Water Quantity

Importance / Issues

Information about water quantity is necessary because water quantity determines the physical extent and volume of aquatic habitat within the park. Numerous factors affect water quantity, including precipitation, evapotranspiration, water withdrawals, and ground water recharge. Hydrologic conditions are extremely important for wetland structure and function. Hydrology affects most abiotic factors, which in turn affect the biotic condition of the wetland. Without basic hydrologic information, it is not possible to interpret the condition of any wetland resources and this is therefore a high priority for wetland monitoring. Water quantity in lakes, ponds and streams will be measured in NETN parks. Protocol development will be based on existing standards, techniques, and sampling designs developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (Rantz et al. 1982).

Protocol Development & Status

Water quantity is part of the Water Quality Monitoring Protocol. This protocol was implemented in 2006 at Acadia NP, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP, Minute Man NHP, Morristown NHP, Roosevelt-Vanderbilt NHS, Saint-Gaudens NHS, Saratoga NHP, Saugus Iron Works NHS, and Weir Farm NHS.

Potential Measures

Measures of water quantity are necessary for monitoring the physical status of the freshwater ecosystems, and are fundamental to the interpretation of water-chemistry measures. Potential measures include water depth, water duration, lake levels, streamflow, and groundwater levels/inputs.

Preliminary Monitoring Objective

The overall objective is to monitor the status and trends of NETN aquatic resources, to assess changes in ecological integrity and the impacts of key stressors, and to guide management decisions affecting those resources. The two specific objectives of this program and the questions that frame these general monitoring objectives are:

• Detect changes over time in the status of physical, chemical, or biological attributes of the freshwater resources in NETN parks that are outside the range of natural variability.
• Ensure the early detection of aquatic invasive plants in the freshwater resources of NETN parks and alert park and state environmental managers of any new incidences of aquatic invasive species to facilitate a rapid response.

Contact Information

NPS lead: Brian R. Mitchell

Email: Brian R. Mitchell

802-457-3368 ext. 37

References

Rantz, S. E. and others. 1982. Measurement and computation of streamflow: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2175, available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/wsp2175/.