Water Resources Monitoring Strategy for Wisconsin: Building on Experience Mike Staggs, WDNR Bureau of Fisheries Management and Habitat Protection Acknowledgements: Kristi Minihan, Russ Rasmussen, Jill Jonas, Mike Talbot, Bob Masnado, Mike Lemcke, Tim Simonson, Mike Miller, Brian Weigel, Ken Schreiber, Paul LaLiberte, Nancy Nate
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Water Resources Monitoring Strategy for Wisconsin: Building on Experience Mike Staggs, WDNR Bureau of Fisheries Management and Habitat Protection Acknowledgements:
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Water Resources Monitoring Strategy for Wisconsin:Building on Experience
Mike Staggs, WDNR Bureau of Fisheries Management and Habitat Protection
Acknowledgements: Kristi Minihan, Russ Rasmussen, Jill Jonas, Mike Talbot, Bob Masnado, Mike Lemcke, Tim Simonson, Mike Miller, Brian Weigel, Ken Schreiber, Paul LaLiberte, Nancy Nate
Why Create an Integrated Strategy?
• Address Water Division Clean Water Act, Public Trust and Fisheries goals
• Need identified during “Waters of Wisconsin”
• Declining DNR funding and staffing
• Required by EPA for continued funding
• Basis for partner involvement
Challenges…..
• many opinions on what data should be collected
• monitoring programs can be very costly
• staffing and funding are limited
• aquatic ecosystems are highly variable
• there are many variables and taxa of interest
Collect data needed to answer necessary questions!
• clearly identify questions
• long term data sets
• statistically valid stratification and subsampling
• indicator species, habitats and metrics
• fundamental part of management program
• involve partners!
Comprehensive Management System
• set specific objectives with public input
• monitor whether meeting objectives
• diagnose problems
• implement management actions
• monitor results
Strategy Framework
• Tier 1: Statewide Baseline Monitoring
• Tier 2: Targeted Evaluation Monitoring
• Tier 3: Management Effectiveness &Compliance
Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring• Clean Water Act
– designate water uses– determine use attainment (305b report)– input for identifying impairments (303d list)– input for TMDL development– effluent limits– general responses to management actions
Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring• Public Trust
– develop environmental objectives– monitor impacts of permitting decisions at
the general water level
Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring• Fisheries
– develop quantitative management objectives for specific waters
– identify populations not meeting objectives– input for identifying problem causes– input for developing management
recommendations– general responses to management actions
Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring
• Wadeable Streams– 334 watersheds, 6 year rotation
Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring
• Wadeable Streams– 334 watersheds, 6 year rotation– large vs. small sites (500:140 sites/yr)– cold vs. warmwater sites (50%:50%)– fish sample at large sites– macroinvertebrate sample at small sites– habitat and water quality at selected sites– randomized sampling design
Wadeable Streams:4303 sites on 1734 streams
Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring
• NonWadeable Rivers – sampling schedule will cover all sites over time– Ambient water chemisty parameters at a rotational
subset of sites– E. coli sampling at subset of beach sites
Nonwadeable rivers:272 sites on 66 rivers
Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring• Lakes
– stratified sampling schedule– develop Floristic Quality Index for small lakes– increase sampling of small lakes– shift to satellite imagery for Trophic Status Index– maintain Self-Help Lakes volunteer program
Lakes:786 separate lakes
Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring• Ambient water quality assessment
– needed to support CWA goals & permitting– subset of baseline sites– parameters vary for lakes, rivers, and streams– evaluate existing river long term ambient water
quality network– E. coli added at priority beaches
Tier 1: Baseline Monitoring• Groundwater
– Further implement statewide multi-agency strategy
• Other– Maintain existing flow gauging stations– Maintain current Great Lakes and treaty fisheries
monitoring– Continue development of wetland program
Tier 2: Targeted Evaluation• Work planned projects at targeted sites
– Impairments, TMDL, Sport and Commercial Fish Assessment, Contaminated Sediments
– Enforcement, Spills/Kills– Special Projects
Tier 3: Management Effectiveness/Compliance– assess effectiveness of management measures
implemented in Tier 2– permit compliance & assessment of permit limits
WDNR Monitoring Team:
Water Division Monitoring Team
• Administrative team
• Sponsored by Bureau Directors
Subteams: Tech Staff
• Lakes
• Wadeable Streams
• Rivers
• Wetlands
• Groundwater
• Ambient Water Quality
• Citizen Monitoring
How Citizens Fit in with Monitoring Strategy
• Limited DNR resources– Staff– Budget restraints
• Citizens somewhat untapped resource– Local network – Local knowledge– Informed advocacy
How Citizen-based Monitoring is Incorporated
into the Strategy• Strategy provides framework for citizens’
work
• Citizen Monitoring Proposal is part of the strategy (Appendix A)– Incorporates all specific aspects of the
Strategy (e.g. water resource types, parameters to be monitored)
Basic Components of Citizen-based Monitoring
Proposal• Core Program Details
– Data uses– Training– Quality Assurance/Quality Control– Database Management
• Pilot Projects
• Long-Term Monitoring Options
Proposal Start-up
• Pilot projects– Family-level Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Biotic
Index– Basic Water Quality Suite
• Defines program structure, staffing needs, and resource allocations– Includes feedback and evaluation
• DNR / River Alliance partnership position
Long-Term Monitoring Options
• Defines a list of parameters citizens can monitor in the future
• Defines general implementation overview for these options
• Defines program structure, staffing needs, and resource allocations