west virginia department of agriculture water quality monitoring program 2009 photo by paul morley

West Virginia Department of Agriculture

Water Quality Monitoring Program

2009

Photo by Paul Morley

Why Does the WV Department of Agriculture Collect Water

Samples???

Where Do We Sample?

How Do We Sample?

Sample Collection

Streams Sampled1 Time per Month

•North Fork of the South Branch•South Fork of the South Branch•Mill Creek (of the South Branch)•Patterson Creek•Sleepy Creek•Opequon Creek•Rockymarsh Run•Elks Run•Elks Branch•Bullskin Run

Streams Sampled 5 Times per Month

•Lost River•South Branch of the Potomac

Field Equipment

SonTek Flow Tracker Handheld ADV (Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter)

Lost River

Patterson Creek

Added Mill Creek 10 (March 2009)

All Water Quality Analysis Done at the WVDA Moorefield Laboratory

PARAMETERS

• pH• Temperature• Conductivity• Dissolved Oxygen• Nitrate• Nitrite• Ammonia Nitrogen• Ortho-Phosphate• Total Phosphorous• Turbidity• Total Suspended Solids• Fecal Coliform

DATA

As of July 1998 the Department has collected and analyzed nearly 26,000 samples

Paper or Plastic?• All “Field Data” is recorded on paper, then transferred to lab

computer• All Lab Data entered in computer• Field and Lab Data QA’d then transferred to final Excel File

Sample Site Waypoint ListComplete

GIS

• Staff using ARC GIS 9.2

Data Availability

• No Web Based system yet…….

• Data and Sample Site locations can be requested

Special Projects

Assisting USGS in Non Tidal Monitoring

Mill Creek (of the South Branch)

in cooperation withWest Virginia Conservation Agency

Lost Riverin cooperation withWest Virginia Conservation Agency

Bear’s Hell (Lost River Watershed)

in cooperation withWest Virginia Conservation AgencyStarting in April, 2009

Cullers Run Study

ATRAZINE

Outreach• Agriculture Day at the Legislature• Tri-County Fair• 4-H Camps• Watershed Celebration Day • Science Day Dorcas Elementary School

FUTURE

10-Year Report

For More Information

Contact:

Matt Monroe

Environmental Programs Supervisor

304.538.2397

mmonroe@ag.state.wv.us