Monitoring & Assessment Background & Updates 303(d) List Open House Circuit: SE Region
Justin Watkins Watershed Coordinator MPCA Watershed Division
wq-swm8-01 December 21, 2011 Share some information regarding changes to MN’s monitoring and assessment work Review the draft 2012 impaired waters list Discuss, ask questions
Thank you for coming out Thank you for BALMM agenda time Justin Howard Discussion
Other “open houses” scheduled around MN
3 Background Watershed monitoring Assessment process Root, Cedar/ShellRock, Miss River Lake Pepin Overall process, timeline Some good tools Questions & discussion
Howard’s presentation (handouts) More questions & discussion
Pirated material
4 The CWA requires states to:
Establish standards to protect beneficial uses
Monitor waters and assess against standards
List waters that do not meet standards
Identify pollutant sources and the reductions needed
Develop an implementation plan to achieve the necessary pollutant reductions 2004: Water Quality Monitoring Strategy Assess MN streams and lakes over a 10-year cycle 2006: MN Clean Water Legacy Act “To protect, restore, and preserve the quality of Minnesota’s surface waters by providing authority, direction and resources to achieve and maintain water quality standards for surface waters as required by section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act.” FY08-09 CWLA appropriation allows for full implementation of condition monitoring part of the strategy Manage WQ through a 10-year cycle via major watersheds Integrate biology, chemistry and physical/habitat monitoring Integrate agency, citizen and local monitoring Identify impairments and waters in need of protection Utilize TMDLs where appropriate Write comprehensive watershed plans Design and implement good projects Track trends over time Changes: evolution and improvement
Touch on bio data Example of site placement in wtshd Sander canadensis
8 9 Biological monitoring; chemical monitoring; fish consumption sites; This is important; not the way we’ve done it to date.
10 Monitoring Goal: Examine Use Support
Aquatic consumption ~ edible fish guidelines (Hg, PCBs)
Aquatic recreation ~ swimming/wading/boating with minimal risk of illness or nuisance algal conditions.
Aquatic life ~ “. . . provide for the protection and propagation of a balanced population of shellfish, fish, and wildlife” Example Design: Miss River Lake Pepin
Wells Creek Watershed (8 Digit HUC) Monitoring for determination of aquatic consumption use support (n = 2) Fish Hg and PCBs Example Design: Miss River Lake Pepin
Wells Creek Watershed 10X water monitoring for determination of (8 Digit HUC) aquatic recreation and aquatic life use support (n = 5)
E.coli, DO, pH, temp.,TSS, P, Nitrite+Nitrate, NH3, Chloride, Sulfate Example Design: Miss River Lake Pepin
Wells Creek Watershed Biological monitoring for determination (8 Digit HUC) of aquatic life use support (n = 12)
Fish, Inverts, 1x WQ, Habitat, 1X Flow Temp logger, Land use Example Design: Miss River Lake Pepin
Wells Creek Biological monitoring for determination Watershed of aquatic life use support (n=12) (8 Digit HUC) Monitoring for determination of aquatic recreation and aquatic life use support Red Wing (n=5) Monitoring for determination of aquatic consumption, aquatic recreation, and aquatic life use support (n=2)
Lake City Root River Watershed Black dots: monitoring sites
16 Cedar & Shell Rock River Watersheds Black dots: monitoring sites
[insert map of Cedar/Shellrock sites]
17 Implications for Assessment
Significantly more data Assessable Data A lot more biological data
700000 Assessable Increased interest, Data 600000 resources, expectations 500000 400000
300000 and complexity Count Data 200000
100000
0
Assessment Year 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010
18 19 Reflect watershed approach
Comprehensive, protective and proactive
Identify overall condition as well as impairment
Engage partners
Better inform next steps
Address data increase
Meet expectations and responsibilities
20 Statewide, Projects and biennial, funding focused on driven by 303d impairments List Projects driven Major watershed, by overall Annual (10-year condition, 303(d) cycle), Focused List an output, on condition not sole driver Call for Data Desktop Review Pre-Assessments Focus on (Individual (Computer “Assessment” parameter analysis) Watersheds evaluations)
Watershed Assessment Team Technical Review Professional for Specific Topics Judgment Group (Multi-discipline)
Draft Assessments 303(d) List, and Watershed including formal Reports Even Years public review (Annual)
23 No more statewide assessments for:
Aquatic life (other than toxics)
Aquatic recreation Multiple lines of evidence considered for aquatic life use support decisions Some aquatic life listings will require stressor identification; some listings may not require TMDLs Watershed-specific lake assessment reporting Nitrate gaining prominence in the process:
Drinking water assessment
Stressor to aquatic life
24 Statewide Root River Miss River Lake Pepin Cedar & Shell Rock
More detail later
25 Statewide, the proportion of biota listings relative to aquatic life use listings derived via surrogate indicators (typically turbidity/tube/TSS) is higher than in previous assessments.
And in SE MN, the biota listings are a first. 2012 Draft 303(d) List
27 Use Support Summary: Root River Watershed
ROOT RIVER Fish only: 1 Inverts only: 32 Fish and inverts: 7
28 Aquatic Life Use Support: Miss River Lake Pepin
MISS WELLS, DIRECT TRIBS Fish only: 1 Inverts only: 0 Fish and inverts: 0 Aquatic Recreation Use Support: Miss River Lake Pepin Use Support Summary: Cedar & Shell Rock River Watersheds
Deferred AUID’s… Shell Rock: 13 [insert map of Cedar/Shellrock assessment results] Cedar: 22
SHELL ROCK CEDAR RIVER Fish only: 0 Fish only: 0 Inverts only: 0 Inverts only: 14 Fish and Inverts: 1 Fish and inverts: 5
31 Fifteen fish impairments
Cedar River Wtshd:
Cedar River: (Rose Creek to Woodbury Creek)
Roberts Creek
Unnamed Creek
Turtle Creek
Unnamed Creek (Woodson Creek) Shell Rock River Wtshd:
Shell Rock River Miss River Lake Pepin Wtshd:
Gilbert Creek Root River Wtshd:
Upper Bear Creek
Spring Valley Creek
Watson Creek
Camp Creek
Rice Creek
Silver Creek
Corey Creek
Unnamed Creek (Willow Creek Tributary)
32 Fish and bug impairments go to Stressor identification process Pathogen impairments everywhere
Regional Fecal Coliform TMDL in place Working on next steps Potential subsequent steps: TMDLs where appropriate, models, identification of management priorities Compose a watershed plan Use it to fund best possible projects
33 Context: Watershed Approach Timeline
IWM Start Date Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Planning Biological Monitoring WQ Assessments Stressor Identification
Watershed Monitoring (Flow and Water Chemistry)
Data Compilation Pre-Modeling Work
Modeling
Identify PMZ’s Implementation Planning Watershed Plan TMDL Studies Protection Public Participation/Civic Engagement Strategies Assessments completed for 16 watersheds
Part of 2012 Integrated Report/List Continue to refine processes as needed Consistency tools
Comprehensive assessment approach On track to monitor all major watersheds on 10-year cycle
Assessments completed 1-2 years after Then cycle repeats
35 Impaired Waters Viewer (IWAV)
Google: sixth hit Environmental Data Access (EDA) Google: second hit Cooperative Stream Gauging (CSG) Google: first hit
36 37 38 39 40 41 42 Questions/Discussion
Zumbro River downstream of green bridge
[email protected] 507.206.2621
43