Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Program

1. Vermont Agency of Natural ResourcesAmbient Water Quality Monitoring Program Neil Kamman, Environmental Scientist VI VT Dept. of Env. Conservation – Water Quality Division National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

2. Water Quality Monitoring in Vermont • VTANR Structure • The VT Water Quality Standards • VT’s Water Quality Monitoring Program Strategy • Program Design and Highlights National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

3. VT ANR Structure National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

4. National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

5. Lakes/ponds, rivers, wetlands • Groundwater • Wastewater and stormwater compliance National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

6. Groundbreaking restructuring of ANR functions Opportunity for integrated coordination of the VT water quality monitoring program across multiple centers Reorganization of VTANR National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

7. Vermont Water Quality Standards • Administered by the VT Water Resources Panel • VTANR provides technical services to the Panel in the derivation and implementation of WQS • Panel holds legal authority to establish and modify WQS and classifications • VTANR carries out assessment, listing, and TMDL functions using WQS • VT Env. Court adjudicates legal issues regarding application of WQS National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

8. Vermont Water Quality Standards • Collection of numeric and narrative standards • Tiered Aquatic Life Use gradient is written into the classification system of VWQS * Standard “no toxics in toxic amounts” language does apply National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

9. Status of biocriteria in VT National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

10. VT Water Quality Monitoring Program Strategy • Follows EPA “10 Elements” guidance • Issued for period 2005-2015 • Provides architecture for monitoring, assessment, listing, and data archiving activities • Articulates monitoring designs to meet two major goals: National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

11. VT WQ Mon. Program Strategy Goal 1: Predict and monitor the condition of Vermont’s aquatic and wetland resources to: • identify emerging problems; • provide information essential to protecting, maintaining and/or restoring the integrity and use of these resources; • achieve comprehensive monitoring coverage of all Vermont waters; • identify water quality conditions, impairments, causes, and sources; and, • evaluate the success of current policies and programs. National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

12. VT WQ Mon. Program Strategy Goal 2: Communicate, collaborate and coordinate with organizations, agencies, and the general public to: • increase public knowledge of and involvement in water resource monitoring • promote efficient and effective monitoring and assessment programs; and • collect useful data to supplement state monitoring and assessment programs. National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

13. Program highlights • Split-design incorporating targeted and probability-based approaches • Balanced resource allocation to lakes and rivers assessment that retains flexibility • Standardized methods (field and laboratory) • Development of monitoring systems for wetlands • Focus on partnerships with other organizations • Program is very thin on automated obs. systems • Total resource commitment: 13FTE within VTDEC, not including temporary technician services National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

14. Rivers and streams: • Ambient biomonitoring program • Active since <1980 • >1,400 sites within network • Annual target of ~150 sites using standard protocols • Rotating Basin Assessment • Five-year cycle of probability-based sites • Initially implemented in conjunction with the Nat’l Wadeable Streams Assessment • Provides an assessment of statewide stream biological attainment, with confidence estimates • Stream Geomorphic Assessment Program • Major initiative to understand physical stream processes • Hundreds of reaches characterized since 2003 • Geomorphic assessment is now a pre-requisite to receipt of CWA 319 remediation funds from VT National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

15. Lakes and ponds: • Spring Nutrient and Lake Assessment Programs • >100 lakes assessed annually • >700 stations within network • Lake Champlain Long-term Monitoring Program • Major monitoring initiative aimed at supporting Vermont’s “Clean and Clear Water Action Program” • REMAP Mercury Survey (1998) and National Lake Survey (on-going) • 50-lake probability surveys • Provide an assessment of statewide lake conditions and use attainment with confidence National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

16. Wetlands and groundwater: • Development of methods for wetlands biological assessment • General groundwater monitoring for support of community drinking water systems (DEC-Water Supply Division) • Monitoring of radionuclides, arsenic, and groundwater quantity in support of non-community drinking water use National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

17. Volunteer-based monitoring: • Vermont Lay Lakes Monitoring Program • 1977 to present • >80 lakes / Lake Champlain stations monitored for nutrients and chlorophyll-a by citizens (longest-term volunteers have given 25+ years of service) • LaRosa Environmental Partnerships • 2003 to present • Competitive program to provide laboratory services to watershed organizations • 29 groups supported since 2003, 18 active in 2007 • Generated >29,000 records of QA’d data from >250 sites statewide National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

18. Important partnerships • VTANR – LaRosa Environmental Laboratory • US Geological Survey • USEPA Region 1, OWOW, and ORD • University of VT • VT State Colleges • Numerous lake and watershed associations • Schools National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

19. Data management • Data management systems include in-house sequel or MSAccess-based repositories, and a non-node link to Storet (WQX by our existing node in evaluation presently) • Current database in excess of 700,000 records of physical, biological, or chemical datapoints • Some web-based reporting available (lakes) • VTANR initiative underway to modernize data archiving within a new Enterprise system • VTANR initiative to develop automated fieldoffice data streams using remote computing National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

20. There is much, much more: • Assessment and listing processes • TMDL development and implementation • Gov. Douglas’ Clean and Clear Initiative • Monitoring within the remediation context • Hazardous sites monitoring/characterizations WWW.VTWATERQUALITY.ORG WWW.VERMONT.GOV/CLEANANDCLEAR VT has a flexible program to adapt to new issues… National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007

21. Our newest issue: National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Philadelphia, PA 7/24/2007