CHAPTER 4 BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES AND SPECIES INTERACTION

1
Overview of theLower Fox RiverWatershedMonitori
ng ProgramKevin FermanichUW Green BayFWWA
Annual Research MeetingSeptember 12, 2003
2
Overall Project Goal

• Initiate and establish a long-term monitoring
  program that improves our ability to address
  watershed quality issues (water quality, habitat,
  etc.).

3
Primary Goal Water Quality and Load Monitoring
Components

• Compare relative contributions of phosphorus and
  suspended sediment between watersheds and source
  areas within the Lower Fox River subbasin and
  UF04 in the Upper Fox subbasin.

4
Current Partners

• UWGB
• UW Milwaukee
• Arjo Wiggins Appleton Inc.
• USGS
• GBMSD
• Oneida Tribe
• 5 High Schools
• County conservation departments

5
Major Project Elements

• Continuous Monitoring
• USGS, UW Milwaukee, UWGB, Oneidas, GBMSD
• Stream ecosystem monitoring
• UW Milwaukee Stream Ecology Group
• School-based monitoring

6
USGS Monitoring Stations

• Installed directly through project funds
• 3 USGS water years
• Oct. 03 through Sept. 06
• 4 stations
• Duck Creek at CTH FF
• Baird Creek at Superior Road (I-43)
• Apple Creek at CTH U (Campground)
• Ashwaubenon Creek at Creamery Road

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UW-Milwaukee Real-Time Monitoring

• YSI multi-parameter sondes
• Continuous stage height,
• turbidity,
• conductivity,
• temperature,
• pH,
• DO
• Fixed stations at 4 USGS sites, real-time
  accessible
• 4 remaining sondes installed elsewhere, locations
  to be determined

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Other USGS Stations

• Oneida Tribe/USGS
• Duck Creek at RR bridge in Howard
• GBMSD/USGS
• East River at Monroe Street
• (last operated 1985-86)
• USGS / DNR
• Bower Creek at CTH MM
• (last operated 91-94 96-97)

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Methods / Parameters

• Daily stage / flow
• Low-flow / baseflow samples during winter
• Refrigerated samples collected during 10 runoff
  events per year
• Analysis by GBMSD
• Total P, Dissolved P, TSS (SSC)
• ?? Nitrate-Nitrite, Ammonia, and TKN
• Rain gauge at 4 USGS sites
• TSS (SSC) correlation with turbidity
• USGS will compute daily Total P and sed. loads,
  and estimate dissolved P loads

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Objectives Water Quality and Load Monitoring

• Better understand cause/effect through event and
  continuous monitoring.
• Compare flow, P, and SSC concentrations and loads
  from different source areas (urban, urbanizing,
  rural/ag).
• Identify P sources at multiple spatial scales.
• Analyze trends for each site and relative changes
  between sites with time.
• Compare USGS load estimates to modeled loads for
  same periods.
• Assess validity of model.

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Baird Creek Land Use
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Ashwaubenon Creek Land Use
15
Duck Creek Land Use
16
Apple Creek Landuse
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East River Landuse
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Potential Supplementary Monitoring

• Baird Creek
• Compare rural and urbanizing conditions.
• Estimate urban loads from adjacent urban
  tributary.
• Urban BMP monitoring.
• Track DPTP from farm, channel, and stream using
  targeted sampling throughout flow path.
• Explore if turbidity can be used as a predictor
  of sediment load and to improve sampling
  efficiency.

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School-Based Monitoring Program

• Four Watersheds / Five Schools
• Baird (Luxemburg-Casco / Green Bay West)
• Duck Creek (Green Bay Southwest)
• Apple Creek (Appleton East)
• Spring Brook UF04
• (Markesan)

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School-Based Monitoring Program Goals

• Structured to provide meaningful data that
• Can be used to develop a picture of existing
  conditions within and between watersheds.
  (Baseline)
• Provides a record of changing conditions over
  time (Trends)
• Can be used by students, teachers, scientists and
  managers to answer questions about watershed
  dynamics and integrity. (Cause and effect
  relationships)

21
Program Approach

• Modeled after a successful program in Oregon
• Standardized equipment and methods
• Annual and periodic
  training sessions
• QA/QC Protocols
• Comparison to real-time data from UWM and USGS
• Equipment calibration and maintenance by staff

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School-Based Parameters

• Physical Elements
• Temperature
• Turbidity (Clarity)
• Specific Conductance
• Streamflow

• Chemical Elements
• pH
• Dissolved Oxygen
• Soluble Reactive P
• Nitrate
• Ammonia

Habitat and Biotic Elements Habitat Macroinvertebr
ates Amphibians Birds
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How will the data be shared?

• Student Watershed Symposium
• Project Website
• www.uwgb.edu/watershed (in development)
• Integration of overall project elements
  (USGS, UWM, and school-based
  program)
• Online database
• Data review and quality criteria
• References and resources

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Open Issues

• Bower Creek when is the right time to revisit?
• How can the monitoring data be fully utilized?
• How can the data best be used to reach least-cost
  solutions to P sediment impacts within a
  dynamic subbasin?
• Where are the expertise and knowledge gaps?
• What grant opportunities should be pursued?
• UW Fox-Wolf Basin consortium?

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Questions?
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Objectives from Nutrient Grant RFP

• Identify and quantify P sources in the Fox-Wolf
  Basin with the greatest potential to contribute
  excess P
• Identify and quantify land management practices
  responsible for the greatest proportion of P
  export
• Determine how these practices and management
  activities can be altered to reduce P export
• Assess where limited resources for P remedial
  practices should be targeted.
• Determine the utility of the P risk index to
  identify the P critical sources
  areas in watersheds.