water quality data management and analysis
TRANSCRIPT
Water Quality Data Management and Analysis Stephen J. Souza, Ph.D. Princeton Hydro, LLC 1108 Old York Road Suite 1, P.O. Box 720 Ringoes, NJ 08551 [email protected]
Thanks to ….
Lake Management
Oh Let Me Tell You How Things Were
Successful Ecosystem Management
Don’t Just Treat The
Symptom….
Correct the Cause
To identify the cause of an ecosystem's problems need to investigate the key ecological interactions
that define that ecosystem
Physical
Hydrologic
Lake Management
Purpose of Data Collection
• Study, assess and understand key interactions
• Sounds good…but how do I do this?
– Collect the right types of data
– Collect enough data
– Subject the data to the correct analyses
Flow Chart… Ecological Data Collection and Interpretation
The Diagnostic Study
Protect / Manage Restore / Repair
Prevent it !
Stop It !
Control it !
Fix it !
Improve it !
Data Collection
Phase
Analysis Phase
Action Phase
The Data Collection Process
• Why am I collecting data in the first place?
• What types of data do I need to collect?
• How do I ensure the data have been properly collected?
• How do I make sense of the data?
• How do I share my findings with stakeholders and partners?
• How do I put the data “to work”?
Lake Management
• Define program’s objectives and goal
• Identify parameters of greatest value to program’s goals and objectives
• Develop a sampling plan
– Prepare a quality control plan
– Create a sampling schedule
– Setup fixed, easily located stations
– Properly train the sampling team(s)
• Compute your operating budget
Water Quality Monitoring Programs
Lake Management
• Create a data management system
• Review data on a regular basis
• Analyze and present data…use it to guide and assess management decisions
• Routinely review and modify the sampling program to further refine data, address emerging needs or fill data gaps
Water Quality Monitoring Programs
Lake Management
• Frequent enough to meet study objectives
• Frequent enough to catch seasonal changes and important trends
• Sample under “background” and storm conditions
• Collect data to meet user needs and recreation (e.g. weed densities, fishery)
Sampling Frequency
Lake Management
• Temperature (in profile) • Dissolved oxygen (in profile) • pH (in profile) • Secchi disk transparency • Total (TP) • Soluble Reactive Phosphorus (SRP) • Nitrate-N (NO3) • Ammonia -N (NH4) • TKN • Alkalinity • Hardness • Conductivity
“Keystone” WQ Parameters
Lake Management
• Chlorophyll a • Phytoplankton • Zooplankton • Aquatic macrophytes • Benthic algae • Macroinvertebrates • Fish • Habitat value • Bacteria • Other Pollutants
Other Parameters of Importance
Specific to the goals
of the project
Sampling and Monitoring Equipment
Dissolved Oxygen &
Temperature
Sampling and Monitoring Equipment
pH
Sampling and Monitoring Equipment
Water Sampling Bottles
Secchi Clarity
Sampling and Monitoring Equipment
Sampling Tools and Monitoring Equipment
Specialty Probes
• Chlorophyll • Turbidity • Depth • Conductivity • Salinity • Ammonia
Sampling Tools and Monitoring Equipment
Plankton Sampling Equipment
Fish Sampling Equipment
Sampling and Monitoring Equipment
Measuring Flow
Lake Management
• Follow a QAPP or standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Standardize data sheets and recording methodology (use data loggers).
• Write down EVERYTHING! • Review the data immediately
after its collected. • Maintain a central repository. • Maintain at least one backup
copy.
Field Notes and Data Sheets
Lake Management
• Excel
• Access
• SAS
• PFS Works
• Harvard Graphics
Typically Excel will meet all your data tracking and analysis needs, including preparing simple graphs
Data Management Programs
Lake Management
• Mean
• Range
• Maximum and Minimum
• Variability
• Correlation
• Change over time
Data Analysis - Some Simple Statistics
Data Interpretation and Presentation
Make Use of Graphs Temporal Changes in DO Over Depth
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L)
Dep
th (
m)
4/20/2007
5/10/2007
6/12/2007
6/22/2007
7/6/2007
7/27/2007
8/15/2007
8/27/2007
9/13/2007
1.0 mg/L
2.0 mg/L
2008 Green Pond Dissolved Oxygen ST-8
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
16.0
0.00 2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00 10.00
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L)
DE
PT
H (
m)
24-Jul-08
20-Aug-08
30-Sep-08
Changes In DO w/ Time and Depth
2008 Green Pond Temperature ST-8
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
16.0
0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00
Temperature (C)
DE
PT
H (
m)
24-Jul-08
20-Aug-08
30-Sep-08
Thermal Changes w/ Time and Depth
Lake Management
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
TP
an
d C
hl.a (
µg
/l)
0
1
2
3
4
5
Zs
d (
m) TP
Chl.a
Zsd
June July Aug Sept OctMay
Simultaneous Presentation of Inter-related Data
Illustrating Trends – Annual Mean Chlorophyll a Conc.
Simplify / Emphasize Key Data…
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
INTERNAL RUNOFF SEPTIC
Sources of Phosphorus Loading
Internal (anoxic sediments) 84 kg
SW Runoff 41 kg
Septic systems 62 kg
Atmospheric 3 kg
Waterfowl 7 kg
Pet Waste 3 kg
Illustrate Key Data Relationships
Eutrophic
Oligotrophic
Chlo
rophyll
a -
mg/m
3
Total Phosphorus mg/l
0.03 mg/l – TP stimulates
bloom
0.08 mg/l – TP significant
bloom
0.10 mg/L - Existing TP Conc
0.03
0.08
Existing 0.10
Lake Management
Generating Plan Support
• Public ed and awareness programs lead to a more highly educated and involved stakeholders.
• Generates support for wise management decisions.
• Advantageous when faced with long-term or costly efforts that may not yield obvious or immediately measurable improvements.
Out-Reach and Education
• Demonstrate plan based
on sound database.
• Communicate goals and
objectives of plan.
• Engage stakeholders in
process
• Establish measures of
success…e.g., WQ
thresholds
• Stress need for patience
Lake Management
Public education and outreach efforts also increase the opportunity for creating or strengthening cooperative partnerships amongst stakeholders.
Sound data base imperative for bringing together partners with different points of concern or “conflicting” management / restoration goals.
Creating Partnerships
Lake Management
• Social networking sites
• Blog
• Newsletter/Brochures
• Meetings
• Technology Seminars
• Public Access TV & Radio
• Project Participation
Sharing Data Informing Stakeholders and Partners
Lake Management
• Data is critical to making educated ecosystem management and restoration decisions – Focus on the cause not the symptom of the
problem – Analyze problems – Identify key driving factors – Assess feasible management or restoration
options • Most importantly enables you to be objective
rather than subjective • Data also enable you to measure project success
Why Collect Water Quality Data?
What Should I Measure? • Varies depending on goals and objective of
sampling effort…what question trying to answer
– Keystone parameters
- DO, temperature and pH
- Nutrients
- Hardness, alkalinity, conductivity
– Biological data
– Hydrologic data
– Physical data
– Other information of value to users/stakeholders
• Properly train all involved in data collection, follow detailed standard operating procedures.
• Set up sampling stations at appropriate sites and fix station locations (buoy, GPS).
• Maintain detailed logs of what was done, how it was done, and include all observations.
• Good QC imperative….Review data entries immediately.
• Back up data just in case.
Proper Data Management Minimizes Error and Variability
Lake Management
Sharing and Presenting Data
Simple statistics,
graphs and summary
tables aid in analysis
and presentation of
data
Lake Management
• Too often the data is collected but not really used…
– Compliance with standards
– Track water quality trends
– Set and track management/restoration goals or project progress
• Periodically review your sampling program and modify it to meet changing needs or goals.
Just Don’t Collect It…
Lake Management
• NALMS.org
• EPA.gov/owow
• http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov
• The Volunteer Monitor Project…
http://water.epa.gov/type/rsl/monitoring/issues.cfm
• The National Newsletter of Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring
http://water.epa.gov/type/rsl/monitoring/
• Princeton Hydro – Intro to Lake Management Guide
Sources For More Information
Thank you….Questions Stephen J. Souza, Ph.D. Princeton Hydro, LLC 1108 Old York Road Suite 1, P.O. Box 720 Ringoes, NJ 08551 [email protected]