Virginia Coastal Program: 2002 Coastal Grant Project Description and Final Summary
Project Task:
FY2002 Task 83
Grantee:
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Project Title:
Citizen Monitoring Program
Project Description as Proposed:
This project has
two goals.
Goal #1 - VA Citizen WQ Monitoring Program: The current successful
effort "to improve the support of citizen monitoring resources"
(Objective 7, Virginia Nonpoint Source Pollution Management Program)
will be continued through activities addressing three strategies:
1)Strategy 7.1: "provide technical expertise and training to
citizen monitoring groups to enhance their effectiveness and capabilities
to provide water quality information."
2)Strategy 7.6: "provide monitoring coordinators who can provide
oversight, education and assistance to citizen monitoring groups"
and
3) Strategy 7.9: "enhance procedures for submittal of citizen
monitoring data to agencies."
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay(ACB), a regional, multi-watershed
citizen monitoring organization, will be contracted to support the
development and support of citizen monitoring groups in coastal
Virginia through training, oversight and quality assurance coordination
and enhanced submittal of citizen monitoring data to agencies. From
the ACB database, citizen monitoring data will be collected by the
DEQ Citizen Monitoring Coordinator for dissemination to the appropriate
state agencies. Citizen monitoring efforts will be targeted to locations
DEQ is not currently monitoring. The purpose is to increase DEQ's
ability to develop the baseline information needed to support Section
6217 by assessing the success of management measures to reduce pollutant
loads.
Goal #2 - Development of Two Citizen Monitoring Protocols: IWLA
VA Save Our Streams Program (SOS), a regional, multi-watershed citizen
monitoring organization will continue development of the eastern
VA biological citizen monitoring method by completing the pilot
program data analysis and finalizing the protocol. SOS will contract
with the James River Association (JRA) to evaluate and pilot stream
walk protocols for citizen monitoring use in VA. Citizen monitors
collecting water quality data generally make observations as to
the surrounding land use, stream habitat and streambank conditions.
These observations can be important in determining potential pollutant
sources and therefore add to the available baseline information.
Providing citizen monitors with a comprehensive stream walk protocol
will enhance the data collection process and will complement ongoing
efforts in VA to develop and identify reference reaches as well
as other hydromodification implementation efforts.
Federal Funding:
$65,000
Project Contact:
Rick Hill, 804.786.7119, Richard.Hill@dcr.virginia.gov
Project Status:
Grant Closed
Final Product Received:
Project Summary Provided by Grantee:
Alliance
for the Chesapeake Bay
Specifically, this grant provided support to ACB for data management,
coordination of the Citizen monitoring program, training, and participation
in groups such as the Virginia Water Monitoring Council; Citizens
for Water Quality and the Virginia Citizen Water Quality Monitoring
Program; and the Eastern Biomonitoring Workgroup. Monitors currently
active in the Alliance's Citizen Monitoring Program collect bimonthly
water quality samples. Tidal and non-tidal waters are tested for
dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, salinity (where appropriate),
and water clarity. Some monitors also record daily precipitation,
monitor for fecal coliform bacterial, and monitor water quality
for parameters related submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). ACB Staff
conducted 7 training sessions resulting in fifty-four (54) monitors
becoming trained in chemical monitoring procedures using Alliance
protocols. The Alliance prioritized its training and support to
new monitors primarily if they were part of an organization, rather
than training individuals not associated with an organization. The
Alliance provided technical support regarding citizen monitoring
to twelve (12) different programs or organizations. Four QA/QC sessions
took place during this grant period: Two in March 2003 to cover
the 2003 monitoring year and two in the spring of 2004 (February
21 and March 6) to cover the 2004 monitoring year. Citizen monitoring
data can be accessed from the Allaince's website http://www.acb-online.org/monitoring/site.cfm.
Izaak Walton League "Save Our Streams"
A comprehensive filed guide and quality assurance project plan for
the "Eastern Method" was developed. This method allows
evaluation of biomonitoring for macroinvertebrates in muddy bottom
waters. The data sheets and data entry module are available online
at www.vasos.org. 20 volunteers have been trained in this method
to date. Additional training is anticipated beyond this grant. Regular
training of volunteer monitors continued through this grant on field
identification. Volunteer monitors collected samples at 18 sites,
conducted field identification of the macroinvertebrates, and completed
the data sheets. This data was evaluated in the lab by students
and a professor from Randolph-Macon College to confirm streamside
identification abilities. They also continued to test the volunteer
method and metrics with those of professional monitors. The results
of both of these studies show that volunteer monitors can accurately
identify organisms in the field.
Refinement of the stream walk protocol was completed resulting in
finalizing the protocol, assessing usefulness of data collected
for TMDL development & implementation, watershed management
& planning, evaluation of BMPs, and compliance with stormwater
programs. The protocol has undergone a limited field test and may
be revised in the future.
Form C end
Disclaimer: This project summary provides the federal dollars initially awarded to the grantee. Due to underexpenditure or reprogramming of grant funds, this figure may change. For more information on the allocation of coastal grant funds, please contact Laura McKay, Virginia Coastal Program Manager, at 804.698.4323 or email: Laura.McKay@deq.virginia.gov
A more detailed Scope of Work for this project is available. Please direct your request for a copy to Virginia.Witmer@deq.virginia.gov
