BLM Riverside East Solar Energy Zone Long Term Monitoring Strategy Final Report Prepared for: Bureau of Land Management May 2016 Riverside East Solar Energy Zone Long Term Monitoring Strategy Riverside East Solar Energy Zone Long Term Monitoring Strategy Final Report prepared by Environmental Science Division Argonne National Laboratory for U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management May 2016 Riverside East Solar Energy Zone Long Term Monitoring Strategy This page intentionally left blank Riverside East Solar Energy Zone Long Term Monitoring Strategy CONTENTS CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................................... I ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................................................................................................... XIV GENERAL ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS............................................................................. XVI UNITS OF MEASURE ......................................................................................................................... XVIII 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background and Need for the Riverside East SEZ Long-term Monitoring Strategy ................... 1 1.2 Description of the Riverside East SEZ ......................................................................................... 3 1.3 Adaptive Management: Rationale for Monitoring ....................................................................... 5 1.4 Public Involvement ....................................................................................................................... 6 1.5 Funding ......................................................................................................................................... 7 1.6 Planned Implementation ............................................................................................................... 8 1.7 Overview of this Document ........................................................................................................ 11 1.8 Literature Cited ........................................................................................................................... 11 2 MONITORING APPROACH .............................................................................................................. 13 2.1 BLM Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring Program ............................................................ 13 2.2 Development of the Long-Term Monitoring Strategy ................................................................ 14 2.2.1 Conceptual Models ........................................................................................................ 14 2.2.2 Key Management Questions and Management Goals ................................................... 17 2.2.3 Monitoring Objectives ................................................................................................... 21 2.2.4 DOE/BLM Public Outreach and Public Response to Monitoring Objectives ............... 22 2.3 Monitoring Indicators, Methods, and Sampling Design ............................................................. 25 2.3.1 Monitoring Indicators .................................................................................................... 25 2.3.2 Sampling Methods, Sampling Design, and Data Analysis ............................................ 26 2.4 Monitoring Objectives Not Addressed in the LTMS ................................................................. 29 2.5 Summary and Prioritization of the Monitoring Indicators Proposed for the Riverside East SEZ LTMS ................................................................................................................................. 31 2.6 Literature Cited ........................................................................................................................... 38 3 THE ROLE OF REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGIES .................................................................. 41 3.3 Application of Remote Sensing to the LTMS ............................................................................ 41 3.4 Limitations and the Evolving Nature of Remote Sensing .......................................................... 41 3.5 Literature Cited ........................................................................................................................... 42 4 PHYSICAL RESOURCES INDICATORS ......................................................................................... 44 4.1 Groundwater Elevation ............................................................................................................... 44 4.1.1 Rationale for Monitoring the Indicators ........................................................................ 44 4.1.2 Related Management Questions, Management Goals, and Monitoring Objectives Addressed by the Indicator ............................................................................................ 45 4.1.3 Spatial and Temporal Considerations for Monitoring the Indicator .............................. 46 4.1.4 Existing Data Sources and New Indicator Data Collection Recommended for the Riverside East SEZ LTMS ............................................................................................ 46 4.1.5 Data Analysis and Summary of Monitoring Strategy ................................................... 51 iii Riverside East Solar Energy Zone Long Term Monitoring Strategy 4.1.6 Literature Cited .............................................................................................................. 53 4.2 Erosion and Surface Disturbance Indicators............................................................................... 54 4.2.1 Rationale for Monitoring the Indicators ........................................................................ 54 4.2.1.1 Soil Erosion ................................................................................................... 54 4.2.1.2 Disturbance to Desert Pavement ................................................................... 55 4.2.1.3 Dust ............................................................................................................... 56 4.2.1.4 Stream Erosion .............................................................................................. 58 4.2.1.5 Relevant Policy ............................................................................................. 59 4.2.2 Related Management Questions, Management Goals, and Monitoring Objectives Addressed by the Indicator ............................................................................................ 59 4.2.3 Soil Aggregate Stability, Texture, Infiltration, and Depth ............................................ 60 4.2.3.1 Key Soil Characteristics Sensitive to Environmental Changes ..................... 61 4.2.3.1.1 Soil Aggregate Stability ............................................................. 61 4.2.3.1.2 Soil Texture ............................................................................... 61 4.2.3.1.3 Soil Infiltration........................................................................... 62 4.2.3.1.4 Soil Depth .................................................................................. 62 4.2.3.2 Spatial and Temporal Considerations for Monitoring the Indicator.............. 62 4.2.3.3 Existing Data Sources ................................................................................... 63 4.2.3.4 New Indicator Data Collection Recommended for the Riverside East SEZ LTMS .................................................................................................... 63 4.2.3.4.1 Criteria and Methods for Sample Stratification ......................... 63 4.2.3.4.2 Sampling Methods ..................................................................... 64 4.2.4 Stream Morphology ....................................................................................................... 65 4.2.4.1 Spatial and Temporal Considerations for Monitoring the Indicator.............. 65 4.2.4.2 Existing Data Sources ................................................................................... 65 4.2.4.3 New Indicator Data Collection Recommended for the Riverside East SEZ LTMS .................................................................................................... 66 4.2.4.3.1 Criteria and Methods for Sample Stratification ......................... 66 4.2.4.3.2 Image Collection Methods ......................................................... 66 4.2.4.4 Image Analysis .............................................................................................. 67 4.2.5 Particulate Matter Monitoring ....................................................................................... 67 4.2.5.1 Spatial and Temporal Considerations for Monitoring the Indicator.............. 67 4.2.5.2 Existing Data Sources ................................................................................... 67 4.2.5.3 New Indicator Data Collection Recommended for the Riverside East SEZ LTMS .................................................................................................... 69 4.2.5.3.1 Sampling Methods ..................................................................... 69 4.2.5.3.2 Meteorological Data Collection ................................................. 70 4.2.6