NRC Water Quality Monitoring

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NRC Water Quality Monitoring

• 2001 1.275 million
• 2003 2.900 million
• 32 FTE ( 1 per Network)

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Purpose or NRC-WQ Monitoring

• Track and Support Attainment of NPS Servicewide
  Strategic (GPRA) Goals
• Protect pristine water quality (e.g., ONRW)
• Support additional ONRW listings in parks
• Improve Impaired Water Quality (303d-list)
• Support 303-d designations in parks

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Fully integrate the design and implementation of
water quality monitoring with the Network Vital
Signs Monitoring design process
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Networks Fully Funded in 01

• North Coast and Cascades
• Northeast Coastal and Barrier
• Hartland
• Sonoran Desert
• Cumberland/Piedmont
• Central Alaska
• National Capital
• Northern Colorado Plateau
• San Francisco Bay
• Southern Appalachian Highlands
• Greater Yellowstone
• Mediterranean Coast

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Use Network Vital Signs Planning Process To

• Determine priorities for impaired water and
  pristine water monitoring
• Define site-specific monitoring
  questions/objectives
• Integrate with other Vital Signs monitoring
  (e.g., Aquatic Resources, Air Resources)
• Develop detailed monitoring plans
• Develop/coordinate implementation approaches
• NPS-Inhouse
• University (or other) Partnership
• USGS (or other) Partnership
• Other

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Its up to individual networks to decide how to
proceed with

• Planning/Prioritization
• Design
• Implementation
• (WRD recommends spending up to 2 years in the
  planning and design phases)

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Examples of Network Approaches Planning and
Design

• Cooperative Agreements (No. Colo. Plateau,
  Sonoran, NE Coast, Hartland)
• Inhouse Hires (C.Alaska, NCR, GYELL,
  N.Coast/Cascade, Cumberland/Pied.)
• Baseline Inventories, Equipment Purchases

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Examples of Planning/Design Phase Activities

• Pull together all existing WQ data
• Know what other monitoring activities are
  on-going
• Define most important water bodies from a Vital
  Signs perspective
• Information on 303-d listed waters
• Information on ONRW or equivalent waters
• Identify NPS candidate 303-d list waters
• Identify NPS candidate ONRW waters
• Identify significant water quality
  stressors/threats
• Prioritize water bodies for monitoring
• Develop site-specific monitoring
  questions/objectives
• Support synoptic studies in support of
  statistical design

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Guidance/Information From WRD

• -Water Quality Data Inventory and Analysis
  Reports
• -Level I Baseline Inventories (w/ IM Program)
• -Core set of required parameters
• -Protocols
• -Park-based data management shell/templates
• -Servicewide database management (STORET)
• -Guidance for monitoring plans, including QA/QC
• -Impaired water (303d-list) information
• -Fall (2001) coordination meeting (Fort Collins)

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GUIDANCE UNDER DEVELOPMENT BY WRDWaters Not
Meeting Standards from 303d lists
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GUIDANCE IN DEVELOPMENT BY WRDIdentification of
Outstanding National Resource Waters
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GUIDANCE IN DEVELOPMENT BY WRD

• Water Quality, Contaminants, and Aquatic Biology
• Vital Signs Monitoring Under the Natural Resource
  Challenge
• Long-Term Water Quality Monitoring Program
• Draft
• Guidance on
• WRD Required and Other Field Parameter
  Measurements

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GUIDANCE IN DEVELOPMENT BY WRDREQUIRED
PARAMETERS AND METHODS
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Data Management

• Park/Network
• Excel/Access Database Templates
• Park/Network-based GIS TA
• National
• Servicewide NPS WQ database in STORET
• Uploading Service
• Data accessible (NPS and others) on web
• Triennial synthesis reports

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Data Management Reporting
Data Elements for Reporting Water Quality
Results of Chemical and Microbiological Analytes
Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
Water Quality Metadata