TECHNICAL APPENDIX B

FRAMEWORK FOR A WATER-QUALITY-MONITORING PROGRAM

Water-quality monitoring is a critical support for any water-management program. In this framework, water-quality monitoring is defined as "an integrated activity for evaluating the physical, chemical, and biological character of water in relation to human health, ecological conditions, and designated water uses." It includes the monitoring of rivers, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, coastal water, atmospheric precipitation, wetlands, and ground water. Without correct information, the state of the Nation's water resources cannot be assessed, effective preservation and remediation programs cannot be run, and program success cannot be evaluated. To help water managers of programs of all levels from national to local collect data that will be shared and useful for meeting multiple objectives at all levels, the ITFM sets forth the following framework for monitoring programs.

Water-quality monitoring can be grouped into the following general purposes:

Although monitoring may vary in kind or intensity among the five purposes, they share a common design framework and the implementation steps outlined below.

In designing the implementing monitoring programs for surface and ground waters, it is vital to take into consideration the differences in the spatial and temporal characteristics, as well as the accessibility to monitoring of each of the resources. Equally important to the success of a program is the formulation and implementation of an effective data-management system and effective methods of communication and information exchange among collaborators, customers, and the general public.

I. Purpose
A. Purposes and expectations--Identify general purposes and expectations for the monitoring program.
B. Specific program purposes--To the degree possible, identify the specific purposes of the monitoring program.
C. Share purposes--Determine if other data collectors and users have similar purposes that may influence other monitoring programs.
D. Customers--Who needs the data or information and for what reason? Determine if other agencies share the same purposes and if they can effectively combine resources.
E. Boundaries and timeframes--Identify general geographic boundaries and timeframes to the monitoring program
F. Environmental indicators--Chose environmental indicators to measure the achievement of identified program purposes.
II. Coordinate/collaborate.
A. Establish working Rrlations--Establish a working relation with Federal, State, Tribal, local, academic, and private agencies that collect and use water-quality information. If the agency has many programs, then integrate the individual monitoring programs into overall program goals.
B. Incorporate needs of others--If possible, incorporate needs of other agencies into the purposes of the program. Ensure the inclusion of data qualifiers with stored data so others know the accuracy and precision of the environmental data that was collected and analyzed
III. Design.
A. Existing environmental setting--Identify and describe the existing environmental setting, including its hydrology (surface and ground waters), biota, and resource use.
B. Existing water-quality problems--Evaluate existing information to depict the known or suspected surface- and ground-water-quality conditions, problems, or information gaps; provide a current conceptual understanding; and identify management concerns and alternatives.
C. Environmental indicators and data parameters--Determine the environmental indicators and habitat and related chemical, physical, biological, and ancillary data parameters to be monitored.
D. Reference conditions--Establish reference conditions for environmental indicators that can be monitored to provide a baseline water-quality assessment.
E. Data-quality objectives--Define the level of confidence needed, based on the data collected, to support testing management alternatives.
F. Data-set characteristics--Determine the basis for a monitoring design that will allow successful interpretation of the data at a resolution that meets project purposes. The basis for monitoring should include statistical reliability and geographic, geohydrologic, geochemical, biological, land use/land cover, and temporal variability.
G. Quality-assurance plan--Develop a quality-assurance plan (QA) plan that documents data accuracy and precision, representativeness of the data, completeness of the data set, and comparability of data relative to data collected by others.
H. Monitoring design--Develop a sampling design that could include fixed station, synoptic, event sampling, and intensive surveys; location of sites, such as a stratified random design; and physical, chemical, biological, and ancillary indicators.
I. Data-collection methods.--Develop sampling plans and identify standardized protocols and methods (performance based if possible) and document data to enable data comparison with other monitoring programs. Identify personnel and equipment needed
J. Timing--Describe the duration of the sampling program and the frequency and seasonality of sampling.
K. Field and laboratory analytical support--Identify field and laboratory protocols or performance-based methods, which include detection level, accuracy, precision turnaround time, and sample preservation.
L. Data management--Describe the data-management protocol, which includes data archiving, data sharing, and data security that can be followed. Ensure that all data includes metadata, such as location (latitude and longitude), date, time, and a description of collection and analytical methods, and QA data.
M. Training--As necessary, train staff to collect, manage, interpret, or present water-quality data and information.
N. Interpretation--Identify interpretative methods that are compatible with data being collected and program purposes.
O. Communications--Determine how data and interpretive information can be communicated; for example, press releases, public meetings, agency meetings, conferences, popular publications, agency reports, journal articles, and so forth.
P. Costs--Determine the program costs and sources of funding
Q. Iterative--Develop feedback mechanisms to fine-tune design.
IV. Implementation.
A. Establish and document sites--Construct wells, shelters, gage houses, staff gages, and other needed structures as needed in preparation for data collection;. document ancillary data for sites.
B. Collect data--Collect data according to monitoring design and protocols; coordinate with other agencies where appropriate.
C. Review results--Review data-collection activities to ensure that protocols and QA plan are being followed and that data is complete and meets stated purposes.
D. Store and manage data--Archive data in such a manner that the accuracy and precision are maintained.
E. Share data--Provide data for other agencies upon request.
F. Summarize data--Provide data-summary information to managers when applicable.
V. Interpretation.
A. Data reliability--Define the accuracy and precision of environmental data by using quality-control data.
B. Interpret data to meet stated purposes--Interpret the data, which include a description of the water-resources system, by using existing environmental and ancillary data to provide information useful to making water-quality-management decisions.
C. Statistical methods and model documentation--Use statistical packages and deterministic models that are well documented.
D. Management alternatives--Test management alternatives when they are known.
E. Coordinate interpretations--Consider management alternatives when interpreting data to meet the needs of collaborators and customers.
VI. Evaluate monitoring program.
A. Meet goals and objectives--Determine if monitoring program goals and objectives were met.
B. Identify problems--Identify any monitoring problems associated with collecting and analyzing samples; storing, disseminating, and interpreting data; and reporting the information to managers and the public.
C. Evaluate costs--Evaluate the costs of the monitoring program relative to other costs, such as clean up, lost environment, and product produced.
D. Feedback--Use results of evaluation monitoring program to identify current and future needs and activities of agencies and data users.
VII. Communication.
A. Coordinate--Participate in the distribution of information to and with other agencies.
B. Write and distribute technical reports--Describe current water-quality conditions, spatial distribution, temporal variability, source, cause, transport, fate, and effects of contaminants to humans, aquifers, and ecosystems as appropriate.
C. Communicate with multiple audiences--Write lay reports or executive summaries for nontechnical audiences and peer review reports for technical audiences.
D. Make presentations--Make presentations to assist management and the public in understanding the significance of results.
E. Make data available--Provide basic data for other data users as requested.

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Last modified: Fri Feb 8 14:11:59 EST 2002