# Presentation: 546623

## Colorado Water Quality Monitoring Council 

**An Activities Report**
**to the **
**National Water Quality Monitoring Council**
**by**
**Holly Huyck, Steve Lohman, Ben Alexander, Bill Horak**
**Denver, Colorado**
**July 16, 2002**

**Notes:**
These councils, as many of us know, can require considerable effort to launch and to maintain.
In our experience in CO, the rewards have been worth the effort.  I’ll explain why in the next few minutes.5/15/01

## Formation of CWQMC

**Feb. 98    WRRI Director letter to CDPHE, USGS**
**Nov. 98    “Testing the waters” mtg.**
**               ****John Klein spoke about NWQMC**
**               ****Strong support for Council idea**
**Jan. 99   Created organizing committee**
**June 99   Officially launched CWQMC**

**Notes:**
Feb. 98 – Robert Ward, CWRRI Director, sent letter to State Engineer, Health Dept. chief, and me urging us to consider the benefits of having a State Council.  Robert very active in NWQMC. Noted Maryland’s success.
Let his invitation age for several months, then the three of us met twice-decided to test the waters broadly.
Nov. 98 “Testing... “  Invited many Colorado water-quality players.  The three of us gave speal.  John Kline talked about goals and activities of the NWQMC.  At end of meeting, was consensus that we should create Council.
Jan.99 – Several attendees at Nov. mtg. recruited as organizing committee to draft charter, suggest agency-membership list, and do questionnaire about possible goals and activities of the new Council.

## An Early Show-Stopper Issue

**  ****	****Will this Council attempt a prescriptive stance toward monitoring activities of its member agencies—or non-members that do monitoring in Colorado??**
**                    **
**  ****	****Had to deal head-on with that concern before we could move forward**

## CharterColorado Water Quality Monitoring CouncilLeading the Way in Public/Private Collaboration

**Purpose**
**Goals**
**Membership**
**Organization**

## Purpose

**	****Statewide collaborative body, open to all**
**	****Seeks to improve the linkage between information needs of policy and decision makers with efforts to collect and assess data**
**	****Promotes effective monitoring programs**
**	****Shall address the full range of water quality information**
**	****Non-voting body that operates through consensus**

## Goals

**	****Provide a forum for effective communication, cooperation, collaboration, and documentation among individuals and organizations involved in monitoring**
**	****Promote the development of collaborative and cost effective watershed-based monitoring strategies**

## Goals (cont.)

**	****Promote the use of quality assurance procedures and protocols related to sample collection, analytical methods, assessment, data management and distribution**
**	****Provide strategic direction for a statewide structure for the acquisition, analysis, archiving, and dissemination of water-quality information**

## Membership

**	****Individuals/organizations who are involved in water quality (or quantity) monitoring in Colorado**
**	****Participate in at least one watershed/basin group or association**
**	****Agree to share data and cooperate with other  monitoring entities**

## Membership (cont.)

**Officers:**
**	****Chair**
**	****Treasurer**
**	****Other Officers as deemed necessary**
**All selected from and by the Council, by consensus**
**Officers rotated annually**
**Dues**

## Organization

**Committees:**
**	****The Council may establish ad hoc or standing committees to address issues of statewide concern.**

## Organization (cont.)

**Standing Committees To Date:**
**	****Steering Committee**
**	****Monitoring Coordination Committee**
**	****Data Management Committee**
**	****Outreach and Information Sharing Committee**
**	****Aquatic Life Committee**

## Highlighted Accomplishments2000 & 2001

**Improved Communications – use pre- and post-meeting email packets**
**Assisted with update of Colorado Geological Survey’s Directory of Colorado Water Quality data**
**Conducted MetaData Swap for Clear Creek Basin**
**Colorado Water Quality Conference – Co-hosted with AWRA**
**Developed a CWQMC website**
**Fostered close ties with NWQMC and MDCB**

## Colorado Water Quality Monitoring Council

**Chartered Purpose and Goals**** with Planned**
**Actions for 2002**

**Actions in red are highest priorities for 2002**

##        Goals and Planned Actions for 2002

**Provide a forum for effective communication, cooperation, collaboration, and documentation among individuals and organizations involved in monitoring.**
**·            Foster the continued development of trust among CWQMC members.**
**·            Increase our membership and encourage active participation by members.  **
**·            Identify and document the water-quality information needs of members.**
**·            Enable Council to raise funds by obtaining 501c status and develop visual identity ****	****    (logo).**
**·            Develop and maintain an attractive and highly functional website.**
**·            Develop Web-based map index to the who, what, where, why of WQ monitoring in ****	****    Colorado.**
**·            Take advantage of NWQMC Denver meeting as outreach opportunity.**
**·            Plan a Nat. Monitoring Day observance and the next WQ Conference **
**·            Promote CWQMC as an informational resource and supportive forum to WQ policy ****	****    makers****.**

##  Goals and Planned Actions for 2002 (cont.)

** ****Goals**** and Planned Actions for 2002 (cont.)**
**Promote the development of collaborative and cost-effective watershed-based monitoring strategies.**** **
**·            Develop a strategy to work more closely with watershed**
**	****groups that are doing or plan to do water-quality monitoring.**
**·            Encourage/facilitate two-way transfer of information about ****	****monitoring strategies and current programs to and from ****	****watershed groups.**
**·            Promote the components of effective monitoring programs.**
** ****·            Identify information needs and conduct data swaps for river ****	****basins about to undergo triennial review**

## Goals and Planned Actions for 2002 (cont.)

**Promote the use of quality assurance procedures and protocols**
**Related to sample collection, analytical methods, assessment,**
**data management,and dissemination.**
**·            Be actively involved with the NWQMC’s Methods and Data Comparability**
**             ****Board and effectively transfer information between the NWQMC and**
**             ****CWQMC.**
**·            Continue development of Minimal Data Elements (MDE) recommendations**
**             ****for monitoring activities in CO – Use of MDE must remain voluntary.**
**·            Decide what role, if any, CWQMC will seek in (1) WQ data management**
**             ****and (2) data interpretation and assessment for policy and decision**
**             ****processes.**** **

## Goals and Planned Actions for 2002 (cont.)

- Provide strategic direction for a statewide structure for the acquisition, analysis, archiving, and dissemination of water-quality information
-       Encourage members to articulate the “why” of their
-             monitoring work.
- 					Last revision:  May 17, 2002

## Current CWQMC Committee Activities

**National Monitoring Day Outreach Committee**
**Post-Fire Water Quality Committee**
**Continual Enhancements of CWQMC Website**
**CWQMC Brochure Effort – Chris Crouse and Holly Huyck – Done !**

## Colorado Water Quality Monitoring Council

**Colorado Water Quality Monitoring Council**

_**About the Council**_
_**Meetings Agendas Minutes**_
_**Monitoring Tools**_
_**Monitoring Plans and Methods**_
_**Database Management**_
_**Colorado Water Quality Monitoring Locations**_
_**Water-Quality Related Groups and Events**_
_**Other Useful Links**_
_**Water-Quality Related Grants**_

**Purpose**
**The *****Colorado Water Quality Monitoring Council***** will serve as a statewide collaborative body, open to all, to help achieve effective collection, analysis and dissemination of water quality data, and monitoring information.  The Council seeks to improve the linkage between information needs of policy and decision makers with efforts to collect and assess data.  The Council promotes effective monitoring programs that include the components of goal identification, data collection, analysis, storage, retrieval, and reporting/dissemination of information.  The Council shall address the full range of water quality information, including chemical, biological, and physical characteristics of surface and ground waters.  The Council is a non-voting body that operates through consensus.**

## Slide 20

## Future CWQMC Committee Activities

**Survey of interests and needs of member organizations**
**Decision and possible action on obtaining 501c non-profit status**
**Data-management issues and needs in support of data swaps**
**Effective connection of CWQMC to MDCB (NWQMC) and its products**
**Productive association of CWQMC with watershed-based activities**

## Challenges to Success of the CWQMC

**Time**
**Money**