U.S. Geological Survey Monitoring and Assessment Programs

Management Issuesin the Lake Michigan Basin Aquatic invasive species Nutrient enrichment Beach Health Contaminants – in

Sediments, Fish and Drinking Water

Nuisance algal blooms Habitat degradation Loss and Alteration of

Coastal Wetlands Fisheries and food web

changes

Current Monitoring Efforts

Need to identify historical and current monitoring for Cyanobacteria and toxins and related factors

USGS is developing a mapper tool and database to pull together as much Great Lakes monitoring data as possible.

59 National Monitoring Network sites and predominant Landuse

• nutrient monitoring,• toxics monitoring, • virus sampling

What?

When?Data calibration• Calibration to monthly Base flow measurements

• Stormflow (6 storms/yr.)

• Fixed-interval samples

• 60 environmental samples per site

How?real-time sensors• Surrogates for:

• Suspended sediment, • Nutrients,• Chloride

30 National Monitoring Network sites with real-time flow and water-quality information

All real-time monitoring available at:http://waterwatch.usgs.gov/wqwatch/

Real-time water quality monitorsMulti-parameter (YSI) Sonde

Why Continuous QW Monitoring?• Improves our understanding of hydrology and water quality• Continuous data (every 15 minutes) --captures seasonal, diurnal, and event-driven

fluctuations • Reduces Time and Costs associated with manual sampling. • Few discrete samples (20 per year) used to develop QW interpretations.• Estimating non-monitored constituents involves regressions to

discharge. • Use water-quality data to predict water-quality data!

Surrogate load estimates

Using monitoring sensors, collected samples to provide estimates of concentrations and loads of other constituents

• time-series-based estimator to provide on-line (filter) and off-line (smoother) estimates of concentrations

• For: sediment, chloride, and nutrients including ammonia plus organic nitrogen and total phosphorus

• estimates will:• use past and current information from discrete measurements • utilize continuous measurements of surrogate water-quality constituents• be computed using data before and after the time of estimation

Determine Baseline and Sources of Toxic Contaminant Loadings

Automated sampling for viruses

• Two to three basins up stream of the selected NMN sites• monitored for human and animal viruses, wastewater indicators, veterinary antibiotics, protozoa, and bacterial pathogens

Monitor at 8 Nutrient site potential watersheds: Manitowac, Milwaukee, Fox, Clinton, Rougue, Maumee Portage Plus 1 other in Michigan

Monitor for viruses and pathogens using auto virus sampler, monthly and 6 storms

Determine Baseline and Sources of Toxic Contaminant Loadings

Organochlorine pesticides, PCB’s and PBDE’s (30 analytes plus Total PCB’s and 5 PCB Congeners)

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (34 analytes)

Wastewater Indicator Chemicals (44 analytes)

Pharmaceuticals (44 analytes)

Determine Baseline and Sources of Toxic Contaminant Loadings

deployed at all 15 AOC sites in fall of 2010

Sample for:• PAH’s and Total PCB’s• Alkylated PAH’s, • Pharmaceuticals

• Sampling will be upstream of AOC’s and when applicable downstream of AOC’s • determine if upstream is a continuing loading source for the AOC.

•Sediment traps at 15 AOC sites in the Great Lakes •Sediment traps at 15 AOC sites in the Great Lakes

•Sediment traps at 15 AOC sites in the Great Lakes •Sediment traps at 15 AOC sites in the Great Lakes

Sediment traps at 15 AOC (Area of Concern) sites in the Great Lakes

Flood Inundation Mapping

FIMI

http://las.depaul.edu/geography/images/Misc_Images/gis.jpg

USGS Real-time streamgage data

National Weather Service flood forecasts

High-water marks

USGS FIMI Focus Areas Major flood

documentation studies using high-water marks

Static inundation map libraries at gages/flood forecast points

Real-time, dynamic applications for the future

Annual Fish Stock Assessments

Scientists assess results of trawl

Helps determine prey/predator balance

Long-term: >70 yrs of USGS data

Zebra Mussels

One of the most visible invasive species in the Great Lakes

These filter feeders have cleaned up lake water, allowing greater light penetration

Algae in the Great Lakes

Nuisance algae has been increasing

Related to dreissenid mussels – light penetration in water

USGS research on Cladophora and beach closure issues

Beach Health

Beaches are closed when too many pathogens are detected in water

Need to track sources and make earlier and better predictions of closing

USGS beach research on models and methods for better predictions

Wetlands

Wetlands in Great Lakes are critical to restoration and protection

USGS research in many places such as Metzger Marsh on Lake Erie

Important for lake level regulation

•Sediment traps at 15 AOC sites in the Great Lakes •Sediment traps at 15 AOC sites in the Great Lakes

•Sediment traps at 15 AOC sites in the Great Lakes •Sediment traps at 15 AOC sites in the Great Lakes

Thank You