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2nd Annual Water Monitoring Conference:

Update on Iowa's Ambient Monitoring Program
Prairie High School Cedar Rapids, Iowa
March 28, 2002

8 - 9 a.m. Registration
9 - 9:30 a.m. Opening Remarks
JEFF VONK, Director (Iowa DNR, Des Moines)

State of the Water: Iowa's Current Monitoring Program
Dr. Mary Skopec (Iowa DNR - Geological Survey Bureau, Iowa City)

9:30 - 10 a.m. How Has It Changed? Historic Alteration of Iowa's Surface Hydrology
Kathy Andersen (Iowa DNR - Wildlife Bureau, Sioux City)
Iowa was once a vast tallgrass prairie ecosystem, covered with savanna, prairie marshes and sloughs, and riparian woodlands. Today it is difficult to imagine that world after years of modifications made to our state's landscape. Learn what changes have been made and why they make a difference in Iowa's water quality.
10 - 10:30 a.m. Regional and State Perspectives of Water Monitoring
Dr. Mary Skopec (Iowa DNR - Geological Survey Bureau, Iowa City)
How is the quality of water on one side of the state different from that on the other? Is the quality of Iowa's water better or worse than that of the rest of the U.S.? Take a look at some of the data and perhaps be surprised at the differences.
10:30 - 11 a.m. Break (Refreshments provided, posters on display.)
11 - 11:30 a.m. IOWATER 2001
Richard Leopold and Jacklyn Gautsch (Iowa DNR - Geological Survey Bureau, Des Moines)

After another summer at a furious pace, IOWATER more than doubled its numbers in 2001. Thanks to the training provided at 21 Level 1 and 16 Level 2 workshops and modules last summer, the program now boasts more than 1,000 volunteer monitors with approximately 3,500 data sets and about 800 registered monitoring sites. Find out about the new modules, development of watershed groups across Iowa, and other ways IOWATER will continue to improve in 2002.
11:30 a.m.-12 noon Iowa STORET: Practical Uses of Data
JOOST KORPEL (Iowa DNR - Geological Survey Bureau, Iowa City)
It's been operational for about one year, yet it remains a mystery to many. Learn the finer points of data retrieval from Iowa STORET (STOrage and RETrieval) - from searching the database to using the data in Microsoft Excel and Access.
12 noon - 1 p.m. Lunch
1 - 1:30 p.m. Big Spring: A 20-Year Perspective on Groundwater Monitoring
BOB LIBRA (Iowa DNR - Geological Survey Bureau, Iowa City)
The Big Spring monitoring project has been described as the "granddaddy" of water quality projects in the nation. As one of the longest running monitoring programs, find out what more than 20 years of data at a particular location shows.
1:30 - 2 p.m. Groundwater: Iowa's Hidden Resource
Dr. Doug Schnoebelen (U.S. Geological Survey, Iowa City)
Lynette Seigley (Iowa DNR - Geological Survey Bureau, Iowa City)

Groundwater resources provide 70 percent of Iowa's drinking water. How is the ambient program making new strides in protecting this valuable resource, and what lies ahead?
2 - 2:30 p.m. Break (Refreshments provided, posters on displays.)
2:30 - 3 p.m. Take 2: Bacterial Monitoring of Iowa's State Beaches
Rick Langel (Iowa DNR - Geological Survey Bureau, Iowa City)
Nancy Hall (University of Iowa Hygienic Lab, Iowa City)

It's one of the hottest topics in water quality today in Iowa. After a second year of monitoring at Iowa's state park beaches, are we any closer to understanding the sources of bacteria that affect our waters? Learn the facts, and hear what the professionals have to say about closure policies, monitoring procedures, and more.
3 - 3:30 p.m. Emerging Issues in Water Monitoring
DANA KOLPIN (U.S. Geological Survey, Iowa City)
Concerns about water quality have evolved through time. During the 1970s, monitoring emphasized chemicals originating from industrial and urban wastes such as PCBs, metals and ammonia. Beginning in the 1980s and through the 1990s, the focus shifted toward agricultural chemicals including concentrations of pesticides and nutrients. Find out the emerging water quality concerns for the 21st century and get a peek at results from monitoring conducted in 2001 for these compounds.
3:30 - 4 p.m. What Next? A Look Into the Crystal Ball
Dr. Mary Skopec (Iowa DNR - Geological Survey Bureau, Iowa City)
Find out the new directions for the ambient water-monitoring program. Hear about new partnerships between state, federal, and local entities to improve water quality in Iowa.