Integrated Water Quality
Vital Signs Addressed
Importance / Issues
- Monitoring of NPS water resources has been identified as a core objective of the national Inventory & Monitoring program as well as by several Upper Columbia Basin Network parks. All Network waters assessed by state Department of Environmental Quality agencies are on 303(d) lists for impairment of at least one parameter.
- Unlike many water resources in the National Park system, most of the Network parks and waterbodies are only small proportions of their watersheds. Consequently, water quality and aquatic resources are strongly affected by activities outside of the park boundaries, and NPS management authority and capability for water quality improvement in waterbodies that pass through the parks is minimal.
- However, aquatic environments are disproportionately important in terms of biodiversity, biological productivity, and many other ecosystem functions and values. Assessing water quality will offer a better understanding of the changes in productivity of the overall system, species abundances and distributions, and nutrient cycles.
- Consequently, the Upper Columbia Basin Network has prioritized two water quality vital signs (aquatic macroinvertebrates and water chemistry) and plans to implement an integrated water quality monitoring protocol to address these vital signs.
Monitoring Objective
- Are the core water quality parameters of streams in the UCBN with established TMDLs selected for sampling improving over time?
- What is the status and long-term trend of core water quality parameters (temperature, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity) in UCBN streams selected for sampling?
- What is the status and long term trend in aquatic macroinvertebrate abundance and assemblage composition in selected UCBN streams?
- Do aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages sampled within UCBN streams indicate polluted or otherwise impaired water quality?
- Do aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages sampled within UCBN streams indicate "pristine" or "reference" conditions according to regional criteria established by EPA and the states of Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Washington?
Measures
See potential measures for a specific vital sign.
Protocol Development & Status
Protocols were approved in 2009 for the water chemistry and aquatic macroinvertebrate components, and that monitoring is underway. Protocol completion for the surface water component is planned for 2010.
Contact Information
Eric Starkey
Aquatic Biologist
Upper Columbia Basin Network
University of Idaho
Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
Moscow, ID 83844-1136
Email
Document Links
- Protocol and Standard Operating Procedures (link to Reports & Pubs page)
- Resource Briefs (link to Reports & Pubs page)
- Protocol Development Summary