overview of michigan’s surface water monitoring program and water quality trends by: gary kohlhepp...
TRANSCRIPT
Overview of Michigan’s Surface Water Monitoring Program and Water Quality Trends
By: Gary Kohlhepp and Ralph Bednarz, DEQ-Water Bureau
Monitoring Strategy
• Completed in January 1997
• Identified a comprehensive list of monitoring activities with cost estimates
• Implementation primarily through grants and contracts
• Updated in 2004/2005 per EPA requirements
• Includes sections on objectives, study design, indicators, quality assurance, data analysis, data management, reporting, program review, and existing/needed infrastructure
Four Monitoring Goals
• Assess the current status and condition of individual waterbodies and determine whether MI Water Quality Standards are being met
• Measure temporal and spatial water quality trends
• Provide data to support DEQ water quality protection programs and evaluate their effectiveness
• Detect new and emerging water quality problems
Funding Increase For Water Quality Monitoring From the Clean Michigan Initiative
0
1
2
3
'98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05
Mill
ions
Water Quality Monitoring Program Elements
• Water Chemistry
• Sediment Chemistry
• Fish Contaminants • Biological Integrity & Physical Habitat
• Wildlife Contaminants
• Beach Monitoring
• Inland Lake Quality
• Volunteer Monitoring
• Stream Flow
Water Chemistry
•5-year basin surveys
•Fixed station trends
• Statewide random sampling
•CREP monitoring, TMDLs, other special studies (esp. non-point source effectiveness)
•Local water quality monitoring and emerging issue monitoring grants ($200,000 each)
Mean total mercury concentrations in Michigan rivers in 2003
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
To
tal
Mer
cury
(p
pt)
Mean Annual Total Phosphorus Levels in Saginaw Bay, 1993-2003.
0
0.005
0.01
0.015
0.02
0.025
0.03
0.035
0.04
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Year
To
tal
Ph
osp
ho
rus
(par
ts p
er m
illi
on
)
Sediment Chemistry – Inland Lake Trends
• 35-40 lakes to be sampled
• 27 lakes sampled through 2004
• Provides long-term record of contaminants
TakingTakingSedimentSediment
Replicates Large Tubes
PortableHigh quality
210Pb, pore waterorganics, metals
The use of sediments in lakes as a “tape recorder” of changes in chemical loadings to the environment.
Elk Lake
time
Chemical Sediment Chemical Sediment ChronologiesChronologies
recent
old
2001
1500
Sediment CoresSediment Cores
Cass Lake Elk Lake
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
##
#
#
#
# # #
#
####
1999200020012002
SedimentTrendLakes
1. Gratiot Lake2. Imp Lake3. Witch Lake4. Round Lake5. Burt / Mullett Lake6. Crystal Lake (Benzie Co.)7. Elk Lake8. Torch Lake9. Hubbard Lake10. Lake Cadillac11. Higgins Lake12. Houghton Lake13. Littlefield Lake14. Crystal Lake (Montcalm Co.)15. Paw-Paw Lake16. Gull Lake17. Whitmore Lake18. Cass Lake19. Muskegon Lake20. Birch Lake21. Sand Lake22. Avalon Lake23. Shupac Lake24. Lake George25. Otter Lake26. Crystal Lake (Montcalm Co.)27. Hackert Lake28. Round Lake (Delta Co.)
1
18
1615
14, 26
13
12
11
10
98
76
5
432
17
#
#
# #
##
2003
19
20 21
22
23
#2004#
#
#
#24
25
28
27
5.04.03.02.01.00.0
Lead Anthropogenic Accumulation Rates (ug/cm2/y)
2000
1958
1917
1875
1833
1792
1750
Da
te
300240180120600
Aluminum Accumulation Rates (ug/cm2/y)
2000
1950
1900
1850
1800
1750
Da
te
5004003002001000
LegendElk
Gratiot
Gull
Higgins
Cass
Elk
Gratiot
Gull
Higgins
1755
1805
1855
1905
1955
2005
0 50 100 150Focusing Corrected Anthropogenic Mercury
Accumulation Rate(g/m 2/yr)
Med
ian
Year
of
Dep
osit
ion
Elk Lake Gratiot Lake Higgins LakeGull Lake Crystal-M Lake Cadillac LakeCrystal-B Lake Mullet Lake
Temporal TrendsTemporal TrendsAnthropogenic Mercury Accumulation Anthropogenic Mercury Accumulation
RatesRates
Rise in accumulation Rise in accumulation rates ~1900 significant rates ~1900 significant after 1950after 1950
Importance of Importance of watershed scale sourceswatershed scale sources
Wildlife Contaminants
• Bald eagles – began in 1999
• Herring gull eggs – began in 2001
• Analysis for bioaccumulative chemicals of concern
#S
#S
#S#S#S#S#S#S
#S
#S
#S
#S#S
#S #S
#S
#S
#S
#S
#S
#S
#S
#S#S
#S
#S#S#S
#S#S#S
#S#S
#S#S#S
#S
#S
#S#S
#S#S
#S
#S
#S
#S #S#S
#S#S#S
#S#S
#S
#S
#S#S#S
#S
#S#S#S#S#S
#S
#S
$T
$T
$T$T
$T $T
$T
$T$T$T$T$T
$T
$T $T
$T
$T$T
$T$T
$T$T $T$T $T$T$T
$T$T
$T
$T$T
$T$T
$T
$T
$T$T$T
$T
$T$T $T$T
$T$T $T$T$T
$T$T
$T$T
$T$T
$T$T
$T
$T$T
$T $T
$T $T$T$T $T$T$T
$T
$T
$T
$T
$T
$T
$T $T $T$T
$T
$T
$T$T
$T$T $T
$T$T $T$T $T
$T$T$T
$T$T
$T
$T$T$T
%U %U%U
%U
%U%U
%U%U%U%U%U%U%U
%U
%U
%U
%U
%U
%U
%U
%U
%U%U
%U
%U
%U
%U
%U
%U%U %U%U%U
%U
%U%U
%U%U%U
%U
%U
%U%U %U%U%U%U%U %U
%U
%U
%U %U%U%U
%U%U
%U
%U%U
%U %U%U
%U
%U%U %U
%U%U%U%U %U
%U %U
%U
%U
%U
%U
%U
%U
%U
%U%U %U%U %U
%U%U
%U%U
%U
%U
%U
%U
%U
%U
%U
%U %U
%U%U
%U
%U%U
%U
%U%U
%U%U
%U%U
%U%U%U%U
%U
%U
Bald Eagle Nest Locations
PCB Levels in Bald Eagle Plasma (ug/kg)
020406080
100120140160180200
Su
pe
rio
r
Mic
hig
an
Hu
ron
Eri
e
Inte
rio
rL
P
Inte
rio
rU
P
1987-92
1999-2002
Mercury Levels in Bald Eagle Feathers (ug/g)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9S
up
eri
or
MI/H
uro
n
Inte
rio
rL
P
Inte
rio
rU
P
1985-89
1999-2002
Lake Water Quality Assessment
• Re-establish LWQA monitoring program – formerly implemented via Clean Water Act – Clean Lakes Program
• Work with USGS to re-establish LWQA monitoring
• USGS and MSU are evaluating satellite technology for regional and statewide lake water quality assessment
Volunteer Monitoring
• FY98 through FY05: 33 grants awarded totaling $265,000
• Michigan Clean Water Corps was established in 2003
• Includes stream/river and inland lake volunteers
• www.micorps.net
• DEQ uses data as a “screening tool” to identify sites for follow-up assessment
Objectives
Collect data that can be used by DEQ as “screening tools”.
Reach goal of 80% coverage
Assist DEQ in prioritizing sites
Increase public awareness and involvement in protection and surveillance of rivers and streams.
Volunteer Training
ClassroomSafety GuidelinesSampling Logistics & Procedures Data FormsMacroinvertebrate Identification
FieldSite Assessment
Habitat Macroinvertebrates
Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (The Self-Help Legacy)
• Program began in 1974 with water clarity (Secchi disk) monitoring – second oldest program in country
• Current focus on trophic state indicators• water clarity (228 lakes)• total phosphorus
• spring overturn (196 lakes)• late-summer stratification (206 lakes)
• chlorophyll a (121 lakes)• dissolved oxygen and temperature (53 lakes)• aquatic plant ID and mapping (5 lakes)
CLMP Quality Data
• Detailed procedures• Comprehensive
training• Replicate sampling• DEQ side-by-side
sampling
CLMP Spring Total Phosphorus (1993-2004)Volunteer Replicate Samples, n=413
R2 = 0.9611Slope = 0.972
Yint = 0.2911
No Sig. (a=.05)
1:1
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 20 40 60 80 100 120Volunteer Sample - TP (ug/l)
Vo
lun
tee
r R
ep
lica
te -
TP
(u
g/l)
CLMP Chlorophyll a (1998-2004)Volunteer vs. DEQ Side-by-Side Samples; n=110
R2 = 0.9414Slope = 0.9835
Yint = -0.0185
No Sig. (a=.05)
1:1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80DEQ Side-by-Side - CHL (ug/l)
Vo
lun
teer
- C
HL
(u
g/l)
CLMP Summer Mean TransparencyCorey Lake (St. Joseph Co.)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005
Year
Dep
th (
feet
)
Additional Information
• Gary Kohlhepp, 517-335-1289 ([email protected])
• Ralph Bednarz, 517-335-4211 ([email protected])
• www.michigan.gov/deq, click on “Water”, click on “Water Quality Monitoring”, click on “Assessment of Michigan Waters”
• www.micorps.net