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The National Monitoring Network: Monitoring & Management of Alabama Rivers

The National Monitoring Network: Monitoring & Management of Alabama Rivers. Fred Leslie Alabama Dept of Environmental Management National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006. Presentation Overview. Alabama Water Resources and Biodiversity Alabama Water Quality Monitoring Programs

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The National Monitoring Network: Monitoring & Management of Alabama Rivers

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  1. The National Monitoring Network: Monitoring & Management of Alabama Rivers Fred Leslie Alabama Dept of Environmental Management National Monitoring Conference May 10, 2006

  2. Presentation Overview • Alabama Water Resources and Biodiversity • Alabama Water Quality Monitoring Programs • What Can the National Monitoring Network Do For You?

  3. The River State • 14 Basins • 629 Subwatersheds • 77,248 stream miles • 490,472 acres in 43 reservoirs and lakes • 3,600,000 acres of freshwater wetlands • 390,398 acres of estuaries, tidal waterways, and bays Tennessee Black Warrior Upper Tombigbee Tallapoosa Coosa Cahaba Lower Tombigbee Chattahoochee Alabama E s c a t a w p a Perdido- Escambia Choctaw- hatchee Mobile Chipola

  4. In the center of the seal there shall be a representation of a map of the state with its principal rivers (1819).

  5. Highest diversity of fish species in US…….. Rainbow Darter Banded Darter Gulf Sturgeon

  6. Highest diversity of mollusk species in the world……

  7. Recreation………… i • 11 million angler fishing days • Angler expenditures = $ 750,000,000

  8. ADEM Monitoring Programs

  9. ADEM Water Quality Monitoring • Field Operations Division (Monitoring) • Montgomery Branch • Biological Assessments • Bioassays • Rivers & Streams Program • Rivers and Reservoirs Program • Fish Tissue Monitoring Program • Water Quality Monitoring Coordinator • Mobile Branch • Birmingham Branch • Decatur Branch • Water Division (Management) • Special Studies • Criteria/Standards • Assessment/Listing Methodology • Wasteloads/Modeling • TMDLs • Integrated Assessment Report (305b/303d)

  10. ADEM 1991-2004 • Monitoring 1991-2004 • Streams: Reference Sites • Streams: ALAMAP • Streams: Ambient Trends • Streams: NPS Screen • Streams: NPS Int • Streams: 303d/TMDL • Streams: Special Studies • Reservoir WQ Program • Fish Tissue Monitoring Program • Coastal Monitoring Programs

  11. ADEM Monitoring Programs ReviewJuly 2004 • Affirm needs of a successful monitoring program • Well-designed for current and future data needs • Long-term and consistent • Focus on key parameters • Data quality and quantity • Revise project-oriented nature of monitoring efforts • Consistency in techniques • Eliminate duplication of effort • Incorporate probabilistic surveys into basin rotation • Expand river monitoring network • Comprehensive, consistent assessments • Criteria development, etc.

  12. Alabama Monitoring Program Reorganization2005

  13. Basin Rotation Strategy • Use of a Watershed Management Approach • Monitoring conducted on a 5 year basin rotation • Support water quality protection on a geographic basis • Provide comprehensive assessment • Identify areas in need of assessment

  14. ADEM 2005 • Monitoring Programs • Rivers and Streams Program • Rivers and Reservoirs Program • Fish Tissue Program • Coastal Monitoring Programs

  15. Monitoring Reorganization2005 • Rivers and Streams Monitoring Program (RSMP) • Wadeable waterbodies • Require similar equipment and sampling protocols • Incorporate probabilistic survey • Rivers and Reservoirs Monitoring Program (RRMP) • Nonwadeable waterbodies • Require similar equipment and sampling protocols • Increase focus on monitoring large rivers • Fish Tissue Monitoring Program (FTMP) • All waters, to include bays and estuaries

  16. Monitoring Plan 2005 500 Stations Statewide: • 339 RSMP Stations • 84 §303(d) Stations • 97 Ambient Trend Stations • 119 Basin Assessment Stations • 23 Cahaba River Intensive Survey Stations • 13 Elk River Intensive Survey Stations • 5 Clean Water Partnership Assessments • 35 Ecoregional Reference Reaches • 111 RRMP Stations • 51 FTMP Stations

  17. Monitoring Plan 2005 • Stations sampled for multiple projects: • Ninety-one (91) • Benefits • Eliminated duplication of effort • Consistency in techniques • Increased Efficiency • More data for the dollar • Increased stations/coverage • Increased sampling repetition • Full assessment of water quality • Expansion of river monitoring

  18. What Can The NMN Do For You?

  19. Rivers and Reservoirs Monitoring Program

  20. Rivers & Reservoirs:Physical/Chemical WQ Assessments

  21. Rivers & Reservoirs:Biological WQ Assessments

  22. Fish Tissue Monitoring Program

  23. What Can the NMN Do For You? • Design for Rivers • Flow and loads from inland HUC-6 watersheds • Flow and loads to estuaries • Monthly plus high flows (about 15 times per year) • Once per year for biological characterization and sediment quality

  24. NMN River Stations: Alabama

  25. NMN River Stations: Alabama Chlorophyll a

  26. NMN River Stations: Alabama Phosphorus

  27. NMN River Stations: Alabama Nitrogen

  28. NMN River Stations: Alabama Dissolved Oxygen

  29. NMN River Stations: Alabama DDT in Fish

  30. NMN River Stations: Alabama Mercury in Fish

  31. NMN River Stations: Alabama PCBs in Fish

  32. What Can the NMN Do For You? • Sentinel Network • Effectively target resources as trends change • Detection of contaminants • Expand River Monitoring Network • Allocation of resources • More stations • More parameters • River bioassessments • Sediment Analyses • Emerging Contaminants

  33. Management Applications…….

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