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The Meadows CenterTexas Stream Team
Prepared in cooperation with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and U.S. EPA.
The preparation of this presentation was financed through grants from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Contact us:Texas State UniversityTexas Stream TeamRiverside Apts, Unit C4 601 University Drive San Marcos, TX 78666-4616
Phone: 512-245-1346 Toll free: 877-506-1401 [email protected]
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Established in 1991
A joint partnership with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, U.S. EPA Region VI, Texas State University-San Marcos
Work with numerous agency partners.
Support a network of volunteer water quality monitors
Who we are
Plum Creek Elementary 4th grade students, testing water samples, January 27, 2012
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PROGRAMSCore Texas Watch
Collects “core” water quality variables that are considered minimum information needed for knowledge of baseline conditions and determination of “health” (dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, pH, temperature, water clarity, salinity)
Kits are available for freshwater and salt water Volunteers are asked to monitor monthly on the same day each month at the same time of day (e.g. 8:00
am on the second Saturday of the month)
Certifications
Certified monitor Completes and submits a monitoring plan Completes a three-phase training (maximum 12 hours total)
Certified trainer
Possesses monitor certification Completes a two phase training (assists a training led by a certified trainer, then leads a training with the
assistance of a certified trainer) Maintains certification by conducting trainings on a regular basis (as defined by the manual)
Certified quality assurance officer (QAO)
Possesses monitor certification Completes a two phase training (similar to trainer) Maintains certification by conducting QC sessions on a regular basis
SPECIAL PROJECTS AND GRANTS Texas Watch – Hays County Blanco River Bacterial Monitoring Collaboration Texas Watch Rockport Sentinels - continued chemical, nutrients, and bacterial monitoring in Little
Bay U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Wet Weather Bacterial Contamination Study in New
Braunfels Teaching Environmental Science (TCEQ-Geography Dept support)
What we did…
2002 – about 400 volunteers
Total number of sites922 Total number of sites with data644
Total number of monitoring events in the database16,882
Total trainer’s-in-training or QAO-in-training146
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Texas Watch
PROGRAMSCore Texas Watch
Collects “core” water quality variables that are considered minimum information needed for knowledge of baseline conditions and determination of “health” (dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, pH, temperature, water clarity, salinity)
Kits are available for freshwater and salt water Volunteers are asked to monitor monthly on the same day each month at the same time of day (e.g. 8:00 am on the
second Saturday of the month)
Urban Watch
Designed for dry weather screening in storm drains in urban areas to detect “illicit” discharges Volunteers are asked to monitor monthly on the same date and are asked to monitor twice within a 24-hour period Municipality (or local partner) participation is required as the data is only useful at a local level
Bug Watch
Brand new program that never emerged from the pilot stage Collects benthic macroinvertebrate samples as a parameter to measure overall stream “health” using procedures
similar to EPA’s rapid bioassessment protocols Volunteers are asked to monitor quarterly
Certifications Certified monitor Certified trainer Certified quality control officer
SPECIAL PROJECTS EPA environmental education grant – learning urban watersheds Dos Laredos Teaching Environmental Science (TCEQ-Geography Dept support)
What we did…
2005 – about 400 volunteers
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Texas Watch
PROGRAMSCore Texas Stream Team
Collects “core” water quality variables that are considered minimum information needed for knowledge of baseline conditions and determination of “health” (dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, pH, temperature, water clarity, salinity)
Kits are available for freshwater and salt water Volunteers are asked to monitor monthly on the same day each month at the same time of day (e.g. 8:00
am on the second Saturday of the month) NEW NPS Suite
Certifications
Certified monitor Completes and submits a monitoring plan Completes a three-phase training (maximum 12 hours total)
Certified trainer
Possesses monitor certification Completes a two phase training (assists a training led by a certified trainer, then leads a training with the
assistance of a certified trainer) Maintains certification by conducting trainings on a regular basis (as defined by the manual)
Certified quality control officer
Possesses monitor certification Completes a two phase training (similar to trainer) Maintains certification by conducting QC sessions on a regular basis
SPECIAL PROJECTS Environmental Protection Agency Geography and Water Grant (December 2007- March 2010) EPA environmental education grant –urban watersheds (shifted timeline 2010-2012) Rio Grande Bacteria Historical Data Review (2009)
2007 – 2010
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Texas Stream Team
Year # sites
# sites monitored
# new sites monitored
# monitoring events
# newly trained
Phase I Phase II
Phase III
2007-08 1290 246 30 26474 269 23 23 41
2008-09 1341 222 30 27442 288 36 41 56
2009-10 1408 243 34 28504 357 43 44 56
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Monitoring 2007-2010
Evaluation in January 2012 – Approximately 250active monitors
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New program tools 2010-
2013
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Volunteer Monitoring
NPS Suite
Group Oriented
Data Viewer
iPhone app
Education & Outreach
Sedimentation
Paperless Newsletter
Email Marketing
Online Modules
Program tools
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shifting E. coli monitoring
nitrate-nitrogenorthophosphate transparency tubestreamflow
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Nps suite
NPS suite training, August 2010
Data viewerhttps://aqua.rivers.txstate.edu/
Online moduleshttp://txstreamteam.rivers.txstate.edu/monitors/quality-control-self-assessment.html
Sedimentation curriculumhttp://txstreamteam.rivers.txstate.edu/educators/curriculum.html
Links to tools
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• Refresher test
• Tracking System
• Completion Certificates
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Thank you
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