State Water Resources Monitoring Priorities and Role of Citizen Based Monitoring Tim Asplund, WDNR April 5, 2013

Transcription

1 State Water Resources Monitoring Priorities and Role of Citizen Based Monitoring Tim Asplund, WDNR April 5, 2013

2 From Ken Johnson, WDNR Water Division Administrator: Please extend my gratitude to all those volunteers out there collecting data for the common good. This effort continues to grow and that s a great thing for the State of Wisconsin.

3 Overview Water Monitoring Priorities and Opportunities Overview of water-based CBM programs Tiered approach to monitoring Media (lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands) Parameters (WQ, habitat, biology, levels and flows, temperature, etc) Stressors/threats (nutrients, habitat, AIS, climate, water use) Monitoring Strategy update

4 Monitoring Strategy Vision What are we trying to achieve? A comprehensive (water quality, biology, habitat, hydrology), cross-media (lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands), monitoring plan that is driven by assessment and management needs, adequately resourced (staffed and funded), and makes strategic use of partners and volunteers.

5 Monitoring at the hub of all that we do! Nonpoint Source/Runoff Assessment & Management Status/Trends (Integrated 303d/305b Report) Watersheds/ TMDLs WPDES Permits Monitoring & Assessment Hazardous Waste Sites (NRDA/CERCLA) Habitat Modifications (401 Certification) WQS/Criteria, Use Designations, Antidegradation Comparative Risk Wet Weather Discharges (CSOs, Stormwater) Enforcement/ Litigation Support Source Water Protection

6 Citizens are Integrated to all of our water resources monitoring All media (Lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands) All Tiers (baseline, stressor identification and assessment, evaluation and success stories) All Stressors (nutrients, habitat degradation, AIS, climate, water use)

7 Tiered Monitoring Approach Tier 1: Statewide Baseline Monitoring Trend establishment and problem identification Tier 2: Targeted Evaluation Monitoring Site-specific monitoring of targeted areas Tier 3: Management Effectiveness & Compliance Monitoring Determining effectiveness of management measures & permit conditions

8 Wisconsin s Lake Monitoring Citizen Lake Monitoring Network WDNR Baseline/Long Term Trend Monitoring Projects (lake grants, research, special projects) County classification projects National Lake Survey Other Partners UWSP, CFL, USGS, USACE, etc

9 Water Quality Monitoring Secchi disk transparency In situ profiles (DO, temp, ph, conductivity) Chl a and Total P Water Chemistry (Nseries, ph, alkalinity conductivity) Color and turbidity

10 Aquatic Plants Species lists, Floristic Quality Index (FQI) Transect methods targeted, site specific Point-intercept surveys lakewide, systematic species information, as well as structural information

11 Streams and Rivers Natural Community Stratified Random Sites Targeted Most-Impacted Sites Long-term Wadeable Stream Trend Sites Long Term Trend (LTT) River Network TMDL monitoring/evaluation Monitoring HUC 12 Watershed Assessments Water Action Volunteer (WAV) stream monitoring

12 IBI AC IBI Riffle IBI Spring HBI IBI WDNR Stream monitoring 200 sites annually Parameters: Basic Chemistry Nutrients, DO, temp Physical Habitat Flows Macroinvertebrates Fish IBI at Different Sample Levels in Riffles Multihabitat IBI Observer Comparison IBI across Impact Type and Sample Method for N=300 in Fall Riffle vs. Multihabitat IBI Mike fall 300 Fall vs. Spring HBI Riffle Mike MM Multihabitat IBI Observer Multihabitat Riffle Multihabitat Riffle Multihabitat Riffle Fall HBI Phosphorus Sediment Reference N Sampled

13 Wetlands landscape assessment for broad inventory data by remote sensing; rapid assessment includes simple rapid protocols at specific sites; and intensive site assessment National Wetland Condition Assessment Ephemeral Pond Inventory Wetland assessment training

14 Wisconsin Volunteer Lake & Stream Monitoring

15 Goals and Objectives Goal: To help preserve and protect Wisconsin's over 15,000 lakes and 86,000 miles of rivers Objectives: Educate citizens about water quality Build a network of informed citizens (empower them to take action to protect and improve natural resources) Obtain (high quality) water resources data useful for DNR decision-making Share data and knowledge

16 Multiple Levels Level 1 Educational An introduction to monitoring basics Better understand the connection between land use & water quality Level 2 Status and trends A more intensive monitoring experience Must follow a specific schedule Utilize DNR methodologies & databases Level 3 Research projects Unique opportunity to address a specific issue

17 Citizen Lake Monitoring Monitoring Citizens Secchi Clarity 1100 Chemistry 450 Dissolved oxygen 300 Milfoil 275 Loosestrife 83 Plants 64 Zebra Mussel 55 Mystery Snails?

18 Citizen Lake Monitoring 2012: A Year in Review Stations Monitored as of 2012

19 Citizen Lake Monitoring 2012: A Year in Review Volunteer Participation as of 2012

20 Map courtesy of Matt Diebel

21 Wisconsin Lake Clarity - Trophic State From Space Ground-truthed by hundreds of volunteers DNR Science Services generates annual estimates for >3200 lakes

22 Volunteer Stream Monitoring (WAV) Introductory (Level 1), Status and trends(level 2), Special research projects (Level 3). In 2012, 507 unique sites were monitored by volunteer stream monitors.

23 Who is participating? Citizen & School groups ~50 local programs ~250 adults and 1600 students annually 2011 monitoring sites 490 sites monitored across all three levels (some may be monitored in multiple levels) Over 15,300 site visits by volunteers over the years!

24 Water Action Volunteers: Level 1 Educational An introduction to monitoring basics Better understand the connection between land use & water quality What s Monitored? DO Temperature Transparency Habitat Biotic index Stream flow

25 Water Action Volunteers: Level 2 Status and Trends A more intensive monitoring experience Must follow a specific schedule Utilize DNR methodologies & databases What s Monitored? Temperature ph DO Transparency

26 Water Action Volunteers: Level 3 Special Research Projects Unique opportunity to address a specific issue What s Monitored? Varies, though currently includes: Total Phosphorus Chloride Specific conductance E. coli Continuous temperature Macroinvertebrates Stream Flow

27 VOLUNTEER ROAD SALT MONITORING PROJECT Built upon USGS research 1 Goals 1. To understand the breadth of impact from road salt on WI streams 2. Assess functionality of an economical field meter for specific conductance (SC) measurement 3. Assess relation between chloride and SC at monitored sites 4. Assess how this works as a volunteer monitoring project 1 Corsi, S.R., Graczyk, D.J., Geis, S.W., Booth, N.L., and Richards, K.D A fresh look at road salt: Aquatic toxicity and water-quality impacts on local, regional and national scales. Environ. Sci. Technol. 44:

28 URBAN AREAS MONITORED IN 2012 Eau Claire Fox Valley Milwaukee Madison Racine

29 New Projects Total phosphorus monitoring Filling data gaps Sites identified by WDNR Site requests from volunteers Adaptive Management connections Nutrient Reduction Strategy

30 Partnerships make it work Citizens groups School groups County staff Nature Centers W.E.R.C.s University scientists Basin Educators Wisconsin DNR biologists Created by Manitowoc Co. LWCD

31 WISCONSIN EPHEMERAL PONDS PROJECT CITIZEN MONITORING NETWORK Wisconsin Ephemeral Ponds Project Citizen Monitoring Network Connecting People to Wetlands

32 WISCONSIN EPHEMERAL PONDS PROJECT CITIZEN MONITORING NETWORK Mapping (EPA Grant) Complete mapping of all SEWRPC counties DONE! Accuracy assessment In PROGRESS report in 2013 DNR Forestry Division Grant IN PROGRESS Map and monitor EPs on state forest lands in 25 townships Goal: develop timber harvest BMPs for ephemeral ponds Amphibian Egg Mass Surveys on Verified Ephemeral Ponds NEW IN 2013

33 Purple Loosestrife Control Monitoring For more information contact: (608)

34 Rock River Coalition Wetland Monitoring for more information contact

35 Is Water Monitoring Strategy responsive to emerging issues? AIS threats blue green algal toxicity climate-driven change (water level, temperature and flow regime) habitat loss accelerating eutrophication and sedimentation emerging in-place pollutant challenges (pesticides, endocrine disrupters, pharmaceuticals, etc) Groundwater extraction Mining

36 Blue-green algae and HAB

37 HAB Samples Toxins above detection levels: Microcystins > 1.0 ug/l, or Anatoxin-a > 0.5 ug/l, or Homoanatoxin-a > 0.5 ug/l, or Cylindrospermopsin > 0.5 ug/l, or Deoxycylindrospermopsin > 0.5 ug/l (in water via HPLC/MS/MS) Microcystin > 0.1 ug/l (via ELISA) Toxins below detection limits 32 Thanks Gina LaLiberte! Numbers indicate multiple sampling dates for a single water body.

38 Aquatic Invasive Species

39 Tiered Approach Surveillance/Early Detection Monitoring Casual and trained observers broad coverage Targeted AIS Monitoring Tracking the regional extent of a species Strategic AIS Monitoring (Tier 1) Randomized monitoring are we slowing the spread? Strategic AIS Monitoring (Tier 2, 3) Case specific response monitoring, containment and control for restricted/prohibited species.

40 We want to track how well our prevention strategies are working.

41 Baseline AIS Lake Monitoring New Documentations Banded mystery snails 35 Chinese mystery snails 26 Purple loosestrife - 24 Curly-leaf pondweed 12 Eurasian water-milfoil 8 Phragmites - 3 Zebra mussels 4 Japanese mystery snails 1 Flowering rush Lakes Monitored (177 Lakes) 73% of lakes had an AIS Thanks Scott Van Egeren!

42 Levels and Flows

43

44 Source:UWSP

45 Source:UWSP

46 Annual Stream Flow Trends and Precipitation Change from 1950 to 2006 Trends in observed stream flows generally corresponded to changes in precipitation across Wisconsin. Source: Greb et al., WICCI Water Resources & Climate Working Groups

47 National Climate Adaptation Strategy GOAL 4: Support adaptive management in a changing climate through integrated observation and monitoring and use of decision support tools. Coordinated inventory, monitoring, and observation systems should be developed to enable resource managers to monitor and identify changes in ecological baselines from the species to the ecosystem level, and to prioritize and develop adaptation plans and actions.

48 Are we making a difference? Adaptive Management Nutrient Reduction Strategy Effectiveness of regulatory and implementation practices Slowing the spread of AIS Climate Adaptation

49 TP (mg/l) Rock River at Afton, WI Value of Long Term monitoring.thanks Matt Diebel!

50 TP (mg/l) Total Phosphorus SWTP 61 DFA NCHF NLF Value of Long Term monitoring.thanks Matt Diebel!

51 Trends in Estimated Water Clarity Data set #1-All data Data set #2-7 years Data set #3- Uniform 10-years Satellites to citizens...thanks Steve Greb and Eric Erdmann!

52 Monitoring Strategy Vision What are we trying to achieve? A comprehensive (water quality, biology, habitat, hydrology), cross-media (lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands), monitoring plan that is driven by assessment and management needs, adequately resourced (staffed and funded), and makes strategic use of partners and volunteers.

53 Water Division Monitoring Strategy (v. 3) Last Revised

54 Expected Milestones : Assemble section, form/re-shape Monitoring Success work group, identify gaps and needs from water quality and watershed programs, other partners : Formal update of WR Monitoring Plan/Strategy Public input process? : Fully Implement Plan/Strategy 2018: Integrated Report should reflect updated approach

55 An Ideal Outcome Restore Impaired Waters Protect High Quality Waters Compliance CLEAN WATER ACT Sustain Designated Uses