AND RES TO ON R I A T T C I E O T N O A R U P T L H Produced for and Funded by: A O T R S I T A Y O Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority C CPRA Coast Wide and Basin Wide Monitoring Plans for Louisiana’s System Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP) Version III Developed by: Ann C. Hijuelos and Scott A. Hemmerling The Water Institute of the Gulf ® March 2016 SWAMP A ABOUT THE WATER INSTITUTE OF THE GULF The Water Institute of the Gulf is a not-for-profit, independent research institute dedicated to advancing the understanding of coastal, deltaic, river and water resource systems, both within the Gulf Coast and around the world. This mission supports the practical application of innovative science and engineering, providing solutions that benefit society. For more information, visit www.thewaterinstitute.org. SUGGESTED CITATION Hijuelos, A.C. & Hemmerling, S.A. (2016). Coast Wide and Basin Wide Monitoring Plans for Louisiana’s System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP), Version III. The Water Institute of the Gulf. Prepared for and funded by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) under Task Order 6, Contract No. 2503-12- 58. Baton Rouge, LA. INTEGRATING APPLIED RESEARCH | LINKING KNOWLEDGE TO ACTION | BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS B THE WATER INSTITUTE OF THE GULF PREFACE The purpose of this report is to describe the development of a coast wide monitoring plan for Louisiana with specific implementation recommendations for Barataria Basin and Pontchartrain Region (Breton Sound, Pontchartrain and Mississippi River Delta basins). This cross-disciplinary research was conducted under the Coastal Ecology and People, Resources, and Technology (formerly the Human Dimensions) programs with additional support from the Physical Processes and Sediment Systems and the Natural Systems Modeling and Monitoring programs. Version I of the report was produced in February 2015 and included only implementation recommendations for Barataria Basin. A presentation was given to state, federal, and non-governmental representatives in April 2015 to communicate the main findings of the report and elicit feedback on the monitoring design and implementation strategy. As a result of the workshop and from comments received during the review of the report by CPRA, Version II of the report was produced to include additional data analysis, improved integration with existing monitoring efforts, and a conceptual diagram of the linkages between the human and natural systems. The design developed for Barataria was then expanded to the basins east of the Mississippi River. The implementation recommendations for the Breton Sound, Pontchartrain, and Mississippi River Delta basins are incorporated into this Version III of the report. SWAMP i TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE . .I ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . XII EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . .1 INTRODUCTION. .2 Context . 2 Process . .3 . VARIABLES AND OBJECTIVES . .6 Natural System . .6 . Human System . 14. Coupling of the Natural-Human Systems . 22 . NATURAL SYSTEM SAMPLING DESIGN . 24 Building On Existing Monitoring . 24 . Point and Continuous Sampling . 24 Remote Sensing . 27 . Methods for Determining Sample Size . 29 . Power Analysis . 29 . Expert Knowledge . .35 . Methods for Determining Site Locations . .36 . Overview . .36 . Methodology . 37 Methods for Determining Functional Communities . 40 HUMAN SYSTEM SAMPLING DESIGN . .40 Geographic Communities . .42 . Occupational Communities . 43 Physical Risk and Vulnerable Communities . 45. Natural Resource Extraction Study Areas . 46 . Methods of Primary Data Collection . 47 Survey Methods . 47. Determining Sampling Locations . 48. Estimating Sample Size . 49 Detecting Change In Human System Data . 49. Detecting Change Using Secondary Data . 49 . Detecting Change Using Primary Data . 50 NATURAL SYSTEM MONITORING PLANS . .51 Weather and Climate: Precipitation, Wind, and Evapotranspiration . 51 ii THE WATER INSTITUTE OF THE GULF Barataria Basin . 52 Pontchartrain Region . .52 . Biotic Integrity: Nekton Community Composition and Oyster Biomass . 54. Barataria Basin . 54 Pontchartrain Region . .56 . Biotic Integrity: Soil Condition and Wetland Vegetation Biomass . .56 . Barataria Basin . 57 Pontchartrain Region . .58 . Biotic Integrity: Wetland Vegetation Community Composition . 58. Barataria Basin . 59 Pontchartrain Region . .59 . Water Quality: Chlorophyll a, Dissolved Oxygen, Nutrients, Salinity, Turbidity, Suspended Sediments . 59 Barataria Basin . 60 Pontchartrain Region . .62 . Hydrology: Water Levels . 63 Barataria Basin . 64 Pontchartrain Region . .65 . Hydrology: Waves and Currents . .66 . Barataria Basin . 66 Pontchartrain Region . .67 . Physical Terrain: Bathymetry . 67. Barataria Basin . 67 Pontchartrain Region . .69 . Physical Terrain: Land Area . 70 . Barataria Basin . 70 Pontchartrain Region . .70 . Physical Terrain: Surface Elevation . 70. Barataria Basin . 71 Pontchartrain Region . .71 . HUMAN SYSTEM MONITORING PLANS . 76 Geographic Communities . 76 Barataria Basin . 76 Pontchartrain Region . .77 . Occupational Communities . 78 Barataria Basin . 78 Pontchartrain Region . .79 . Physical Risk And Vulnerable Communities . 80 . Barataria Basin . 81 Pontchartrain Region . .82 . SWAMP iii Survey Data Collection . .84 . Barataria Basin . 84 Pontchartrain Region . .86 . Barataria Basin and Pontchartrain Region . .88 . PATH FORWARD . ..