Overview of Michigan’s Surface Water Monitoring Program and Water Quality Trends

By: Gary Kohlhepp and Ralph Bednarz, DEQ-Water Bureau

Monitoring Strategy

• Completed in January 1997

• Identified a comprehensive list of monitoring activities with cost estimates

• Implementation primarily through grants and contracts

• Updated in 2004/2005 per EPA requirements

• Includes sections on objectives, study design, indicators, quality assurance, data analysis, data management, reporting, program review, and existing/needed infrastructure

Four Monitoring Goals

• Assess the current status and condition of individual waterbodies and determine whether MI Water Quality Standards are being met

• Measure temporal and spatial water quality trends

• Provide data to support DEQ water quality protection programs and evaluate their effectiveness

• Detect new and emerging water quality problems

Funding Increase For Water Quality Monitoring From the Clean Michigan Initiative

0

1

2

3

'98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05

Mill

ions

Water Quality Monitoring Program Elements

• Water Chemistry

• Sediment Chemistry

• Fish Contaminants • Biological Integrity & Physical Habitat

• Wildlife Contaminants

• Beach Monitoring

• Inland Lake Quality

• Volunteer Monitoring

• Stream Flow

Water Chemistry

•5-year basin surveys

•Fixed station trends

• Statewide random sampling

•CREP monitoring, TMDLs, other special studies (esp. non-point source effectiveness)

•Local water quality monitoring and emerging issue monitoring grants ($200,000 each)

Mean total mercury concentrations in Michigan rivers in 2003

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Mean Annual Total Phosphorus Levels in Saginaw Bay, 1993-2003.

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Sediment Chemistry – Inland Lake Trends

• 35-40 lakes to be sampled

• 27 lakes sampled through 2004

• Provides long-term record of contaminants

TakingTakingSedimentSediment

Replicates Large Tubes

PortableHigh quality

210Pb, pore waterorganics, metals

The use of sediments in lakes as a “tape recorder” of changes in chemical loadings to the environment.

Elk Lake

time

Chemical Sediment Chemical Sediment ChronologiesChronologies

recent

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Cass Lake Elk Lake

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Lead Anthropogenic Accumulation Rates (ug/cm2/y)

2000

1958

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te

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Aluminum Accumulation Rates (ug/cm2/y)

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1950

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te

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ian

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of

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Elk Lake Gratiot Lake Higgins LakeGull Lake Crystal-M Lake Cadillac LakeCrystal-B Lake Mullet Lake

Temporal TrendsTemporal TrendsAnthropogenic Mercury Accumulation Anthropogenic Mercury Accumulation

RatesRates

Rise in accumulation Rise in accumulation rates ~1900 significant rates ~1900 significant after 1950after 1950

Importance of Importance of watershed scale sourceswatershed scale sources

Wildlife Contaminants

• Bald eagles – began in 1999

• Herring gull eggs – began in 2001

• Analysis for bioaccumulative chemicals of concern

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Bald Eagle Nest Locations

PCB Levels in Bald Eagle Plasma (ug/kg)

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1999-2002

Mercury Levels in Bald Eagle Feathers (ug/g)

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1999-2002

Lake Water Quality Assessment

• Re-establish LWQA monitoring program – formerly implemented via Clean Water Act – Clean Lakes Program

• Work with USGS to re-establish LWQA monitoring

• USGS and MSU are evaluating satellite technology for regional and statewide lake water quality assessment

Volunteer Monitoring

• FY98 through FY05: 33 grants awarded totaling $265,000

• Michigan Clean Water Corps was established in 2003

• Includes stream/river and inland lake volunteers

• www.micorps.net

• DEQ uses data as a “screening tool” to identify sites for follow-up assessment

Objectives

Collect data that can be used by DEQ as “screening tools”.

Reach goal of 80% coverage

Assist DEQ in prioritizing sites

Increase public awareness and involvement in protection and surveillance of rivers and streams.

Volunteer Training

ClassroomSafety GuidelinesSampling Logistics & Procedures Data FormsMacroinvertebrate Identification

FieldSite Assessment

Habitat Macroinvertebrates

Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (The Self-Help Legacy)

• Program began in 1974 with water clarity (Secchi disk) monitoring – second oldest program in country

• Current focus on trophic state indicators• water clarity (228 lakes)• total phosphorus

• spring overturn (196 lakes)• late-summer stratification (206 lakes)

• chlorophyll a (121 lakes)• dissolved oxygen and temperature (53 lakes)• aquatic plant ID and mapping (5 lakes)

CLMP Quality Data

• Detailed procedures• Comprehensive

training• Replicate sampling• DEQ side-by-side

sampling

CLMP Spring Total Phosphorus (1993-2004)Volunteer Replicate Samples, n=413

R2 = 0.9611Slope = 0.972

Yint = 0.2911

No Sig. (a=.05)

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0 20 40 60 80 100 120Volunteer Sample - TP (ug/l)

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lun

tee

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ep

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(u

g/l)

CLMP Chlorophyll a (1998-2004)Volunteer vs. DEQ Side-by-Side Samples; n=110

R2 = 0.9414Slope = 0.9835

Yint = -0.0185

No Sig. (a=.05)

1:1

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0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80DEQ Side-by-Side - CHL (ug/l)

Vo

lun

teer

- C

HL

(u

g/l)

CLMP Summer Mean TransparencyCorey Lake (St. Joseph Co.)

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1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005

Year

Dep

th (

feet

)

Additional Information

• Gary Kohlhepp, 517-335-1289 (kohlhepg@michigan.gov)

• Ralph Bednarz, 517-335-4211 (bednarzr@michigan.gov)

• www.michigan.gov/deq, click on “Water”, click on “Water Quality Monitoring”, click on “Assessment of Michigan Waters”

• www.micorps.net