The Community Science Institute Empowering citizens to monitor and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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The Community Science Institute Empowering citizens to monitor and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Jan 09, 2023 132 likes •379 views

The Community Science Institute Empowering citizens to monitor and protect local water resources for sustainable management Claire Weston Outreach Coordinator SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry February 27 th , 2017 Who we

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Claire Weston – Outreach Coordinator SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry February 27th, 2017

The Community Science Institute

Empowering citizens to monitor and protect local water resources for sustainable management

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Who we are and what we do

CSI partners with community-based volunteer groups to better understand and protect local streams and lakes by collecting and disseminating scientifically credible, regulatory-quality data that inform long-term, sustainable management strategies. Small Nonprofit 501(c)3

NY State and EPA Certified Lab Online Public Database Volunteer Water Monitoring Partnerships Outreach and Education Initiatives

Biological Monitoring Partnerships Chemical Monitoring Partnerships

CSI’s Mission:

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Who we are and what we do

CSI partners with community-based volunteer groups to better understand and protect local streams and lakes by collecting and disseminating scientifically credible, regulatory-quality data that inform long-term, sustainable management strategies. Small Nonprofit 501(c)3

NY State and EPA Certified Lab Online Public Database Volunteer Water Monitoring Partnerships Outreach and Education Initiatives

Biological Monitoring Partnerships Chemical Monitoring Partnerships

CSI’s Mission:

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SLIDE 4

Who we are and what we do

CSI partners with community-based volunteer groups to better understand and protect local streams and lakes by collecting and disseminating scientifically credible, regulatory-quality data that inform long-term, sustainable management strategies. Small Nonprofit 501(c)3

NY State and EPA Certified Lab Online Public Database Volunteer Water Monitoring Partnerships Outreach and Education Initiatives

Biological Monitoring Partnerships Chemical Monitoring Partnerships

CSI’s Mission:

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SLIDE 5

Who we are and what we do

CSI partners with community-based volunteer groups to better understand and protect local streams and lakes by collecting and disseminating scientifically credible, regulatory-quality data that inform long-term, sustainable management strategies. Small Nonprofit 501(c)3

NY State and EPA Certified Lab Online Public Database Volunteer Water Monitoring Partnerships Outreach and Education Initiatives

Biological Monitoring Partnerships Chemical Monitoring Partnerships

CSI’s Mission:

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The Story of CSI

Development

  • f Testing Lab

Recruitment and Coordination of Volunteer Stream Monitoring Groups Introduction of Biomonitoring Increasing Outreach and Education Initiatives

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Maintaining a Certified Lab – Benefits and Challenges

  • Certified data can be used for regulatory purposes.
  • It is difficult for citizen science groups to ensure that their data

is taken seriously. Certification is one way.

  • Maintaining certification also allows CSI to address the community’s

potable water testing needs.

Maintaining a certified lab is a lot of work!

  • The quality assurance and quality control measures are extensive.
  • The amount of paperwork involved is sizable.
  • Inspections are rigorous.

So why make the effort?

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Volunteer Water Monitoring Partnerships

Three Volunteer Water Monitoring Programs

  • Synoptic Sampling
  • Red Flag Monitoring
  • Biomonitoring

Synoptic Monitoring Partnerships Certified laboratory analyses Red Flag Monitoring Partnerships Quality-assured field measurements Biomonitoring Partnerships Benthic macroinvertebrates

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SLIDE 9

Sample

  • Water samples are collected by teams of volunteers three to

four times a year including once under storm water conditions. Sampling of a single stream occurs in a single day to get a “snap- shot” of water quality.

Drop off

  • Volunteers bring samples to CSI’s certified

lab and complete a chain of custody.

Analyze

  • Samples are analyzed by CSI staff

using certified methods.

Database

  • T

est results are entered into CSI’s

  • nline public database:

Synoptic Sampling Process

  • www. database.communityscience.org

Three Volunteer Water Monitoring Programs

  • Synoptic Sampling
  • Certified Lab Analyses
  • Analytes include:
  • E. coli
  • T
  • tal Phosphorus
  • Soluble Reactive Phosphorus
  • Nitrate -+ Nitrite Nitrogen
  • T
  • tal Kjeldahl Nitrogen
  • Ammonia Nitrogen
  • T

urbidity

  • T
  • tal Suspended Solids
  • Chloride
  • Chlorophyll a
  • And others
  • Primary focus of program is

monitoring nutrients, sediment, and pathogenic bacteria

CSI Monitoring Programs – Synoptic Sampling

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CSI Monitoring Programs – Synoptic Sampling

Three Volunteer Water Monitoring Programs

  • Synoptic Sampling
  • Certified Lab Analyses
  • Analytes include:
  • E. coli
  • T
  • tal Phosphorus
  • Soluble Reactive Phosphorus
  • Nitrate -+ Nitrite - Nitrogen
  • T
  • tal Kjeldahl Nitrogen
  • Ammonia Nitrogen
  • T

urbidity

  • T
  • tal Suspended Solids
  • Chloride
  • Chlorophyll a
  • And others
  • Primary focus of program is

monitoring nutrients, sediment, and pathogenic bacteria.

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Synoptic Sampling Results - Phosphorus

50 100 150 200 250 300 350 Yawger Creek Deans Creek Salmon Creek Fall Creek Six Mile Creek

Average Soluble Reactive Phosphorus at Stream Mouths (g/L)

Baseflow SRP Stormwater SRP

Why focus on phosphorus?

  • Soluble reactive phosphorus is a decent surrogate for

bioavailable phosphorus.

  • Phosphorus is the limiting nutrient for the majority of

freshwater autotrophs.

  • An overabundance of bioavailable phosphorus can lead to

eutrophication and is implicated in cyanobacteria blooms. Major Findings:

  • SRP concentration correlates with

land use type.

  • SRP concentrations are higher in

the northern half of the watershed.

  • SRP concentration is higher under

storm water conditions.

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Synoptic Sampling Results – chloride

Why focus on chloride?

  • The salinization of a water body

can negatively affect aquatic life and reduce biodiversity.

  • Increasing chloride

concentrations have been

  • bserved throughout the

Northeast and Midwest (Dugan et al, 2017) Major Findings:

  • Chloride concentration has

increased in all southern streams

  • Long term stream

datasets yield insights into non-point source pollution.

y = 0.0069x + 22.633 R² = 0.4186 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 Chloride Concentration at Baseflow (mg/L) Time Elapsed Since First Sampling Event (Days)

Upward Trend of Base Flow Chloride Concentrations at Mouth

  • f Six Mile Creek, 2004-2016, is 2.5 mg/L/year
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Sample

  • Water samples are collected by teams of volunteers once a

month.

Analyze

  • Volunteers analyze samples in the field and

record results on field data sheets.

Review

  • Volunteers mail or deliver their field data

sheets to the CSI lab where results and quality controls are reviewed by CSI staff.

Database

  • After review, results are entered into

CSI’s online public database by CSI staff, provided data quality objectives are met.

Red Flag Monitoring Process

  • www. database.communityscience.org

Three Volunteer Water Monitoring Programs

  • Red Flag Monitoring
  • Stream samples are collected and

tested in the field for five analytes monthly using portable kits and meters.

  • T

emperature

  • pH
  • Conductivity
  • T
  • tal Hardness
  • Dissolved Oxygen
  • Goal is to establish baseline water

quality and monitor for possible impacts including “hydrofracking.”

  • Volunteers also collect nutrient samples

twice a year and send them to the CSI lab for certified analyses of total phosphorus, NOx, and ammonia.

  • Most Red Flag sites lie within the

Chesapeake Bay watershed.

CSI Monitoring Programs – Red Flag Monitoring

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Three Volunteer Water Monitoring Programs

  • Red Flag Monitoring
  • Stream samples are collected and

tested in the field for five analytes monthly using portable kits and meters.

  • T

emperature

  • pH
  • Conductivity
  • T
  • tal Hardness
  • Dissolved Oxygen
  • Goal is to establish baseline water

quality and monitor for possible impacts including “hydrofracking.”

  • Volunteers also collect nutrient samples

twice a year and send them to the CSI lab for certified analyses of total phosphorus, NOx, and ammonia.

  • Most Red Flag sites lie within the

Chesapeake Bay watershed.

CSI Monitoring Programs – Red Flag Monitoring

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Three Volunteer Water Monitoring Programs

  • Red Flag Monitoring
  • Stream samples are collected and

tested in the field for five analytes monthly using portable kits and meters.

  • T

emperature

  • pH
  • Conductivity
  • T
  • tal Hardness
  • Dissolved Oxygen

Red Flag Monitoring –

y = 2.4047x + 10.702 R² = 0.9419 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 50 100 150 200 250 Conductivity (S/cm) Total Hardness (mg/L)

Correlation

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Seasonality Index Month 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 1/1/2012 1/1/2013 1/1/2014 1/1/2015 1/1/2016 1/1/2017 Conductivity S/cm

Seasonality

Long term datasets yield unexpected results

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Three Volunteer Water Monitoring Programs

  • Red Flag Monitoring
  • Stream samples are collected and

tested in the field for five analytes monthly using portable kits and meters.

  • T

emperature

  • pH
  • Conductivity
  • T
  • tal Hardness
  • Dissolved Oxygen
  • Goal is to establish baseline water

quality and monitor for possible impacts including “hydrofracking.”

  • Volunteers also collect nutrient samples

twice a year and send them to the CSI lab for certified analyses of total phosphorus, NOx, and ammonia.

  • Most Red Flag sites lie within the

Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Red Flag Monitoring Results - Nutrients

Key:

  • TP < 10 g/L
  • TP > 10 and < 20 g/L
  • TP > 20 and < 30 g/L
  • TP > 30 and < 40 g/L
  • TP > 40 and < 50 g/L
  • TP > 50 g/L
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SLIDE 17

Three Volunteer Water Monitoring Programs

  • Biomonitoring
  • Volunteers collect a sample of

benthic macroinvertebrates and assess aquatic health based on the composition of the benthic community.

  • Provides a “birds-eye view” of water

quality and ecosystem health.

CSI Monitoring Programs – Biomonitoring

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SLIDE 18

Biomonitoring Process and Results

Collect Sample Preserve Sample Sub-sample Identify Organisms Calculate Metrics and BAP Publish Results

  • n CSI

Website Fall Creek –Ithaca Falls 5/14/15

42.453137N, 76.493173W

Upstream of Lake St bridge (downtown)

Total Family Richness

12.5

EPT Richness

6.5

Family Biotic Index

4.66

Percent Model Affinity

75%

Density

Orgs/sample

423

BAP Value

Biological Assessment Profile

7.4

Non-impacted Slightly impacted Moderately impacted Severely impacted

Three Volunteer Water Monitoring Programs

  • Biomonitoring
  • Volunteers collect a sample of

benthic macroinvertebrates and assess aquatic health based on the biodiversity of the sample.

  • Provides a “birds-eye view” of water

quality and ecosystem health.

CSI Monitoring Programs – Biomonitoring

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Outreach and Data Dissemination

CSI partners with community-based volunteer groups to better understand and protect local streams and lakes by collecting and disseminating scientifically credible, regulatory- quality data that inform long-term, sustainable management strategies.

  • Public
  • User friendly
  • Interactive and Searchable
  • Downloadable Data
  • database.communityscience.org
  • Website
  • Public education forums
  • Newsletters
  • 4-H2O

Youth Program

  • Social Media
  • Summarize past year’s

activities

  • Summarize insights
  • Consider future

endeavors

  • Meetings
  • Event Collaboration
  • Collective thinking
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Highlights in Outreach – Public Forums

Purpose of Holding Public Forums

  • Spread awareness and disseminate regional water

quality data

  • Encourage community engagement and productive

dialogue concerning water quality and sustainability of regional water resources

  • Foster environmental stewardship
  • Inspire participation in the scientific process
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Highlights in Outreach – 4-H2O

 Taking steps to nurture the next generation of scientists and environmental stewards

4-H2O Youth Education Program

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Highlights in Outreach – Social Media

@CSIwater communityscienceinstitute Community Science Institute

Follow us!

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Looking Ahead – HABs Monitoring Program

Weekly shoreline survey by “HABs Harriers” HABs reporting Hotline system

2018 Cayuga Lake Volunteer HABs Monitoring Program

  • Volunteers are trained in HABs collection
  • Volunteers survey assigned shoreline zones
  • Collect samples of any observed SABs and

transport to CSI lab for testing

  • The general public can report suspicious algal

blooms to habs@cayugalake.org

  • Volunteers follow-up on report, collect

sample, and bring sample to CSI lab for testing.

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The Community Science Institute

Partnering with communities to protect water since 2002

283 Langmuir Lab 95 Brown Rd/STE 1044 Ithaca, NY 14850 Phone/Fax: 607-257-6606 info@communityscience.org www.communityscience.org