Water Quality Vital Signs: Developing Protocols and SOPs

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Water Quality Vital Signs Developing Protocols
and SOPs
Presented by Roy Irwin and Pete Penoyer Water
Resources Division National Monitoring VS
Meeting April 8, 2007 GWS, Meeting, St. Paul, MN
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Draft Water Quality Protocols and SOPs These Are
Good Examples

• SFAN Freshwater Quality Protocol Narrative
  Complete (All Issues Well Organized), All QA/QC
  Issues, Incorporated State Guidance
• NCPN Freshwater Water Quality Protocol Narrative
  and SOPs QA/QC, Data Analysis, Bias from Changes

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Monitoring Plans and early Draft Protocols Parts
with Good Examples (Early)

• APHN NETN Good example of plans that use USGS
  Protocols
• NETN Good Use of ACAD and USGS Monitoring
  Lessons-Learned
• USGS Models Good But Often Need
• A Bit More on Representativeness
• Representative of What?

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Other Good Examples

• Minimum Detectable Differences SFAN, NCPN, GLKN
  Rivers, NCCN Lakes
• Put Basics In Central Plan, And The Real
  Substance Of Details In Protocol Narratives And
  Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Include a Data Analysis SOP
• Include a QA/QC SOP For Each Protocol

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WRD Will Post Good Examples by Category

• Phase I, II, and III Reports (SFAN, GRYN, GLKN)
• Certain Plan Chapters (SECN, PACN, NCBN, GLKN)
• Certain Protocol Narratives (SFAN, NCPN, GLKN
  Rivers)
• SOPs in General (SFAN, NCPN)

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CODEs(to indicate status of WQ Protocol
development)

• Protocol Development Summary Completed
• Draft Protocol Completed
• Protocol Completed WRD Reviewed (includes
  associated SOPs)
• ? Not Confirmed Yet But PDS in VS data base
  (http//www1.nrintra.nps.gov/im/monitor/vsdatabase
  .cfm)

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Who is Doing What?

• Wadeable Stream Protocols At Least 25
• NCPN, SFAN, APHN, NETN
• GRYN (Regulatory Protocol)
• Others CUPN, NETN, SODN, NGPN, GULN,
  GLKN, GRYN (other), NCCN, KLMN, SIEN
• Many Include Benthic Macroinvertebrates (BMIs)
  ERMN PACN, MIDN, SCPN MEDN, UCBN, NCRN?,
  NERM?, APHN?, ROMN Integrated (integrated with
  many eco-integrity indicators)

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Rivers and Non-wadeble Streams

• GLKN
• GRYN
• HTLN
• NCCN
• NGPN
• SWAN
• ERMN
• SIEN
• ROMN (Highly integrated, many indicators

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Lakes/Ponds/Pools and Vernal Pools

• GLKN
• CAKN (Permafrost Lakes/Ponds)
• SWAN (Large Lakes)
• NETN (Lakes/Vernal Pools)
• SODN (Desert Tinajas Overland
• Flow Fed Small Pools)
• GRYN (Lakes/High Alpine Lakes)
• KLMN, SIEN
• ROMN?

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Amphibians

• MEDN
• HTLN
• GRYN
• NETN
• GLKN
• SFAN
• GRYN
• GULN
• NCBN?, SIEN?, SECN?

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Freshwater Stream Flow (Quantity)

• SFAN
• GRYN
• MEDN
• MIDN
• ROMN (Highly integrated with other
  stream-integrity indicators)
• APHN?, NCRN?, SWAN?

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Seeps and Springs

• HTLN
• GRYN
• SCPN
• SODN
• NGPN
• MOJN?

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Wetlands or Wetlands Habitat

• HTLN
• NETN
• ROMN (Highly integrated with other wetland
  integrity indicators)
• SFAN
• SODN, SIEN
• NCBN?

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Groundwater

• PACN
• NGPN
• SODN
• ROMN (includes some wetlands dynamics)
• NCBN?

15
Estuaries and/or Marine

• NCBN (Eutrophication Indicators)
• PACN
• SECN
• GULN
• SFCN (includes invertebrates)
• SWAN?

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FISH

• HTLN
• SFAN
• PACN, SFCN (both marine/estuarine)
• SODN?
• NCCN (Lake)?
• CAKR?
• NCRN?

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NUTRIENTS

• PACN (includes Marine/Estuarine)
• SECN(includes Marine/Estuarine)
• NCBN Loading (includes Marine/Estuarine)
• SFCN (includes Marine/Estuarine)
• NCCN?, MEDN?, NCRN?, NETN?,

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TOXIC CONTAMINANTS

• GLKN
• SFCN?
• SEAN?
• SECN?
• SODN?
• MEDN?
• APHN?

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New Credible Sample Size Calculators

• Now on the Internet
• Quantitative Ecologist Can Use Them
• Gerow/Univ. of Wyoming Calculators Based on Zar
• McBride Bioequivalence Calculators
• Not Just Aquatic
• See 2007 Part B Lite For Details

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To Be Most Precautionary

• Use Inequivalence Testing
• Especially at Small Sample Sizes (lt30)
• Use Null Hypothesis Testing Only At Large Sample
  Sizes Where at Least 90 to 95 Power is Assured
• Never Use Equivalence Testing
• (see Part B lite for details)

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Targeted Sites or Probabilistic?

• Depends on Questions to Be Answered and Target
  Populations
• GPRA-Friendly Proportions or Optimal to have
  30-50 Samples Per Year Per Network or Park
• Dont Combine Probabilistic with Too-Small Sample
  Sizes
• Cover Full Range of Conditions

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How to Get 30-50 Samples/YR (to get credible
proportion)

• One Solution is SECN Approach
• Probabilistic 30-50 Samples
• One Park Each Year
• Move to a Different Park Each Year
• Supplement with Continuous Monitors at Parks,
  More Frequent
• Other Strategies 2007 Part B Lite

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Use Part B lite as basic guidance for Water.

• Aimed at Protocol and SOP Stage
• Use an Iterative, Adaptive Planning Process
• Make Questions More Detailed.
• Estimate Sample Sizes and Minimum Detectable
  Differences (MDDs)
• Run them By the Parks
• Try It, Change if Needed

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Multiprobe (Sonde) Vendors (Recently
Evaluated)

• YSI 6000/600 Series Sondes (Datasonde and
  Minisonde MDS 650)
• Hach-Hydrolab Series 5 Sondes (DS MS Surveyor
  4)
• In-Situ MP Troll 9000/9500 (upgrade) Rugged
  Reader (IPAQ)
• Eureka Environmental (Manta Sonde w/Amphibian)
• HP IPAQ based (Amphibian) hand-held field
  display
• Easy Calibration routines from laptop (Manta
  Manager software) or Amphibian
• Sensor Response Factor (SRF) early warning of
  sensor degradation
• GSA Contract
• Contact Pete Penoyer at WRD with any instrument
  questions
• Use of Company name or logo in following slides
  does not imply endorsement by NPS

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Manta Sensors
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Newer Technologies

• Optical DO Sensor
• Maintains calibration much Longer
• No membrane to replace
• More accurate
• No stirring required
• Costs should come down w/development, wider use
  and through competition

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Manta Optical DO Sensor
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Manual Stream
Flow Measurements

• SonTek Flow Tracker (ADV)
• (Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter)
• Greater precision in a hand held instrument used
  w/conventional top set wading rod (1500 in
  service over 5 years have now become industry
  standard)
• Waterproof handheld display keypad w/real-time
  velocity
• Significant Labor/Time saver
• Rarely Requires Calibration (spin test yearly
  calibration
• 
  w/older mechanical
  meters)
• Automatic discharge computation (USGS based)
  data down loads
• Works very well in shallow waters and low flows
• Upgrades automated QC checks w/SmartQC
• (cost 6500 - 7500 under GSA Contract)

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Turbidity (Whats New)

• No longer a single reported unit (NTU)
• Reporting Units are now based on sensor
  type/turbidity instrument design
• (see USGS - Office of Water Quality Tech
  Memo 2004.03)
• Detector geometry (angle) to incident beam (30º,
  90º, 180º)
• Light Wavelength
• White or Broadband (400-680 nm)
• Monochrome (780-900 nm)
• Single or Multiple Illumination Beam Light
• This combination of various design components in
  any one detector results in 10 different units
  (NTU, FNU, NTRU, FNRU, BU, FBU, AU, FAU, NTMU,
  FNMU)
• STORET has a drop down menu for selecting the
  proper Turbidity unit
• Overlap 30-50 measures for major changes, 7 for
  small changes
• Good example of a Cumulative Bias SOP NCPN
  (Thoma) to address instrument and/or units and/or
  staff changes

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Information Exchange (Any Volunteers to
Lead?)

• Small Streams, Big Rivers, Lakes and Ponds,
  Wetlands, Nutrients, BMIs, Amphibians, etc. (From
  Roys Previous Slides)
• Eva DiDonato (SECN) has Volunteered for
  Marine/Estuarine, Who Else?
• Make a listserv or use NPS SharePoint to edit
  shared text (like draft protocol text)?
• Forums already established like this for
  Quantitative Ecologists, Remote Sensing

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Information Exchange Focus Groups, Continued

• Beyond listserv Other Tools Are Being Developed
  by Fort Collins Information Staff
• Mike Whatley and others at NRPC Information
  Services
• Should We Include National Experts From Outside
  NPS in Some of Our Information Exchange Groups?
• Invited Experts from EPA, USGS, NOAA, Academia,
  etc. to help keep us up to date?

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WRD Monitoring Program Support Ideas/Options?

• Two Meetings Coming Up, Should We Have a Strong
  Vital Signs Presence or Formal Sessions at these?
• NWQMC National Meeting Next May 08
• Should WRD-VS Networks Sponsor a Full
  Conference Session for NPS VS Networks at this
  Helpful Meeting? East Coast Location.
• WRD Aquatic Professional's Meeting Feb 08,
  Probably in Fort Collins
• What can WRD do to on Servicewide basis to help
  All 32 Networks?

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WRD Points of ContactFiscal Management,
Technical Assistance, Protocol and SOP Water
Quality Review

• Barry Long (970-225-3519)
• North Coast and Cascades (NCCN)
• Appalachian Highlands (APHN)
• Southwest Alaska (SWAN)
• Southern Colorado Plateau (SCPN)
• Gulf Coast (GULN)
• Sierra Nevada (SIEN)
• Eastern Rivers and Mountains (ERMN)
• Mid-Atlantic (MIDN)
• National Water Quality Meetings 08
• Gary Rosenlieb (970-225-3518)
• Northeast Coastal and Barrier (NCBN)
• Greater Yellowstone (GRYN)
• Sonoran Desert (SODN)
• Cumberland Piedmont (CUPN)
• National Capital (NCRN)
• Klamath (KLMN)
• Mojave (MOJN)

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WRD Points of ContactFiscal Management,
Technical Assistance, Monitoring Plans, WQ
Protocols and SOPs

• Pete Penoyer (970-225-3535)
• Central Alaska (CAKN)
• Northern Colorado Plateau (NCPN)
• Northeast Temperate (NETN)
• Rocky Mountain (ROMN)
• Arctic (ARCN)
• Upper Columbia Basin (UCBN)
• Southeast Alaska (SEAN)
• Dean Tucker (970-225-3516)
• Data Management

• Roy Irwin (970-225-3520)
• Heartland (HTLN)
• San Francisco Bay (SFAN)
• Mediterranean (MEDN)
• Pacific Islands (PACN)
• Great Lakes (GLKN)
• Southeast Coast (SECN)
• South Florida Caribbean (SFCN)
• Northern Great Plains (NGPN)