# Presentation: 308550

## Water Quality Vital Signs: Developing Protocols and SOPs

**Water Quality Vital Signs: Developing Protocols and SOPs**

**Presented by Barry Long**
- Water Resources Division
- National Water Quality Monitoring Council Meeting
- July 24, 2007
- Philadelphia, PA

## NPS Vital Signs Networks

**NPS Vital Signs Networks**

## Water Quality Protocols and SOPs - Good Examples

- San Francisco Bay Area: Freshwater Quality Protocol _Narrative:_ Complete (All Issues Well Organized), All QA/QC Issues, Incorporated State Guidance
- Northern Colorado Plateau: Freshwater Water Quality Protocol _Narrative_ and SOPs: QA/QC, Data Analysis, Bias from Changes
- Applachian Highlands & Northeast Temperate: Good example of plans that use USGS Protocols

## More Good Examples of Plans & Protocol Narratives

- Phase I, II, and III Reports (San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Yellowstone, Great Lakes)
- Certain Plan Chapters (Southeast Coast, Pacific Island, Northeast Coastal & Barrier, Great Lakes)
- Great Lakes Rivers Protocol
- Greater Yellowstone Regulatory Water Quality Protocol
- Heartland Aquatic Invertebrates Sampling Design

## CODEs(to indicate status of WQ Protocol development)

- * Protocol Development Summary Completed
- ** Draft Protocol Completed
- *** Protocol Completed & WRD Reviewed (includes associated SOPs)
- ?  Not Confirmed Yet But PDS in VS data base (http://www1.nrintra.nps.gov/im/monitor/vsdatabase.cfm)

## Wadeable Stream Protocols

- Northern Colorado Plateau***, San Francisco Bay Area***, Appalachian Highlands***, Northeast Temperate***
- Greater Yellowstone*** (Regulatory Protocol)
- Others: Cumberland Piedmont**, Sonoran Desert*, Northern Great Plains*, Gulf Coast**, Great Lakes*, Greater Yellowstone*** (other), North Coast and Cascades**, Klamath*, Sierra Nevada*, Southeast Coast*
- Many Include Benthic Macroinvertebrates (BMIs): Eastern Rivers and Mountains* Pacific Islands*, Southern Colorado Plateau*, Mediterranean Coast*, Upper Columbia Basin**, National Capital Region**, Mid Atlantic *, Appalachian Highlands?, Rocky Mountain Integrated* (integrated w/ many eco-integrity indicators)

## Rivers & Non-wadeble Streams

- Great Lakes***
- Greater Yellowstone**
- Heartland**
- North Coast and Cascades**
- Northern Great Plains*
- Southwest Alaska*
- Eastern Rivers and Mountains*
- Sierra Nevada*
- Rocky Mountain* (Highly integrated, many indicators)
- Southeast Coast*

## Lakes, Ponds and Pools

- Great Lakes**
- Central Alaska** (Permafrost Lakes/Ponds)
- North Coast and Cascades** (Large Lakes, Mountain Ponds/Lakes)
- Southwest Alaska* (Large Lakes)
- Northeast Temperate** (Lakes/Vernal Pools)
- Sonoran Desert* (Desert Tinajas – Overland Flow Fed Small Pools)
- Greater Yellowstone* (Lakes/High Alpine Lakes)
- Klamath*, Sierra Nevada*, Rocky Mountain?

## Amphibians 

- Mediterranean Coast**
- Heartland**
- Greater Yellowstone**
- Northeast Temperate**
- National Capital Region** (Pools and Ponds)
- Great Lakes*
- San Francisco Bay Area*
- Gulf Coast*
- Southeast Coast*
- Northern Coastal & Barrier?, Sierra Nevada?

## Freshwater Stream Flow (Quantity) 

- National Capital Region**
- San Francisco Bay Area*
- Greater Yellowstone*
- Mediterranean Coast*
- Mid Atlantic*
- Eastern Rivers and Mountains*
- Southeast Coast*
- Rocky Mountain* (Highly integrated with other stream-integrity indicators)
- Appalachian Highlands?, Southwest Alaska?

## Seeps and Springs 

- Heartland**
- Greater Yellowstone*
- Southern Colorado Plateau*
- Sonoran Desert*
- Northern Great Plains*
- Mojave Desert?

## Wetlands and Wetland Habitats

- Heartland**
- Northeast Temperate**
- Rocky Mountain** (Highly integrated with other wetland integrity indicators)
- San Francisco Bay Area*
- Sonoran Desert*, Sierra Nevada*
- Northeast Coastal and Barrier?

## Groundwater 

- Pacific Island*
- Northern Great Plains*
- Sonoran Desert*
- Rocky Mountain* (includes some wetlands dynamics)
- Southeast Coast*
- Northeast Coastal and Barrier?

## Estuaries and/or Marine

- Northeast Coastal and Barrier*** (Eutrophication Indicators)
- Pacific Island**
- Southeast Coast**
- Gulf Coast*
- South Florida/Caribbean* (includes Invertebrates)
- Southwest Alaska?

## Fish

- National Capital Region**
- Heartland*
- San Francisco Bay Area*
- Pacific Island*, South Florida/Caribbean* (Marine/Estuarine)
- Sonoran Desert?
- North Coast and Cascades (Lake)?
- Central Alaska?

## Nutrients

- Pacific Island** (includes Marine/Estuarine)
- National Capital Region**
- Southeast Coast**(includes Marine/Estuarine)
- Northern Coastal and Barrier* Loading (includes Marine/Estuarine)
- South Florida/Caribbean* (includes Marine/Estuarine)
- North Coast and Cascades?, Mediterranean Coast?, Northeast Temperate?

## Toxic Contaminants

- Great Lakes*
- Southeast Coast*
- South Florida/Caribbean?
- Southeast Alaska?
- Sonoran Desert?
- Mediterranean Coast?
- Appalachian Highlands?

## Information Exchange 

- Small Streams, Big Rivers, Lakes and Ponds, Wetlands, Nutrients, BMIs, Amphibians, etc.
- Make a “listserv” or use NPS “_SharePoint_” to edit shared text.
- Eva DiDonato (Southeast Coast) has Volunteered for Marine/Estuarine.
- 	http://inpserosecn/marinewq/default.aspx
- Dave Thoma (Northern Colorado Plateau) has Volunteered for Upland Freshwater.
- 	http://inp2300fcsirma/water_quality_monitoring

## Monitoring Program Outreach Opportunities

- _National NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program Annual Coordination Meeting_
- _NWQMC National Monitoring Conference_
- 	May 18-22, 2008, Atlantic City, NJ
-     WRD hopes to sponsor a full conference session for NPS Vital Signs Networks.
- _WRD Aquatic Professional's Meeting_
- 	February 11-14, 2008, Fort Collins, CO
- 	Vital Signs network presentations and breakout sessions.

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