National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007 Vermont Agency of Natural...

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

Vermont Agency of Natural Vermont Agency of Natural ResourcesResources

Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Ambient Water Quality Monitoring ProgramProgram

Neil Kamman, Environmental Scientist VIVT Dept. of Env. Conservation – Water Quality Division


Water Quality Monitoring in Water Quality Monitoring in VermontVermont

VTANR Structure The VT Water Quality Standards VT’s Water Quality Monitoring Program

Strategy Program Design and Highlights


VT ANR StructureVT ANR Structure

VT Agency of Natural Resources

Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Dept. Forests, Parks and Rec.

Dept. of Fish and Wildlife


VTANR

DECOverall WQ ambient monitoring and

assessment program

FPR

Swim beach bacterial monitoring

F+W Monitoring to support

specific F+W needs


VTDEC

WQD

WSD

State Geologist

Other Divisions

Lakes/ponds, rivers, wetlands

Groundwater

Wastewater and stormwater compliance


Reorganization of VTANRReorganization of VTANR

Groundbreaking restructuring of ANR functions

Opportunity for integrated coordination of the VT water quality monitoring program across multiple centers


Vermont Water Quality StandardsVermont 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


Vermont Water Quality StandardsVermont Water Quality Standards Collection of numeric and narrative standards Tiered Aquatic Life Use gradient is written into

the classification system of VWQS

Examples from VTWQS

Class specificity

Narrative standards

Numeric criteria

Nutrients Y Y Y

DO Y Y Y

Turbidity Y Y Y

Toxics N N* Y

Biotic integrity Y Y Y

* Standard “no toxics in toxic amounts” language does apply


Status of biocriteria in VTStatus of biocriteria in VT

Program support

Resource ↓

Legal needs (listing, permitting, etc.)

“Assessment” needs (weight-of-evidence w/in listing and assessment process)

Under develop-ment

Wadeable streams

X X

Lakes X X

Non-wadeable rivers

X

Wetlands x


VT Water Quality Monitoring VT Water Quality Monitoring Program StrategyProgram 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:


VT WQ Mon. Program StrategyVT 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.


VT WQ Mon. Program StrategyVT 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.


Program highlightsProgram 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


Rivers and streams: 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


Lakes and ponds: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


Wetlands and groundwater: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


Volunteer-based monitoring: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


Important partnershipsImportant 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


Data managementData 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 fieldoffice data streams using remote computing


There is much, much more: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…


Our newest issue:Our newest issue:

National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007 Vermont Agency of Natural...

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