Texas Stream Team…is a joint partnership with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, U.S. EPA Region VI, Texas State University-San Marcos,

and numerous partners.

This presentation was prepared in cooperation the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Funding for this presentation was provided by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency.

Texas Stream Team A non-profit organization which

facilitates a network of trained citizen water quality monitors and supportive partners

provides educational services and resources regarding watersheds and nonpoint source pollution.

Hundreds of Texas Stream Team volunteers collect water quality data on lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, bays, bayous, and estuaries in Texas.

Why monitor?Citizen water quality monitors are the front line of defense for

Texas’ water bodies.191,000 stream miles in Texas are a challenge for regulatory

agencies.Citizen water quality monitors can detect potential water

quality impairments before a professional is able to perform routine monitoring.

Data sets collected by citizens may be more comprehensive than that of the professionals.

Data may also be collected for research or educational purposes.

What do I monitor?Citizen water quality monitors

perform tests to determine a water body’s suitability forAquatic life

Core water quality monitoring: conductivity, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, transparency, depth, and various field observations

Contact Recreation (i.e. swimming, wading, fishing…) E. coli bacteria monitoring

What happens to the data?Citizens mail, fax, or e-mail monitoring forms to Texas Stream

Team or partner agency monthly.The data are entered into the Texas Stream Team database.After roughly a year of data have been collected, Texas Stream

Team will write a data report discussing the quality of the water.

Data reports are distributed to the regulatory agencies to assist them at identifying potential problem areas.

Extreme water quality observations such as very high E. coli bacteria readings are communicated to regulatory agencies immediately.

Taking ownershipWith a plethora of sites around Texas, Texas Stream Team

cannot detect water quality impairments at every site.It is important that citizen water quality monitors keep

track of and analyze their own data.Monitors should also determine who the local point of

contact should be for communicating water quality impairments and explain that they are monitoring prior to a potential problem.Your point of contact may be a river authority, city, county

or state agency depending on the type of problem

A Watershed……is the area in which water, sediments, and pollutants drain

into a common body of water.

Everyone lives in a watershed.

Stream OrderAll small tributaries drain

into a larger body of water if there is enough flow.

Larger bodies of water are more likely to become impaired due to more tributaries potentially contributing pollution.

Point and Nonpoint Source PollutionPoint Source: factory pipes and wastewater effluent

Nonpoint Source (NPS): dog waste from your back yard or a parking lot dotted with oil from cars.

Point Source vs. Nonpoint Source Pollution Point Source Pollution

Easy to regulate because the source is known and there is a responsible party

Examples Wastewater treatment plants Factories Mining operations

Nonpoint Source PollutionVery difficult to regulate

because it comes from common activities all over the watershed

Examples Sediment Fertilizers Bacteria Pesticides Trash

Things to RememberSafety First: wear gloves and goggles when handling

reagentsRinse Twice Rule: rinse everything with the solution or

water you are about to use…twice. Then, always remember to rinse the equipment twice with distilled water before putting away.

Completely Fill Out Forms: all forms need to be complete to comply with the Federally Approved Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) that ensures the scientific validity of the water quality data collected

Specific ConductivityThe ability of water to conduct electricityMeasured in microSiemens per centimeter (µS/cm) or

milliSiemens per centimeter (mS/cm)An indirect measurement of total dissolved solids

Electricity flows through dissolved material in water, not the water itself.

Indicates the presence of excessive sediment, nutrients, or salt in a water bodyContaminants tend to attach to sediment.

Specific ConductivitySources of total dissolved solids

Agricultural runoff (ex. loose soils from tilling)Urban runoff (ex. dirt pile at construction site)Discharge from a wastewater treatment plant (high in nutrients)

Effects on a water bodyNutrients – lowering of dissolved oxygen due to excessive

vegetation growthSalt – dehydration of aquatic life and limiting of water

absorption into roots of vegetation (in fresh water bodies)Sediment – Reduced visibility and clogging of gills

Specific Conductivity0-800 µS/cm

Suitable for drinking, irrigation, and livestock800-2,500 µS/cm

Suitable for drinking but not preferableSuitable for irrigation but requires special treatmentSuitable for livestock

2,500 – 10,000 µS/cmNot suitable for drinking and irrigation of any crops except those which

are salt-tolerantSuitable for some livestock

Above 10,000 µS/cmNot suitable for drinking, irrigation, or livestock

Source: Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Australia, Measuring the Salinity of Water, Available from http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au

Converting Values Values read in mS/cm MUST BE CONVERTED

to µS/cm when recording on the data sheet.Move the decimal to the right three places.

3.4 340034 34,000

Water TemperatureMeasurements above 27oC/80oF to 35oC/95oF can be

threatening to aquatic life, depending on the regular temperature.

Low measurements not regulated because temperatures low enough to be threatening are not caused by humans.

Human-caused sources of temperature changesPowers plants’ effluent after it has been used for coolingHydroelectric plants which release warmer or cooler water

(depending on the time of year) near the point of release

Water TemperatureOn a yearly scale,

When temperature goes up, dissolved oxygen goes down and vice versa. Colder, more dense water can hold more dissolved oxygen

On a daily scale,As temperature goes up, dissolved oxygen goes up.

More intense sunlight = more photosynthesis + higher temperatures more O2

pHPotential hydrogen ionsMeasure of acidity or alkalinity

<7 = acidic7 = neutral>7 = alkaline

Recorded in standard units (su)Doesn’t actually need to be written because pH will never

be in another type of unit

pHMost suitable range for aquatic life = 6.5-9Sources of acidic pH

Acid rain – caused by coal power plants & volcanoesRunoff of acidic soils

Sources of alkaline pHDecomposition of limestoneRunoff of alkali soils

Dissolved OxygenMeasured in milligrams per liter (mg/L)<2 mg/L: Fatal to most species<3 mg/L: Stressful to most species>5 mg/L: Sufficient for most species

Dissolved OxygenSources of low dissolved oxygen

High temperaturesExcessive vegetation growth

Blocks out sunlight from subsurface vegetation Less sunlight less photosynthesis less oxygen Subsurface vegetation dies

Decomposition consumes oxygenHigh groundwater inflow

Groundwater tends to be low in DO due to reduced aeration