Texas Stream Team: Citizen Science Water Quality Monitoring and TMDLs Travis Tidwell The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment – Texas State University.

Texas Stream Team: Citizen Science Water Quality Monitoring and TMDLs

Travis TidwellThe Meadows Center for Water and the Environment – Texas State University

July 29, 2014

Prepared in cooperation with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and U.S. EPA.

The preparation of this presentation was financed through grants from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Contact us:Texas Stream TeamRiverside Apts, Unit C4 601 University Drive San Marcos, TX 78666-4616

Phone: 512-245-1346 Toll free: 877-506-1401 [email protected]

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Mission A joint partnership with the

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, U.S. EPA Region VI, Texas State University-San Marcos, and numerous partners.

To facilitate environmental stewardship by empowering a statewide network of concerned volunteers, partners, and institutions in a collaborative effort to promote a healthy and safe environment though environmental education, data collection, and community action.

ABOUT US

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TEXAS STREAM TEAM STRUCTURE

Partner

Water Quality Education

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Activities Include: Citizen Water Quality

Monitoring Education and Outreach Teacher Workshops

Goals Include: Water Quality Education Non-point Source

Pollution Reduction Watershed Awareness

TEXAS STREAM TEAM

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City Governments

PARTNERS

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Clean Rivers Program Partners

PARTNERS

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Non-Profits

PARTNERS

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Universities

PARTNERS

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Supply kits, reagents, and other equipment to certified monitors

Provide trainingsCreate Monitoring Plans for citizen scientistsConduct Quality Assurance of the data and submit data to

the Meadows Center Incorporate TST data into water quality projectsUse TST data to supplement professional water quality

monitoringTime spent training, monitoring, submitting data, and money

used to purchase equipment counts as match for federal funding.

WHAT DO PARTNERS DO?

TEXAS STREAM TEAM

Texas Stream Team offers two types of water quality trainingOur Core Water Quality

TrainingOur Advanced NPS

Suite Training

TEXAS STREAM TEAM

Core Water Quality TrainingConsists of 3 Phases

Phase I: Demonstration by the instructor

Phase II: Trainees take measurements with the guidance of an instructor

Phase III: Trainees take measurements with no guidance from instructor and compare results with those of the instructor

After becoming certified, we ask our monitors to monitor their assigned site monthly

TEXAS STREAM TEAM

Core Water Quality Training:Types of water quality

parameters measured: Temperature Conductivity Dissolved Oxygen pH Water Clarity

These are not measurements of pollution Pollution can affect these

parameters

TEXAS STREAM TEAM

Advanced TrainingCertified Water Quality Monitors can then

take our Advanced NPS Suite trainingMonitors learn to measure:

E. coliNitrogenPhosphorusTurbidity

TEXAS STREAM TEAM

After monitors collect data, they send us the datasheet or upload the data online

The data is reviewed for quality assuranceIt is then posted on our dataviewer for the

public to see

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DATAVIEWER

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DATAVIEWER

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DATAVIEWER

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DATAVIEWER

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DATA REPORTS

Parameter % Complete

Mean ± Standard Deviation

Min Max

Total Dissolved Solids (mg/L) 86.3% 395.1 ± 62.5 117.0 773.5

Water Temperature (°C) 98.4% 20.5 ± 4.4 0 32

Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L) 89.1% 6.2 ± 2.7 1.1 12.0

pH 98.4% 7.5 ± 0.3 6.7 8.5

Secchi Disk Transparency (m) 90.2% 0.7 ± 0.3 0 1.9

Depth (m) 90.2 0.7 ± 0.3 0 1.9

E. coli Bacteria (CFU/100 mL) N/A N/A N/A N/A

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Program Data:7,692 trained citizen

scientists since 199145,000 volunteer hours429 actively monitored

sites82,973 miles of Texas

waterways monitored35,146 monitoring

events

TEXAS STREAM TEAM

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A water body that does not meet the standards of water quality for its use is called impaired It goes on the 303(d) list

(a.k.a. the naughty list)A TMDL is a calculation of

the maximum amount of pollutant that a water body can receive and stil l meet the water quality standards

One TMDL per pollutant per water body segment

TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD

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Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is responsible for adopting all TMDLs

An Implementation Plan (I-Plan) can be developed along with a TMDL

I-Plans lay out: What needs to be done over the next one to five years to reduce

the pollution load in the water body Who is responsible for making sure the tasks are done When the task will be complete How improvement will be measured

TCEQ collaborates with stakeholders during the development of an I-Plan

TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOADS

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A Watershed Protection Plan is a locally driven stakeholder process

Holistic in approach Watershed instead of segment Addresses multiple factors

leading to non-point source pollution, not just one constituent

Sponsored by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board

WATERSHED PROTECTION PLAN

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Identification of causes and sourcesEstimate of needed load reductionsDescription of management measuresEstimate of technical and financial assistance Information/education componentSchedule for implementationDescription of interim, measureable milestonesCriteria to determine if load reductions are achievedMonitoring component to evaluate effectiveness

THE NINE ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL WPP

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Identification of causes and sources of pollutionEstimate of needed load reductionsDescription of management measuresEstimate of technical and financial assistance Information/education componentSchedule for implementationDescription of interim, measureable milestonesCriteria to determine if load reductions are achievedMonitoring component to evaluate effectiveness

THE NINE ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL WPP

Similar elements are essential to developing a successful I-Plan as well

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Identification of causes and sources of pollution Characterization Study A good time to recruit stakeholders into Citizen Monitoring

ProgramsCitizen scientists can supplement professional monitoring

plans Spatially – Some water bodies have only one monitoring site Temporally – Some sites are only monitored quarterly Texas Stream Team monitors can fill in those gaps

The same is true for monitoring the effectiveness of the plan during implementation

CITIZEN SCIENTISTS MONITORING

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We have a QAPP! Quality Assurance Project

Plan Approved by TCEQ Details how the data will be

collected, maintained, analyzed

Required for the collection of data in WPPs and TMDLs

Use Texas Stream Team, don’t reinvent the wheel

CITIZEN SCIENTISTS MONITORING

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Information/education component

Texas Stream Team Staff can: Attend educational events in

your watershed Train volunteers in your

watershed to conduct educational demonstrations

Provide equipment and educational materials for outreach events

Citizen monitoring itself is an educational component

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

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Other services we can offer: Creating or assisting in

monitoring plans Watershed surveys Intensive bacteria surveys River/Park Cleanups Plant riparian vegetation or

rain gardens Watershed tours

These services have the same education/outreach goal, but require less commitment from volunteers than monthly monitoring

WATERSHED SERVICES

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Citizen Monitoring + Education and Outreach =

TEXAS STREAM TEAM

Stakeholder Engagement

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Runs through Col lege Stat ion and Bryan

Impaired for bacter ia One si te that is professional ly

monitored I -Plan Coordinating Committee

wants more monitor ing on the creek

Texas Water Resource Inst i tute does some monitor ing

TWRI has also created a Stream Team to gather more data and get people involved

TWRI wi l l support the Stream Team for 2 years after which the Cit ies of Bryan and Col lege Stat ion wi l l take over

CARTERS CREEK I-PLAN

Carters Creekwww.tceq.gov

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SAN MARCOS WATERSHED INITIATIVE

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A developing Watershed Protection Plan for the Upper San Marcos River

Not impaired, but stakeholders concerned about future water quality

Watershed Characterization recently created19 years of Texas Stream Team Data used to help establish

baseline water quality conditions

SAN MARCOS WATERSHED INITIATIVE

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SAN MARCOS WATERSHED INITIATIVE

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TMDLS AND WPPS IN TEXAS

A q u i l l a R e s e r v o i r T M D L

A r m a n d B a y o u W P P

A r r o y o C o l o r a d o W P P

A t a s c o s a R i v e r T M D L

A t t o y a c B a y o u W P P

A u s t i n A r e a Wa t e r s h e d s T M D L

B a r t o n S p r i n g s a n d O n i o n C r e e k

B a s t r o p B a y o u W P P

B r a d y C r e e k W P P

B u c k C r e e k W P P

B u f f a l o a n d W h i t e o a k B a y o u s T M D L

C a d d o L a k e W P P

C a r t e r s C r e e k T M D L

C e d a r B a y o u W P P

C e d a r C r e e k R e s e r v o i r

C l e a r C r e e k T M D L

C o l o r a d o R i v e r T M D L

C o n c h o R i v e r W P P

C o p a n o B a y, A r a n s a s a n d M i s s i o n R i v e r s T M D L

C y p r e s s C r e e k W P P

D i c k i n s o n B a y o u W P P

D o u b l e B a y o u W P P

E a g l e M o u n t a i n R e s e r v o i r

E l m a n d S a n d i e s C r e e k s T M D L

G e r o n i m o C r e e k W P P

G i l l e l a n d C r e e k T M D L

H i c k o r y C r e e k W P P

L a k e A r l i n g t o n M a s t e r P l a n

L a k e A u s t i n T M D L

L a k e G r a n d b u r y W P P

L a k e G r a n g e r W P P

L a k e H o u s t o n T M D L

L a k e W o r t h T M D L

L a m p a s a s R i v e r W P P

L e o n R i v e r W P P

L o w e r a n d M i d d l e B r a z o s R i v e r

L o w e r N u e c e s R i v e r W P P

L o w e r S a b i n a l R i v e r T M D L

L o w e r S a n A n t o n i o R i v e r T M D L

M o s e s H i g h l a n d K a r a n k a w a B a y o u s W P P

N o r t h B o s q u e T M D L

N u e c e s B a y T M D L

O r a n g e C o u n t y Wa t e r s h e d s T M D L

O s o B a y / O s o C r e e k T M D L

P a s o d e l N o r t e

P e a c h C r e e k T M D L

P e c o s R i v e r W P P

P l u m C r e e k W P P

S a l a d o C r e e k T M D L

S a n B e r n a r d W P P

S a n F e l i p e C r e e k M a s t e r P l a n

S o u t h a n d N o r t h L l a n o W P P

T r i n i t y R i v e r T M D L

U p p e r C i b o l o W P P

U p p e r G u a d a l u p e R i v e r T M D L

U p p e r O y s t e r C r e e k T M D L

U p p e r S a n A n t o n i o

U p p e r S a n M a r c o s W P P

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TMDLS AND WPPS IN TEXAS

A q u i l l a R e s e r v o i r T M D L

A r m a n d B a y o u W P P

A r r o y o C o l o r a d o W P P

A t a s c o s a R i v e r T M D L

A t t o y a c B a y o u W P P

A u s t i n A r e a Wa t e r s h e d s T M D L

B a r t o n S p r i n g s a n d O n i o n C r e e k

B a s t r o p B a y o u W P P

B r a d y C r e e k W P P

B u c k C r e e k W P P

B u f f a l o a n d W h i t e o a k B a y o u s T M D L

C a d d o L a k e W P P

C a r t e r s C r e e k T M D L

C e d a r B a y o u W P P

C e d a r C r e e k R e s e r v o i r

C l e a r C r e e k T M D L

C o l o r a d o R i v e r T M D L

C o n c h o R i v e r W P P

C o p a n o B a y, A r a n s a s a n d M i s s i o n R i v e r s T M D L

C y p r e s s C r e e k W P P

D i c k i n s o n B a y o u W P P

D o u b l e B a y o u W P P

E a g l e M o u n t a i n R e s e r v o i r

E l m a n d S a n d i e s C r e e k s T M D L

G e r o n i m o C r e e k W P P

G i l l e l a n d C r e e k T M D L

H i c k o r y C r e e k W P P

L a k e A r l i n g t o n M a s t e r P l a n

L a k e A u s t i n T M D L

L a k e G r a n d b u r y W P P

L a k e G r a n g e r W P P

L a k e H o u s t o n T M D L

L a k e W o r t h T M D L

L a m p a s a s R i v e r W P P

L e o n R i v e r W P P

L o w e r a n d M i d d l e B r a z o s R i v e r

L o w e r N u e c e s R i v e r W P P

L o w e r S a b i n a l R i v e r T M D L

L o w e r S a n A n t o n i o R i v e r T M D L

M o s e s H i g h l a n d K a r a n k a w a B a y o u s W P P

N o r t h B o s q u e T M D L

N u e c e s B a y T M D L

O r a n g e C o u n t y W a t e r s h e d s T M D L

O s o B a y / O s o C r e e k T M D L

P a s o d e l N o r t e

P e a c h C r e e k T M D L

P e c o s R i v e r W P P

P l u m C r e e k W P P

S a l a d o C r e e k T M D L

S a n B e r n a r d W P P

S a n F e l i p e C r e e k M a s t e r P l a n

S o u t h a n d N o r t h L l a n o W P P

Tr i n i t y R i v e r T M D L

U p p e r C i b o l o W P P

U p p e r G u a d a l u p e R i v e r T M D L

U p p e r O y s t e r C r e e k T M D L

U p p e r S a n A n t o n i o

U p p e r S a n M a r c o s W P P