ACWI May 1999 Attachment 3, p 6

NATIONAL WATER QUALITY MONITORING COUNCIL

Working Together for Clean Water

GOAL I
Water Information Strategies
Define/promote goal-oriented monitoring, by proposing strategies for

sampling - data analysis
interpretation - reporting

to support evolving information needs of water quality management

GOAL 2
Data Methods & Comparability
· Provide a framework and forum for:
- comparing - evaluating - promoting
methods that produce data that can be compared between water-quality monitoring programs

Goal 3
Institutional Collaboration
· Build/support creative partnership
· to foster collaboration among the water monitoring community

state/local govt. - tribes - universities - volunteer groups
property owners - private sector - other stakeholders

Goal 4
Data Management & Access
· Identify, evaluate, share information
- on data management approaches
- methods of data access
· to make water-quality monitoring information accessible and usable
· through standard data formats and data transfer protocols

Goal 5
Public Awareness & Stakeholder Outreach
Provide guidance to Council to serve as ambassadors to improve
awareness and value of monitoring

Assist with techniques to announce - distribute - promote products for monitoring groups

Goal 6
Ground Water Focus

Provide - information - advice - recommendations necessary to improve and enhance coordination and use of consistent and scientifically defensible methods and strategies for monitoring ground water quality

FOCUS ON COLLABORATION AND COMPARABILITY
METHODS & DATA COMPARABILITY BOARD

The Board is a FACA committee that provides the framework and forum for comparing, evaluating, and promoting approaches that can be implemented in all appropriate water-quality monitoring programs

Objectives of Presentation
· Seek support and advocacy of PBMS* position paper
· Provide report on Board evaluation of the accreditation of Federal laboratories

        and seek support
                                        * Performance-Based Methods System

CWAP roles assigned to the Council and the MDCB

By the year 2000, compare sampling and laboratory methods and protocols leading to performance based acceptable methods PBMS Position Paper Andy Eaton, Workgroup Chair Represents first step in meeting the CWAP* requirements:
* Clean Water Action Plan
* Performance-Based Methods System

What is PBMS?
A performance based system permits the use of any scientifically appropriate method that demonstrates the ability to meet established performance criteria and complies with specified data quality needs or requirements

What Will PBMS Do?

· Enhance data comparability among monitoring programs and databases to help provide data of known quality
· Encourage the implementation of better and/or more cost effective methods and technologies

Key Components of PBMS
· Establish measurement or data quality objectives (MQOs and DQOs)
· Demonstrate that methods can meet MQOs, DQO, and regulatory limits
· Provide adequate reference materials
· Document method performance
· Conduct pilot studies to demonstrate viability of approach..

Board Request
Advocate and support the development of the PBMS process
· Assist in distribution of paper
· Volunteer to assist in meeting CWAP requirements -- includes pilot studies
· Assist in evaluating existing data that meet PBMS requirements

ACCREDITATION WORKGROUP HAROLD ARDOUREL, CHAIR

Objective
- Develop position paper to provide guidance on national accreditation for Federal Labs doing water-testing
- National accreditation is the foundation for uniform, comparable data
> Minimizes duplication of effort
> Meet States requirements for data quality issues
> Data sufficient quality that to be shared with
> Applicable for ambient water-quality monitoring as well as
compliance monitoring activities using a PBMS approach

Recommendations
· Federal Laboratories seek national accreditation for water testing laboratories in order to produce uniform, comparable data shared among many users.
· NELAP accreditation seems to meet the requirements of the Board and will be examined with the other programs.
· USGS National Water Quality Laboratory is seeking NELAP accreditation from the State of Colorado in July 1999

Request of ACWI
The Board asks for support from ACWI in promoting national accreditation of Federal water-testing laboratories.

NATIONAL WATER QUALITY MONITORING COUNCIL CONFERENCE PLANNING

Goal #5: Public Awarences and Stakeholder Outreach
Objective B4, Task 4:
"Co-sponsor National Water Quality Monitoring Conference..."

The 1998 1st National Monitoring Conference
"Monitoring: Critical Foundations to Protect Our Waters" · Reno, Nevada - July 7-9,1998
· 429 Attended
· Co-Sponsored by: - National Water Quality Monitoring Council - Ground Water Protection Council

Four Conference Tracks
30 sessions, up to 6 concurrent, each with 2-4 speakers
A: Monitoring Design Strategies
B: Methodology & Information Sharing
C: Indicators and Reference Conditions
D: Linking Monitoring to Environmental Management

Conference Format
· Each session had 45 mitt presentations, 45 min discussion focussing on recommendations to NWQMC
  · Session Recommendations Merged
  · Track Recommendations Structured as:
    - Guidance to the Monitoring Council
    - and the Monitoring Council Work Plan

Common Conference Issues
· Comparable Methods and Protocols
· Guidance on Sampling Methods and
· Outreach and Education
· Evaluate Existing Work on Multi
· Funding Issues

Examples of Conference Recommendations
The Council Should:
    · Issue Guidance on Monitoring
    · Foster Multi-dimensional Approach
    · Support Establishment of State Councils
    · Facilitate Guidance for Reference
'98 Conference Goals
    Council Assessment
    - The Conference Was A Success
    - Plan Monitoring Conference for year 2000
    - Formulate Council Work Plan to Address
      Many of the Issues Raised

Monitoring for the Millennium
April 25-27, 2000
Austin, Texas
Hyatt Regency on Town Lake
     - 300 rooms available
     - 23,000 sq. ft meeting space
     - overflow options within walking distance

Monitoring for the Millennium
Sponsors: NWQMC, GWPC
Conference Planning Committee:
- Ground Water Protection Council - logistics, mailings, registration, facility
- Tetra Tech - technical support for planning committee - content/structure, agenda
- NWQMC Planning Committee
     - 15 members, from 6 goal groups
     - decide on sessions,
     - review papers

Monitoring for the Millennium
Website
nwqmc.site.net
(launched 5/13/99)

Monitoring for the Millennium
2 separate Calls for Papers
first going out May 15
Mailing List - 64,000 (!)
· GWPC- 25,000 Volunteer Monitor newsletter - 11,000
· Water Environment Fed - 15,000
· USGS - 5,000
· TVA - 4,000
· EPA - 200 (regional staff)
· others < lOO's

Monitoring for the Millennium
Overarching Questions (5)

What is the condition of the Nation's waters?
Where, how, and why are water-quality conditions changing?
Where are the problems related to water-quality? What factors are causing these problems?
Are programs to prevent or remediate problems working effectively?
Are water-quality goals and standards being met?

Monitoring for the Millennium
· seeking fabulous plenary speaker(s)
· Concurrent Tracks (topic areas) <= 4
· maximum of 3 presentations per session · ample time for discussion
· hold half day technical training workshops · field trips
· may overlap with National Volunteer Monitoring Conference

Call for Papers
Abstracts (due 911/99)
Six topic areas corresponding to 6 Council Work Groups and Goals Water Information Strategies
    · Data Collection Methods and Comparability
    · Institutional Collaborations
    · Data Management and Accessibility
    · Public Awareness and Stakeholder Outreach
    · Monitoring Interactions Among Watershed Components

Monitoring for the Millennium
What's Happening with my Paper?
· All abstracts to Tetra Tech
· categorize according to topic area
· subcommittee (NWQMC goal groups) for each topic area will review abstracts
· assigned to sessions
· will have poster session

Monitoring for the Millennium
Expected attendance - 500

CLEAN WATER ACTION PLAN Clean Water Action Plan
· A Commitment to Further Progress in Watershed Restoration and Pollution Control
· As many as 20 Key Actions Relate to Monitoring and Water Quality
· The Council is - Responsible for 3 Major Key Actions - Interested in all Monitoring elements
· EPA has Funded the Council's Basic CWAP Obligations

The National Water Quality Monitoring Council's Three Major Key Actions
· #87: Consistent Indicators / Sampling / Lab Protocols
· #88: Report on Polluted Runoff Monitoring and Assessment
· #91: Point Source Monitoring / Reporting

Consistent Indicators /Sampling / Lab Protocols
· Methods and Data Comparability Board
- PBMS Recommended Position
       · Data / Metadata Elements
- Compendium of Analytic Methods
      · Review of Biological / Microbiological Methods
      · Review of Nutrient Methods
      - Laboratory Accreditation Recommendations

Report on Polluted Runoff Monitoring and Models Responsibility
· Council Water Information Strategies Work Group will:
- Establish and Communicate Monitoring Design Frameworks
· Explore Placing a General Monitoring System Design Checklist on the lnternet
- Will Use Existing and Planned Work

Point Source Monitoring and Reporting
· Better Reporting Will Refine Estimates of Pollution Loads From Point Sources
· Reporting Seen as a Part of a System of Watershed Accounting
· EPA Work Groups Defining Needs: - Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia - Refinement of the USGS SPARROW Model
· EPA will soon explore how its NPDES regulatory program might alter reporting
· National Council guidance will be sought

WICP/ACWI Home Page http://water.usgs.gov/wicp/

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

NATIONAL WATER QUALITY MONITORING COUNCIL

FOCUS ON COLLABORATION AND COMPARABILITY METHODS & DATA COMPARABILITY BOARD

ACCREDITATION WORKGROUP HAROLD ARDOUREL, CHAIR

FOCUS ON COLLABORATION AND COMPARABILITY
METHODS & DATA COMPARABILITY BOARD