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Development of a Southeastern Reference Stream Monitoring
Network
Debbie ArnwineWater Resources, [email protected]
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2011
• Biologists from the 8 EPA Region IV states and TVA considered the need for a stream monitoring network for detecting the effects of climate change on stream biota.
• Representatives from EPA ORD, USGS, USFS, UC and SIFN gave presentations and held a mini-workshop.
Started with Climate change
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Concerns
• Changing climate has the potential to affect biological communities in aquatic systems.
• Existing biological data are not adequate to isolate climate change related effects.
• More information is needed on sensitive indicators and species traits.
• Shifting populations may have an effect on bioassessment programs.
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How changing climate can affect stream communities
Temperature
• Warming water in all seasons
• Change in timing and length of seasons
• Increase in number of high degree days.
• Changes in riparian vegetation species
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Hydrologic• Increase frequency and duration of
droughts
• Increase frequency and severity of floods
• Change in timing of peak flows
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Most vulnerable fauna
• Limited dispersal options due to biological or geographical constraints including human-caused habitat fragmentation.
• Small ranges restricted to specific types or to habitats with temperatures already near the species thermal limits.
• Small populations subject to extirpation by extreme events.
• Low upper thermal limits
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Changes in Taxa Richness, EPT and pollution tolerance are expected but
are also responsive to many other stressors.
• Toxins
• Nutrients
• Dissolved Oxygen
• Sedimentation
Standard assessment biometrics are usually geared toward detecting a suite of stressors.
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Biometrics that might help tease out climate change effects
Feeding GuildsSpecies Replacement
Thermal ToleranceHydrologic Variability Tolerance
Drought Tolerance
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Indicators that would be difficult or time-consuming to measure
Early emergence
Reproductive Cycle
Size at maturity
Growth Rate
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Fledgling SE Climate Change Monitoring Network
Monitoring
• Alabama DEM• Georgia DNR• Kentucky DOW• North Carolina DNR• South Carolina DHEC• Tennessee DEC• TVA
Support
• EPA Region IV• EPA ORD• Tetratech• USFS• USGS• Southeast Aquatics• Florida DEP• Mississippi DEQ
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Climate Change monitoring hard to add when faced with Shrinking Monitoring Budgets
and Growing Needs
Needed to expand objectives and work within
existing programs
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Benefits of Regional Monitoring
• Pool limited resources.
• More data to analyze .
• Coverage of ecoregions and watersheds that cross jurisdictional boundaries.
• Several stressors (drought, acid rain, mercury air deposition, riparian forest infestations) are regional phenomena
• Data can be used for multiple assessment and trend analysis purposes in shared watersheds and ecoregions.
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March 2012 Planning MeetingWhat do we want to do?What can we do?Who can do it?How should we do it?Where should we do it?What do we need?When could we start?
Name Change!SE Reference Stream Monitoring Network
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Climate Objectives• Identify vulnerability to climate change
• Determine whether stream communities are being affected by climate change.
• Distinguish climate change effects from natural variation and other stressors.
• Detect changes early in a way that informs management strategies.
• Create a formal partnership to develop a consistent, long-term monitoring program that can withstand changes in staff.
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Challenges• Getting 9 agencies in 8 states to agree on s
standard protocol.
• Incorporating monitoring into existing state assessment programs with little extra time or cost expenditures
• 5-year watershed cycles and probabilistic programs creates difficulty for annual monitoring of reference sites
• Need for continuous flow and temperature data
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What we agreed on
• Importance of starting monitoring as soon as possible and continuing it – target 2013
• Macroinvertebrate as primary indicators (fish and diatoms as secondary)
• Annual monitoring
• Consistent methodology
• Species level identification
• Reference site criteria
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SE Network Site Selection Criteria• Moderate to high gradient stream with riffle
habitat
• Existing site with historic data showing a stable macroinvertebrate community
• Protected watershed with land-use unlikely to change within next 20 years
• 90% forested watershed
• No point source discharge and minimal NPS or other stressors.
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• Perennial Flow
• Established riparian with minimal invasive species
• Natural channel with no flow modification structures
• No power lines or pipelines upstream
• Few or no roads in watershed
• Active flow gage preferable
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Proposed Monitoring Sites
39-41 sitesDoes not
include Ga 2-4
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Where we are now
Reference Sites• 37 Sites have been identified for monitoring,
expect 3-4 more.
• Keep original reference site selection (riffle, wadeable, ecoregions) and not follow NE plan (small stream, moderate gradient).
• Ky include reference site being treated for HWA.
• Select potential replacement sites in case other sites become compromised.
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Macroinvertebrates
• Riffle Kick – 300 organism subsample
• Qualitative habitats kept separately
• Species identification
• Annual sampling
• Spring
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FISH
• TVA will help sample TN River drainage sites and will help coordinate fish sampling in other drainages if needed.
• Spring/summer annually
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Diatoms• Annual spring sample
• EPA SPINBR or equivalent
• Hold for future analysis if necessary
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Temperature and Flow
• Continuous temperature loggers at each site.
• Continuous flow or surrogate (such as depth logger) at each site.
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Water Quality
• Minimum field parameters (DO, Cond., pH) at each site visit.
• Nutrients, metals etc at discretion of each agency. (Recommend baseline and if changes in benthic community to rule out other stressors.)
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Habitat
• EPA Rapid Bioassessment Habitat Form Concurrent with macroinvertebrate samples.
• Digital photo documentation.
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Data Management• Each agency will house their own data
and will provide data to a shared storage facility (TBD).
• Considering options for shared home and assistance with statistical analyses.
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SWPBA Workgroup Meeting• Monitoring site commitments –
Reference Sites
• Finalize monitoring protocols – develop draft workplan.
• Narrow down spring sample window
• Continuous monitoring considerations
• Status – who needs help• Data storage and analysis options