# Presentation: 739435

## Network Pilot StudiesSummary ReportACWIFebruary 21, 2008

**Network Pilot Studies****Summary Report****ACWI****February 21, 2008**

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

ACWI accepts report in January, 2006

- Charge to ACWI from Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) accepted in February, 2005
- ACWI accepts report in January, 2006

**National Water Quality Monitoring Network for U.S. Coastal Waters and their Tributaries**

## 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

## 		Pilot Studies

**	****	****Pilot Studies**

- January, 2007 Cabinet Committee on Ocean Policy asks ACWI to design and conduct Pilot Studies, target date January 2008
- Pilot Study request for statements of interest widely distributed with due date of February 23, 2007
- Responses:
**--Albemarle-Pamlico****	****	****-- Ashepoo-Combahee-****	****	****	****	****	****	****	****Edisto**
**--Delaware Bay****	****	****--Gulf of Maine**
**--Gulf of Mexico****	****	****--Lake Michigan**
**--Pascagoula River****	****	****--Potomac**
**--Puget Sound****	****	****--San Francisco Bay**

## 
Identify and commit resources, including in-kind contributions
Agree to complete Pilot Study and prepare draft report by January, 2008
Ability to leverage on-going Federal efforts and cooperative efforts in study area

- Identify and commit resources, including in-kind contributions
- Agree to complete Pilot Study and prepare draft report by January, 2008
- Ability to leverage on-going Federal efforts and cooperative efforts in study area

**Pilot Study Selection Criteria**

## Identify Management Issues
Inventory Current Monitoring
Identify Gaps
Investigate Data Comparability and Data Sharing Issues
Estimate Costs of Current and Needed Monitoring
Prepare Report

- Identify Management Issues
- Inventory Current Monitoring
- Identify Gaps
- Investigate Data Comparability and Data Sharing Issues
- Estimate Costs of Current and Needed Monitoring
- Prepare Report

**Pilot Study Tasks**

## Pilot Study Characteristics

|  | Delaware | L. Michigan | S.F. Bay |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Watershed area (sq.mi) | 13,539 | 45,000 | 68,600 |
| Area | 782 | 22,300 | 548 |
| Land Use | 9% urban
24% ag
60% forest | 9% urban
44% ag
41% forest | 6% urban
25% ag
68% un-developed |
| Population | 8 million | 15 million | 11.4 million |
| Partners | 14 | 24 | 22 |

## Habitat Degradation
Contaminants
Sediment Management
Nutrient Enrichment
Non-indigeneous Species
Oxygen Depletion
Harmful Algal Blooms
Pathogens

- Habitat Degradation
- Contaminants
- Sediment Management
- Nutrient Enrichment
- Non-indigeneous Species
**Oxygen Depletion**
- Harmful Algal Blooms
- Pathogens

- Habitat Restoration
- Loss of Native Species
- Wetland loss, alteration, status

## Data Management, Access, and Delivery

|  | Delaware | Michigan | SF Bay | Survey |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Machine to machine transfer | 50% | 30% | 70% | 5% |
| Search by location, retrieve individual | 44% | 32% | 70% | 24% |
| Metadata-ACWI stds | 24% | 21% | 0% | 0% |
| Archived at multiple sites | 38% | 27% | 47% | 11% |

## Detailed comparison of on-going monitoring and Network design
Monitoring in Pilot Studies does not fully meet the Network design
Gaps in number of sites, sampling frequency, and need for additional analytes

- Detailed comparison of on-going monitoring and Network design
- Monitoring in Pilot Studies does not fully meet the Network design
- Gaps in number of sites, sampling frequency, and need for additional analytes

**Gap Analysis**

## Need for local flexibility in adding tributary rivers (Delaware and Lake Michigan)
Flexibility in decisions about biological measurements incorporated into refinement of Network design (San Francisco)

- Need for local flexibility in adding tributary rivers (Delaware and Lake Michigan)
- Flexibility in decisions about biological measurements incorporated into refinement of Network design (San Francisco)

**Gap Analysis**

## Cost Estimates (in $1000s)

|  | Delaware | Michigan | SF Bay |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Existing; Network design | 1,950 | 2,100 | 13,300 |
| Incremental cost to fill gaps | 2,500 | 9,900 | 1,350 |
| Total | 4,450 | 12,000 | 14,650 |
| Existing; beyond Network | 7,300 | 9,100 | 9,000 |

## Phase I - Network Design (FY 05 & 06)
Phase II - Develop and carry out Pilot Studies (FY 07 & 08)
Phase III - Demonstration Projects (FY 08 & 09)
Phase IV – Implementation; fill gaps and provide necessary enhancements to existing monitoring programs (FY 10 and beyond)

- Phase I - **Network Design** **(FY 05 & 06)**
- Phase II - Develop and carry out **Pilot Studies** **(FY 07 & 08)**
- Phase III - **Demonstration Projects** **(FY 08 & 09)**
- Phase IV – **Implementation**; fill gaps and provide necessary enhancements to existing monitoring programs **(FY 10 and beyond)**

**Multi-year Effort**

## Improve data sharing capability
Add gaging stations and/or data collection at important tributaries for Network estuaries
Begin to fill gaps identified by Pilot Studies

**Improve data sharing capability**
**Add gaging stations and/or data collection at important tributaries for Network estuaries**
**Begin to fill gaps identified by Pilot Studies**

**FY 08 Plans**

## Lower Mississippi River above the Old River Diversion
Hudson River
Delaware River
Brazos River
Apalachicola River
Connecticut River

**Lower Mississippi River above the Old River Diversion**
**Hudson River**
**Delaware River**
**Brazos River**
**Apalachicola River**
**Connecticut River**

**FY 08 Plans**

## Add nutrient monitoring as necessary at 20 river sites to bring monitoring up to tier 1 suite of measurements
Possibly add measures of contaminants in fish tissue

**Add nutrient monitoring as necessary at 20 river sites to bring monitoring up to tier 1 suite of measurements**
**Possibly add measures of contaminants in fish tissue**

**FY 08 Plans****Lake Michigan Pilot**

## Physical measures of flow between and among different parts of the Bay
Investigate controls on nutrient levels--phytoplankton density and nutrient measurements

**Physical measures of flow between and among different parts of the Bay**
**Investigate controls on nutrient levels--phytoplankton density and nutrient measurements**

**FY 08 Plans****San Francisco Bay**

## Add nutrient monitoring in river, estuary, and Bay
Improve the watershed-to-ocean observing system web site to facilitate data sharing

**Add nutrient monitoring in river, estuary, and Bay**
**Improve the watershed-to-ocean observing system web site to facilitate data sharing**

**FY 08 Plans****Delaware Bay**

## http://acwi.gov/monitoring/network/pilots

http://acwi.gov/monitoring/network/index.html

- _[http://acwi.gov/monitoring/network/pilots](http://acwi.gov/monitoring/network/pilots)_
- _[http://acwi.gov/monitoring/network/index.html](http://acwi.gov/monitoring/network/index.html)_

**Questions**