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Water Quality Report Cards: Communicating Watershed Data

Learn about the history of water quality indices, what works in report cards, and how to effectively communicate water quality data to non-scientists. Explore the challenges and solutions in creating an environmental report card, and target audiences for improved communication.

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Water Quality Report Cards: Communicating Watershed Data

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  1. Outline • Need to communicate WQ data • Non scientists • History of WQ indices • What works • My attempt at Report Card • Common CWA language

  2. “The River is the Report Cardof the Watershed”

  3. 305b Assessment Needs • Standardization • Few numerical criteria • Documentation • Staff turnover • Communication • Target audiences

  4. Water Quality Index • 1959 -state sanitary engineers • 1974-National Sanitation Foundation • 1977- Massachusetts revision • 1983- DO and temperature revisions • 1996 revisions

  5. Water Quality Index • DO • pH • Temperature • Coliform • BOD • NO3 • Total phosphorus • Turbidity • Suspended Solids

  6. Problems (roll up index) • Sense of precision • Masking of problems • Separating aquatic life/ recreation • Incomplete data sets • Missing indicators/ compartments

  7. Environmental report card Coordinate monitoring efforts Guide decision-making Account to the public Al Gore 9/25/96

  8. Revisions • Indicator groups • Verbal categories • Toxics • Water • Sediment • Tissue • Habitat/ Flow

  9. Report Card Goals

  10. Report Card Information • Entire basin-Prioritize • Segments - Geotarget • Water Uses Goals- Response indicators • Diagnose -exposure indicators (causes) • Fix-Sources • Metadata- Confidence

  11. Mass. River Basins • 27 Basins • 600 total segments • 20-30 segments/ basin • 3rd order streams

  12. Water Uses • National Goal Uses (4) • Aquatic life • Recreation • Primary • Secondary • Fish consumption

  13. Index Color Codes • Blue - excellent, comparable to reference • Green - good,meets criteria • Yellow - threatened,may not meet in future • Orange - fair, marginally meets • Red - poor, does not meet criteria • Grey - not assessed

  14. Point Sources Industrial Municipal CSO Nonpoint Sources Agriculture Silviculture Construction Urban Runoff/Stormwater Resource extraction Land disposal Hydro/Habitat modification Other Sources

  15. Source Color Code / 303d • Red –Known source for a known cause • established cause and effect • Orange-Suspected source of a known cause • Ex. -Multiple sources for DO problem • Yellow-Potential source • EX.-Salt pile

  16. Metadata • Four levels for each indicator bundle • Based in information rigor/completeness (not quality) • Assessment Types • Levels 1-2 –Official reporting ? • Levels 3-4- Suitable for 305b and 303d

  17. Example: Water Column Chemistry • Level 1-Summer low flow • Level 2-Summer low flow: wet/dry • Level 3- Entire hydrograph • Summer low flow • Spring high flow • Fall high flow • Winter low flow • Level 4- Entire hydrograph for multiple (3+) years

  18. Historical Trends • Chemistry • 70’s Conventional - DO, pH, temperature • 80’s Non-conventional - nutrients • 90’s Priority pollutants – toxics • 00’s other compartments –sediments/biota

  19. Millers River Sampling Plan

  20. Report Card Uses • Four page 305b report • ADB Reporting • Water quality managers • Group discussions (planning) • Priorities for grant funding • Coordinating with other monitoring groups • Outreach (general public)

  21. Water Quality Report CardsMade Easy Overview of an Excel Spreadsheet Tool John Kiddon USEPA Office of R&D Atlantic Ecology Division Narragansett RI

  22. Procedure. Make evaluations on a “Segment Sheet”; then transfer information automatically to report cards “Overall Status” evaluations from a segment sheet are transferred to a single line on a report card

  23. Configure the Report Cards. All four report cards are automatically modified; extra segment sheets are hidden.

  24. Coordination in Development • 305b reporting • Uses • Causes • Sources • Metadata • 303d list • Sources • National Water Quality Monitoring Council • Indicator groupings (IFIM)

  25. Current Users (Experimenters) • Massachusetts • Hilary Snook, Lakes, NELP • California • Lilian Busse, Monitoring Program, San Diego River • John Marshack, Healthy Watersheds • Oregon • Aaron Borisenko, Program reporting • Vermont • Neil Kamman, Basin Planning

  26. Joseph Pulitzer • Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so that they will appreciate it, picturesquely so that they will remember it, and , above all accurately so that they will be guided by its light.

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