United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Environmental Monitoring
Systems Laboratory
Las Vegas NV 89193-3478
Research and Development
EPA/600/S4-91/019 Feb. 1992
EPA Project Summary
Surface Waters Implementation
Plan—Northeast Lakes Pilot
Survey, Summer 1991
J.E. Pollard and K.M. Peres
This document outlines the proposed
implementation plan for the Environ-
mental Monitoring and Assessment
Program's Surface Waters Northeast
Pilot Lake Survey, to be conducted from
July through September, 1991. The pi-
lot survey will evaluate not only the
utility of the indicators selected thus far
for the Surface Waters component but
will provide an evaluation of the meth-
ods that have been Identified for collec-
tion and analysis of samples.
This implementation plan is not In-
tended to be a step-by-step delineation
of field activities planned for the pilot;
for more detailed discussion of con-
cept, approach, and Issues, please re-
fer to either the Surface Waters
Research Plan or the respective subject
plans (s.g., the quality assurance project
plan, the field operations manual, the
information management plan). This
plan outlines the objectives of the field
pilot activities and the questions which
we expect to answer as a result of these
activities. In addition, the plan contains
a description of the indicators, the mea-
surement variables included In each In-
dicator, the design rationale, and details
Including site selection criteria and a
list of selected sites. Very brief descrip-
tions of quality assurance, logistical
considerations, and the Information
management approach are also pre-
sented.
This Project Summary was devel-
oped by EPA's Environmental Monitor-
Ing Systems Laboratory, Las Vegas, NV,
to announce key findings of the research
project that Is fully documented In a
separate report of the same title (see
Project Report ordering Information at
back).
Introduction
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), in cooperation with other
federal and state organizations, has de-
signed the Environmental Monitoring and
Assessment Program (EMAP) to periodi-
cally assess the condition of the nation's
ecological resources. The program will as-
sist decision makers, both within and out-
side the Agency, to evaluate the
effectiveness of current environmental
regulations in protecting the nation's natu-
ral resources, prioritize issues of concern
and regions in which action is needed, and
set environmental policy. EMAP is a strat-
egy to identify and bound the extent, mag-
nitude, and location of degradation or
improvement in the environment.
EMAP-Surface Waters (EMAP-SW) is
intended to estimate the condition of lakes,
reservoirs, streams, and rivers on a na-
tional scale and on relatively broad, re-
gional scales. The design of the program,
which utilizes an integrated, statistical moni-
toring framework based on a global sys-
tematic grid, is explained in detail in the
Surface Waters Research Plan. Data ob-
tained from the program will allow estima-
tion of the spatial extent and geographical
distribution of various classes of surface
waters. Additionally, the program will esti-
mate the current status and changes or
trends in indicators of ecological condition.
Printed on Recycled Paper
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1991 Northeast Lakes Pilot
Survey
Prior to full-scale implementation of
EMAP-SW, a number of questions must
be answered through a combination of
analyses of existing data and of data de-
rived from new field activities. We distin-
guish two types of Held activities that we
intend to undertake prior to full-scale imple-
mentation. These are pilot projects and
demonstration projects. The pilot projects
are intended to specifically answer ques-
tions about indicator performance, includ-
ing sensitivity, components of variance for
indicators, method considerations, and lo-
gistical constraints. Pilot studies are not
intended to provide regional estimates of
condition. A demonstration activity may be
designed to answer many of the same
questions outlined above, but also has as
a fundamental objective the demonstration
of the ability to estimate the condition of
regional populations. We anticipate a com-
bination of pilot and demonstration activi-
ties over the next three to four years before
national implementation of EMAP-SW. The
pilot activity will begin to answer the many
questions that exist but will not answer
them all. In conjunction with well designed
folfowup studies, this pilot should provide
the information needed to implement the
program.
Pilot Study Description and
Objectives
A fundamental issue which prevented
us from conducting a regional scale pilot
on all indicators was our belief that we
were not adequately prepared to collect an
index sample of fish, littoral-zone
macroinvertobrates, and lake physical habi-
tat. Thus, a key question to be answered
by the pilot is: How do wa obtain an index
sample of fish, macroinvertebrates, and
physical habitat within reasonable budget-
ary constraints?
Figure 1 shows the basic components
of the field pilot for Fiscal Year (FY) 91.
The first is a demonstration of the EMAP
design for sampling lakes on a regional
scale. For this component, lakes to be
sampled were selected from a grid frame-
work using selection procedures described
In the design section of the document This
demonstration has two subcomponents,
one which begins the Temporally Integrated
Monitoring of Ecosystems (TIME) program
and the other in which we measure se-
lected indicators which we believe we can
effectively sample in an index mode. The
difference between these two subcompo-
nents is that the base EMAP grid has been
intensified in two regions where subpopu-
EMAP-SW Northeast Lakes Pilot
\Regional Probability Pilots \
|
\Variability Studies \
64 Regional Probability
Lakes
32 Revisits Spatial and
Variability
Water Chemistry
Trophic State
Zooplankton
Profundal Benthos
Diatom Cores
Physical Habitat
Sediment Toxicity
I
| TIME Survey \
92 Regional
Probability
Lakes
(64 + 28)
I
Water Chemistry
| Methods and Indicator Evaluation \
zo Hand oeiecteo LaKes
Fish
Tissue Residue
Fish Biomarkers
Littoral Benthos
Lakeshore Birds
Physical Habitat
Water Chemistry
Trophic State
Zooplankton
Profundal Benthos
Diatom Cores . , „.,„,
Sediment Toxicity
Flgur» 1. Components of the pilot activities planned for EMAP-SW during FY91.
lations of lakes are especially sensitive to
acidic deposition and sample sizes se-
lected from the base grid were insufficient
fortrend detection. At these additional sites,
only TIME indicators, primarily water chem-
istry, will be measured.
The second component of the pilot ad-
dresses the basic question about our abil-
ity to obtain a cost-effective index sample
for fish, littoral macroinvertebrates, and
physical habitat. During the discussions
over the past year, it became evident that
we were unable to select a sampling proto-
col (gear, locations) with which we could
obtain a sample of the fish and macroinver-
tebrate assemblages effectively. Thus, the
primary purpose of this part of the pilot
activity is to obtain sufficient information by
which to select an adequate sampling pro-
tocol to be used in later surveys. To con-
duct this evaluation, lakes were purposely
selected to cover a variety of lake sizes
and types of impacts to represent the range
of conditions expected during routine sur-
veys. An ancillary, though important, part
of this study is ah evaluation of the sensi-
tivity of the suite of biological indicators
across various impact gradients.
Questions exist relative to effective
methods to use Within EMAP-SW for the
biological-response and physical habitat
indicators currently under evaluation. These
pertain to the gear to be used, habitats to
be sampled within a lake, logistics of imple-
menting all of the indicators, and the effec-
tiveness of the suite of indicators when
evaluated together. We are also interested
in determining which indicators have infor-
mation-to-cost ratios which might preclude
future use in EMAP-SW. These issues will
be addressed using the data generated
from 20 subjectively selected lakes.
Indicators of Ecological
Condition
EMAP has identified four types of indi-
cators for determining ecological condi-
tion: response, exposure, habitat, and
stressor. These categories have been pro-
vided as a guideline for use in the selec-
tion, evaluation, and development of the
proposed indicators for EMAP-SW.
Response Indicators are attributes
that quantify the integrated response
of ecological resources to individual
or multiple stressors. Examples of
this kind of indicator include fish as-
semblage, diatom assemblage,'and
macroinvertebrate assemblage.
Exposure Indicators are physical,
chemical, and biological attributes
that can be used to suggest pollutant
exposure and assist in the diagnosis
of probable cause. In addition, expo-
sure indicators are extremely critical
for assessing water body types and
expected conditions for aquatic sys-
tems. Examples of exposure indica-
tors are sediment toxicity, chemical
contaminants in fish, and ambient
nutrient concentration.
Habitat Indicators are attributes that
describe the condition of the environ-
ment. They are used to suggest
whether alteration or disturbance of
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the physical habitat is the cause of
poor condition in response indica-
tors. Examples of this type of indica-
tor are surface area, lake level, or
hydrologic residence time.
Stressor indicators are economic,
social, or engineering attributes that
are used to identify the most prob-
able sources of environmental im-
pairment or exposure to impact.
Some examples of this indicator type
are human population density, land-
use patterns, pesticide application
rates, point-source pollutant loadings,
and stocking and harvest records.
Table 1 provides a list of indicator mea-
surements (grouped by indicator type) pro-
posed for the Northeast Lakes Pilot. The
program objectives, pilot objectives, and
data collection and analysis procedures
for each indicator listed in Table 1 are
described in detail in Section 3 of the
document.
Table 1. Indicator Measurements Proposed
for the EMAP-SW Northeast
Lakes Pilot
Response Indicators
Trophic State
Sediment Diatom Assemblage
Benthic Macroinvertebrate Assemblage
Zooplankton Assemblage
Fish Assemblage
Riparian Bird Assemblage
Exposure Indicator*
Sediment Toxicity
Fish Biomarkers
Fish Tissue Contaminants
Fish External Anomalies
Water Chemistry
Habitat Indicators
Physical Habitat Quality
Stressor Indicators
Land Use
Landscape Cover
Human Population Density
Fish Management Practices
Transportation
Design
One of the design objectives for the
FY91 Northeast Lakes Pilot is to select a
set of lakes from the EMAP-SW grid for
pilot field activities. The selection of these
lakes must be in concordance with the
criteria established for the EMAP probabil-
ity sampling design. Analysis of indicators
from these lakes will ultimately allow us to
evaluate the effectiveness of the base-line
grid probability sample design to adequately
capture and characterize the diversity of
lake resources.
A second design objective is to select
approximately 20-30 special purpose lakes.
These lakes will serve as reference sites
and sites of known or estimated impact,
chosen in consultation with state and local
experts. This combination of sites will be
used to help calibrate the sensitivity of the
proposed indicators and evaluate various
sampling techniques.
Field Operations
Field activities for EMAP-SW will start
in July of 1991 with the lake pilot program
in the Northeast. The general sequence of
events and sampling procedures are de-
scribed in the document, while details of
field operations can be found in the field
operations manual.
Quality Assurance Program
For the Northeast Lakes Pilot Survey
and TIME project, quality assurance and
quality control (QA/QC) is an integral part
of all activities associated with the collec-
tion, measurement, and management of
environmental data and information. The
major purpose of a formalized QA program
is to ensure that data are of adequate
quality to provide information that can be
used with confidence to satisfy the re-
search objectives of the project. For the
pilot survey, information is required to de-
termine the adequacy of the proposed prob-
ability-based sampling design. Information
is also required to evaluate the feasibility
of several different types of ecological indi-
cators being considered for use in large-
scale lake monitoring efforts. For the TIME
project, the research objectives relate pri-
marily to determining the status and sub-
sequent regional trends of lake chemistry
relative to acidification.
For each indicator, critical points in the
information acquisition process are identi-
fied and subjected to internal quality con-
trol procedures and/or measurements.
Statistical process control methods (e.g.,
control charts) are used where possible to
monitor the performance of the acquisition
system. These methods provide rapid feed-
back on the performance of the system to
allow for prompt corrective action, ensur-
ing that data quality remains within estab-
lished acceptance criteria during collection
and measurement. Specific quality control
requirements and procedures to be used
for each indicator are described in the
quality assurance project plan.
Information Management
EMAP-SW will be collecting a large
volume of data during the FY91 Northeast
Lakes Pilot Survey. More than 50,000 data
points will be generated from the data
collection activities at approximately 100
lakes; this estimate does not include the
revisited lake sites. The ability of EMAP-
SW to manage and disseminate this
amount of information will have a major
influence on the success of the program.
Development of an adequate Information
Management System is, therefore, as im-
portant to the success of EMAP-SW as is
the collection of the data. A fully auto-
mated system for the FY91 field activities
is being developed for use in the pilot
survey that will ensure that data are prop-
erly collected and tracked in a timely man-
ner for analysis.
Conclusions and
Recommendations
The EMAP-SW Northeast Lakes Pilot
Implementation Plan presents a descrip-
tion of activities that will be occurring dur-
ing the summer of 1991. Detailed
descriptions of pilot objectives, rationale
for indicator selection, and sampling de-
sign are presented in this document. Com-
panion documents (field operations and
quality assurance) have been prepared to
augment the information provided in this
document.
The information in this document has
been funded wholly or in part by the
United States Environmental Protection
Agency under Contract Number 68-CO-
0049 to Lockheed Engineering and Sci-
ences Company, Contract Number
68-C8-0006 to ManTech Environmental
Technologies, Inc., Contract Number 68-
CI-0022 to Technology Applications, Inc.,
and through Cooperative Agreements
CR814701 with the University of Nevada-
Las Vegas, CR815168 with Utah State
University, and CR815422 with Oregon
State University. It has been subjected to
the Agency's peer and administrative re-
view and has been approved for publica-
tion as an EPA document. Mention of
trade names or commercial products does
not constitute endorsement or recommen-
dation for use.
&U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1991 - 64S-WO/40164
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J.E. Pollard and KM. Peres, editors, are with Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Co.,
Las Vegas, NV 39119.
Wesley L Klnney is the EPA Project Officer, (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Surface Waters Implementation,Plan—Northeast Lakes
Pilot Survey, Summer 1991,' (Order No. PB92-139948/AS; Cost: $19.00, subject to
change) will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Las Vegas, NV 89193-3478
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
EPA/600/S4-91/019
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