# Presentation: 228037

## The National Water Quality Monitoring Network forU.S. Coastal Watersand their TributariesLake Michigan Monitoring Coordination CouncilNovember 2, 2006

**The National Water Quality Monitoring Network for****U.S. Coastal Waters****and their Tributaries****Lake Michigan Monitoring Coordination Council****November 2, 2006**

## Charge from Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) in February, 2005

Design report presented to ACWI in January, 2006

ACWI requested two new recommendations
Small Interagency staff to coordinate next steps
One or more pilot studies to test concepts and further develop design

ACWI formally accepted report in April, 2006

- Charge from Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) in February, 2005
- Design report presented to ACWI in January, 2006
- ACWI requested two new recommendations
**Small Interagency staff to coordinate next steps**
**One or more pilot studies to test concepts and further develop design**
- ACWI formally accepted report in April, 2006

**History**

## Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)
SWAQ (Subcommittee on Water Availability and Quality)
JSOST (Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology)
Subcommittee on Integrated Management of Ocean Resources (SIMOR)

- Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
- National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)
- SWAQ (Subcommittee on Water Availability and Quality)
- JSOST (Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology)
- Subcommittee on Integrated Management of Ocean Resources (SIMOR)

**Network Presentations**

## GEO (U.S. Group on Earth Observations)
ORRAP (Ocean Research and Resources Advisory Panel)
ICOSRMI (Interagency Committee on Ocean Science and Resource Management Integration)
Federal Agencies (EPA, NOAA, USGS, DOI)

- GEO (U.S. Group on Earth Observations)
- ORRAP (Ocean Research and Resources Advisory Panel)
- ICOSRMI (Interagency Committee on Ocean Science and Resource Management Integration)
- Federal Agencies (EPA, NOAA, USGS, DOI)

**Network Presentations**

## National Water Quality Monitoring Conference
May 8-11, 2006
Approximately 900 attendees from Federal and State agencies, Tribes, academia, private sector, volunteer monitoring community
Plenary presentations
4 special sessions with open dialogue

- National Water Quality Monitoring Conference
- May 8-11, 2006
- Approximately 900 attendees from Federal and State agencies, Tribes, academia, private sector, volunteer monitoring community
- Plenary presentations
- 4 special sessions with open dialogue

**Network Presentations**

## Appoint Interagency Coordination Staff
OSTP, EPA, NOAA, and USGS
Draft tasking statement
Describe context for pilots and how they will be selected
Describe how pilots and subsequent demonstrations serve as template
Coordinate preparation of technical specifications for some elements of Network design

- Appoint Interagency Coordination Staff
- OSTP, EPA, NOAA, and USGS
- Draft tasking statement
- Describe context for pilots and how they will be selected
- Describe how pilots and subsequent demonstrations serve as template
- Coordinate preparation of technical specifications for some elements of Network design

**Current Interagency Coordination**

## A Review of the Design Features

**A Review of the ****Design Features**

**Clearly defined objectives that address management needs**
**Linkage with IOOS**
**Flexibility over time**
**Includes **
**metadata, **
**quality assurance, and **
**data management system that provides accessible data**
**Coordinated monitoring of resources in upland, coastal, and ocean areas**

## Structure of the Design

**Structure of the Design**

- Nine resource compartments
- Fixed station and probabilistic designs
- Core variables and sampling frequencies specified
- Provisions for data comparability, management & access

- A continuum of Observations
- Estuaries
- Nearshore
- Offshore and EEZ
- Great Lakes
- Coastal Beaches (BEACH Act)
- Wetlands
- With Flow and Flux from
- Rivers
- Atmosphere
- Groundwater

**Notes:**
Linked compartments follow the flow of water from uplands
	River flow and loads and conditions
	Estuarine transformations – dynamics – stratifications
	Near-shore – reduced evidence of land side influences  
	Off shore – primarily monitoring of large-scale physical forces
Fixed an Prob Based Sites each play a role
	Fixed: provide a long term temporal record, links to cause and effect
 	Probability sites characterize the resource

## The Design Will Not:

**The Design Will Not:**

**Provide data on all water resources**
**Small rivers**
**Lakes and Reservoirs**
**Local aquifers**
**Replace State Clean Water Act use attainment monitoring**
**305 (b)**
**303 (d)**
**Deal with compliance monitoring**

## Phase 1: Network design (completed)
Phase 2: Develop and carry out pilot studies
Underway to choose pilots & estimate costs
Confirm acceptance in January, 2007
Then complete by January, 2008
Phase 3: Demonstration projects
Phase 4: Nation-wide implementation

- Phase 1: Network design (completed)
- Phase 2: Develop and carry out pilot studies
**Underway to choose pilots & estimate costs**
**Confirm acceptance in January, 2007**
**Then complete by January, 2008**
- Phase 3: Demonstration projects
- Phase 4: Nation-wide implementation

**Network Implementation:****Overall Process**

## Pilot studies – Phase 2
Conduct inventory of on-going monitoring
Specify all the needed monitoring
Compare to design and identify gaps
Undertake 
With existing resources
During calendar year 2007
Demonstration projects – Phase 3
New instrumentation and field work to fill gaps
New resources required
Calendar year 2008 and beyond

- Pilot studies – Phase 2
- Conduct inventory of on-going monitoring
- Specify all the needed monitoring
- Compare to design and identify gaps
- Undertake
- With existing resources
- During calendar year 2007
- Demonstration projects – Phase 3
- New instrumentation and field work to fill gaps
- New resources required
- Calendar year 2008 and beyond

**Pilot studies &****Demonstration projects**

## Two or more pilots to bracket implementation challenges [data rich and data poor, for example]
Criteria to be developed by early November 2006
Physical setting: upland, estuary, offshore
Partnerships in study areas very important
Coordinate with IOOS
Partners willingness to work within existing resources

- Two or more pilots to bracket implementation challenges [data rich and data poor, for example]
- Criteria to be developed by early November 2006
- Physical setting: upland, estuary, offshore
- Partnerships in study areas very important
- Coordinate with IOOS
- Partners willingness to work within existing resources

**Pilot studies**

## Core variables to be monitored
Likely similar to the IOOS list
Variables that have known methods and performance 
Includes other measures that are less certain 
Specific locations to be monitored in each resource component
Specific organizations identified to conduct monitoring

- Core variables to be monitored
- Likely similar to the IOOS list
- Variables that have known methods and performance
- Includes other measures that are less certain
- Specific locations to be monitored in each resource component
- Specific organizations identified to conduct monitoring

**Specifications Expected From The Pilots**

**Notes:**
The list is similar to that used by IOOS which is: salinity, temperature, sea level, surface waves, surface currents, heat flux, bathymetry, sea ice, dissolved nutrients, dissolved oxygen, chemical contaminants, fish species and abundance, zooplankton species and abundance, phytoplankton species and abundance, optical properties, waterborne pathogens.

For some of the variables on the list, we know what we are measuring and we know exactly how we will measure—DO or temperature for example.

For some of the variables on the list, we are less certain—chemical contaminants and habitat for example

Variables that have known methods and performance characteristics: dissolved oxygen, nutrients, temperature, salinity, streamflow, etc

Includes other measures that are less certain in terms of what will be measured and how: chemical contaminants, habitat, and species and abundance of fish, zooplankton, and phytoplankton

## Announce our plans & timing to potential regional partners
Select partners and confirm project timing, costs
Seek ACWI and ICOSRMI approval of the plan in January, 2007
During Pilots, Interagency working group will 
Coordinate its work with ACWI and its subgroups
Report every 4 months to JSOST, SIMOR, and SWAQ
Present report with results of pilot studies in January 2008

- Announce our plans & timing to potential regional partners
- Select partners and confirm project timing, costs
- Seek ACWI and ICOSRMI approval of the plan in January, 2007
- During Pilots, Interagency working group will
- Coordinate its work with ACWI and its subgroups
- Report every 4 months to JSOST, SIMOR, and SWAQ
- Present report with results of pilot studies in January 2008

**Next Steps**