Elizabeth River Watershed

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Elizabeth River Watershed Water Quality and
Living Resources Poor Quality but Improving
Daniel M. Dauer, Department of Biological
Sciences Old Dominion University,VA
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(No Transcript)
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Delaware Bay
Chesapeake Bay
Atlantic Ocean
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Lower James River Elizabeth River
Watershed Poor Quality but Improving Land use
Loads Elizabeth River Watershed Southern
Branch Water quality status and trends Living
Resources status and trends Management actions
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James River
CHKOH
Population Density
TF
APPTF
OH
MH
PH
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James River
CHKOH
Land use
TF
APPTF
OH
MH
PH
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James River
CHKOH
Land use Impacted to Forest ratio
TF
APPTF
OH
MH
PH
8
James River
CHKOH
Nutrient Loads by year
TF
APPTF
OH
MH
PH
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James River
CHKOH
Nutrient Loads by sub-watersheds
TF
APPTF
OH
MH
PH
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Lower James River Elizabeth River
Watershed Poor Quality but Improving Land use
Loads Elizabeth River Watershed Southern
Branch Water quality status and trends Living
Resources status and trends Management actions
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James River
CHKOH
TF
APPTF
OH
MH
PH
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(No Transcript)
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Lower James River Elizabeth River
Watershed Poor Quality but Improving Land use
Loads Elizabeth River Watershed Southern
Branch Water quality status and trends Living
Resources status and trends Management actions
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Elizabeth River
Water Quality Status and Trends
River Mouth
Mainstem
Eastern Branch
Southern Branch
Western Branch
Parameter
ns
STN
River Mouth
ns
ns
ns
BTN
ns
SDIN
Western Branch
Eastern Branch
ns
BDIN
STP
ns
BTP
Southern Branch
SDIP
BDIP
Improving trend
15
Elizabeth River
Water Quality Trends
River Mouth
Mainstem
Eastern Branch
Southern Branch
Western Branch
Parameter
ns
STN
River Mouth
ns
ns
ns
BTN
ns
SDIN
Western Branch
Eastern Branch
ns
BDIN
STP
ns
BTP
Southern Branch
SDIP
BDIP
Improving trend
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Elizabeth River
Water Quality Status
River Mouth
Mainstem
Eastern Branch
Southern Branch
Western Branch
Parameter

STN
River Mouth



BTN

SDIN
Western Branch
Eastern Branch

BDIN
STP

BTP
Southern Branch
SDIP
BDIP
Good Fair Poor
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Elizabeth River
Water Quality Total Nitrogen
0.424 mg/l
River Mouth
1.026 mg/l
Southern Branch
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Elizabeth River
Water Quality DIN
0.039 mg/l
River Mouth
0.437 mg/l
Southern Branch
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Elizabeth River
Water Quality Total Phosphorus
0.039 mg/l
River Mouth
0.051 mg/l
Southern Branch
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Elizabeth River
Water Quality DIP
0.008 mg/l
River Mouth
0.023 mg/l
Southern Branch
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Elizabeth River
Water Quality Status and Trends
River Mouth
Mainstem
Eastern Branch
Southern Branch
Western Branch
Parameter
ns
ns
ns
ns
SCHLA
River Mouth
ns
ns

ns
STSS
ns
ns
ns
BTSS
ns
ns
SECCHI
BDO
Southern Branch
Improving trend
Good Fair Poor
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Elizabeth River
Water Quality Trends
River Mouth
Mainstem
Eastern Branch
Southern Branch
Western Branch
Parameter
ns
ns
ns
ns
SCHLA
River Mouth
ns
ns

ns
STSS
ns
ns
ns
BTSS
ns
ns
SECCHI
BDO
Southern Branch
Improving trend
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Elizabeth River
Water Quality Status
River Mouth
Mainstem
Eastern Branch
Southern Branch
Western Branch
Parameter




SCHLA
River Mouth




STSS



BTSS


SECCHI
BDO
Southern Branch
Good Fair Poor
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Lower James River Elizabeth River
Watershed Poor Quality but Improving Land use
Loads Elizabeth River Watershed Southern
Branch Water quality status and trends Living
Resources status and trends Management actions
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Lower James River Elizabeth River
Watershed Living resources status and trends
summary Phytoplankton Mixed pattern SBE5
pattern similar to James River Zooplankton Impr
oving trends at SBE5 Numerous degrading trends
in James River mouth Benthos Poor status
Improving trends in BIBI and most metrics
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Lower James River Elizabeth River
Watershed Living resources status and trends
summary Phytoplankton Mixed pattern SBE5
pattern similar to James River Zooplankton Impr
oving trends at SBE5 Numerous degrading trends
in James River mouth Benthos Poor status
Improving trends in BIBI and most metrics
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Elizabeth River
Phytoplankton Status and Trends
River Mouth
Southern Branch
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Elizabeth River
Phytoplankton Trends
River Mouth
Southern Branch
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Elizabeth River
Phytoplankton Status
River Mouth
Southern Branch
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Lower James River Elizabeth River
Watershed Living resources status and trends
summary Phytoplankton Mixed pattern SBE5
pattern similar to James River Zooplankton Impr
oving trends at SBE5 Numerous degrading trends
in James River mouth Benthos Poor status
Improving trends in BIBI and most metrics
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Elizabeth River (1985 1999)
Zooplankton Status and Trends
River Mouth
Southern Branch
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Elizabeth River (1985 1999)
Zooplankton Trends
River Mouth
Southern Branch
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Elizabeth River (1985 1999)
Zooplankton Status
River Mouth
Southern Branch
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Lower James River Elizabeth River
Watershed Living resources status and trends
summary Phytoplankton Mixed pattern SBE5
pattern similar to James River Zooplankton Impr
oving trends at SBE5 Numerous degrading trends
in James River mouth Benthos Poor status
Improving trends in BIBI and most metrics
35
Elizabeth River
Benthos Status and Trends
River Mouth
Southern Branch
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Elizabeth River
Benthos Trends
River Mouth
Southern Branch
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Elizabeth River
Benthos Status
River Mouth
Southern Branch
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Elizabeth River
Benthos Status
River Mouth
Southern Branch
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Elizabeth River
Benthos Status
SBE5 (5-SB)
8
Biomass
River Mouth
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Species Diversity
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Elizabeth River
Benthos Status
Pollution Sensitive
River Mouth
Southern Branch
Pollution Indicative
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Lower James River Elizabeth River
Watershed Poor Quality but Improving Land use
Loads Elizabeth River Watershed Southern
Branch Water quality status and trends Living
Resources status and trends Management actions
42

• Elimination and consolidation of sewage treatment
  plants.
• Adoption and implementation of water quality
  standards by VA DEQ.
• Greater regulatory control of point source
  discharges.
• Increased emphasis of non-point sources
  discharges.
• Increased emphasis and implementation of
  stormwater controls.

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Elizabeth River Watershed Poor Quality but
Improving
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Elizabeth River Watershed Poor Quality but
Improving
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(No Transcript)
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The End
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James
Pagan
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Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity(B-IBI)

• Multi-metric index
• Diversity
• Abundance
• Biomass
• Functional groups
• Metrics scored relative to values at reference
  sites
• Metric selection and scoring thresholds habitat
  specific
• Metric scoring 1, 3, 5 allows interhabitat
  comparisons

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Reference Sites
Reference Sites
B.
A.
1
3
5
1
1
3
3
5
Frequency
Frequency
50th
5th
75th
95th
5th
25th
Value of Metric
Value of Metric
C.
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Reference Sites
Excess Abundance
1
1
3
3
5
Frequency
5th
25th
75th
95th
Value of Metric
54
Rappahannock
York
Mainstem
James