# Presentation: 149505

## National Water Quality Monitoring Council

**Recent Activities and Accomplishments:**
**An Update for ACWI**
**September, 2004**

## NWQMC Mission

- A forum to coordinate consistent and scientifically defensible methods and strategies for improving water quality monitoring, assessment, and reporting.

## NWQMC Members

- Federal Agencies
- Environmental Protection Agency
- US Geological Survey
- Natural Resources Conservation Service
- US Forest Service
- US Fish & Wildlife Service
- National Park Service
- Tennessee Valley Authority
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

- States and Tribal
- NH Department of Environmental Services
- NJ Department of Environmental Protection
- WVA Department of Environmental Quality
- AL Department of Environmental Management
- IN Department of Environmental Management
- TX Natural Resources Conservation Commission
- OR Department of Environmental Quality
- Inter-Tribal Council of AZ

## NWQMC Members

- Other Interests
- Water Environment Federation
- American Water Works Association
- Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies
- Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies
- North American Lake Management Society

- Other Interests
- Watershed Watch, University of Rhode Island
- Association  of American State Geologists
- Colorado State University
- ORSANCO
- National Association of State Conservation Agencies
- American Chemistry Council

**The Framework for Monitoring**

- Developed with input from the
- monitoring community
- Series of interlinked steps that
- will improve monitoring efforts,
- monitoring results, and
- communication of information

## Framework

**Framework**
**For**
**Monitoring**

**Notes:**
ACWI RECOMMENDATIONS

(1) NWQMC could help make a real and active 'dialog' on key water issues more possible,
by its approach of putting information into action:

(2) NWMC could help emphasize the value of Volunteer Monitoring
Help convince agencies and policy makers of the value of VM

(3) NWQMC could help Federal agencies collaborate more effectively
Focus on the best use of available information
Emphasize that once (long-term) data is lost, it can't be regained

(4) NWQMC should be aware of key water issues of interest to ACWI members 
Pharmaceuticals (Hart-ESA)
Antibiotics, Endocrine Compounds (Masters-NWGA)
Study on Underground Injection & State Funding Needs on Ground Water Quality Monitoring (Paque-GWPC)
Wetlands, esp. coastal (Walker-LWV, seconded by several others)
Nutrients (Good-ASIWPCA)

## Seeking a Common Framework for Water Quality Monitoring

- Journal of American Water Resources Association
- 8 papers expanding on each of the monitoring cogs plus coordination, communication, and collaboration

## 4th National Monitoring Conference

- Chattanooga, Tennessee
- May 17-20, 2004

## 4th National Monitoring ConferenceChattanooga, Tennessee

- The Council’s Most sophisticated conference
- Major issues now well accepted
- Metadata is needed
- Volunteer monitoring is _a part of_ of programs
- Real contributions from several other countries
- Canada, New Zealand, Holland

## 4th National Monitoring ConferenceChattanooga, Tennessee

- Theme 1: Ensuring Data & Information Comparability
- Importance
- Barriers to achieving it
- Tools for moving forward

**Notes:**
Tools for moving forward

Recognition of how far we’ve come:
Monitoring framework
NEMI
Data Elements
STORET/NWIS agreement
Data available on internet

Templates of data elements
Common vernacular
Identification of where you need comparability and where you don’t
Incentives to make data comparable
Specify up front levels of comparability, access, & ownership in contracts
Addition of field methods to NEMI
Tools to combine data from multiple sources

Place guidance examples, templates, comparability boiler plate for contracts, minimum data elements, and success stories on NWQMC web page
Training program for sharing data
Institute a comparability awards program
Formal resolutions in support of data comparability efforts
Expert system development for all cogs of monitoring framework
Reduce perception of duplication in monitoring
Develop “Stamp of Approval” for comparability of data
Use major national programs (NAWQA, EMAP, WSA) as focal point for comparability development
Coordinate development of reporting template & indices
Support sample exchange programs

## 4th National Monitoring ConferenceChattanooga, Tennessee

**Theme 2:**   Changing Expectations of                                                                      Monitoring
**Increase number and diversity of stakeholders**
**Greater public access to data—web based**
**Dissatisfaction with Limited Coverage **
**Expect the data to do more**
**Increased use of bioassessment**

**Notes:**
Increase number and diversity of stakeholders
Greater public access to data—web based
Increased sharing of data and use of data from diverse sources (volunteer monitoring, local government)
Use monitoring to evaluate and refine WQS
Chase the chemical du jour

Expect the data to do more
Metadata
Improved QA—higher burden of proof
Expand types of data collected (bio, chemical, physical, habitat, landuse)
Lower and lower detection limits

## 4th National Monitoring ConferenceChattanooga, Tennessee

- Theme 3: Promoting Collaborative Efforts
**Value of collaboration**
**Barriers/challenges associated with moving forward**
**Tools/resources/guidance needed**
**Council role in moving collaboration forward**

**Notes:**
Keep conference going –maintain bi-yearly interval
Include results from past conferences at the next conference – share accomplishments
Continue to ID national trends & share info
Act as conduit for success stories
Lead by example
Provide workshop/info on facilitation
Reach out to non-Council member orgs – pull them into projects
Create a user-friendly guide to DQOs
States-helping-States monthly calls on different topics (ASIWPCA) – chat room?
Publicize Council meetings better
Make the case for value of collaboration (publicize success stories, etc.)

## 4th National Monitoring ConferenceChattanooga, Tennessee

- Theme 4: Volunteer Monitoring
**Recognizing Barriers and Challenges **
**Confirming the Validity of Volunteer Data **
**Identify Training Needs**
**Council to Keep Advancing Volunteer Monitoring**

**Notes:**
Proving the Validity:
	 Publish in peer-reviewed journals
	Head to head comparisons
	Involve critics in training/planning
	Get new procedures listed on NEMI

Issues For Discussion:

Advocate for portion of 319,Farm Bill, and NOAA $ to go to VM
Council success stories to include vol.monitoring examples (agency and other)
Council website links to volunteer sites
Ensuring representation of volunteers in regional/state monitoring council	
Council to promote inclusion of VM on regional/state councils
Provide better marketing assistance for monitoring program
Advocate/support continued publication of The Volunteer Monitor

## 4th National Monitoring ConferenceChattanooga, Tennessee

- Theme 5: New and Emerging Technologies
**Importance**
**Barriers/Challenges to Moving Forward**
**What is Needed to Move Forward?**

**Notes:**
Importance
Higher quality data to present a more realistic picture
Can be faster, better, and cheaper
Speed can lead to additional information
Speed assists with turn around time in the field
Speed of analysis required for water security applications
Yields higher quality and/or different information
Lower cost is critical in some cases
Better answer questions on different spatial scales
Approved methods do not meet measurement requirements
Real time data on the web provides much additional information
New technologies can identify new concerns
Management related issues
Increased program efficiencies
Better able to meet new project requirements
Better able to satisfy public concerns

Barriers

Acceptance of results by data users
Varying performance characteristics – unknown false positive and negative rates
Methods approval process
Links must be established between monitoring needs and available new technologies
High cost for developer
Current water quality standards can provide disincentives for new technologies – written in specific units, parameters, etc.
Organizational culture – resistance to change
Desire for consistency – status and trends
Coordination/logistics

Moving Forward:

Build monetary incentives and requirements into monitoring programs for exploring new technologies
Create more of a market-based demand for new technologies
Top-down directive to develop new technology – e.g., perchlorate
Communicate specific monitoring interests to partners for potential collaborations – e.g., perchlorate
Consider using new technologies in their infancy in monitoring programs
Bring stakeholders to the table to mesh interests
Regulatory acceptance
Use of PBS
Education – training courses, workshops for practitioners and program managers
Comparison of old and new methods – status and trends
Pursue integration of web services and geographic info services with data elements

## 5th National Monitoring ConferenceSan Jose, California

**May 7 - 11, 2006**
**Sponsors already include:**
**- City of San Jose**
**- AMSA**
**- US EPA**
**- USGS**

## Support for State and Regional Councils

**National Council members serve as ambassadors to new councils**
**Workshops at National Monitoring Conferences**
**Helping to focus programs to areas where monitoring councils can help ensure success**

## Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council

***Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council***

**Notes:**

Nine
With 
Illinois
Florida
California
All considering them