water quality data management and analysis

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 ssouza@princetonhydro.com

Thanks to ….

Why Collect Data?

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”?

Develop and Follow a Plan

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

How Often Should I Sample ?

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

What Should I Sample ?

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

How Do I Collect Data?

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

Recording and Tracking Data

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

Putting the Data to Work

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

In Summary

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 ssouza@princetonhydro.com