1 / 21

Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Program

This article provides an overview of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources' Water Quality Monitoring Program, including its structure, water quality standards, program strategy, and key highlights. It also explores the program's goals, methods, and partnerships.

frankbrown
Download Presentation

Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Program

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Vermont Agency of Natural ResourcesAmbient Water Quality Monitoring Program Neil Kamman, Environmental Scientist VI VT Dept. of Env. Conservation – Water Quality Division National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  2. Water Quality Monitoring in Vermont • VTANR Structure • The VT Water Quality Standards • VT’s Water Quality Monitoring Program Strategy • Program Design and Highlights National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  3. VT ANR Structure National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  4. National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  5. Lakes/ponds, rivers, wetlands • Groundwater • Wastewater and stormwater compliance National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  6. Groundbreaking restructuring of ANR functions Opportunity for integrated coordination of the VT water quality monitoring program across multiple centers Reorganization of VTANR National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  7. Vermont Water Quality Standards • Administered by the VT Water Resources Panel • VTANR provides technical services to the Panel in the derivation and implementation of WQS • Panel holds legal authority to establish and modify WQS and classifications • VTANR carries out assessment, listing, and TMDL functions using WQS • VT Env. Court adjudicates legal issues regarding application of WQS National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  8. Vermont Water Quality Standards • Collection of numeric and narrative standards • Tiered Aquatic Life Use gradient is written into the classification system of VWQS * Standard “no toxics in toxic amounts” language does apply National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  9. Status of biocriteria in VT National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  10. VT Water Quality Monitoring Program Strategy • Follows EPA “10 Elements” guidance • Issued for period 2005-2015 • Provides architecture for monitoring, assessment, listing, and data archiving activities • Articulates monitoring designs to meet two major goals: National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  11. VT WQ Mon. Program Strategy Goal 1: Predict and monitor the condition of Vermont’s aquatic and wetland resources to: • identify emerging problems; • provide information essential to protecting, maintaining and/or restoring the integrity and use of these resources; • achieve comprehensive monitoring coverage of all Vermont waters; • identify water quality conditions, impairments, causes, and sources; and, • evaluate the success of current policies and programs. National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  12. VT WQ Mon. Program Strategy Goal 2: Communicate, collaborate and coordinate with organizations, agencies, and the general public to: • increase public knowledge of and involvement in water resource monitoring • promote efficient and effective monitoring and assessment programs; and • collect useful data to supplement state monitoring and assessment programs. National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  13. Program highlights • Split-design incorporating targeted and probability-based approaches • Balanced resource allocation to lakes and rivers assessment that retains flexibility • Standardized methods (field and laboratory) • Development of monitoring systems for wetlands • Focus on partnerships with other organizations • Program is very thin on automated obs. systems • Total resource commitment: 13FTE within VTDEC, not including temporary technician services National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  14. Rivers and streams: • Ambient biomonitoring program • Active since <1980 • >1,400 sites within network • Annual target of ~150 sites using standard protocols • Rotating Basin Assessment • Five-year cycle of probability-based sites • Initially implemented in conjunction with the Nat’l Wadeable Streams Assessment • Provides an assessment of statewide stream biological attainment, with confidence estimates • Stream Geomorphic Assessment Program • Major initiative to understand physical stream processes • Hundreds of reaches characterized since 2003 • Geomorphic assessment is now a pre-requisite to receipt of CWA 319 remediation funds from VT National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  15. Lakes and ponds: • Spring Nutrient and Lake Assessment Programs • >100 lakes assessed annually • >700 stations within network • Lake Champlain Long-term Monitoring Program • Major monitoring initiative aimed at supporting Vermont’s “Clean and Clear Water Action Program” • REMAP Mercury Survey (1998) and National Lake Survey (on-going) • 50-lake probability surveys • Provide an assessment of statewide lake conditions and use attainment with confidence National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  16. Wetlands and groundwater: • Development of methods for wetlands biological assessment • General groundwater monitoring for support of community drinking water systems (DEC-Water Supply Division) • Monitoring of radionuclides, arsenic, and groundwater quantity in support of non-community drinking water use National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  17. Volunteer-based monitoring: • Vermont Lay Lakes Monitoring Program • 1977 to present • >80 lakes / Lake Champlain stations monitored for nutrients and chlorophyll-a by citizens (longest-term volunteers have given 25+ years of service) • LaRosa Environmental Partnerships • 2003 to present • Competitive program to provide laboratory services to watershed organizations • 29 groups supported since 2003, 18 active in 2007 • Generated >29,000 records of QA’d data from >250 sites statewide National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  18. Important partnerships • VTANR – LaRosa Environmental Laboratory • US Geological Survey • USEPA Region 1, OWOW, and ORD • University of VT • VT State Colleges • Numerous lake and watershed associations • Schools National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  19. Data management • Data management systems include in-house sequel or MSAccess-based repositories, and a non-node link to Storet (WQX by our existing node in evaluation presently) • Current database in excess of 700,000 records of physical, biological, or chemical datapoints • Some web-based reporting available (lakes) • VTANR initiative underway to modernize data archiving within a new Enterprise system • VTANR initiative to develop automated fieldoffice data streams using remote computing National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  20. There is much, much more: • Assessment and listing processes • TMDL development and implementation • Gov. Douglas’ Clean and Clear Initiative • Monitoring within the remediation context • Hazardous sites monitoring/characterizations WWW.VTWATERQUALITY.ORG WWW.VERMONT.GOV/CLEANANDCLEAR VT has a flexible program to adapt to new issues… National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

  21. Our newest issue: National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

More Related