Establishing a collaborative and multipurpose long-term National Network of Reference Watersheds and

Monitoring Sites for Freshwater Streams in the United States

National Water Quality Monitoring CouncilFebruary 1, 2011

 

Why is this important now?• Increased need for long-term data and information on the

status and trends in stream flow and water quality of relatively unimpaired watersheds that is not being met by existing programs

• Climate Effects• Atmospheric Deposition • Frame of Reference for Stream Assessments

• Nutrient Criteria• TMDLs• Bio-criteria

Monitoring Networks

States

305 (b), 303 (d), Biomonitoring

NSF

NEON, STREON

USGS

NSIP Sentinel,HBN, NAWQA,HCDN, GAGES

USEPA

NARS, LTM, TIMEWadeable Streams

USFS

Experimental Forest’s, Stream

Assessments

NPS

National Parks

Recommendation #1

Develop an NADP-Like National, collaborative, Multi-Agency, Multi-purpose, Long-term Reference Site/watershed Monitoring Network

Initially to be Limited to freshwater streams Membership Voluntary Funding from participating Agencies Organization and Leadership provided by Advisory Committee on Water

Information or National Water Quality Monitoring Council Executive Committee would provide program guidance and direction based on

recommendations of several technical and operational subcommittees

4

Recommendation #1 cont.

National Collaborative Network – Features

Common Protocols Common Data elements Comparable Laboratory analyses Stringent quality assurance & quality Control Data management Links to other Networks **Assessment Products**

5

Recommendation #2

Tiered Design Suitable for Multiple Objectives

• Routine and real-time monitoring (e.g. Sentinel, HBN, NAWQA)• Synoptic monitoring (e.g. NARS, TIME, LTM)• Modeling and remote sensing

Recommendation #4: Laboratory Analyses

Review and coordinate laboratory analytical schedules among HBN, NASQAN, NAWQA, NMN, NADP to meet agency objectives (ongoing)

Evaluate option of shifting HBN sample load for low ionic strength waters from New York WSC laboratory to National Water Quality Laboratory.

Work with National Water Quality Laboratory to develop proposal and business plan to provide laboratory analytical services to Multi agency, long term Reference Monitoring Network.

Next Steps

• Share concepts and seek approval from ACWI, and SWAC to develop collaborative, multi-agency reference site network (February 2011)

• Work within the Council to define the organizational structure of an executive committee and technical steering committee including appropriate representation from participating agencies, development of a charter, and defining duties and responsibilities.

• Work with the Council on network design, products and outcomes, quality assurance and quality control, laboratory requirements and data management.

• Complete inventory and assessments of reference networks with other federal and state agencies (one year)

• Identify data gaps and prioritize existing and candidate sites for a network of reference watersheds and sites for tracking climate, atmospheric, and land use effects on streamflow and water quality.

Inactive NSIP_S Sites

National Streamflow Information ProgramSentinel Sites

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Monitoring Sites

U.S. Forest Service Stream Assessment and Experimental Forest Sites

National Park Service Water-Quality Sites

Testing an approach using Level-2 Ecoregions that could be used across the conterminous U.S.

Initial Effort

Atlantic Highlands and Mixed Wood Plains Level II Ecoregion 5.3 and 8.1

Water-Quality and Research Sites

Groundwater Wells,Weather Stations, and

Deposition Sites

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

.01 .1 1 5 10 20 30 50 70 80 90 95 99 99.9 99.99

Eco-region 5.3

HUC rankWatershed rank

Agg

rega

te h

uman

-impa

ct ra

nk

Non-exceedance percent (of HUCs & watersheds)

Atlantic Highlands andMixed Wood Plains

Streamgage Status

Hydrologic Benchmark Network--2010

Nutrient and Major IonSampling Sites

All Agency Sites

Reference Watersheds having Multiple Monitoring Sites

USGS Streamgage Watersheds Identified as Candidate Reference Sites

Inactive HCDN Sites

Hydro-Climatic Data Network

Initial steps for evaluating watersheds

• Determine characteristics for each Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) 10 basin in an ecoregion

• Determine characteristics for potential reference site basins

• Score HUC10s and sites based on a rank-scoring-%urban, %ag, %protected land, storage, NPDES

• Evaluate sites having low rank-score

Committee Activities• Assessment and inventory of existing monitoring site

networks for streams in USGS and other agencies

• Outreach--Contact and develop collaborative relations with other agencies

• Discuss key network design issues

• Conduct systematic review and prioritization of existing and candidate sites to meet data needs

• Discuss and develop alternative network designs, operational and management scenarios and develop recommendations

Inventory Process

Recommendation #3: USGS Monitoring Networks Management Model

Board of Directors/Executive Committee Style Model consisting of Network Coordinators responsible for resources and outcomes from the individual network(s).

Chaired by one of the Network Coordinators on a rotating basis Sentinel, Climate Response Network, HBN, NAWQA, NASQAN, NADP, WEBB (?) Federal

State Cooperative (?) Reporting to (and through) the 3 Technical Offices to the Associate Directors for Water

for final approval

Responsible for: Program planning, work plans, budget guidance and allocations Products, outcomes, and communication

Committee Composition• Bill Wilber (Chair)• Daren Carlisle • Dave Clow• Charlie Crawford• Jeff Deacon• James Falcone • Earl Greene

• Jurate Landwehr • Harry Lins • Alisa Mast • Michael McHale • Pete Murdoch • Mark Nilles • Mike Norris

Others InvolvedDenise Argue

Marilee Horn

Martyn Smith

Hydrologic Benchmark Network--1963

Committee Objectives

Develop a plan for a shared, multipurpose, long-term, National reference site network for freshwater streams that will provide data to:

• Detect and predict changes in stream flow, water chemistry, and aquatic communities due to changes in: climate, atmospheric deposition, and land use.

Develop options and a recommendation for funding and operational models that can be sustained through 2023

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HBN-plus ad hoc Committee

Members Bill Wilber (Chair, OWQ, NAWQA) Alisa Mast (HBN, COWSC) Michael McHale (HBN, CEN (NY

WSC) Jurate Landwehr (NRP-HCDN) Harry Lins (Office of Surface

Water) Daren Carlisle (NAWQA-Ecology) Charlie Crawford (NAWQA) James Falcone (NAWQA-GIS) Linda Debrewer (Office of Ground

Water

Ex Officio Members Mark Nilles (HBN, NADP) Jeff Deacon (CEN, NAWQA) Pete Murdoch (CEN, HBN) Mike Norris (NSIP) Earl Greene (HNA)