# Presentation: 536297

## The Importance of Professionally 

**The Importance of Professionally **
**Trained Citizen Monitors**
**For California Bioassessment **

**   **

- Jim Harrington
- WPCL Bioassessment Laboratory

## Slide 2

## Status

**Monitoring**

**Regional (Basin)**
**Monitoring and**
**Assessment**

**Regulatory**
**Monitoring**

- 305b Report
- NPS 319h
- State Report
- Card
- BMP Effectiveness

- SWAMP by
- RWQCBs
- Stressor ID
- Watershed Man.
- 303d Listing and
- Delisting

- NPDES
- Stormwater
- Ag. Waver
- Spill Response
- FERC/Hydro

## Aquatic Bioassessment Laboratory

- 2005 Nimbus Rd. Rancho Cordova
- (916) 358-4398 or 358-5862
- www.dfg.ca.gov

## DFG Aquatic Bioassessment Laboratory

**DFG Aquatic Bioassessment Laboratory**
**Rancho Cordova and **
**Chico State Laboratory**

**   **

**   **

## Funding from EPA,

**Funding from EPA,**
**State and Regional**
**Water Quality**
**Control Boards**
**   ****>3500 sites **
**      ****State-wide**

## 6-day Professional Training

**6-day Professional Training**
**sponsored by**
**American Fisheries Society**
**SETAC**
**Sustainable Land Stewardship Institute**

## www.slsii.org

**of California Streams**
**and Rivers**

**A Methods Manual for:**
**Water Resource Professionals,**
**Citizen Monitors, and**
**Natural Resources Students**

- Jim Harrington & Monique Born
- Illustrations by Peter Ode

**www.slsii.org**

## SLSI

**SLSI**
**Training**
** ****for**
**Citizen**
**Monitors**

** **** ****Professional**
**  ****Level CSBP **
** **
**  ****Family Level**
**  ****Taxonomy or**
**  ****Professional**
** **
**  ****SOP   QAPP**
** **
**  ****How to Work**
**  ****with RWQCB**
** **
**  ****Scientifically**
**  ****Sound**
**  ****Environmental**
**  ****Activism**

##                            Total of 47 since 1996

-   Grant Mandated Projects
-   319h Grant Funded Program (Placer RCD)
-   Resource Conservation Districts
-   High School
-                            **Total of 47 since 1996**

**Citizen Monitors Workshops**

## AQUATIC ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT WORKSHOPS

**PART 1 AGENDA**

**Day 1 - Designing Freshwater Ecological Assessments**
**          ****- Rapid and Fully Integrated Approach**
**Day 2 - Physical/Habitat Assessments for **
**          ****Water Quality Projects**
**Day 3 - Sampling Biotic Communities in California **
**          ****Rivers and Streams**

## Rapid Biological Assessment

**Rapid Biological Assessment**
**California Stream Bioassessment Procedure **
**Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP)**

**Benthic **
**Macroinvertebraes**

## Slide 13

## Slide 14

## Slide 15

## EPA RBP P/hab Quality (Barbour et al. 1999):

**EPA RBP P/hab Quality (Barbour et al. 1999):**
**1**** Epifaunal Substrate**
**2**** Embeddedness**
**3**** Velocity/Depth**
**4**** Sediment Deposition**
**5**** Channel Flow Status**
**6**** Channel Alteration**
**7**** Frequency of Riffles**
**8**** Bank Stability**
**9**** Vegetative Protection**
**10**** Riparian Vegitation **
**     ****Zone Width**

## Measuring

**Measuring**
**Physical/Habitat**
**Condition**

## Fall 2004 Started

- Teaching New SWAMP
- P/Hab Protocols

**Professional Level**
**Municipalities, Stormwater**
**Citizen Monitor Level**
**Friends of..., others**

## AQUATIC ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT WORKSHOPS

**PART 2 AGENDA**** **

**Day 1** –** Family-Level Taxonomic Identification of **
**         ****Freshwater Invertebrates **
**Day 2 – Continuation of Invertebrate Taxonomy, **
**          ****Insuring Quality Data and Calculating **
**          ****Biological Metrics**
**Day 3 - Interpreting Biological Metrics and Current **
**          ****Topics on the Use of Freshwater Ecological **
**          ****Assessments in Water Quality Regulation**

## 6 Teams for the 6 Samples

**6 Teams for the 6 Samples**

**Step 1 – Subsampling and **
**               ****Sorting**

## Subsampling and 

**Subsampling and **
**Sorting Benchsheet**

## 4 Teams for Major

**4 Teams for Major**
**Taxonomic Groups**

**Final Taxonomic ID**
**To Family Level**

## 4 Taxonomic Teams Give 

**4 Taxonomic Teams Give **
**Benchsheet to 6 Original Teams**

## 6 Original Teams 

**6 Original Teams **
**Calculate Biological Metrics**

## Slide 25

## QA/QC Requirementsfor Bioassessment Contracts

- QA/QC Requirementsfor Bioassessment Contracts

- Require Field and Laboratory SOPs

- Review Internal Documentation of Field
- and Laboratory QA/QC

- Require Proof of Certified Training

- Require 10 – 20% External QA/QC

- CAMLnet Standardized Taxonomy and
- Certification

## Chapter 11 Insuring Quality Data

- Chapter 11 Insuring Quality Data

- Field and Laboratory SOPs

- Frequent Certified Training

- Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP)
- EPA 841-B-96-003 for Citizen Monitors

- Annual Field Audits and Laboratory
- Validation

## Chapter 9Citizens BMI Laboratory

- Chapter 9Citizens BMI Laboratory

- 5 Steps in Starting a Successful
- Citizen Laboratory

- Evolving Citizen Laboratory

## Citizens Laboratory Alternatives

- 1. Emphasize the Sampling and P/Hab
- Quality Portion of the CSBP and Send
- BMI Samples to a Professional Laboratory

- 2. Have Citizens Work on One Set of
- Duplicate Samples While Another Set
- From the Same Reach Is Sent to A
- Professional Laboratory

## Citizens Laboratory Alternatives

- 3. Have the Citizens Perform Only the
- Subsampling and/or Sorting Portion

## So, Yes There Should

**So, Yes There Should**
**Always be an Element**
**of Fun With Volunteer**
**Biomonitoring**

**But, by Building a**
**Professional Level Volunteer**
**Program, You Will Help**
**Them Help You in Starting **
**and Maintaining a Successful**
**State WQM Program**

## Thanks for Listening

**   **

**   **

**Thanks for Listening**