Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds
W ater Quality M onitoring
Guidebook Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds
W ater Quality M onitoring Guidebook
Understanding the status and trends in native fish populations and the stream and landscape conditions that affect them are essential to the success of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds (OPSW). Having a standard tool that helps local groups, agency personnel and others determine these trends and conditions in a consistent and verifiable way is also essential. The use of standard monitoring techniques provides the public with such a tool.
The data collected through monitoring can be useful for developing plans to restore and protect a stream's biological capacity, as well as determining whether completed restoration projects achieved their intended goals. Watershed councils and other local groups play a critical role in identifying the causes of decline in a stream’s ability to support salmon and trout populations and other beneficial uses, as well as documenting results of restoration projects. The purpose of this guidebook is to provide technical guidance so watershed councils and other volunteers may achieve their restoration goals as partners in the OPSW.
M any different agencies, volunteer groups, and private citizens are involved in data collection, so having a consistent method is important. To assist in collecting consistent and accurate data, the OPSW Water Quality M onitoring Team has prepared guidelines to measure water quality. These guidelines are designed for use by individual landowners, watershed councils, other citizen groups, and agency personnel. These guidelines complement the GWEB Watershed Assessment Manual (NES, 1999).
The Oregon Watershed Assessment Manual provides a guide for characterizing conditions in local watersheds and provides a strong base for identifying specific restoration and protection opportunities and monitoring needs. The monitoring techniques, or "protocols," presented in this guide describe the steps used for obtaining specific, field-based data about water quality. The Watershed Assessment Manual serves as a broad diagnostic tool. The Water Quality M onitoring Guidebook is a verification tool that can be used to refine the public's understanding and diagnosis of watershed and water quality conditions.
The initial chapters provide background information, monitoring strategies and ways to develop a monitoring plan. Also explained in these chapters are criteria for selecting monitoring sites, data quality guidelines, and methods to store and analyze water quality data. References and contacts are provided in each chapter to obtain more detailed or up-to-date information. The subsequent chapters provide protocols for monitoring:
_ stream temperature _ dissolved oxygen _ turbidity _ pH _ macroinvertebrates _ conductivity _ pesticides and toxic chemicals _ nitrogen/phosphorus concentration
Each of these protocol chapters is designed to be a stand-alone document that provides basic monitoring techniques for that protocol. Information on additional references is also provided in each chapter. How each individual, group, or agency works through these protocols will depend on their technical background, experience, and what results they hope to accomplish. However, these protocols work best when integrated with
Version 2.0 i Water Quality Monitoring Guidebook the water quality, physical habitat, watershed assessment, and other monitoring protocols developed as part of the OPSW. They may also be useful in assessing water quality in watersheds where Senate Bill 1010 plans, Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) assessments or source area assessments under the Safe Drinking Water Act are developed.
An additional benefit in following the manual's recommendations is providing credible data for a state-wide database. Techniques for calibrating instruments, selecting appropriate sites, and managing data are included in the guidebook and, if used, will help agency personne