NWQMC Meeting Update July 26, 2007 Philadelphia, PA

1. NWQMC Meeting Update July 26, 2007 Philadelphia, PA

4. Summary of Presentation • Recent accomplishments/highlights since last update in Lafayette, LA (3/22-7/23/07) • Work Group Updates • NEMI • Water Quality Data Elements • Future Directions & Activities Plan

6. Methods in NEMI as of 7/25/07 • From 859 to 903 analytical methods in 3/22/07 • About 30 more in staging area • Goal is to break 1,000 methods by conference in May 2008 http://www.nemi.gov/

7. In review: • USGS field & fecal indicator bacteria methods (F. Wilde) • USDA/ARS protocols – incl. auto samplers, statistical methods (Daren Harmel, TX) • Habitat protocols – analyzing to see how they fit (dovetail w/ Phab data elements work)

8. CRADA Update • CRADA still making its way thru bureaucracy • Just forwarded to Bob Hirsch, USGS for signature • Current partners: • Tennessee Tech U • Neptune, Inc. • YSI, Inc. ($$) • Abraxis, LLC • Have held preliminary discussions with partners • Mesh our goals with theirs • New technologies, statistical methods, rad chem methods

9. Green Methods Update • ACS Petroleum Research Fund grant to Green Chemistry Institute • Developed scale of “relative” greenness and applied to methods in NEMI • Article on green methods in Chem Review prominently mentions NEMI (Authors: Larry Keith and others) • Will be going live fairly soon

10. Results table

11. Green rating details

12. NEMI-CBR • Funded by EPA Water Security Division • Methods based on list of priority analytes • Additional info on rapidity and screening or confirmatory method • CBR Advisor – expert system to provide information and advice, also for training • Released Jan. 2007 • CBR = Chemical, Biological, and Radiological • Security updates proceeding with contractor with EPA

13. Water Quality Data Elements (WQDE)Update

14. PHab Workgroup Interactions

15. WQDE Objectives and Goals 2007-08 • Develop a general list of WQDEs for habitat • Work on a few hydrologic systems to start? • Streams • Wetlands • Coastal Zone • Publication and public web site by May 2008

16. PHAB Meeting in Madison in June • Attended by those interested in PHAB and call in from EPA personnel from WQX • 3 Products • Protocol content matrix • Methods Elements spreadsheet • Data structure • Workshop or session for Conference • Hopefully a publication by Conference

17. Future Directions of the Board • Concentrate on things we do well (Higher priority) • NEMI and NEMI/CBR • WQDE—Physical Habitat • Support NMN where appropriate • Support WIS work group where needed • New topics (Lower priority) (Next meeting) • Event monitoring (stormwater) • Continuous and Real-time monitoring • New technologies • data storage • data interpretation • Volunteer monitoring validation techniques • Statistical methods

18. Activities Plan • Meeting in Portland in October hosted by Curtis Cude concentrating on PHAB and WQX interaction and Conference activities • Monthly Full Board conference calls • Bi-monthly or monthly work group conference calls (NEMI and WQDE) as required • Keep web-page up to date (Dan) • Across the Board Newsletter before Conference • Continue recruitment

19. Need to determine • Where the Methods Board needs to intersect with the National Monitoring Network??? • Sampling methods protocols • Analytical methods comparability issues