Water Monitoring Conference 2010 Abstracts

Abstracts of 2010 Water Monitoring Conference

Link to the full PowerPoint presentation by clicking on abstract titles below.

Harmful Algal Blooms: Testing and Surveillance in Iowa and Part 2
Peg Buman and Eric O’Brien

Freshwater cyanobacteria periodically accumulate into what are known as cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms and can lead to a reduction in the number of individuals who engage in recreational activities in lakes and reservoirs, degrade aquatic habitats, and potentially impact human health. Published research dating back to as early as 1953 noted toxic algae in Iowa waters. Microcystin toxin is released from cyanobacteria. Generally, microcystins concentrations are low, but areas of concentrated scum can have elevated levels of toxin. More recent research conducted between 1998 through 2007 has shown microcystin concentrations as high as 18,000 µg/L (Graham, 2008). The Iowa Department of Natural Resources also conducted a collaborative epidemiological study in 2005 which showed strong relationships between microcystin levels and human health effects (Wichman, et al 2006). In response to this ongoing concern about exposure to cyanobacteria and microcystin toxin, in 2009 the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources began a program monitoring recreational waters for the presence of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms and microcystin toxin and a surveillance program collecting information from confirmed cases of exposure to microcystin. The state of Iowa’s surveillance program is part of a national surveillance program coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The program aims to expand monitoring for cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms and associated toxins to stream sites and additional lake sites in the future.

Algal and Snail Bioaccumulation of Antimicrobial Agents within Receiving Streams
Melinda Coogan

Freshwater snail grazing promotes nutrient turnover in algal communities. Grazed algal compartments may include antimicrobial agents and metabolites, such as triclocarban (TCC), triclosan (TCS), and methyl-triclosan (M-TCS), which are incompletely removed by wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) processing. This study quantifies snail bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) for TCC, TCS, and M-TCS at the outfall of Pecan Creek, the receiving stream for the City of Denton, Texas WWTP. Helisoma trivolvis (Say) is ubiquitous and thrives under standard laboratory conditions, which lead to its choice for this bioaccumulation study in conjunction with Cladophora spp. Along with providing substrate for epiphytic growth, Cladophora spp. provide a source of food and shelter for H. trivolvis. After being caged for two weeks, algae and snails were collected from the WWTP outfall, along with water column samples, and analyzed by isotope dilution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for TCS and M-TCS and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry for TCC. Algal and snail samples were analyzed before exposure and found to be below practical quantitation limits for all antimicrobial agents. Triclocarban, TCS, and M-TCS in water samples were at low ppt concentrations of 40 to 200 ng/L. Triclocarban, TCS, and M-TCS in caged snail samples were elevated to low ppb concentrations of 50 to 300 ng/g fresh weight and in caged algal samples were elevated to low ppb concentrations of 50 to 400 ng/g fresh weight. Resulting snail and algal BAFs were approximately three orders of magnitude, which supports rapid bioaccumulation among algae and adult caged snails at this receiving stream outfall. Results further support TCC, TCS, and M-TCS as good candidate marker compounds for evaluation of environmental distribution of trace WWTP contaminants.

Human-specific Viruses in Urban and Rural Streams: Hydrologic and Seasonal Patterns of Wastewater Influence
Steven Corsi
Peter E. Hughes, U. S. Geological Survey; Mark A. Borchardt, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation; Susan K. Spencer, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation; Chris Magruder, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District

Viruses are the cause of many waterborne diseases contracted from fecal-contaminated waters. Collection of samples that properly represent virus concentrations throughout relevant hydrologic periods has historically been difficult due to the large water volume collection and filtration that is required for virus analysis. During this project, an automated process control system was developed to allow for unattended large-volume virus sample collection and filtration over extended duration sampling periods. Surface water was pumped through the system at specified rates, and pH was monitored and modified to levels that optimize virus recovery within the filter. A pre-filter was used to remove large solids and a glass-wool filter was used for removal of viruses in the water stream. Internal pressure was monitored for assessment of filter blockage and flow was switched to a second filter when necessary. This automated sampling system was triggered to begin and end sampling through telemetry and programmed to collect flow- or time-weighted composite samples. Results from virus analyses provided event-mean concentrations of adenoviruses, enteroviruses, rotavirus, hepatitis-A virus, and noroviruses. Sample volumes were from 56 to 2,800 liters of water filtered through an individual filter. Each of the viruses was detected at least one time in two years of data collection from three different sampling locations. Identification and quantitation of specific viruses were conducted by real time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and TaqMan probe. The inhibition levels to the RT-PCR reactions due to the elevated level of naturally occurring compounds in stormwater samples were evaluated with an inhibition control in every sample. Samples that were RT-PCR positive for enteroviruses and adenoviruses were further analyzed for infective virions by integrated cell culture-PCR. Monitoring locations within the Milwaukee River system included an urban subwatershed, a rural subwatershed, and the Milwaukee River at the mouth. Sample results indicated virus presence in 63% of precipitation and snowmelt runoff samples, and 20% of low-flow samples. Overall occurrence at individual monitoring locations varied from 40 to 61%. Infectivity was confirmed in 24% of the adenovirus and enterovirus-positive runoff samples, while none of the low-flow samples were confirmed to be infective.

Changes in Nutrients due to Constructed Wetlands and Catchment Basins in Hickory Hills Park, Iowa
Chad Fields

The Hickory Hills Water Monitoring Project was a joint effort between the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Hawkeye Community College, and the Tama Soil and Water Conservation District. Three major tributaries to Casey Lake in Hickory Hills Park were monitored from 2005 to 2008 for changes in water quality due to three distinct best management practices (BMPs). Each tributary was monitored for Total Nitrogen, Total Phosphorus, E. coli, and Total Suspended Solids. Results show that each BMP reduced at least two of the four water quality variables. Results also indicate that although all structures were effective in removing measured variables, the 72-hr retention pond had the largest improvements in water quality. Although installed BMPs were effective in nutrient and sediment removal, the effective lifespan of these structures might be less than two decades due to fill by sediment and organic material.

Water Monitoring in the Upper Iowa River Watershed - A Unique Watershed, A Unique Partnership
Lora Friest

Recent Status and Trends of Selected Resources of the Upper Mississippi River System
Barry Johnson

The Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) has operated on the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS, Mississippi and Illinois Rivers) since 1988, collecting data on resource components across the range of environmental conditions that exist on the River. In 2008, the LTRMP produced a summary of the recent status and trends in selected indicators of the ecological condition of the UMRS based on Program data. For this report, scientists and partners within LTRMP identified 24 potential ecosystem indicators. These indicators were chosen because they relate to many of the primary resource problems or outcomes important to managers. The indicators were grouped into seven categories: hydrology, sedimentation, water quality, land cover, aquatic vegetation, invertebrates, and fish. Each indicator is evaluated for status across locations and for trends over time, with estimates of uncertainty when possible. Taken together, these indicators document ecological stress in all parts of the system, but show a gradient of river health ranging from a relatively healthy system in the northern reaches, to one that is much less healthy in the south. A positive note is that, compared to many of the world’s temperate-zone rivers, many parts of the UMRS still retain the underlying features identified with river ecosystem integrity, such as a fairly natural discharge regime, ability to move sediments through most dams, a nearly complete species complex, and fairly good water quality. These features are most evident in the Upper Impounded Reach where habitat diversity is greatest and the river maintains more of its connection to the floodplain. Comparing among reaches, suspended solids are consistently high in lower reaches, aquatic vegetation is virtually absent from the lower reaches, aquatic invertebrates associated with soft sediments are less abundant in lower reaches, and the percentage of fish biomass accounted for by non-natives is high system-wide, but is declining (i.e., improving) in the upper reaches. Sedimentation and nutrient levels are a problem throughout much of the system. Rehabilitating the system will require effort in all parts of the system, however, the challenges appear to be more daunting in the lower reaches because many of the stressors and drivers are more highly modified there.

Biological Impairments and Stressor Identification in Iowa
Jennifer Kurth

The Stressor Identification process was developed by the EPA for use on biological impairments and entails critically reviewing available information, developing stressor scenarios that might explain the impairment, analyzing those scenarios, and identifying which stressor(s) significantly contribute to the impairment. What does this mean and how is it applied in Iowa? What is a biological impairment? Answers to these questions and more, as well as a case study from Silver Creek, Clayton County.

Natural Flows: A History of Water and Nature in Iowa
Connie Mutel

For thousands of years, the land we now call Iowa was the paradigm of sustainability and ecological integrity. Our many thousands of native species were well adapted to one another and to the rigorous prairie environment. That situation has changed dramatically in the past 200 years, as Iowa rapidly became the most ecologically transformed state in the Union. The result: Today we wonder about the health and sustainability of our agricultural systems and soils, nature’s functions, and native species and communities. Connie Mutel will trace the history of these dramatic changes, comparing our land’s hydrology in the past with that of today. Water’s flow will be related to concepts of “ecosystem goods and services” – the sustenance of life on earth, with special emphasis on the floods of 2008.

Restoring the Water Commons: Smart, Clean, and Green Infrastructure
Valerie Nelson

Traditional water management has relied on a low-tech, industrial-scale engineering and economic model mostly developed in the 1800’s. With a goal of public health protection, big pipe systems were built to transport clean water into and wastewater out of urban neighborhoods. This model which produced important health and ecological gains for our communities has also shown a down side. In recent years, a concern has been growing that this “paradigm” of big-pipe water management is not sustainable, both from a natural resource and an economic perspective. The appropriation of huge volumes of water from the ecosystem and its release as partially-treated effluent into rivers, lakes, and oceans has been increasingly disruptive to those ecosystems. Population growth, climate change, agricultural practices, energy and other practices will challenge this approach further. An emerging paradigm relies instead on design principles found in nature: in particular, integrated systems, efficiency and reuse, and adaptation to local context. Many of the new high-performance treatment technologies, such as membranes, “mimic” biological and chemical designs that scientists are discovering in nature (biomimicry). Just as recently found in the energy arena, there are alternative approaches that can restore natural resource patterns and functions found across a landscape. These new design approaches create a wealth of services and benefits at the local level and can help restore the ecological and societal well-being of the global Commons as well.

The use of Local Stormwater Monitoring in Conjunction with the National Stormwater Quality Database
Robert Pitt

The University of Alabama and the Center for Watershed Protection were awarded a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water 104(b)3 grant in 2001 to collect and evaluate stormwater data from a portion of the NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) MS4 (municipal separate storm sewer system) stormwater permit holders. Version 3 of this database has recently been completed under continued 104(b)3 support from the EPA. The NSQD, along with several review papers, is located at: http://unix.eng.ua.edu/~rpitt/Research/ms4/mainms4.shtml These stormwater quality data and site descriptions were collected and extensively reviewed to provide guidance for future sampling needs, and to enhance local stormwater management activities in areas having limited data. This project created a national database of stormwater monitoring data collected as part of the existing stormwater permit program, providing a scientific analysis of the data, and providing recommendations for improving the quality and management value of future NPDES monitoring efforts. Version 3 contains data from more than 8,500 events from about 100 municipalities throughout the country, representing several land uses. Land use has an important impact on the quality of stormwater. Even if there are significant differences in the median concentrations by the land uses, the range of the concentrations within single land uses can still be quite large. The freeways sites had the highest reported TSS, COD, and oil and grease concentrations. In contrast to the conventional constituents, dissolved and total phosphorus have the highest concentrations in residential land uses. The median ammonia concentration in freeway stormwater is almost three times the median concentration observed in residential and open space land uses, while freeways have the lowest orthophosphate and nitrite-nitrate concentrations; almost half of the concentration levels that were observed in industrial land uses. As expected, open space and residential land uses have the lowest median concentrations for heavy metals. In almost all cases, the median metal concentrations at the industrial areas were about three times the median concentrations observed in open space and residential areas. The highest lead and zinc concentrations were found in industrial land uses, while the highest median copper concentrations were observed at freeways sites. When the National Stormwater Quality Database (NSQD) is completed (populated with most of the NPDES stormwater monitoring data), the continued collection of outfall stormwater quality data in the U.S. for basic characterization purposes may have limited use. Some communities may have obviously unusual conditions, or adequate data may not be available in their region. In these conditions, outfall monitoring may be needed. However, stormwater monitoring will continue to be needed for other purposes in many areas having, or anticipating, active stormwater management programs (especially when supplemented with other biological, physical, and hydrologic monitoring components). These new monitoring programs should be designed specifically for additional objectives, beyond basic characterization. These objectives may include receiving water assessments to understand local problems, source area monitoring to identify critical sources of stormwater pollutants, treatability tests to verify the performance of stormwater controls for local conditions, and assessment monitoring to verify the success of the local stormwater management approach (including model calibration and verification). In many cases, the resources being spent for outfall monitoring could be more effectively spent to better understand many of these other aspects of an effective stormwater management program.

How Floodplains are Supposed to Work: Water and Nutrient Processing at the Swamp White Oak Preserve, Lower Cedar River, Iowa
Keith Schilling
Peter Jacobson, Grinnell College, IA

Intensive urban development and agricultural utilization have reduced the potential for water and nutrient processing to occur on floodplains. We are investigating how floodplains are supposed to work at The Nature Conservancy’s Swamp White Oak (SWO) Preserve located on the floodplain of the Cedar River in Muscatine County, Iowa. The SWO site is typical of undisturbed floodplains where vegetation and floodplain topography is largely preserved in a native state. The rare floodplain savanna is characterized by alluvial, often sandy soils, high water tables, and an overstory vegetation dominated by Quercus bicolor (Swamp white oak), Q. macrocarpa (Bur oak) and Q. velutina (Black oak) and sand prairie species in the understory. Hydrologic investigation during non-flood and flood periods was initiated at the site in 2004 to characterize spatial and temporal patterns of water and nutrient processing in shallow groundwater beneath the lowland oak savanna. Water samples were collected from water table wells, well points, ponds and the Cedar River on numerous occasions from 2005 to 2008 and the water samples were analyzed for a range of water quality parameters, including N-series, phosphorus and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The water table was observed to range approximately two to four feet below ground surface and it fluctuated in response to stream stage, plant water demand and rainfall inputs. Diurnal water table fluctuations were observed from May to September in response to plant transpiration and analysis suggested that the oak savanna has a daily plant water demand of about 4-7 mm day-1 during the growing season. Water quality results indicated that the shallow groundwater beneath the preserve is of higher quality compared to the adjacent Cedar River. Average concentrations of nitrate-nitrogen and phosphorus were 0.3 and 0.07 mg/l, respectively, in SWO groundwater, and 8.2 and 0.12 mg/l in the Cedar River. However, within the preserve, groundwater quality varied significantly under the ridge and swale topography. High resolution topography (LIDAR) and surface geophysical surveys suggests that the complex microtopography of the floodplain may greatly influence the spatial and temporal dynamics of surface water inundation, sediment deposition and groundwater geochemistry. Groundwater beneath sand-dominated ridges had less dissolved solids and was aerobic, whereas beneath fine-textured swales, groundwater more mineralized and anaerobic, containing higher concentrations of ammonium, phosphorus and DOC. In 2008, a series of floods covered the SWO site and monitoring was focused on evaluating the ability of the floodplain to process water and nutrients delivered with the flood pulse. Continuous water quality monitoring with a YSI multiprobe along with intermittent sampling documented how quickly the floodplain system can process flood water and nutrient loads and return to background conditions. Overall our work at the SWO site has shown that floodplains in their native state provide important ecosystem services in watersheds by processing water and nutrients during both flood and non-flood periods.

Landowners’ Perceptions of Storm Water Quality Issues
Kathy Scholl

As public debate surrounding land use and preservation issues increases, insight into landowner awareness, concerns and attitudes becomes increasingly important. This study focuses on the extent to which an attitude-behavior model of environmental behavior explains individual landowner behavior. The findings of this study reveal that a landowner’s environmental perspective is associated with and possibly influences specific environmental attitudes and concerns about water quality of a local watershed. This study specifically suggests that, depending on landowners’ environmental beliefs and values of the biological and the physical world, they will differ in (1) their awareness, concerns and attitudes towards local water quality issues, and (2) their interest and willingness to participate in and implement conservation management practices.

Regional Climate Trends and Observation: Some Hydrologic Implications
Mark Seeley

Analysis of climate data over recent decades reveals a number of significant trends across the Western Great Lakes Region. Among these are: (1) warmer temperatures with distinct seasonality bias, as well as asymmetric shifts in daytime and nighttime values; (2) higher frequency of tropical-like dewpoints (atmospheric water vapor) in the growing season; and (3) amplified precipitation variability, general increases in annual precipitation, and larger contribution from thunderstorm rainfalls. These climatic trends have resulted in observed consequence on the regional hydrologic attributes (some illustrations will be shown). Adaptation to these climate trends remains a challenge partially obstructed by the lack of widespread climate literacy, realistic discussion of vulnerabilities to climate, and distortions of climate science by popular culture.

10 Years of IOWATER Monitoring -- What the Data Tell Us
Lynette Seigley

For the past 10 years, IOWATER volunteers have monitored streams and lakes statewide to assess the chemical, physical, biological, and habitat quality of those sites. Secchi depths at lakes indicated that many lakes had poor water transparency, a condition often associated with high levels of nutrients and algal blooms. IOWATER biological data indicated that the benthic macroinvertebrate population statewide is diversified, as 23% of the organisms were high quality, 53% middle quality, and 24% were low quality. As for the chemical/physical data, the majority of IOWATER sites were sampled 10 or fewer times. Transparency overall was high, with a median of 50 centimeters. Chloride concentrations were generally low (<50 mg/L). Chloride >100 mg/L tended to occur during the month of October, a low-flow time of year when point sources are most apparent. Phosphorus was present at relatively low concentrations, as 85% of the samples were at or below 0.2 mg/L. As phosphate levels increased from 0 to 1 mg/L, so did chloride. Nitrate and nitrite nitrogen were variable, with a median of 2 mg/L for nitrate and 0 mg/L for nitrite. For the majority of sites, dissolved oxygen was 8 mg/L or higher and low levels tended to be a rare occurrence. Low dissolved oxygen levels (<5 mg/L) occurred most frequently from July through October when stream flow was low and water temperatures were at their highest. To see all of the recent IOWATER Biological, Bacteria, Chemical/Physical, and Standing Waters Reports which include in-depth data analysis and figures, please visit www.iowater.net/Publications/StatusReports.htm

Ten years of IOWATER monitoring have also identified some water quality problems, and through the efforts of the volunteers monitoring those sites, the problems were addressed. Some examples of those efforts will be presented during this presentation.

New Tools and Methods to Reduce Solids Stratification Bias in Stormwater Samples
Bill Selbig

Sand-size particles (greater than 63 micrometers) in urban stormwater runoff have the potential to produce substantial bias and/or poor precision during sample collection, processing and laboratory analysis due to their tendency to settle through the water column quicker than smaller particles. New methods have been developed that attempt to overcome some of the limitations associated with sample splitting and analyzing urban stormwater runoff samples containing sand-sized particles. Physical removal of solid-phase material greater than 125 micrometers by wet sieving has increased the efficiency of commonly used sample splitting devices such as churn splitters. Once separated, the sieved solids and remaining aqueous samples can be analyzed for sediment-associated constituent concentrations, such as trace metals, by digesting the entire sample, rather than an aliquot of the sample. These techniques have improved the accuracy of sediment and sediment-associated constituent concentrations in urban stormwater runoff. However, errors associated with the sample collection process have largely been ignored. Typical autosamplers use suction from a fixed point making it challenging to adequately represent the range of sediment concentrations transported in storm sewers. The U.S. Geological Survey is currently developing a prototype sampler intake that will automatically adjust its position in a storm sewer to allow sample collection at any depth in the water column. This prototype will limit bias introduced with fixed-point sampling and will allow the sub-sampling of the heterogeneous gradient of solid-phase material transported in a storm sewer ranging from coarse particles that concentrate near the pipe floor to particles of low specific density, such as organic detritus, that tend to float near the surface.

The Floods of 2008: The New Normal?
Mary Skopec & Rob Middlemis-Brown

The Iowa Statewide Rural Well Water Survey Phase 2 (SWRL2): Emerging Water Quality Concerns
Pete Weyer

An estimated 340,000 Iowans use private wells for drinking water; private wells are not regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. We conducted a three year survey (2006–08: Iowa Statewide Rural Well Water Survey Phase 2 – SWRL2) of private wells in Iowa as a follow-up to the original SWRL (1988–89), which found widespread problems with nitrate and bacteria contamination across the state. SWRL2 objectives were to assess trends in water quality since 1988–89 and to develop a baseline of information on emerging contaminants, including arsenic and herbicide degradates. SWRL2 sampled a total of 473 wells in 91 counties; water samples were analyzed for bacteria, nutrients, pesticides and degradates, metals, and other parameters. Continuing problems with nitrate and bacteria were identified in some regions, strongly related to well depth. About 48% of wells had arsenic detections, with 8% having arsenic ≥ 10 ppb, EPA’s drinking water standard for public water. Wells with arsenic ≥ 10 ppb were detected in 30 different counties. While the parent compounds acetochlor, alachlor and metolachlor were found in <2% of wells, their degradates were much more prevalent (acetochlor ESA: 11%, alachlor ESA: 27%, metolachlor ESA: 33%). Arsenic is a known carcinogen, the toxicity of herbicide degradates is not well known. Possible health implications for well owners and recommendations based on SWRL2 results will be presented.

Nutrient Criteria Development for the Protection of Iowa’s Stream Aquatic Life
Tom Wilton

Nutrient enrichment of surface waters is one of the most difficult water quality problems that Iowa must confront. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently began work to establish nutrient standards for the protection of stream aquatic life. A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) will develop science-based recommendations to guide the DNR in setting appropriate standards. An overview of the stream nutrient criteria development process will be presented.