environmental protection indicators for california
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Environmental Protection Indicators for California. The EPIC Project Developing Indicators of Watershed Health. Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment California Environmental Protection Agency SRWP Watershed Indicators Workshop March 30, 2005. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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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
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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?
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What is anenvironmental indicator?
Objective, scientifically based measure that presents information on the status of, and trends in environmental releases, conditions, or effects.
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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.
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Primary Data
Analyzed Data
Index
Indicator
Am
ount
of
info
rmat
ion
Degree of synthesis
The Information Pyramid
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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.