Water Quality Monitoring Protocol for the Mid-Atlantic Network

Dammeyer, Nathan; Weed, Aaron

The Mid-Atlantic Inventory and Monitoring Network (MIDN) selected water quality as a priority vital sign for long-term monitoring due to the ecological, management, and policy significance of aquatic resources in MIDN parks. Specifically, water quality was selected for monitoring due to the direct effect on aquatic communities, the National Park Service’s responsibilities for the protection and improvement of water quality, and the clear connection to state-based regulatory programs. The MIDN Water Quality Monitoring protocol was developed and pilot tested in nine parks across the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Pennsylvania and Virginia. Within these parks, wadeable streams are the most prevalent aquatic resource and were chosen as the focus for water quality monitoring. The primary objectives of this protocol are to monitor the status of core, in-situ water quality parameters in targeted streams, detect trends in these parameters over time, and to relate these data to other information regarding aquatic resources (see section 1.4 below for definition of core parameters). The sampling design was developed to address priorities within each of the MIDN parks through consultation with park natural resource managers and engagement with subject matter experts. Sampling sites were selected in streams of significant value to parks and the number of sites sampled within each park was determined by the spatial extent and number of streams. Fifty core sites across the MIDN have been established for monitoring water quality. At each core sampling site water quality is monitored during discrete events on a monthly basis. In each network park, stream reaches of particular importance to park management were identified from within these established core sites for enhanced monitoring by integrating continuous monitoring of water quality. The combination of these sampling methods will provide robust data to both address the status of water quality in wadeable streams across the MIDN as well as assess trends in these data over time. This protocol, along with the associated standard operating procedures (SOPs), provides the framework and guidance for monitoring water quality at MIDN parks. Data collected as part of this protocol are stored locally in databases developed or supported by the Water Resources Division (WRD) of the National Park Service (NPS) and uploaded to national databases maintained by WRD on an annual basis. Reporting on these data occurs at regular intervals so that the data are available to park-staff and can be incorporated into park management.

Water Quality Monitoring Protocol for the Mid-Atlantic Network

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