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DESIGNING MONITORING PROGRAMS TO EVALUATE BMP EFFECTIVENESS Funded by grants from USDA-CSREES, EPA 319, NSF Nancy Mesner - Utah State University, Dept of Watershed Sciences Ginger Paige - University of Wyoming David Stevens, Jeff Horsburgh, Doug Jackson-Smith, Darwin Sorensen, Ron Ryel – USU

DESIGNING MONITORING PROGRAMS TO EVALUATE BMP EFFECTIVENESS

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Nancy Mesner - Utah State University, Dept of Watershed Sciences Ginger Paige - University of Wyoming David Stevens, Jeff Horsburgh, Doug Jackson-Smith, Darwin Sorensen, Ron Ryel – USU. DESIGNING MONITORING PROGRAMS TO EVALUATE BMP EFFECTIVENESS. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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DESIGNING MONITORING PROGRAMS TO EVALUATE BMP EFFECTIVENESS

  

Funded by grants from USDA-CSREES, EPA 319, NSF

Nancy Mesner - Utah State University, Dept of Watershed SciencesGinger Paige - University of WyomingDavid Stevens, Jeff Horsburgh, Doug Jackson-Smith, Darwin Sorensen, Ron Ryel – USU

Examples from the Little Bear River CEAP Project

Pre-treatment problems: Bank erosion, manure management, flood irrigation problems

Treatments:

bank stabilization, river reach restoration, off-stream watering, improved manure and water management

Common problems in BMP monitoring Common problems in BMP monitoring programs:programs:

• Failure to design monitoring plan around BMP objectives Failure to design monitoring plan around BMP objectives

• A failure to understand pollutant pathways and A failure to understand pollutant pathways and transformations and sources of variaiblity in these dynamic transformations and sources of variaiblity in these dynamic system.system.

• Tend to draw on a limited set or inappropriate approachesTend to draw on a limited set or inappropriate approaches

• Failure to design monitoring plan around BMP objectives

• A failure to understand pollutant pathways and transformations and sources of variaiblity in these dynamic system.

• Tend to draw on a limited set or inappropriate approaches Designing monitoring to address specific objectives

Little Bear River Watershed, Utah

v

1994 11 13 1995 10 13 1996 10 13 1997 11 4 1998 6 10 1999 7 10 2000 6 5 2001 4 7 2002 2 8 2003 4 8 2004 1 8

Total Observations at Watershed Outlet site

Discharge Total phosphorus

1976 - 2004: 162 2411994 - 2004: 72 99

Number of observations each year

• Failure to design monitoring plan around BMP objectives Failure to design monitoring plan around BMP objectives

• A failure to understand pollutant pathways and A failure to understand pollutant pathways and transformations and sources of variability in these dynamic transformations and sources of variability in these dynamic system.system.

• Tend to draw on a limited set or inappropriate approachesTend to draw on a limited set or inappropriate approaches

0

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1995 2000 2005

10105900 - LITTLE BEAR RIVER AT PARADISE, UT

FLO

W, S

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AM

, ME

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ILY

CFS

Date

Understanding natural variability – annual variation

Since 2005, measure flow and turbidity at 30 minute Since 2005, measure flow and turbidity at 30 minute intervalsintervals

Stage recording devices to estimate discharge

Turbidity sensors

Dataloggers and telemetry equipment

http://www.campbellsci.com

http://www.ftsinc.com/

http://www.campbellsci.com

Capturing pollutant movement from source Capturing pollutant movement from source to waterbody.to waterbody.

Little Bear River Near Paradise

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2006

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/200

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Streamflow (cfs) Turbidity (NTU)

StormEvent

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30 20 10 5 1 0.45 0.55 0.64 0.72 0.78 0.84 0.89 0.94 0.98

Co

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cien

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f va

riat

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of

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mat

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Grab samples -- sampling frequency (d) Continuous monitoring -- R2 between TP and turbidity

Sampling frequency

Regressions of TP and turbidity

The relative importance of different sources of variability

• Failure to design monitoring plan around BMP objectives Failure to design monitoring plan around BMP objectives

• A failure to understand pollutant pathways and transformations and A failure to understand pollutant pathways and transformations and sources of variability in these dynamic system.sources of variability in these dynamic system.

• Tend to draw on a limited set or inappropriate approachesTend to draw on a limited set or inappropriate approaches

Problem: excess sedimentAverage flow = 20 cfsBMP = series of in-stream sediment basins

Problems with “one-size-fits-all” monitoring Problems with “one-size-fits-all” monitoring designdesign

Rees Creek TSS load

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35000

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45000

50000

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

weeks

kg /

day

Above

Below

Problem: excess phosphorusAverage flow = 1000 cfsBMP = fence cattle OUT of riparian area and

revegetate

Bear River phosphorus load

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

weeks

load

(kg

/day

)

Focuses on the considerations and decisions necessary as a project is first being considered.

NOT a “how-to” manual of protocols

Document in reviewTraining workshops underway

What is your objective?

Long term trends?

UPDES compliance?

Educational?

Assessment for impairment?

Track response from an implementation?

How does the pollutant move from the source to the waterbody?

How is the pollutant processed or transformed within a waterbody?

What is the natural variability of the pollutant? Will concentrations change throughout a season? Throughout a day?

What long term changes within your watershed may also affect this pollutant?

What else must be monitored to help interpret your data?

How do pollutants “behave” within your watershed.

Monitor the pollutant(s) of concern?

Monitor a “surrogate” variable?

Monitor a response variables?

Monitor the impacted beneficial use?

Monitor the BMP itself?

Monitor human behavior?

Model the response to a BMP implementation.

Collect other data necessary to interpret monitoring results OR calibrate and validate the model?

What to monitor?

Where and when to monitor?

Sampling points

ControlTreatment “A”

BACI DesignAbove and below treatment design

Below-treatment monitoring

stations

Above-treatment

monitoring stations

Choose appropriate monitoring or modeling

How to monitor?

points in time versus continuous

integrated versus grab samples

consider:

cost

skill and training required

accessibility of sites

The road to more effective monitoring….

Monitoring plans require careful thought before anything is implemented.

Consider how the data will be used to demonstrate change.

Use your understanding of your watershed and how the pollutants of concern behave to target monitoring most effectively

Use different approaches for different BMPs

different sources of variability in estimates of loads