# Presentation: 799785

## Floodplain Management Session 11BiologyWater Quality Prepared by Susan Bolton, PhD, PE

**Notes:**
Title slide for session 11

## Water Quality

**Objectives:**

- Identify the major physical, chemical, and biology
-  components used to characterize water quality
- Describe the importance of various water quality
-  constituents to aquatic ecosystems
- Learn how biological indicators are used to describe
-  water quality
- Learn where to locate information on water quality for
- your watershed and identify critical levels
- Discuss stream and river ecology within the context
-  case study floodplains

**Notes:**
Slide outlines the objectives for session 11

## Identify the major physical, chemical,

- and biological components
- used to characterize water quality

**Notes:**
Slide of objective 111 for session 11

## Commonly measured substances related to water quality

- Light
- Temperature
- Dissolved ions
- Suspended solids
- Nutrients and gases
- Toxics such as metals and pesticides/herbicides

**Notes:**
List of commonly measured water quality constituents

## Effect of latitude on stream degree days

- (Modified from Vannote and Sweeney 1980)

**Notes:**
Graph of total annual degree-days (above 0 C) in streams in the eastern U.S. Modified from Vannote and Sweeney 1980. 

## Influence of temperature on growth rates

- (Modified from Benke 1993)

**Notes:**
Daily growth rates as a function of temperature for three aquatic insects in Georgia. Modified from Benke 1993.

## Dissolved mineral concentrations in 

- Dissolved mineral concentrations in
- surface water

- Darker shades are higher concentrations: range from < 100 ppm to
-  > 1800 ppm. Figure 3.16 in NRC 2000.

**Notes:**
Map of spatial distribution of dissolved mineral concentrations in surface water. Figure 3.16 in NRC 2000. 

## Dissolved mineral concentrations in 

- Dissolved mineral concentrations in
- ground water

- Darker shades are higher concentrations: range from < 1000 ppm
- to > 35,000 ppm

**Notes:**
Map denoting the spatial distribution of dissolved solids concentrations in surface water 
Figure 3.17 in NRC 2000. 

## Dissolved solids  1980-1989

- Modified from Figure 40 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994.

**Notes:**
Map showing the variation in average dissolved solids concentrations across the United States for the period 1980-1989. Modified from Figure 40 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994. 

## Suspended sediment  1980-1989

**Averagemg/l**

- < 100

- 100-500

- >500

**Percent of **
**Concentrations**
**> 1000 mg/l**

- < 20

- 20-50

- > 50

- Modified from Figure 43 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994.

**Notes:**
Map showing the variation in average suspended sediment concentrations across the United States for the period 1980-1989. Modified from Figure 43 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994. 

## pH range and the pH of common liquids

** ****http://www.epa.gov/volunteer/stream/vms54.html**

## Average Nitrate Concentrations 1980-1989

**Averagemg/l**

- < 1

- 1-3

- >3

- Percent of
- Concentrations
- > 1 mg/l

- < 20

- > 20

- .

- Modified from Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994

**Notes:**
Map showing the variation in average nitrate concentrations across the United States for the period 1980-1989. Modified from Figure 41 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994. 

## Total Phosphorus  1982-1989

- Modified from Figure 42 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994.

**Notes:**
Map showing the variation in average total phosphorus concentrations across the United States for the period 1982-1989. Modified from Figure 42 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994. 

## The effects of pressure and temperature on DO

**The effects of pressure and temperature on DO**

**Notes:**
Graph of the relationship among atmospheric pressure (as measured by elevation), water temperature and the concentration of dissolved oxygen.

## Dissolved Oxygen Concentration (mg/l)

- Modified from Figure 38 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994.

**Notes:**
Map showing the variation in average dissolved oxygen concentrations across the United States for the period 1982-1989. Modified from Figure 38 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994. 

## Fecal coliform bacteria 1980-1989

- Modified from Figure 39 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994.

**Notes:**
Map showing the variation in average fecal coliform concentrations  (colonies per 100 ml) across the United States for the period 1980-1989. Modified from Figure 39 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994. 

## Herbicide concentrations in spring runoff, 1989

- Largest square indicates values exceeding EPA drinking-water criteria

- Modified from Figure 50 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994.

**Notes:**
Maps showing concentrations of selected herbicides collected during the first runoff after application in the spring of 1989 in streams that drain agricultural areas in a 10-State area in the Midwest. Highest concentration interval in each map is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking-water criterion. (Modified from Figure 50 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994. 

##   Pollution in finfish tissues

-   Pollution in finfish tissues

- Modified from Figure 49 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994.

**Notes:**
Figure showing the trend in toxic trace elements detected in fin fish tissues. Modified from Figure 49 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994. 

## Concentrations of organic chemicals in finfish

- Modified from Figure 49 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994.

**Notes:**
Figure of trends in organic chemical compounds detected in finfish tissues. Modified from Figure 49 in Smith, Alexander and Lanfear 1994. 

## In class exercise

- Work in teams and brainstorm the qualities or characteristics that would qualify a species as a good biological indicator of stream condition

**Notes:**
Information for in class exercise

## Examples of organisms used as bioindicators

- Photos from _[www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/photos_fish.html](http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/photos_fish.html)__ and_
- _[www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/photos_invertebrates.html](http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/photos_invertebrates.html)_

**Notes:**
Photos of fish and invertebrates. (www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/photos_fish.html and
www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/photos_invertebrates.html)

## Objective 10.4

- Identify critical levels (biological and regulatory) indicating water quality status for the various physical, chemical and biological constituents in stream water
- (Include the ability to explain why these constituents are important to floodplain management)

**Notes:**
Slide  of objective 4 in sessioon 10