2013 Monitoring Activities: Summer Water Quality Conditions

1. 2013 Monitoring Activities:Summer Water Quality Conditions Technical Committee Meeting October 8-9, 2013 Agenda Item # 6

3. Summer 2013 Monthly Precipitation Relative to Normal May June July August September

4. Average Monthly Streamflow May – September 2013

5. Clean Metals Sampling • 3 thallium detections in 2013, all greater than WQC 0.24 ug/L • Mercury violations occur at high flows

6. FGD Monitoring Hg Results • Final discharge does not show the mercury content of the FGD WW • Percent methyl mercury is equivalent to Ohio River ambient waters

7. Broad Scan Results • Two Rounds Collected, 3 Locations, High and Low flows: • Similar results in both rounds: • 123 Analytical tests, 19 Detections • No WQC Violations • No Detections at all: • Pesticides, VOCs, Semi VOAs, PAHs, Radiation • All detections from Ions and Metals, all of them routinely monitored

8. MeHg BAF Study Early Results • Monthly samples collected just upstream of Hannibal L&D • No WQC violations (>12ng/L) • All methyl mercury detections from high flows

9. MeHg BAF Study Early Results • Collected 12 Fish Tissue Samples for MeHg • 6 in Fall 2012 & 6 in Spring 2013 • Directly below Hannibal L&D (~mi 127)

10. Fish Tissue Contaminants • 75 Samples (River wide & some KY tributaries) • PCBs • Total & Methyl Mercury • Chlordanes • DDTs • Pb, Cd, Se • PBDEs • Support fish consumption advisory decisions • Support 305(b) use attainment decision making (methylmercury) • Now have >=2 species of Trophic Level 4 & TL 3 from each pool since 2010 • Complete KY SEP project • Collect 40 MeHg samples from KY pools and some tributaries (2012-2013)

11. Probabilistic Pool Survey Sites • 15 randomly determined 500m sites per pool • Fish Community • Macroinvertebrate Community • Instream & Riparian Habitat

12. Additional Data Collection • 500m sites (random + targeted) • Fish Community • Macroinvertebrate Community • Instream & Riparian Habitat • Water Chemistry • Sediment Chemistry 30 sites for macroinvertebrates & chemistry

13. Fixed Stations • Fish Community • Fish Tissue Contaminants

14. HOBO Data Loggers • Hourly measurements for 2 years (1 year to go) • Temperature • Conductivity

15. Aquarium Displays

16. National Rivers & Streams Assessment

17. Nuisance Aquatic Species

18. Bacteria samples are collected April 1 through October 31. • Samples are collected at an upstream and downstream location in Pittsburgh, Wheeling, • Huntington, Cincinnati, Louisville and Evansville. • Five rounds of sampling are completed monthly for each urban community sampling • location and analyzed for E. coli using Membrane Filtration. Those five samples are then used to produce a monthly Geometric Mean which shall not exceed 130CFU/100mL and shall not exceed 240CFU/100mL in any single sample. Contact Recreation Monitoring

20. Contact Recreation Monitoring At four extra sites in Cincinnati we also analyze for Enterococci using Enterolert and for E.coli using Colilert. Special Projects Buffalo Trails Multisport Racing (Maysville) Louisville Triathlon* Louisville Ironman Cincinnati Triathlon The Great Ohio River Swim *Public was notified bacteria levels were elevated

21. Dissolved oxygen and temperature is monitored by the United States Army Corp of Engineers, electric utility/hydropower agencies or ORSANCO at 9 Ohio River stations. • These stations are monitored in hourly, 30-minute or 15-minute increments to obtain temperature and dissolved oxygen data for the assessment of aquatic life water quality criteria. • The average D.O. concentration shall be at least 5.0mg/L for each calendar day. (Graphs to follow) • The allowable temperature varies each month and Period Averages range from 68°-84°F. Smithland had 5 days where they exceeded the Period Average of 84°. (Graphs to follow) Dissolved Oxygen and Temperature Monitoring

24. Algae/Nutrients Program • No algae blooms reported or detected • Largest concentrations detected in May (typically August) • Community dominated by diatoms all summer (typically shifts to Blue-Green algae in late summer)

25. Algae/Nutrients Program • High flow conditions through July • Algae blooms require long residence time and high light penetration

26. Wabash Monitoring Project • Three year project starting 1/22/2012 • Annual report submitted April 2013 • Samples collected every two weeks • Nutrients, BOD, TSS, algae, chlorophyll • Datasonde takes readings every 30 min

27. Wabash Monitoring Project A lot of this Not so much of this

28. Dissolved Oxygen • Number of days with Average DO <5mg/L = 2 • Number of days with any measurement <4mg/L = 0

29. Biochemical Oxygen Demand • Identified as a contributor to low DO in the Smithland Pool. • One detection on the Ohio River (Smithland Pool) • Similar to previous years

30. Organics Detection System Sites Big Sandy R.

31. Organics Detection System Operations Overview January - August 2013 • 3,272 River Water Samples were analyzed by the ODS Between January and August 2013. • % Utilization = (# of River Water Samples Analyzed) / (# of Days X 15 sites) = 89.8% Utilization.

32. Organics Detection System Operations Overview * The addition of 2 ODS sites at Ashland, Ky. and Midland, Pa. brought the total # of ODS sites up from 13 to 15 sites.

33. Organics Detection System Operations Overview • Pittsburgh Water- The Pittsburgh Water ODS site has made improvements in their utilization of the ODS. This has helped to raise ODS utilization to 89.8%. ODS Upgrade • We have enhanced the capabilities of the ODS by installing GC/ Mass Spec instrumentation at American Water (Huntington, WV) and at Evansville Water. • We have also installed a process GC at Wheeling Water that will work around the clock to screen the Ohio River water for volatile organics.