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Water Quality & Stream Monitoring

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IWLA Mission Statement

To conserve, restore, and promote the sustainable use and enjoyment of our natural resources, including soil, air, woods, waters, and wildlife.

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Izaak Walton League

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Save Our Streams

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Clean Water Hub

www.cleanwaterhub.org

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Poll!

  • Do you know your local watershed?

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What is a Watershed?

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Where is Your Watershed?

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Where is Your Watershed?

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What happens to one drop of rain?

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Clean Water Act

  • Passed in 1972
    • “To make all U.S. waters fishable and swimmable by 1983;"
    • “To have zero water pollution discharge by 1985;"
    • “To prohibit discharge of toxic amounts of toxic pollutants“�

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This hasn’t happened. Why?

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Pollution

  • Pollution Problems
  • Point vs. Non-Point source pollution

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WOTUS

  • January 3, 2020: “Waters of the United States”
  • Redefinition excludes ephemeral streams
  • Reduction of water protections in most states

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Looking for Pollution in the Watershed

  • Use maps!
  • Watershed survey on foot or in the car.
  • Make your own map of the watershed to mark pollution sources.

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Map from the Muddy Branch Alliance

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Is this a pollution problem?

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Is this a pollution problem?

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Is this a pollution problem?

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Is this a pollution problem?

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Is this a pollution problem?

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Is this a pollution problem?

Potomac Riverkeeper

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Is this a pollution problem?

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Impervious Surfaces

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Impervious Surfaces and Dry Weather

  • Many streams draw from groundwater.
  • Impervious surfaces can block water from contributing to groundwater supply.
  • This can result in lower stream flows during dry weather.

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Impervious Surfaces and Wet Weather

  • When it rains, a large amount of water runs off impervious surfaces, enters the storm drain system, and is directed straight to the stream.

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Why is Water Quality Important?

  • Educational
  • Public health
  • Important for wildlife survival
  • Wildlife watching, aesthetics, recreation & education
  • Economics – fisheries, property values, businesses and tourists

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Why Monitor?

  • Submit data to a government agency (only 19% of waterways are monitored by professionals).
  • Assess health of local waterways.
  • Document changes in stream health over time.
  • Prioritize sites for restoration.
  • Document success of restoration projects.
  • Discover acute pollution problems (sewer leaks, etc.).

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Poll!

  • What percent of streams & rivers are monitored in the US?

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Statistics

https://ofmpub.epa.gov/waters10/attains_nation_cy.control#STREAM/CREEK/RIVER

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Types of Stream Monitoring

  • Physical, Chemical, Biological

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Physical Monitoring

  • Watershed survey
  • Visual assessment of the stream: erosion, vegetation on banks, smell, color, etc.
  • Stream flow

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Chemical

  • Temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, phosphates, chloride, turbidity, etc.
  • Laboratories can test for specific pollutants, such as heavy metals, in a sample.

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Photo: Tracy Albrecht, BLM

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Biological Monitoring

  • Aquatic Macroinvertebrates (insects & crustaceans)
    • Aquatic – Living in water
    • Macro – Large enough to see with naked eye
    • Invertebrate – No backbone

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3 Steps

Collect, Sort, Identify & Count

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Why Macroinvertebrates?

  • Sensitivity to pollution varies.
  • Live underwater and breathe dissolved oxygen.
  • Allows us to see what the water quality has been over a longer period of time.

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What’s Next?

  • Attend training webinars
  • Watch regional introduction
  • Fill out the training form
  • Attend the in-person field day
  • Get certified!

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