Minnesota Nutrient Criteria Development for Rivers
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Minnesota Nutrient Criteria Development for Rivers (Update of November 2010 Report) Draft, January 2013 wq-s6-08 Minnesota Nutrient Criteria Development for Rivers DRAFT January, 2013 Authors Steven Heiskary, Dr. R. William Bouchard, Jr. and Dr. Howard Markus Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Environmental Analysis and Outcomes Division Contributors Report Fish and macroinvertebrate data and metrics: Joel Chirhart, Kevin Stroom, John Sandberg, MPCA Environmental Analysis and Outcomes Division Data management: Bob Murzyn, MPCA Environmental Analysis and Outcomes Division Development and assistance with maps: Kris Parson, MPCA Environmental Analysis and Outcomes Division Manuscript Review Internal MPCA review (2009 draft) Kevin Stroom, John Sandberg, Angela Preimesberger: MPCA Environmental Analysis and Outcomes External: USEPA Region V-related review (2009 draft) Brian Thompson: USEPA Region V, Nutrient Criteria Coordinator Sylvia Heaton, Michigan DEQ; Region V RTAG member review Bob Miltner, Ohio EPA; Region V RTAG member review Dr. Shivi Selvaratnam Indiana Department of Environmental Management; Region V RTAG member review: External : USEPA Headquarters-related review (2009 draft) Dr. Walter K. Dodds, Kansas State University; Review for USEPA HQ Dr. Jan Stevenson, Michigan State University, Review for USEPA HQ Dr. Michael Paul, Tetra Tech Inc.; review for USEPA HQ External: Others (2010 draft) Dr. Lester Yuan and Dr. Susan Cormier were consulted on use of quantile regression analyses Sampling Field sampling for this project spanned several summers from 1999-2008 and involved various MPCA staff from Environmental Outcomes and Analysis Division including Lakes and Streams Unit, Biological Units and Flow and Groundwater Unit. Foreword This technical support document for Minnesota’s proposed river eutrophication criteria has undergone several revisions as a result of internal and external review, refinements in data analysis, and related factors. This revision of the 2010 draft document is a product of comments from and discussion with USEPA reviewers, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, and other reviewers. Minor modifications are included to provide greater clarity in descriptions of data sets, statistical analyses, and justifications for the proposed criteria. Slight adjustments to the proposed criteria have been made as a part of this revision. Criteria, as proposed in this revision, will be used to develop rule language and further supported in the Statement of Need and Reasonableness (SONAR) that is developed in support of the rulemaking. The MPCA is reducing printing and mailing costs by using the Internet to distribute reports and information to our wider audience. For additional information, see the Web site: http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/water/water-monitoring-and-reporting/biological-monitoring/stream- monitoring/stream-monitoring-algae.html Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... 1 I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 3 II. STUDY DESIGN OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................ 7 III. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS ........................................................................................ 10 A. RIVER NUTRIENT STUDY DATA COLLECTION ............................................................................................................. 10 1. River Nutrient Study: Overview of Data .................................................................................................... 10 2. River Nutrient Study: Study Area and Ecoregion Descriptions .................................................................. 11 3. River Nutrient Study: Morphometry, Watershed Area, and Flow Characterization ................................. 18 4. River Nutrient Study: Instrumented Diel Monitoring ................................................................................ 18 5. River Nutrient Study: Water Quality Sample Collection ........................................................................... 18 6. River Nutrient Study: Benthic Algae Collection [drawn from Lee 2002] ................................................... 19 B. BIOLOGICAL MONITORING DATASET ...................................................................................................................... 20 1. Habitat Assessment and Chemistry Sampling .......................................................................................... 20 2. Fish and Macroinvertebrate Sampling ..................................................................................................... 21 C. STORET DATASET ............................................................................................................................................. 21 IV. DATA ANALYSES ......................................................................................................................................... 21 A. DEFINITION OF RIVER NUTRIENT REGIONS ............................................................................................................... 21 B. RIVER NUTRIENT STUDY ANALYSES ........................................................................................................................ 24 1. Water Quality Relationships ..................................................................................................................... 24 2. Exploratory Analysis of Nutrient-Biology Relationships............................................................................ 24 C. REFERENCE CONDITION ANALYSIS .......................................................................................................................... 25 D. IDENTIFICATION OF NUTRIENT THRESHOLD CONCENTRATIONS ..................................................................................... 26 1. Quantile Regression and Changepoint Datasets ...................................................................................... 28 2. Metric Selection ........................................................................................................................................ 30 3. Biological Threshold Analyses ................................................................................................................... 30 4. Statistical Methods ................................................................................................................................... 31 5. Linking Nutrients to Biological Condition. ................................................................................................ 34 V. RESULTS ...................................................................................................................................................... 34 A. DIEL WATER QUALITY MONITORING RESULTS: RIVER NUTRIENT STUDY ........................................................................ 35 1. Diel Patterns of Dissolved Oxygen, Temperature, pH, and Specific Conductivity ..................................... 35 2. Annual Variation in Diel Dissolved Oxygen Flux in the Crow, Rum and Mississippi Rivers ....................... 39 B. WATER QUALITY PATTERNS AND RELATIONSHIPS: RIVER NUTRIENT STUDY.................................................................... 42 1. Relationships among Nutrients, Chlorophyll, and DO Flux ....................................................................... 44 2. Annual Variability of Total Phosphorus and Total Chlorophyll ................................................................. 59 3. Relationships among Nutrients, Water Chemistry and Biological Indicators: Exploratory Analyses ........ 63 C. REFERENCE CONDITION ANALYSIS RESULTS ............................................................................................................. 70 D. THRESHOLD CONCENTRATION DEVELOPMENT: RESULTS FROM QUANTILE REGRESSION AND CHANGEPOINT ANALYSES .......... 73 E. PERIPHYTON ANALYSIS: MPCA RIVER NUTRIENT AND USGS STUDIES ......................................................................... 78 VI. DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................................................ 82 A. RELATIONSHIPS AMONG NUTRIENTS, ALGAE, STREAM CHEMISTRY AND BIOTA ............................................................... 82 B. NUTRIENT CRITERIA DEVELOPMENT ....................................................................................................................... 84 C. PERIPHYTON BIOMASS AS A NUMERIC TRANSLATOR FOR “NUISANCE ALGAL GROWTH” ...................................................... 88 D. CRITERIA RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NUTRIENTS, SESTON AND RELATED FACTORS ........................................................... 91 1. Northern River Nutrient Region Criteria Development ............................................................................. 92 2. Central River Nutrient Region Criteria Development ................................................................................ 93 3. Southern River Nutrient Region Criteria Development ............................................................................. 94 E. CRITERIA RECOMMENDATION FOR PERIPHYTON ALGAL BIOMASS AS A NUMERIC TRANSLATOR .........................................