Environmental Protection Indicators for California

Office of Environmental Health Hazard AssessmentCalifornia Environmental Protection Agency

SRWP Watershed Indicators WorkshopMarch 30, 2005

The EPIC ProjectDeveloping Indicators of Watershed Health

Environmental indicators can be used to…

Track changes in the environment

Communicate environmental information

Provide early warning signals What is happening?

Identify or validate cause and effectWhy is it

happening?

Evaluate performanceAre our strategies

working?

Support “results-based management”How can we better accomplish our

goals?

What is anenvironmental indicator?

Objective, scientifically based measure that presents information on the status of, and trends in environmental releases, conditions, or effects.

US EPA definition

An indicator is a sign or signal that relays a complex message, potentially from numerous sources, in a simplified and useful manner.

An ecological indicator is defined here as a measure, an index of measures, or a model that characterizes an ecosystem or one of its critical components. An indicator may reflect biological, chemical or physical attributes of ecological condition.

Primary Data

Analyzed Data

Index

Indicator

Am

ount

of

info

rmat

ion

Degree of synthesis

The Information Pyramid

Conceptual model:

Pressure-State-Response

Pressure

Stresses placed on the environment by human activity or natural causes

Response

Government or societal actions

Source: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

Condition of the environment, human or ecological health

State Effects

LEVEL 1Actions by EPA/State Regulatory Agencies

Environmental

LEVEL 3Changes in Discharge/Emission Quantities

Administrative

LEVEL 2Responses of

the Regulated & NonregulatedCommunity

LEVEL 4Changes in

Ambient Conditions

LEVEL 5Changes in

Uptake and/or

Assimilation

LEVEL 6Changes in

Health, Ecology, or

Other Effects

85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 980

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

TP

An

nu

al M

ed

ian

Co

nc

. (m

g/L

)

TOTAL PHOSPHORUS

BLUE CRAB

68 74 80 86 92 98-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

Sp

aw

nin

g F

em

ale

Ind

ex

Average

Hierarchy of Indicators

Source: Chesapeake Bay Program, Environmental Indicators: Measuring our Progress (www.chesapeakebay.net)

This is how we measure environmental change

Performance Measures

• A quantitative or qualitative indicator for assessing the achievement of an objective or organizational goal.

• Can be used as a metric for administrative or environmental indicator

EPIC….how we got the ball rolling

• Two day conference to solicit ideas on key issues and sub-issues (day 1) and indicators to represent the issues (day 2).

• Sub-committees formed for major topics: air quality, pesticides, human health, eco health, etc.

EPIC ……getting the ball rolling

• Drawing on expertise of sub-committee members, winnowed down list to key issues and indicators

• Filtered indicators using criteria

• Final indicator set selected

• Never had time for a good peer-review

What are the environmental

issues?

0

20

40

1990 1991 1992 1993

Adequate data available

(Type I)

EPIC Indicator Selection Process

Further data collection or

analysis needed(Type II)

No data; conceptual

(Type III)

Are criteria

met?

How can these be

measured?

Air qualityWaterLand/Waste/Materials ManagementHuman HealthEcosystem HealthPesticidesTransboundary

Indicator Selection: Primary criteria

Data qualitybased on scientifically valid data collection

Representativenessreflects the environmental issue for which it wasselected

Sensitivitydetects meaningful differences in environmental conditions (signal:noise)

Decision supportsupplies information that can support decision-

making

Indicator Selection: Secondary criteria

Anticipatorycan provide an “early warning”

Data comparabilitycan be compared to indicators in other systems

Cost-effectivereasonable cost to collect data required to support the indicator

Benchmark valuepoint of reference enables users to assess the

indicator’s significance

Ecosystem Health Indicators

Key issues• Habitat quantity• Habitat quality• Biodiversity

Aquatic ecosystems indicators• Land use/land cover

• Central valley chinook

• Least tern

• Lake Tahoe clarity

• Benthic macroinvert index

• Endocrine disruptors

• POPs in marine mammals

Human Health Indicators

• Concentrations of toxic chemicals in blood & other tissues is key issue– POPS, lead, mercury

• Extremely difficult to identify indicators of the effects of environmental exposures and human health– Numerous variable contribute to ‘health’– State biomonitoring program’s goal is to

determine exposure and possible effects

US EPA Aquatic Habitat Indicators

• Stream size – channel dimensions• Channel gradient• Channel substrate size and type• Habitat complexity and cover

– Riffles, pools, rocks, fallen trees, undercut banks

• Riparian vegetation cover and structure• Anthropogenic alterations in stream channel and

riparian zone• Channel-riparian interactionsPosted at: www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/calm.html

2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development Indicators for Biodiversity

• Trends in abundance & distribution of selected species

• Extent of wetlands & large water bodies• Catchment condition – extent of riparian vegetation• Management effectiveness of protected areas• Investment in protected areas• Change in status of threatened species• Area of forest, ag, aquaculture under sustainable

management

2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development Indicators for Biodiversity

• Number and cost of alien invasions• Water quality • Freshwater trophic index• Number of dams• Sediment load in rivers• Pesticide use/unit agricultural harvest• Hit rates for biodiversity websites

Balmford et al., 2005. The Convention on Biological Diversity’s 2010 Target, Science, 307: 212-213.

Examples of indicators of community response

• Measure of extent of use of BMPs in ag• Number of watershed groups – or a measure of

activities of watershed groups – or watershed plans

• Existence of HCCP in region• % of communities with ordinances requiring use of

low impact development technologies• Municipalities with integrated water management

plans• % of river miles covered by multi-purpose flood

control projects

LEVEL 1Actions by EPA/State Regulatory Agencies

Environmental

LEVEL 3Changes in Dischargeor environ. alterations

Administrative

LEVEL 2Responses of

the Regulated & NonregulatedCommunity

LEVEL 4Changes in

Ambient Conditions

LEVEL 5Changes in

Uptake and/or

Assimilation

LEVEL 6Changes in

Health, Ecology, or

Other Effects

Hierarchy of IndicatorsThis is how we measure environmental change

Acres riparian area/mi waterway

% bank with armor

Population of young fish

SRWP Educational programs

Collaborative efforts to establish multi-purpose flood projects

Miles of greenway/mi waterway

OR

Administrative Indicators

Environmental Indicators

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6

SWRP Actions & Program

Response of env., ag, local govt. comm.

Discharges alterations to environ.

Conditions in watershed

Assimila-tion or uptake

Effects on human uses or ecology

Educatn. & Outreach

Existence of watershed plans

Non-point source discharges

Ground water supply

Fish tissue conta-mination

Change in popln. of key species

Monitor Acres urban land in ‘green’ developmt.

Acres land in irrigated ag

Condition of instream habitat

Ability of safely consume fish

Two issues to consider in developing an indicator system

for the SRWP

• Value of including both environmental and administrative indicators

• Consider effects of environment conditions on human uses and needs (not just health) as well as effects on the ecosystem.