Water Resources Monitoring Strategy for Wisconsin:Building on Experience

Mike Staggs, WDNR Bureau of Fisheries Management and Habitat Protection

Acknowledgements: Kristi Minihan, Russ Rasmussen, Jill Jonas, Mike Talbot, Bob Masnado, Mike Lemcke, Tim Simonson, Mike Miller, Brian Weigel, Ken Schreiber, Paul LaLiberte, Nancy Nate

Why Create an Integrated Strategy?

• Address Water Division Clean Water Act, Public Trust and Fisheries goals

• Need identified during “Waters of Wisconsin”

• Declining DNR funding and staffing

• Required by EPA for continued funding

• Basis for partner involvement

Challenges…..

• many opinions on what data should be collected

• monitoring programs can be very costly

• staffing and funding are limited

• aquatic ecosystems are highly variable

• there are many variables and taxa of interest

Collect data needed to answer necessary questions!

• clearly identify questions

• long term data sets

• statistically valid stratification and subsampling

• indicator species, habitats and metrics

• fundamental part of management program

• involve partners!

Comprehensive Management System

• set specific objectives with public input

• monitor whether meeting objectives

• diagnose problems

• implement management actions

• monitor results

Strategy Framework

• Tier 1: Statewide Baseline Monitoring

• Tier 2: Targeted Evaluation Monitoring

• Tier 3: Management Effectiveness &Compliance

Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring• Clean Water Act

– designate water uses– determine use attainment (305b report)– input for identifying impairments (303d list)– input for TMDL development– effluent limits– general responses to management actions

Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring• Public Trust

– develop environmental objectives– monitor impacts of permitting decisions at

the general water level

Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring• Fisheries

– develop quantitative management objectives for specific waters

– identify populations not meeting objectives– input for identifying problem causes– input for developing management

recommendations– general responses to management actions

Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring

• Wadeable Streams– 334 watersheds, 6 year rotation

Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring

• Wadeable Streams– 334 watersheds, 6 year rotation– large vs. small sites (500:140 sites/yr)– cold vs. warmwater sites (50%:50%)– fish sample at large sites– macroinvertebrate sample at small sites– habitat and water quality at selected sites– randomized sampling design

Wadeable Streams:4303 sites on 1734 streams

Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring

• NonWadeable Rivers – sampling schedule will cover all sites over time– Ambient water chemisty parameters at a rotational

subset of sites– E. coli sampling at subset of beach sites

Nonwadeable rivers:272 sites on 66 rivers

Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring• Lakes

– stratified sampling schedule– develop Floristic Quality Index for small lakes– increase sampling of small lakes– shift to satellite imagery for Trophic Status Index– maintain Self-Help Lakes volunteer program

Lakes:786 separate lakes

Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring• Ambient water quality assessment

– needed to support CWA goals & permitting– subset of baseline sites– parameters vary for lakes, rivers, and streams– evaluate existing river long term ambient water

quality network– E. coli added at priority beaches

Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring• Groundwater

– Further implement statewide multi-agency strategy

• Other– Maintain existing flow gauging stations– Maintain current Great Lakes and treaty fisheries

monitoring– Continue development of wetland program

Tier 2: Targeted Evaluation• Work planned projects at targeted sites

– Impairments, TMDL, Sport and Commercial Fish Assessment, Contaminated Sediments

– Enforcement, Spills/Kills– Special Projects

Tier 3: Management Effectiveness/Compliance– assess effectiveness of management measures

implemented in Tier 2– permit compliance & assessment of permit limits

WDNR Monitoring Team:

Water Division Monitoring Team

• Administrative team

• Sponsored by Bureau Directors

Subteams: Tech Staff

• Lakes

• Wadeable Streams

• Rivers

• Wetlands

• Groundwater

• Ambient Water Quality

• Citizen Monitoring

How Citizens Fit in with Monitoring Strategy

• Limited DNR resources– Staff– Budget restraints

• Citizens somewhat untapped resource– Local network – Local knowledge– Informed advocacy

How Citizen-based Monitoring is Incorporated

into the Strategy• Strategy provides framework for citizens’

work

• Citizen Monitoring Proposal is part of the strategy (Appendix A)– Incorporates all specific aspects of the

Strategy (e.g. water resource types, parameters to be monitored)

Basic Components of Citizen-based Monitoring

Proposal• Core Program Details

– Data uses– Training– Quality Assurance/Quality Control– Database Management

• Pilot Projects

• Long-Term Monitoring Options

Proposal Start-up

• Pilot projects– Family-level Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Biotic

Index– Basic Water Quality Suite

• Defines program structure, staffing needs, and resource allocations– Includes feedback and evaluation

• DNR / River Alliance partnership position

Long-Term Monitoring Options

• Defines a list of parameters citizens can monitor in the future

• Defines general implementation overview for these options

• Defines program structure, staffing needs, and resource allocations