quality meter Temperature ( C) Conductivity (µs/cm) Total dissolved solids (mg/l) Attempt to take measurements weekly on set predetermined day (e.g., every Tuesday). 3

4 Why weekly on a set day? Why weekly on a set day? Try to capture natural variability in stream conditions over extended period of time 4

5 PockeTester User Guide On/Off turn on and off meter Mode change variable being measured Conductivity, TDS Cal calibrate meter to known conductivity standard (84 µs/cm) Electrode meter sensor Mode Cal On/Off Electrode * User manual included with equipment 5

6 PockeTester Calibration Calibration compare meter to a standard of known measurement to ensure accurate reading Calibrate weekly at home just prior to sampling PockeTester Calibration cup Calibration standard (84 µs/cm) Conductivity Calibration Log 6

7 PockeTester Calibration 1. Meter must be in conductivity mode ( µs will be displayed; to change press the MODE button) 2. Pour 20 ml of 84 µs/cm conductivity standard into calibration cup 3. Place electrode into calibration cup 4. Record initial conductivity measurement on Conductivity Calibration Log 5. Press and hold CAL button for 2 seconds. CAL will appear on the screen. 84 will stop flashing and the display will show SA and End Note that SA won t appear if calibration fails. 6. Record calibrated conductivity measurement on Conductivity Calibration Log 7. Rinse meter with distilled water, shake dry, replace cap, and turn off meter 8. Store conductivity standard and PockeTester indoors when not in use PockeTester is now calibrated and ready for field measurement Must be conducted weekly, prior to sampling! 7

8 PockeTester Calibration 8

9 PockeTester Calibration Calibrate in 20 ml 84 µs/cm standard Record initial and calibrated conductivity measurements on log 9

10 PockeTester Calibration Rinse electrode with distilled water. GENTLY shake dry, turn off, and replace cap. Store conductivity standard and water quality equipment safely indoors. 10

11 PockeTester Calibration SRWA Probe #4 3/3/2012 3/10/2012 3/17/2012 3/24/ :30 9:20 10:00 8: J. Smith J. Smith J. Smith J. Smith 11

12 12 PockeTester Field Use Taking a stream-side measurement 1. Turn on meter and remove cap 2. Make sure meter is in conductivity mode ( µs will be displayed; to change press MODE for 3 seconds) 3. While standing on the bank, place the electrode of the meter directly into stream or use sampling cup (rinse cup 5 X in stream & then fill) 4. Allow reading to stabilize by keeping probe submersed in water 5. Record the conductivity measurement on data sheet 6. Hold the mode button for 3 seconds (TDS will flash on the display) 7. Place back in stream water and allow reading to stabilize 8. Record TDS measurement on data sheet 9. Rinse meter electrode with salt solution to decontaminate 10. Rinse meter electrode with distilled water, shake dry, and turn off Remember to rinse cup with salt solution as well!

13 PockeTester Field Use Turn on and remove cap. Change MODE to Conductivity µs. 13

14 PockeTester Field Use Place electrode in water from bank. Allow to stabilize and record conductivity measurement on data sheet. Change MODE to TDS and take measurement. Record TDS measurement on data sheet. 14

15 PockeTester Field Use Rinse electrode with salt solution then rinse with distilled water. Gently shake dry, turn off, and replace cap. Check that data sheet is completely and correctly filled out. 15

16 PLEASE NOTE! The LaMotte PockeTester has been used extensively for stream monitoring and has an excellent track record. BUT the electrode end is NOT STURDY! Great care must be taken whenever the cap is off, including placing tester on a surface while it dries. Be sure to GENTLY shake to remove water. This will not remove all water drops. If you cannot safely air dry, then re-cap and dry in a safe place at home. Nothing should come in contact with electrodes except water!!! 16

17 Additional Measurements ph Litmus test paper strips Precipitation in the last 48 hrs None, Trace, Light, Moderate, Heavy Water clarity Clear, Tea-colored, Murky, Milky, Muddy Stream flow Low, Normal, High Categories are defined on glossary sheet! 17

18 Additional Measurements ph Litmus paper strips Dip test strip into stream water Compare test strip to color range to determine ph Our ph strips measure only range

19 Precipitation in the last 48 hrs None Additional Measurements Trace = Drizzle Light = Rainfall at 0.1 inches/hr Moderate = Rainfall at inches/hr Heavy = Rainfall at >0.3 inches/hr 19

20 Water Clarity Clear Additional Measurements Tea colored = tannic stain Murky = darkened/cloudy sediment Milky = light/white Muddy = brown water, unable to see bottom 20

21 Stream Flow Additional Measurements Low = below average Normal = baseflow conditions High = elevated or above bank flow 21

22 22

23 Measurements Not Being Conducted Cross Section Area Part of ALLARM procedures Measurement not necessary in MD USGS gage data daily stream flow data NWS precipitation data Extra time to sample more sites Concerns about spreading didymo and other harmful hitchhikers 23

24 Gage stations throughout Garrett County USGS Flow Data Daily flow percentiles (based on +40 years of data) Relate water quality measurements to flow percentiles Percentile Explanation < >90 Much below normal Below normal Normal Above normal Much above normal Mean Conductivity Max Conductivity Min Conductivity n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

25 Poplar Lick Savage River Road & Westernport Road Joe Smith Rain yesterday, water slightly muddy in appearance from runoff. 25

26 Water Quality Data Sheets Fill out completely in pencil Return to Christine King Check Conductivity Calibration Log Field QC audit Additional supply of 84 µs/cm conductivity standard, distilled water, and data sheets Online data entry coming in near future 26

27 Online Entry Form 27

28 Water Quality Data Quality Assurance/Quality Control Procedures Double entry of all data 1 st entry compared with 2 nd entry Easily identify errors and accurately make corrections DNR database Store data in centralized location in standardized format Provide data to MDE, MonQuest, and watershed groups Rapid processing of volunteer data QC ed high quality data Summary reports of all sites Range of conductivity and TDS values Baseline conditions 28

29 Site Summaries Generate summary reports for each site with water quality ranges and summary statistics 29

30 Volunteer Data Online Google Earth map showing volunteer sampling points in western MD linked to site summary information 30

31 Visual Assessment Visual 31 Assessment Checklist Time to Get Serious!!!!

32 32

33 Step 1 Fill in 4-digit map number and 2 digit site number; date; stream name; samplers names; lat and long. 33

34 Step 2 make Yes or No Observations on Stream Conditions (sediment plume; discolored water; increased sediment deposition. Take photos. 34

35 Step 3 Access Road - Yes or No on sediment discharges, stabilization with gravel, stream crossings and drainage, road bank stabilization. Take photos. 35

36 Step 4. Drill Pad, Storage Pond, and Stages Area Yes or No observations on sediment control devices, diversion ditches, sediment control outlets, and stabilization. Take photos. 36

37 Step 5. Observations for Spills and Discharges. Yes or No on unusual odors, discolored water, foam, dead fish, and illegal frack fluid dumping. 37

38 Step 6. Streams - Yes or No observations on gas bubbles (unnatural) or odor (mercaptans give natural gas a detectable odor). 38

39 Step 7 Make observations comments and take pictures, such as clear stream or.. 39

40 milky stream. 40

41 Be careful and have fun! 41

42 Observe a problem at your site during baseline monitoring? Report it to DNR: Christine King (Garrett County) cking@dnr.state.md.us / cell / office or Tony Prochaska (Annapolis) tprochaska@dnr.state.md.us Report it to MDE: Scott Boylan (Frostburg) TAKE A PHOTO! 42

43 CONTACT YOUR SRWA POINT PERSON AFTER EACH SITE VISIT! Help ensure that SRWA sites are being covered on a weekly basis - prevent scheduling confusion, help find substitute if you re ill or away Keep a log of your main readings (conductivity, TDS, ph, Temp) - as a safeguard in case of lost data sheets Little Savage, Mudlick and Savage Annie Bristow - piperannie@gmail.com or Big Run, Poplar Lick, Elk Lick, Black Lick, and Blue Lick Liz McDowell - lmcdnativeplants@hughes.net or Crabtree Creek, Middle Fork, Bear Pen, and Dry Run Carol McDaniel - mcdanieljandc@verizon.net or

44 SRWA would like to thank the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of Trout Unlimited for providing funds to purchase monitoring equipment, the MD Department of Natural Resources for their critical support, and YOU for volunteering your time and energy as we begin baseline monitoring efforts in our cherished Savage River watershed. 44