Finding Data Gaps: Compiling and Interpreting Existing Data

Transcription

1 Finding Data Gaps: Compiling and Interpreting Existing Data Christopher C. Obropta Extension Specialist in Water Resources

2 Defining Scope of Planning Effort Ensures watershed planning effort remains focused, effective and efficient. Scope is defined by: Geographic area Number of issues of concern Types of goals to be attained

3 Identify Issues of Concern Understand the link between pollutants or stressors and impacts in the watershed Source of Stressor Stressor Impact Impairment Increased impervious area Increased peak flow Channel instability Impaired benthic habitat

4 Example of Preliminary Goals Meet water quality standards for dissolved oxygen Restore aquatic habitat to meet designated uses for fishing Protect drinking water reservoir from excessive eutrophication Manage future growth Restore wetlands to maintain a healthy wildlife community Protect open space If a TMDL has been developed, the goals can become more specific and include required loading targets.

5 Building upon Goals Developing indicators to measure progress toward achieving goals, Developing specific management objectives to show you will achieve your goals, and Developing measurable targets to determine when you have achieved your goals.

6 Gather Existing Data & Create an Inventory Determine data needs Identifying available data Locating the information Gathering and organizing necessary data Creating a data inventory

7 What s Already Been Done? TMDL Reports Source water assessments CWA Section 208 Plans Clean Lake Plans Characterization and Assessment Reports* Priority stream segment studies* Americorp stream assessments*

8 Local Sources of Information County and City planning offices: : master plans, zoning ordinances, municipal stormwater management plans Soil Conservation Districts: : soil surveys, development plans, erosion control information Department of Economic Development: : census data, tax records, demographic data Public Works Department: : stormwater sewer maps, anecdotal info Health Department: : septic system inventory, records of outbreaks of illness or ailments from poor water quality Transportation Department: : transportation master plans, permits, road and bridge construction information Watershed groups: : volunteer monitoring data, stream surveys

9 Types of Data Physical and Natural Features Watershed boundaries (NJDEP GIS) Hydrology (USGS Stream Gages) Topography (30 meter DEM or County or Municipal Data) Soils (SCS Soil Survey or SSURGO2 Data) Climate (State climatologist, South Jersey RC&D, NOAA) Habitat (Wetlands Inventory, Natural Heritage Program, Habitat Conservation Plans) Wildlife (US Fish and Wildlife Service) Land Use & Population Characteristics (NJDEP GIS and Census Bureau)

10 Types of Data Waterbody Conditions (NJDEP Monitoring Bureau) Integrated List (303d and 305b) TMDL Reports Source Water Assessments Pollution Sources Point Sources (NJPDES Permits) Nonpoint Sources (Land use and land cover maps)

11 More on TMDLs Description of stressors Extent of impairment Sources of impairments and relative contributions Loading targets Overall load allocations for point and nonpoint sources

12 STORET Waterbody Monitoring Data STORET ( National Listing of Fish Advisories ( NWISWeb ( Beach Program ( Volunteer Monitoring Program Data ( or or

13 Other Waterbody Monitoring Data WATERS ( National Sediment Inventory ( NWISWeb ( Biological data ( Geomorphological data (good luck check with Bob Limbeck at DRBC)

14 Watershed boundary and subbasins Land use/land cover Waterbodies Roadways Soils Topography Point sources Protected lands 1 st Step Create GIS Don t t forget the aerial photographs

15 2 nd Step Create Data Inventory Type (e.g., water quality, flow, biological) Source/agency Number of stations Location of stations (lat./long.) Start date End date Number of samples/observations Parameters Frequency Known QA/QC issues Special comments Usually compiled in MS Excel spreadsheet or MS Access database.

16 3rd Step Link Database to GIS

17 USGS TENAKILL BROOK Total Phosphorus Concentration Total Phosphorus Criteria = 0.1 mg/l Concentration (mg/l) USGS TENAKILL BROOK Dissolved Oxygen Concentration /24/98 2/9/99 8/28/99 3/15/00 10/1/00 4/19/01 11/5/01 5/24/02 12/10/02 Time (days) Concentration (mg/l) Dissolved Oxygen Criteria = 5 mg/l (Daily Average) 4.0 Dissolved Oxygen Criteria = 4 mg/l (Minimum At Any Time) /24/98 2/9/99 8/28/99 3/15/00 10/1/00 4/19/01 11/5/01 5/24/02 12/10/02 Time (days)

18 Conduct Data Review Do I have the right types of data to identify causes and sources (concentration versus load)? What is the quality of the data?

19 Identifying Data Gaps Informational Data Gaps Chemical data? Physical data? Biological data? Temporal Data Gaps Data too old? Wet weather data? Dry weather data? Seasonal data? Frequency of data collection? Spatial Data Gaps Data represents influences of different land uses? Data represents different topography?

20 Data Quality Data Quality & Measurement Quality What were the goals of the monitoring activity? What types of data were collected? How were the data collected? Measurement Quality Accuracy: the measurement of how close a result is to the true value. v Precision: the level of agreement among multiple measurements of the same characteristic Sensitivity or Detection Limit

21 Do we need to collect more data? Can we identify and quantify the water quality problems in the watershed? Can we quantify pollutant loads? Can we link the water quality impairments to specific sources and source areas in the watershed? Do we know enough to select and target management measures to reduce pollutant loads and address water quality impairments?

22 For More Information Chris Obropta, Ph.D., P.E. Extension Specialist in Rutgers Water Resources or check out our web site: or check out the Regional Water Coordination Project Web Site: