NRA C V M Davies Environmental Protection National Rlvara a Uthority Manager South Waat Rag Ion REGIONAL HATER QUALITY MONITORING and SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMME for 1993
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Environmental Protection Draft Report REGIONAL WATER QUALITY MONITORING AND SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMME FOR 1993 BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF RIVERS February 1993 FWS/93/001 Author: Dr JAD Murray-Bligh Assistant Scientist (Freshwater Biology) NRA C V M Davies Environmental Protection National Rlvara A uthority Manager South Waat Rag Ion REGIONAL HATER QUALITY MONITORING AND SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMME FOR 1993 BIOLOGICAL QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF RIVERS INTERNAL REPORT FWS/93/001 SUMMARY This report describes the biological river quality monitoring programme to be undertaken by NRA South West Region in 1993. 515 sites are to be surveyed during 1993. The regional programme is completed in two years and comprises approximately 950 sites covering 4230 km of river and 27 km of canal. Half the catchments are surveyed in any one year. The couplete two-year programme matches the reaches monitored in the chemical monitoring programme. Additional sites are included so that all reaches that were assigned River Quality Objectives in the Asset Management Plan produced in 1989 are monitored. The following catchments are to be surveyed in full in 1993: Lim Exe Teign Dart Gar a Avon Seaton Looe Fowey (lower sub-catchment only) Par Crinnis St Austell South Cornwall Streams Fal Helford Lizard Streams Land's End Streams Hayle Red and Coastal Streams Gannel Valency and Coastal Streams Strat/Neet Hartland Streams North Devon Coastal Streams Lyn Twenty-two key sites throughout the region are sampled every year, to assess annual changes. Three sites are solely to monitor the impact of discharges from mushroom farms and are not used for river quality classification purposes. Macro-invertebrates are sampled three times in the year: in Spring, Summer and Autumn. Habitat features and macrophytes are recorded once. In addition to an external quality audit of sample processing and identification, an internal laboratory quality control programme is to be introduced in 1993. Dr JAD Murray-Bligh Assistant Scientist (Freshwater Biology) February 1993 i ENVIRONMENT AGENCY 110271 CONTENTS Page SUMMARY..................................................... ........... i LIST OF TABLES......................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................................................................................................... V 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE 1992 BIOLOGICAL RIVER QUALITY MONITORING PROGRAMME....................................................... 1 1.1 Biological monitoring in the South West Region.....................1 1.2 Aim of the routine biological river quality monitoring programme....................................................... 1 1.3 Objectives...................................................... 1 2. DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAMME......................................... 3 2.1 Site location and survey design............ ........ ..............3 2.2 Survey description............................................... 4 2.3 Analytical quality audit and quality control...................... 4 2.4 Data analysis and reporting...................................... 6 3. PROGRAMME INFORMATION............................................ 7 3.1 Summary of the routine biological river quality monitoring undertaken in 1992............................................... 7 3.2 The routine biological river quality monitoring programme.......... 9 4 EXPLANATION OF SCHEDULE......................................... 34 5 CHANGES TO THE ROUTINE BIOLOGICAL RIVER QUALITY MONITORING PROGRAMME...................................................... 40 6 CHANGES TO THE ROUTINE CHEMICAL RIVER QUALITY MONITORING PROGRAMME.44 5 REFERENCES..................................................... 49 i i i LIST OF TABLES Page 3.1 Summary of the routine biological river quality monitoring programme for 1992............................................... 8 3.2 The routine biological river quality monitoring programme........ 10 4.1 Additional notes, referred to in Table 3.2...................... 36 5.1 Sites added to the biological monitoring programme for 1991...... 41 5.2 Sites added to the biological monitoring programme for 1992.......41 5.3 Sites added to the biological monitoring programme for 1993...... 41 5.4 Sites added to the biological monitoring programme for 1994/1995.. .42 5.5 Biological sites moved in 1992.................................. 42 5.6 Biological sited deleted from the programme for 1991............. 42 5.7 Biological sited deleted from the programme for 1992............. 42 5.8 Biological sited deleted from the programme for 1993............. 43 5.9 Biological sited deleted from the programme for 1994/1995........ 43 5.10 Biological sited deleted from the programme for 1996/1997........ 43 6.1 Chemical monitoring sites deleted from the programme and not replaced by new chemical sites in 1990.......................45 6.2 Chemical monitoring sites deleted from the routine programme in 1991 and not replaced by new chemical sites...........46 6.3 Chemical monitoring sites deleted from the routine programme in 1992 and not replaced by new chemical sites................... 46 6.4 Chemical monitoring sites deleted from the routine programme in 1993 and not replaced by new chemical sites................... 46 6.5 Chemical monitoring sites replaced by new sites in 1990......... 46 6.6 Chemical monitoring sites replaced by new sites in 1991......... 46 6.7 Chemical monitoring sites replaced by new sites in 1992......... 47 6.8 Chemical monitoring sites replaced by new sites in 1993......... 47 6.9 Sites added to the chemical monitoring programme in 1991......... 47 6.10 Sites added to the chemical monitoring programme in 1992......... 47 6.11 Sites added to the chemical monitoring programme in 1993......... 48 iv LIST OF FIGURES Page 2.1 Aquatic macrophyte check list for 1992/93......................... 5 v 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE 1993 ROUTINE BIOLOGICAL RIVER QUALITY MONITORING PROGRAMME This report describes NRA South West Region's routine biological river quality monitoring programme for 1993. 1.1 Biological monitoring in the South West Region Since 1990, a biological river quality monitoring programme has been undertaken by NRA South West Region. This encompasses approximately 950 sites and covers more than 4230 km of river and approximately 27 km of canal. Each site is surveyed every other year. Macro-invertebrate samples are collected in each of three seasons, macrophyte and habitat data are recorded once. The invertebrate surveys form part of the NRA National Biological Survey programme. 1.2 Aim of the routine biological river quality monitoring programme The aim of the routine biological river quality monitoring programme is to monitor the ecological quality of running waters in the South West Region. It provides information to enable more effective assessments of overall river quality (in particular water quality) to be made, and to provide information on the impact of environmental changes. The surveys undertaken in 1990 and 1991 provided a baseline from which to compare conditions in the future. The surveys undertaken in 1992 and 1993 will be used to supplement the baseline data, and will provide information on the natural variability of the biotas. The routine macro-invertebrate monitoring programme, and the new methods developed by the NRA that are described in this report, may become the basis of the United Kingdom's approach to implementing the forthcoming EC Ecological Directive. This directive will require ecological quality targets to be set for watercourses, and target dates for compliance to be specified. 1.3 Objectives A To provide information on the water quality of the region's rivers and the severity of water quality problems: - information on the impact of water quality on the biota. - indications of pollution by substances not analyzed in the chemical monitoring programme - assessments of water quality in reaches that are not monitored chemically (approximately 60 smaller tributaries). - baseline information for assessing the inpact of unforseen situations, including pollution incidents, applications for consents to discharge, and major engineering and other development schemes. 1 B To provide indications of: a longer-term changes in water quality (by analysis of annual data), b short-term water quality problems (by rapid analysis of data shortly after collection). C To provide data for the Biological Classification of Ecological Quality to supplement the NWC Chemical Classification of the Region's rivers covering: ♦ reaches not monitored chemically ♦ water quality other than sanitary quality ♦ chronic as opposed to acute water quality problems D To provide information for the 1992 NRA National Biological Survey (1992/1993 in South West Region), for the assessment of ecological quality of rivers in England and Wales, including: - information for determining the 'normal range of biological conditions' as baseline data for the NRA Biological Classification, and to enable significant deviations from the normal range of biological conditions to be identified in the future. - data for developing RIVPACS. E To provide information on the ecological quality of the region's rivers to: - enable the conservation value of the region's rivers to be evaluated, by providing assessments of: biological richness (diversity); deviation of the fauna from the pristine state; - provide information to assess the degree and extent of habitat degradation or improvement in all the region's rivers;