NOAA Fisheries, Southwest RegionProtected Resources Division

Santa Rosa, California

Science, Service, Stewardship

Melanie D. Harrison, Ph.DTechnical Advisory Committee (TAC)

March 6, 2013

Water Quality Metricsand Assessment Methods

Introduction

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Numerous designated beneficial uses for the Russian River

Goal is to protect existing and future beneficial uses for humans and the environment.

Numerous metrics have been used to predict changes in water quality due to ecological restoration.

Need to link the appropriate response metrics with key drivers in the watershed to meet water quality objectives.

Develop evaluation tools to assess the response of variables to changes in water quality over time.

Water Quality Metrics

Scale Site Reach Watershed

Can vary depending protecting designated beneficial use of interest Ex. Cold water habitat for listed species Ex. Municipal and domestic supply

Can vary depending on pollutant of interest Nutrients Metals

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Most common metric categories include multi-metric approach:

Water Quality parameters

Biological parameters

Hydrologic parameters

Common Water Quality Metrics

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Variables

Water temperature (°C)

Dissolved Oxgyen (mg/L)

pH

Turbidity

Specific Conductance (µS/cm

Sulfate (mg/L)

Total Suspended Solids (mg/L)

Total Nitrogen (mg/L)

Total Phosphorus ( mg/L)

Organophosphate (mg/L)

Organic Carbon (mg/L

Total Mercury (Hg) (mg/L)

Methyl-mercury (MeHg) (µ/L)

Aluminum (mg/L)

Soil oxygen demand (SOD)

Biological oxygen demand (BOD)

Pollution-Specific Metrics

Maximum concentrations

Minimum concentrations

Average and or weighted concentrations

Standard deviations

10th percentile concentrations

25th percentile concentrations

50th percentile concentrations

75th percentile concentrations

90th percentile concentrations

LCD50, and EC50

Response

Biotic sensitive to physical changes in stream temperatures

Biotic community sensitive to changes in DO, chemical transformation occur

Sensitive indicator of habitat conditions

nutrient impairments

inorganic pollutants

toxicity

Indicator of stream capacity to support anaeobic conditions

Variables

Barium

Sediment (kg/mg)

Bioindicators: Index of Biotic Integrity

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Response

Sensitive to varying degrees in varying degrees to pollutants and other stressors

Effects of sub-lethal doses of toxins are reflected in changes in community composition and structure

*Responds rapidly to changes in the environment that can be detected at shorter scales than other bioindicators (fish and macroinverts)

*Responds to nutrients, organic pollution , acidification, salinity

Sensitive to nitrogen limitation, siltation, pH, temperature, toxic algae blooms

Index Metrics

Species richness

Species composition

% Tolerant individuals

Function feeding groups

*Biomass (chlorophyll –A, AFDM)

% Algal cover

Total abundance

Toxicity test

Bioaccumulation Factor (BAF)

Bioindicators

Fish

Benthic Macroinvertebrates

*Algae

DiatomsSoft-bodied

Hydrologic Metrics

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Hydrology is a key controllers of biogeochemical processes in a watershed.

Hotspots are created where hydrological flow paths converge with substrates or other flow paths containing complementary or missing nutrients.

Example: Overland flow produced by storm runoff in the semi-isolated Hanson Ponds input Hg and P into the system.

Application that ‘connectivity’ is important for floodplain biogeochemistry.

Increase frequency and duration of connectivity

Controls on DO, temperature, organic matter processing, and etc.

Hydrological metrics

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Watershed/ Hydrodynamics

Stream flow velocity (ft/s)

River discharge (cfs)

Metrics

Maximum Peak flowMedian flowMinimum flow

Duration of high-flowFrequency of high-flow events

Loading rates (mass/unit time)

Water residence time (t)

Frequency of connectivity and/or floodplain inundation (n)

Duration of connectivity (d)

Water depth (m)

ResponseControls flux of nutrients and, chemicals, and sediment

Alters distribution, form and quality of constituents

Channel form response rapidly to changes in flows

Other Metrics

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Land use/Land cover

Agricultural (distal)

Extent of riparian vegetation/buffer (% riparian cover) (proximal)

Water velocities Nutrient processing Sediment distribution

Climate Precipitation Temperature

Water Quality Assessment Methods/Tools

Existing Water Quality Standards Water Quality-based assessment

thresholds Numeric thresholds for chemical

constituents and water quality parameters Ex. California and Federal

Drinking standards Ex. California Toxic Rules to

Protect Human Health and Aquatic Life

Water Quality ObjectivesNumeric Narrative

North Coast Index Biotic Integrity (IBI)

Existing data SWAMP Data Base

Water Quality Models AQUATOX WASP7

Hydrodynamics Models Nutrients

Sediment Transport Models Fate and Transport

Metals

Use to provide a more detailed assessment of the fate and transport of nutrients and metals and predict changes in water quality due to controlling variables.

Thank You/Questions

Science, Service, Stewardship

North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board Stephen Bargsten Steve Butkus Mark Neely

Permit Resource and Management Department: Amy Lyle

Endangered Habitat Conservancy: Michael Beck and Nancy Schaefer

NMFS: John McKeon, Brian Cluer, and Michael Donahue