**[Topic List:]{.underline}**

1.  Fire Effects on Water Quality in and Near Tahoe -- Wally Miller

2.  LTIMP Network Data From the Gondola Fire -- Kip Allander

3.  Update Monitoring and Research Inventory -- Michelle Kramer, Chad
    Praul

4.  StormCon 2004 Report -- Chad Praul

**[Topic Summaries:]{.underline}**

**Fire Effects Water Quality From Forests in and Near the Tahoe -- Wally
Miller**

Wally presented highlights of studies done at six locations surrounding
Lake Tahoe, focusing mostly on information following the July 3, 2002
Gondola Fire in South Lake Tahoe. This wildfire burned 9 of 16 soil
plots that had been previously established and sampled for a year,
allowing pre/post fire sampling and unburned controls. Three weeks after
the fire, Wally's collaborators were on site to sample a significant
thunderstorm. The plots used below grade overland flow water collectors
that could be sampled in-situ for nutrients and sediment. The post fire
data showed a significant spike in ammonium, nitrate, and
ortho-phosphorous right after the fire. However, the team's data showed
that these high nutrient concentrations decreased back to
[near]{.underline} pre-fire levels within months. Wally also showed some
soil chemistry results from James Murphy, a UNR graduate student under
the direction of co-investigator Dale Johnson. This work showed that the
fire decreased total carbon and nitrogen at the soil surface, and
increased extractable ammonium and nitrate in shallow soils. They did
not see any change in the extractable phosphorous of these soils. Wally
also mentioned a few implications of their work: slow leaching of
fire-suppressed forest litter is a significant source of N and P,
wildfire causes a dramatic increase in nutrient mobilization (however
prescribed fire did not), and fuel reduction via fire may reduce the
long-term runoff levels of bioavailable nutrients

**LTIMP Network Data From the Gondola Fire -- Kip Allander**

Kip Allander made his third appearance at LTIMP this year with a
presentation of stream monitoring data from Eagle Rock Creek watershed-
a tributary of Edgewood Creek -- that was 28% burned in the Gondola
Fire. Pre-fire sampling included over 200 samples that showed relatively
low nutrient/sediment concentrations and low concentration variability.
sampling resumed immediately after the fire, and Kip was able to present
data from over 50 samples. The data showed nitrate and SRP spiking at 3
to 6 times pre-fire levels. The data also showed that TP and TKN have
doubled previous levels while ammonium did not changed significantly.
The time-series graphs of the samples show the current post-fire
concentrations returning to higher base levels than pre-fire levels.
Spring runoff concentrations continue to show highly elevated
concentrations during the second post-fire spring. SRP concentrations
will most likely return to pre-fire levels by winter 2004. Thanks to Kip
for being the current record-holder for most LTIMP appearances!

### Update Monitoring and Research Inventory -- Michelle Kramer, Chad Praul

This project is number 3 on the LTIMP Work Plan for 2004. Originally
this project began as an update to a 16 page spreadsheet of monitoring
projects assembled by Lahontan. This document was originally researched
in 2001 and some significant changes to the information are likely.
Michelle Kramer of WET Lab has graciously offered to take on the
potentially time consuming work of making the phone calls necessary to
update the Lahontan inventory. Please expect to receive a call from her
if you are one of the people in charge of a project on that inventory.

As more people have heard about this project, there have been
suggestions to integrate the Lahontan document with the TRPA's Research
and Monitoring Database. This could increase the value of both databases
by enhancing their completeness, but also may push the project beyond
the time commitments available to LTIMP. Another excellent suggestion is
to combine these efforts with the existing Resarch and Monitoring GIS
layer that resides on the [www.tiims.org](http://www.tiims.org/). This
enhancement would add a spatial component to the databases, but would
again strain the time commitments available. There will be a meeting
during the third week of august to determine the feasabillity of merging
these three research and monitoring databases. Stay tuned to LTIMP
meetings for updated plans.

**StormCon 2004 Report -- Chad Praul**

StormCon 2004 is the only national conference dedicated exclusively to
storm water runoff issues. Session topics included subject areas like
TMDL development, evaluating BMP performance, illicit discharge
detection, sampling tools/equipment, and filtration systems. This was
the third year of the conference and Chad estimated that attendance was
over capacity. In particular many of the monitoring sessions were
standing room only. 110 presentations were made over the 3 day
conference and manufacturers presented the latest storm water management
devices in a exposition hall. A few of the presentations were
particularly worth mentioning. First was Eric Strecker's presentation of
the International BMP Database, which is an online inventory of 200 BMP
studies ([www.bmpdatabase.org](http://www.bmpdatabase.org/)). Eric
stressed that % removal is a difficult metric for describing storm water
BMPs and that hydrologic changes of BMPs often have a larger
load-reduction potential than concentration changes. He also mentioned a
guidance document that is available on the website that will help our
local studies fit into the database. Chad would encourage Tahoe
researchers to submit our studies to this database. Other especially
relevant presentations included a relationship that makes measurement of
Oil and Grease possible with autosamplers (from CalTrans), a very
interesting presentation about the cost benefits of using
remote-controlled autosamplers, DNA tracking of Fecal Cauliform to the
specific source animal (all that FC is not from humans!), and 2 foot
resolution satellite data that is available for roughly \$3000 which can
map impervious coverage very quickly and accurately (see
<http://www.forester.net/sw_0407_remote.html>). Chad encourages Tahoe
researchers and resource managers to attend next year's conference.
There would be plenty of useful information to share from our work, and
lots to learn from the new techniques being used in other areas.

In Attendance:

Kip Allander, USGS

Nancy Alvarez, USGS\*

Lance Bell, WET Lab\*

Chris Bowles, PWA

Lisa Carpenter, HDR

Nancy Carter, Entrix

Debra Curry, USGS

Vanessa Gallo, NDSL

Mark Gookin, Wood Rodgers

Hamid Hakim, CalTrans\*

MG Halpin, JWA

Mary Horvath, Wood Rodgers

Michelle Kramer, WET Lab

Dan Lahde, HDR

Lorrie Flint, USGS-CA

Kansas McGahan, Placer Co.

Wally Miller, UNR

Kevin Murphy, OWP\*

Steve Patterson, EDAW\*

Chad Praul, NTCD\*

Rick Robinson, CTC

Matthew Setty, KJ Consultants

Rick Susfalk, DRI\*

Raph Townsend, TRG

Chris Twomey, c2me\*

Rita Witney, TRPA\*

Brent Wolfe, CTC\*

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