Jnited States — -  ^  Office of Research and Development
       Environmental Protection  Office of Environmental Information
       Agency—    —  Washington, DC 20460    '^*
         	     	    imely
       Water Quality Inf
      •  —.
                  >mmunit
       The Jefferson Pari
EPA/625/R-01/005
September 2001
http://www.epa,spv
Environmental Monitoring for Public Access
          & Community Tracking

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Disclaimer
This document has been reviewed by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and approved
for publication.  Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or
recommendation of their use.

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CONTRIBUTORS
Dr. Dan Petersen of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Risk Management Laboratory
served as  principal author  of this handbook,  and managed its development with support of Pacific
Environmental Services, Inc., an EPA contractor. The authors of this handbook are grateful for the involvement
and contributions of individuals involved in this project. The following contributing authors provided valuable
assistance for the development of the handbook:

   George Arcement, United States Geologic Survey District Office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

   Charles Demas, United States Geologic Survey District Office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

   Dr. Quay Dorche, Louisiana University Marine Observatory Consortium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

   Vickie Duffourc, Contractor for the Jefferson Parish Environmental and Development Control Depart-
   ment

   Paul Ensminger, United States Geologic Survey District Office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

   Mark Perlmutter, Vaisala Inc.

   Jake Peters, United States Geologic Survey District Office in Atlanta, Georgia

   Andrew Puffer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency  Region 4, Gulf of Mexico Program Office

   Dr. Chris Swarzenski, United States Geologic Survey District Office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

   Dr. Eugene Turner, Louisiana State University Coastal Ecology Institute, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

   Dr. Nan Walker, LSU Coastal Studies Institute and Earth Scan Laboratory, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

   Marnie Winter, Director of the Jefferson Parish Environmental and Development Control
   Department

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CONTENTS
1.  INTRODUCTION                                                             1
   1.1  Background                                                                 1
   1.2  EMPACT Overview                                                          2
   1.3  Jefferson Parish EMP ACT Project                                               3
   1.4  EMP ACT Metropolitan Areas                                                   9
2.  HOW TO USE THIS HANDBOOK                                             11
3.  WATER QUALITY MONITORING                                            13
   3.1  Time-Series Water Quality Sampling                                            15
   3.2  Satellite/Remote Sensing Technology                                           37
   3.3  Water Quality Field Sampling                                                  39
4.  COLLECTING, TRANSFERRING, AND MANAGING TIME-RELEVANT
   WATER QUALITY DATA                                                     43
   4.1  System Overview                                                            43
   4.2  Time-Series Water Quality Sampling                                            45
   4.3  Satellite/Remote Sensing Technology                                           56
   4.4  Water Quality Field Sampling                                                  63
5.  PRESENTING  WATER QUALITY MONITORING DATA                      69
   5.1  What is Data Visualization?                                                    69
   5.2  Satellite Acquisition, Processing, and Visualization Software                         71
6.   COMMUNICATING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY INFORMATION   79
   6.1  Developing an Outreach Plan for Time-Relevant Water Quality Reporting             79
   6.2  Elements of the Jefferson Parish Project's Outreach Program                        85
   6.3  Resources for Presenting Water Quality Information to the Public                    88

APPENDIX A                                                                   A-l
   Glossary of Terms & Acronym List
APPENDIX B                                                                   B-l
   List of Authorized SeaWiFS Ground Stations/Users

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APPENDIX C                                                                   C-l
   Jefferson Parish Brochure
APPENDIX D                                                                   D-l
   Example Data from USGS Hydrowatch
APPENDIX E                                                                   E-l
   Example Data from Earth Scan Laboratories (Satellite Data - Reflectance)
IV

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CONTRIBUTORS
Dr. Dan Petersen of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Risk Management Laboratory
served as  principal author  of this handbook,  and managed its development with support of Pacific
Environmental Services, Inc., an EPA contractor. The authors of this handbook are grateful for the involvement
and contributions of individuals involved in this project. The following contributing authors provided valuable
assistance for the development of the handbook:

   George Arcement, United States Geologic Survey District Office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

   Charles Demas, United States Geologic Survey District Office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

   Dr. Quay Dorche, Louisiana University Marine Observatory Consortium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

   Vickie Duffourc, Contractor for the Jefferson Parish Environmental and Development Control Depart-
   ment

   Paul Ensminger, United States Geologic Survey District Office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

   Mark Perlmutter, Vaisala Inc.

   Jake Peters, United States Geologic Survey District Office in Atlanta, Georgia

   Andrew Puffer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency  Region 4, Gulf of Mexico Program Office

   Dr. Chris Swarzenski, United States Geologic Survey District Office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

   Dr. Eugene Turner, Louisiana State University Coastal Ecology Institute, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

   Dr. Nan Walker, LSU Coastal Studies Institute and Earth Scan Laboratory, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

   Marnie Winter, Director of the Jefferson Parish Environmental and Development Control
   Department

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CONTENTS
1.  INTRODUCTION                                                             1
   1.1  Background                                                                 1
   1.2  EMPACT Overview                                                          2
   1.3  Jefferson Parish EMP ACT Project                                               3
   1.4  EMP ACT Metropolitan Areas                                                   9
2.  HOW TO USE THIS HANDBOOK                                             11
3.  WATER QUALITY MONITORING                                            13
   3.1  Time-Series Water Quality Sampling                                            15
   3.2  Satellite/Remote Sensing Technology                                           37
   3.3  Water Quality Field Sampling                                                  39
4.  COLLECTING, TRANSFERRING, AND MANAGING TIME-RELEVANT
   WATER QUALITY DATA                                                     43
   4.1  System Overview                                                            43
   4.2  Time-Series Water Quality Sampling                                            45
   4.3  Satellite/Remote Sensing Technology                                           56
   4.4  Water Quality Field Sampling                                                  63
5.  PRESENTING  WATER QUALITY MONITORING DATA                      69
   5.1  What is Data Visualization?                                                    69
   5.2  Satellite Acquisition, Processing, and Visualization Software                         71
6.   COMMUNICATING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY INFORMATION   79
   6.1  Developing an Outreach Plan for Time-Relevant Water Quality Reporting             79
   6.2  Elements of the Jefferson Parish Project's Outreach Program                        85
   6.3  Resources for Presenting Water Quality Information to the Public                    88

APPENDIX A                                                                   A-l
   Glossary of Terms & Acronym List
APPENDIX B                                                                   B-l
   List of Authorized SeaWiFS Ground Stations/Users

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APPENDIX C                                                                   C-l
   Jefferson Parish Brochure
APPENDIX D                                                                   D-l
   Example Data from USGS Hydrowatch
APPENDIX E                                                                   E-l
   Example Data from Earth Scan Laboratories (Satellite Data - Reflectance)
IV

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                          I.   INTRODUCTION


                          1.1     Background

                                    Wetland loss along the Louisiana coastal zone is  one of the state's
                                    most pressing environmental problems. Although numerous factors
                                    have contributed to this loss, perhaps the leveeing of the Mississippi
                          River for flood control has had the most far-reaching impact. Construction of the
                          levy has blocked the river's historic spring overflows and thus impeded the rush of
                          marsh-supporting fresh water, nutrients, and sediment to the coastal zone. [Source:
                          http://www.mvn.usace.army. mil/pao/dpond/davispond.htm]

                          Coastal Louisiana is losing, on average, between 25 and 35 square miles of land
                          annually — that's more than one football field every 30 minutes.  Louisiana has 40
                          percent of the Lower 48 states' coastal wetlands and 80 percent of the nation's total
                          wetland loss. These valuable wetlands are nursery grounds for fisheries, a buffer
                          that  protects  developed areas  from storm surges, and  a filtering system  for
                          pollutants  carried in urban runoff. [Source: Video  News Release   http://
                          gmpo.gov/pubinfo/empact. html]

                          One of the strategies for reversing this wetland loss in coastal Louisiana is to partially
                          restore some of the natural flow into the ecosystem. Diversion of freshwater and
                          sediments  from the Mississippi River is expected to conserve and restore coastal
                          wetlands. One such project is the Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion Project. The
                          construction for this project began in January 1997. Freshwater diversions to the
                          Barataria Basin are scheduled for 2001.  In order to establish a baseline prior to any
                          freshwater diversions, the EMPACT  (Environmental Monitoring for Public
                          Access and Community Tracking) project team began monitoringthe water quality
                          in Lake Salvador and Lake Cataouche (both are downstream of the diversion) in
                          August 1999. After freshwater diversions occur, the water  quality monitoring will
                          continue.  Analyses of pre-and post diversion water quality data will be used to
                          determine  the effects of river water diversion on the estuary.

                          The Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion into the Barataria Estuary will be the largest
                          freshwater diversion project built to date, capable of diverting up to 10,650 cubic
                          feet (approximately 80,000 gallons)  per second of river water.  The freshwater
                          diversion will imitate historic  spring floods by providing a controlled flow of
                          freshwater and nutrients into the Barataria Bay estuary. It is expected that this
                          diversion will  restore former ecological conditions  by  combating land loss,
                          enhancing vegetation and improving fish and wildlife habitat.

                          However, there are many concerns that the freshwater diversion will have a negative
                          impact on the estuary. Some citizens are concerned about the impact that nutrient
                          rich river water may have on water quality and growths (blooms) of phytoplankton.
                          Commercial fishermen are concerned that massive amounts of river water may
                          deteriorate the water quality in the lakes and bays where  they make their living.
INTRODUCTION

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Communities south of the diversion site are concerned that water levels will increase
and cause flooding during high wind driven tides. Scientists debate the wisdom of
introducing more nutrients into an already eutrophic system. Also all stakeholders
are interested in the changes that will occur as salinity levels are altered in the upper
estuary.

Partners in the project hope that monitoring conducted through the EMPACT
project will provide valuable before and after data of the effects of diverting
freshwater from Mississippi river into coastal areas encroached by saltwater. These
data will assist scientists and coastal managers in making informed decisions on how
to best manage freshwater flow from the diversion to diminish the likelihood of
algal blooms, which can be toxic, can contaminate  seafood, and  can have human
health impacts.

1.2   EMPACT Overview

This handbook offers  step-by-step  instructions about how to provide time-
relevant water quality data to your community.  It was developed by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) EMPACT program. The EMPACT
program was created  by EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) to
introduce  new technologies that make it  possible  to provide time-relevant
environmental information to the public. EMPACT is workingwith the 150 largest
metropolitan areas and Native American Tribes in the country to help communities
in these areas:

•      Collect, manage, and distribute time-relevant environmental
       information.

•      Provide residents with easy-to-understand information they can use in
       making informed, day-to-day decisions.

To make this and some other EMPACT projects more effective, partnerships with
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United
States Geological Survey (USGS) were developed.  EPA will work closely with
these federal agencies  to help  achieve nationwide consistency in  measuring
environmental data, managing the information, and delivering it to the public.

To date, environmental information projects  have been initiated in 84 of the 150
EMPACT- designated metropolitan  areas and Native American Tribes.  These
projects cover a wide range of environmental issues, including water quality,
groundwater contamination, smog, ultraviolet  radiation, and overall  ecosystem
quality. Some of these projects were initiated directly by EPA.

Others were launched by EMPACT communities themselves. Local governments
from any of the 150 EMPACT metropolitan areas and Native American Tribes are
eligible to apply for EPA-funded Metro  Grants to develop their own EMPACT
projects. The 150 EMPACT metropolitan areas and Native American Tribes are
listed in the table at the end of this chapter.
                                                                                    CHAPTER 1

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                          Communities selected for Metro Grant awards are responsible for building their
                          own time- relevant environmental monitoring and information delivery systems.
                          To find out how to apply for a Metro Grant, visit the EMPACT Web site at http:/
                          /www.epa.gov/empact/ apply.htm.

                          One such Metro Grant recipient is the Jefferson Parish - New Orleans Project. The
                          project provides the public with time-relevant water quality monitoring data and
                          impacts of water quality management activities (i.e., river water diversions) in the
                          New Orleans Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA).

                          1.3   Jefferson Parish EMPACT Project

                          1.3.1  Sampling  Techniques

                          The Jefferson Parish - New Orleans  Project Team utilizes time-series water
                          sampling data, remote sensing/satellite data, and water quality field sampling data
                          to monitor impacts of freshwater diversions, such as harmful algal blooms, in the
                          New Orleans SMSA.   The resulting information is communicated  to  the
                          community during public meetings and events and by using Internet technology,
                          audiovisual tools, and print media.

                          The time-series water sampling data are collected by an automated system, in which
                          a sampling unit collects hourly data and then transmits the data via Geostationary
                          Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) to the USGS District Office every
                          four hours for storage,  retrieval, and analysis.  Near-real time stream flow data
                          available on the USGS's Louisiana District Home Page are PROVISIONAL data
                          that have not been reviewed or  edited.   Each  station  record  is  considered
                          PROVISIONAL until the data are reviewed, edited, and published. The data are
                          usually published within 6 months of the end of the year, which runs  from October
                          through September.  Coordinated water temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity,
                          salinity, water level, and fluorescence are taken to confirm remote sensing data. The
                          sampling unit is located in Lake Salvador, a key outfall area of the Davis Pond
                          Freshwater Diversion Project.

                          Satellite data collected by the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
                          (AVHRR) and the Orbview-2 SeaWiFS ocean color sensor are  received and
                          processed at  the  Earth Scan Lab (ESL),  Coastal Studies Institute at Louisiana
                          State University (LSU) using SeaSpace's Terascan™ system. This software package
                          receives the data from the satellites, performs calibration, geometric correction, and
                          more specialized processing for the determination of temperature, reflectance
                          (turbidity), and chlorophyll a concentrations.  Field water samples, obtained close
                          in time to the satellite data, are used to "surface truth" the satellite measurements
                          for  temperature, concentration of suspended solids and chlorophyll  a. Ground
                          truthing is the process of comparing satellite data to actual field measurements.
INTRODUCTION

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Water quality field sampling is  conducted weekly from eight stations in Lake
Salvador and Lake Cataouche  (a smaller lake north of Lake Salvador) to ground-
truth remote sensing (satellite) data and validate time-series water sampling data.
The LSU-Coastal Ecology Institute (CEI) analyzes the samples for chlorophyll a,
nutrients, and suspended solids.  The Louisiana University Marine  Observatory
Consortium (LUMCON) provides data on phytoplankton speciation  including
identification of harmful algal species. The field sampling data are interpreted and
made available via the Internet (http://its2.ocs.lsu.edu/guests/ceilc).

1.3.2   EMPACT  Project  Team

The Jefferson Parish Project team consists of the following  members and key
partners:

•       Drew Puffer of the Gulf of Mexico Program (GMP) is serving as
        EPA project manager. His role is to provide technical support and
        administrative advice, to coordinate communications  with the  EPA,
        and to identify potential sources of funding to extend the life of the
        project.

•       Terry Hines-Smith, GMP's public affairs specialist, works with the
        project partners and stakeholders to identify and maximize their
        information and public outreach resources.

•       Marnie Winter, Director of the Jefferson Parish Environmental and
        Development Control Department, is the local project manager.  Her
        role is to administer grant funds and to coordinate with parish officials
        to secure approval of contracts and other legal documents  required for
        the project. She also interacts directly with other partners on the
        project team, serves as the point of contact for communications, and
        acts as official parish spokesperson at media and other public  outreach
        events. She has secured additional support for the project through the
        Jefferson Parish Government and was instrumental in leveraging
        chlorophyll a and silicate monitoring from the  U.S. Army Corps of
        Engineers  (USAGE).

•       Ms. Winter is being assisted by Vickie Duffourc, an environmental
        specialist for a consulting firm under standing contract with the parish.
        Ms. Duffourc is responsible for coordinating the various aspects of the
        project, including project communications, and works under the direct
        supervision of Ms. Winter.

•       The USGS collects water quality field samples and services the time-
        series sampling unit. Jefferson Parish provides a trained environmental
        technician  and the parish's boat to assist the USGS with collecting
        water samples and servicing the sampling unit.  Dr. Chris Swarzenski
        and the staff of the USGS District Office in Baton Rouge,  Louisiana,
        provide weekly maintenance and calibration of the data collection
                                                                                     CHAPTER 1

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                               station, QA/QC of near-real time data, technical services required to
                               received, transfer, and store the near-real time data set, and scientific
                               interpretation of data received. Jake Peters, at the USGS office in Atlanta,
                               also contributes through his association with the EPA Water Data and
                               Tools Projects. While many persons at the USGS Baton Rouge office
                               contribute to this project, Dr. Swarzenski is the lead investigator and
                               Paul Ensminger is the field service technician.

                               Dr. Nan Walker, LSU Coastal Studies Institute and Earth Scan
                               Laboratory, is responsible for acquiring, processing, and interpreting
                               satellite data collected by the NOAA and Orbview-2 satellites. These
                               data are used to assess the regional  distribution of water temperature,
                               water quality and chlorophyll a content and changes over space and
                               time.  She uses field measurements  of suspended solids, suspended
                               sediments, chlorophyll a and temperature to investigate  the relationships
                               between satellite and in-situ data for different regions in the study area.
                               Dr. Walker posts the satellite images and interpretive text on the Earth
                               Scan Laboratory LSU Web page, which is linked to  the Jefferson Parish
                               EMPACT home page.

                           •   Dr. Eugene Turner, LSU-CEI, is responsible for analysis of water
                               samples and providing the resulting data in tabular and graphic form.
                               LSU-CEI conducts chlorophyll a and nutrient analysis on water  samples
                               taken weekly from the project area  to ground-truth satellite images.
                               LSU-CEI scientists interpret the water quality data and post it to LSU
                               Web page, which will be linked to the Jefferson Parish EMPACT home
                               page.

                           •   Dr. Quay Dortch, LUMCON, receives weekly water samples from the
                               project area and identifies harmful algal species contained in each
                               sample.  She provides the resulting  data in tabular and graphic form and
                               coordinates with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals
                               regarding possible threats to human health.

                           As shown above, this project team consists of several distinguished coastal scientists.
                           The collected and analyzed data are being used to understand the physical and
                           biological conditions of water bodies that may be impacted by the Davis Pond river
                           diversion project in the future.

                           The project provides near-real time regional physical and biological measurements
                           from satellites and a monitoring station in Lake Salvador to the agencies and
                           organizations involved with public health, fisheries, and habitat related issues. This
                           information allows these entities to respond quickly  to adverse environmental
                           conditions, make appropriate decisions to  ensure economic and environmental
                           sustainability of the affected environment, and protect the health of commercial and
                           recreational users. During the first year, the chlorophyll ^measurements (from field
                           and satellite sensors) were not being reported in real time.
INTRODUCTION

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The addition of a pressure sensor to detect water level changes in near-real time
provides early warning of increased water levels and allows diversion managers to
make appropriate decisions to minimize the introduction of more water when
flooding is likely.

1.3.3  Project  Costs

To keep costs low, Jefferson Parish used nearby existing sampling stations to collect
data, used Parish personnel for data collection (when possible), and developed
strategic partnerships with members of the project team.  Figure 1.1 provides the
initial budget for the Jefferson Parish's monitoringproject [Source: Water Data and
Tools: Tracking Freshwater Diversions &  Algal  Bloom Impacting the New
Orleans Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area Gulf of Mexico, New Orleans, LA].

The costs to conduct a water quality monitoring project similar to the Jefferson
Parish Project can vary significantly.  Factors affecting the cost include, but are not
limited to,   the size and location of your study area, the number and types of
parameters you want to measure, the number of personnel needed to collect and
analyze the data, the number of samples to collect, the amount of new equipment
which will need to be purchased, etc. For example, the Parish purchased only one
additional  sampling station for their study because they were able to obtain data
from  seven  existing sampling stations located nearby.  Monitoring costs for  a
proposed project would be much higher if additional sampling stations are needed.

Figure 1.2 provides some typical costs for equipment and services you could expect
to incur when implementing a project similar to that of Jefferson Parish. Please note
that these costs can vary significantly for a project depending upon the number of
sampling stations required for the project and the types of services contracts that
you are  able to negotiate.
                                                                                     CHAPTER 1

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 Figure 1.1. Initial EMPACT Project Budget for Jefferson Parish
                    Wf.DOQ
                                                                  I...IJCJ
                                                      *I;.LL>J
• Technology Transfer
n Other Mi seellaneous
• 0,-vCC
• nrorrnati on DeHvery
Q Monitoring
                                            • Sustainabily
                                            n Travel
                                            • Data nterpratarjon
                                            a Project Planning
                                            • Inrormation
 Figure 1.2. Typical Costs For Equipment and Services
               $50,000
                                               $25,000
                                                            $60,000
                   $60,000
                                                 n Puchase/Setup
                                                   Sampling
                                                   Station

                                                 • Maintain
                                                   Sampling
                                                   Station

                                                 nAnalyze Field
                                                   Samples

                                                 n Purchase
                                                   Services to
                                                   Analyze
                                                   Satellite Data
                         1.3.4  Jefferson  Parish EMPACT Project Objectives


                         Overall project objectives include the following:

                         •   To provide the public with information on the physical and biological
                             characteristics and components of Lake Salvador and adjacent regions
                             as close to real time as possible.
INTRODUCTION

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• To gather baseline data in the Davis Pond Diversion outfall area to
  assist coastal scientists and managers in distinguishing the effects of
  river water from other stressors.

• To use the field data collected to investigate the satellite-derived
  parameters including water temperature, water reflectance
  (suspended solids) and chlororphyll a .

' To provide reliable data on water quality and phytoplankton
  blooms to the agencies and organizations involved with public
  health, fisheries, and habitat related issues.

1.3.5      Technology  Transfer  Handbook

The Technology Transfer and Support Division of the EPA's ORD National Risk
Management Research Laboratory initiated development of this handbook to help
interested  communities learn more about the  Jefferson Parish Project. The
handbook also  provides technical information  communities need to develop
and manage their own time-relevant water monitoring, data visualization, and
information dissemination programs. ORD, working with the Jefferson Parish
Project team, produced this handbook to leverage EMPACT's investment in the
project and minimize the resources needed to implement similar projects in other
communities.

Both print and CD-ROM versions of the handbook are available for direct on-line
ordering from EPA's Office of Research and Development Technology Transfer
Web site at http://www.epa.gov/ttbnrmrl.  You can also order a copy of the
handbook (print or  CD-ROM version) by contacting ORD Publications by
telephone or mail at:

        EPA ORD Publications
        US EPA-NCEPI
        P.O. Box 42419
        Cincinnati, OH 45242
        Phone: (800)  490-9198 or (513) 489-8190

Note!

Please  make  sure  you include the title of the handbook and  the EPA
document number in your request.

We hope you find the handbook worthwhile, informative, and easy to use. We
welcome your comments, and you can send them by e-mail from EMPACT's Web
site at http://www.epa.gov/empact/comment.htm.
8                                                                                CHAPTER 1

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1.4     EMPACT Metropolitan Areas
Albany-Schenectady-Troy,  NY                Hartford CT                                   Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

Albuquerque, NM                           Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir,  NC                  Reading, PA

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton,   PA             Honolulu  HI                                   Reno, NV

Anchorage, AK                              Houston-Galveston-Brazona,  TX                 Richmond-Petersburg,  VA

Appelton-Oshkosh-Neeha,  WI                Huntmgton-Ahsland,  WV-KY-OH                Roanoke, VA

Atlanta, GA                                  Huntsville, AL                                  Rochester, NY

Augusta-Aiken, GA-SC                       Indianapolis, IN                                 Rockford,  IL

Austin-San Marcos, TX                       Jackson, MS                                     Sacramento-Yolo,  CA

Bakersfield,  CA                              Jacksonville  FL                                 Saginaw-Bay City-Midland, MI

Baton Rouge, LA                            Johnson  City-Kingsport-Bristol,  TN-VA          St. Louis, MO-IL

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX                   Johnston PA                                   Salinas, CA

Billings, MT                                Kalamazoo-Battle  Creek, MI                      Salt Lake City-Ogden,  UT

Biloxi-Gulfport-Pascagoula,  MS               Kansas City  MO-KS                             San Antonio, TX

Bmghamton,  NY                            Eileen-Temple,  TX                            San Diego, CA

Birmingham,  AL                            Knoxville, TN                                  San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA

Boise City, ID                               Lafayette LA                                   San Juan-Caguas-Arecibo,  PR

Boston-Worcester-Lawrence-MA-NH-ME-CT  Lafe-land-Winter Haven, FL                      San Luis  Obispo-Atascadero-Paso

Brownsville-Harlmgen-San  Bemto,  TX        Lancaster PA                                   Robles, CA

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY                     Lansing- East Lansing, MI                        Santa Barbara-Santa Mana-Lompoc, CA

Burlington, VT                              ^ y   s Ny_AZ                              Sarasota-Bradenton, FL

Canton-Mas sillon, OH                       Lexington KY                                 Savannah,  GA

Charleston-North Charleston,  SC              Lincoln NE                                   Scranton-Wilkes Barre-Hazleton, PA

Charleston, WV                              Littfe Rock_North Lltde Rock> AR                Seatde-Tacoma-Bremerton,  WA

Charlotte-Gatsoma-Rock Hill,  NC-SC          LQS Angeles_Rlverslde-Orange County,  CA       Shreveport-Bossier  City,  LA

Chattanooga, TN-GA                         Louisville, KY-IN                               Sioux  Falls, SD

Cheyenne, WY                              Lubbock ' TX                                   South Bend, IN

Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI              Macon, GA                                     Spokane, WA

Cincinnati-Hamilton,  OH-KY-IN              Madison, WI                                   Springfield,  MA

Cleveland, Akron, OH                       McAllen-Edmburg-Mission,   TX                 Springfield,  MO

Colorado Springs, CO                       Melbourne-Titusville-Palm  Bay,  FL              Stockton-Lodi, CA

Columbia, SC                               Memphis, TN-AR-MS                           Syracuse, NY

Columbus,  GA-AL                           Miami-Fort Lauderdale,  FL                      Tallahassee,  FL

Columbus,  OH                              Milwaukee-Racine,  WI                          Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
Corpus, Christie,  TX                         ~ ,•       r   o  T-I   i  T\ ^M YWT                    T^l^rl^  OM
   e   '        '                             Minneapolis-St. Paul,  MN-WI                    loledo,  UH
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX                       Mobile, AL                                     Tucson,  AZ

Davenport-Molme-Rock  Island, IA-IL          Modesto, CA                                   Tulsa, OK Visalia-Tulare-Porterville,  CA

Dayton-Springfield,  OH                      , ,            AT                                T Ttira Rnmp  NY
   i     f   &    !                           Montgomery, AL                               unca-^ome, IN i

Daytona Beach, FL                           Nashville TN                                   Washington-Baltimore,  DC-MD-VA-WV

Denver-Boulder-Greeley   CO                     T   .   XT    .  .   ^^nT                   West Palm Bparh Bnra Ratnn  FT
                     "                      New London-Norwich,  CT-RI                   west i aim rjeacn-rjoca iwton, ri^
Des Moines, IA                              XT    _ .     T .                                Wirl-iii-a  KS
                                            New Orleans, LA                               Wichita, l^b
Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI                  ^T    ^^IXTI     XT    T     T     Ti   i      VnrV PA
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Duluth-Supenor,   MN-WI                     NY-NJ-CT-PA                                  Youngstown-Warren,   OH

       '                                     Norfolk-Virginia  Beach-Newport News, VA-NC
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Fargo-Moorhead,  ND-MN                      .  ,
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Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland,  MI          ^   .   . ,, .     _„ „„.
         F   .      6       .       .          Portland-Salem, OR-WA
Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High  Point,  NC       . .     ^11^-    ™,  •  ,   T^T ^r,
                            6        '        Providence-Fall River-Warwick,  RI-MA
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Harnsburg-Lebanon-Carlisle,   PA




  In addition, federally recognized Native American Tribes - regardless of location in the United States -

  are eligible to apply.





INTRODUCTION                                                                                                     9

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2.     HOW TO USE THIS HANDBOOK
       This  handbook  provides  you  with  step-by-step  information   on
        how to   develop  a program   to  provide  time-relevant   water
        quality data to your community, using the Jefferson Parish Project in the
New Orleans, Louisiana area as a model. It contains detailed guidance on how to:
  Design, site,
  operate, and
  mairtaiti a sy
  to gather time-
  relevant water
  quality data.
Design, operate,  and
mairiain a system to
retrieve, manage,
  id analyse your
tim e- rel evart w ater
quality data.
U se data
visualization tools
to graphically
depict these data.
Develop a pi an to
communicate the
results of your time-
relevant water
quality m oritoring
efforts to residents in
your community.
        Chapter 3 provides information about water quality monitoring - the
        first step in the process of generating time-relevant information about
        water quality and making it available to residents in your area. The
        chapter begins with an overview of water quality monitoring in
        estuariane systems and then focuses on the three monitoring
        components that are part of the Jefferson Parish Project:  (1) collection
        of time-series physical and biological measurements at a fixed location
        in Lake Salvador; (2) satellite/remote sensing technology; and (3) water
        quality field sampling. The chapter also provides instructions on how to
        install, operate, and maintain the time-series sampling system, how to
        obtain satellite data and use these data for water quality monitoring,
        and how to set up the field sampling program.

        Chapter 4 provides step-by-step instructions on how to collect,
        transfer, and manage time-relevant water quality data. This chapter
        discusses time-series sampling equipment calibration, transferring
        sampling data to the base station, managing sampling data at the base
        station, and checking sampling data for quality. This chapter also
        provides detailed information on satellite data acquisition, processing,
        interpretation, ground-truthing, and data transfer and management. In
        addition, this chapter presents details on water quality field sampling
        including details on sampling, water quality parameter analyses,
        phytoplankton speciation, and data transfer and management.

        Chapter 5 provides information about using data visualization tools to
        graphically depict the  time-relevant water quality data you have
        gathered. The chapter begins with a brief overview of data
        visualization. It then provides a more detailed introduction to selected
        data visualization tools utilized by the Jefferson Parish team. You might
        want to use these software tools to help analyze your data and in your
        efforts to provide time-relevant water quality information to your
        community.
HOWTO USE THIS HANDBOOK
                                                                    11

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                          •       Chapter 6 outlines the steps involved in developing an
                                  outreach plan to communicate information about water
                                  quality in your community. It also provides information
                                  about the Jefferson Parish Project's outreach efforts. The
                                  chapter includes a list of resources to help you develop easily
                                  understandable materials to communicate information about
                                  your time-relevant water quality monitoring program to a
                                  variety of audiences.

                          This handbook is designed for decision-makers considering whether to implement
                          a time-relevant water quality monitoring program in their communities and for
                          technicians responsible for implementing these programs. Managers and decision-
                          makers likely will find the initial sections of Chapters 3,4, and 5 most helpful. The
                          latter sections of these chapters are targeted primarily at  professionals  and
                          technicians and provide detailed "how to" information. Chapter 6 is designed for
                          managers and communication specialists.

                          The handbook also refers you to supplementary sources of information, such as
                          Web sites and guidance documents, where you can find  additional guidance with
                          a greater level of technical detail. The handbook also describes some of the lessons
                          learned  by  the Jefferson Parish team in developing and implementing its time-
                          relevant water quality monitoring, data management, and outreach program.
12                                                                                  CHAPTER2

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3. WATER QUALITY MONITORING
T
his  chapter provides  information  about  water  quality  monitoring
the first step in the process of generating time-relevant information about
water quality and making it available to residents in your area.
The chapter begins with a broad overview of water quality monitoring and then
focuses on the three monitoring components that are part of the Jefferson Parish
Project: (1) time-series water quality sampling (Section 3.1); (2) satellite/remote
sensing technology (Section 3.2); and (3) water quality field sampling (Section 3.3).
The chapter also provides instructions on how to install, operate, and maintain the
sampling equipment, how to obtain satellite data and use these data for water quality
monitoring, and how to set up the field sampling program.

Readers primarily interested in an overview of water quality monitoring might want
to focus on information presented in this introductory section and the introductory
parts of Sections 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3. If you are responsible for the actual design and
implementation of a water quality samplingproject, you should review Subsections
3.1.1 through 3.1.8. They provide an introduction to the specific steps involved in
developing and operating a  time-relevant water quality monitoring project and
information on where to find additional guidance. If you are responsible for the
designing and implementing a water quality monitoring program using satellite/
remote sensing technology, you should review Subsections 3.2.1  through 3.2.2.
They provide information on available satellite data and information on how to use
satellite data for water quality monitoring. If you are responsible for the actual
design and  implementation of a water quality field sampling project, you should
review Subsections 3.3.1 through 3.3.2.  They provide information on setting up
a field sampling program.

Water Quality Monitoring: An Overview

Water quality monitoring provides information about the condition of streams,
lakes, ponds, estuaries, and coastal waters. It can also tell us if these waters are safe
for swimming, fishing, or drinking. The Web site of the EPA Office of Water
(http://www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring)  is  a  good source of  background
information on water quality  monitoring.  (The information presented  in the
following paragraphs, which is taken from  the  Lake Access - Minneapolis
EMPACT Manual - EPA/625/R-00/012,  is  summarized from the Web site listed
above.)

Water quality monitoring can consist of the  following types of measurements:

•       Chemical measurements of constituents  such as dissolved oxygen,
       nutrients, metals, and oils in water, sediment, or fish tissue.
WATER QUALITY MONITORING                                                            13

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                  •    Physical measurements of general conditions such as temperature,
                       conductivity/salinity, current speed/direction, water level, water clarity.

                  •    Biological measurements of the abundance, variety, and growth rates of aquatic
                       plant and animal life in a water body or the ability of aquatic organisms to
                       survive in a water sample.

                  You can conduct several kinds of the following water quality monitoring projects:

                  •    At fixed locations on a continuous basis

                  •    At selected locations on an as-needed basis or to answer specific questions

                  •    On a temporary or seasonal basis (such as during the summer at swimming
                       beaches)

                  •    On an emergency basis (such as after a spill)

                  Many agencies and organizations conduct water quality monitoring, including state
                  pollution control agencies, Indian tribes, city and county environmental offices, the EPA
                  and  other  federal agencies,  and private  entities, such as universities, watershed
                  organizations, environmental groups, and  industries.  Volunteer monitors - private
                  citizens who voluntarily collect  and analyze water  quality  samples, conduct  visual
                  assessments of physical conditions, and measure the biological health of waters - also
                  provide increasingly important water quality information. The  EPA provides specific
                  information   about   volunteer  monitoring  at   http://www.epa.gov/owow/
                  monitoring/vol.html.

                  Water quality monitoring is conducted for many reasons, including:

                  •    Characterizing waters and identifying trends or changes in water quality
                       over time.

                  •    Identifying existing or emerging water quality problems.

                  •    Gathering information for the design of pollution prevention or restoration
                       programs.

                  •    Determining if the goals of specific programs (such as river diversions) are
                       being met.

                  •    Complying with local, state, and Federal regulations.

                  •    Responding to emergencies such as spills or floods.
14                                                                                   CHAPTERS

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EPA helps administer grants for water quality monitoring projects and provides
technical guidance on how to monitor and report monitoring results. You can find
a number of EPA's water quality monitoring technical guidance documents on the
Web  at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/techmon.html.

In addition to the EPA resources listed above, you can obtain information about
lake and reservoir water quality monitoring from the North American  Lake
Management  Society  (NALMS).  NALMS  has  published  many  technical
documents, including a guidance manual entitled Monitoring Lake and Reservoir
Restoration.   For more information, visit the NALMS Web  site at http://
www.nalms.org. State and local agencies also publish and recommend documents
to help organizations and communities conduct and understand water quality
monitoring. For example,  the Gulf of Mexico Program maintains a Web site
(http://www.gmpo.gov/mmrc/mmrc.html) that lists resources for water quality
monitoring and management.  State and local organizations in your community
might maintain similar listings. The Louisiana State University's Coastal Studies
Institute Web site also maintains a list of links for water quality information and
resources at http://www.csi.lsu.edu/.

In  some cases,  special water quality  monitoring methods, such as remote
monitoring, or special types of water quality data, such as time-relevant data, are
needed to meet  a water quality monitoring program's objectives.  ^Time-relevant
environmental data are collected and communicated to the public in a time frame
that is useful to their day-to-day decision-making about their health and the
environment, and relevant to the temporal variability of the parameter measured.
Monitoring is called remote when the operator can collect and analyze data from a
site other than the monitoring location itself.

3.1 Time-Series Water Quality Sampling

The Jefferson Parish Project provides much needed baseline data on nutrient and
chlorophyll levels in the upper Barataria basin. Evaluation of historical data sets
indicate a lack of comprehensive  water  quality  data  especially in relation to
chlorophyll data. It also provides the only data from the Davis Pond Freshwater
Diversion outfall that is near-real time and easily assessable to the public via the
world wide Web. Diversions, and the possibility of diversion-related algal blooms,
are a major concern to communities in the New Orleans area, as is the growing dead
zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Using time-relevant monitoring of lake water quality
for the early detection of an algal  bloom is a useful tool in providing timely
environmental information to natural resource and human health protection
agencies in Louisiana.

The Jefferson Parish  Project team  conducts  time-relevant  monitoring at one
location in Lake Salvador.  At this location, the project team operates a sampling
platform, which performs time-series water quality monitoring using commercially
available monitoring sensors. The sensors transmit time-relevant water quality data
to a data acquisition system contained on the platform.
WATER QUALITY MONITORING                                                             15

-------
                          Using  wireless  communication,  the  sampling  system  can both receive
                          programming and transmit data to a land-base station.

                          The time-series sampling system is installed on an existing oil pumping platform.
                          The data collection platform contains batteries; solar panels; telemetry equipment;
                          a data acquisition system (Handar 555A); and a sensor package.  The specially
                          designed field  computer provides a suite of water quality parameters from the
                          water below the platform.  The sensor package,  produced by Yellow Springs
                          Instruments6 (YSI6), has multisensor probes that can  be customized to meet
                          virtually any sensor needs. The sensor package, connected to the data acquisition
                          system, collects data from 4 feet below the water surface at preprogrammed times.

                          Each hour, the time-series sampling system unit equipped with a multiprobe water
                          quality sensor  manufactured by YSIe collects water  quality data.  The system
                          measures the following parameters:
                              Water level
                              Precipitation
                              Air temperature
                              Water temperature
                              Wind speed/direction
                              Specific conductance/Salinity
                              pH
                              Dissolved oxygen
                              Backscattter/Turbidity
                              Chlorophyll
              [ a

The Jefferson Parish Project team uses a land-base station to communicate with the
sampling  station  via satellite interface.   Time-relevant data  are  remotely
downloaded from the station daily. Figure 3.1 illustrates some of the basic sampling
station components and shows how the sampling system communicates with the
land-base station.

The remainder of this chapter highlights the Jefferson Parish Project.  The following
subsection provides some background information on river diversion impacts and
estuarine ecology and it introduces some important concepts relevant to the study
of these topics.

3.1.1      Designing   a   Time-Relevant  Water   Quality
Monitoring Project

The  first step  in  developing  a water quality  monitoring project is to define
your objectives.   Keep  in mind that time-relevant monitoring  might not be
16                                                                                  CHAPTERS

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Figure 3.1 Diagram of Basic Sampling Station Components
                                                Time-Series Sampling Station
                     Satellite Interface
          Base Station
          D ata Upl oading/
          Programming
         Data Downloading
        Database Management
X

M e tec rolo gical D at a
Wind Sensor
Rain 0=-^)
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r
I
i
i
A -
	 i

--

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Transmitter
4

Solar Panels
Sensors
f£ 1
*

r

Computer
(Eandfa555

BCV



*

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^


*
r

Charge
Controller




3 attery
Existing Oil Platform

YSI 6(500 _*J[
Multisensor Probe i 1

T
1
1
1
1
1
1

the best method for your organization or community.  For example, you would
not likely need time-relevant monitoring capability to conduct monthly monitoring
to comply with a state or federal regulation.

In order to clearly define the objectives of your particular water quality monitoring
project, you need to understand the system you are planning to monitor. This
means that you need to collect background information about the aquatic system,
such as natural occurringprocesses, system interactions, system ecology, and human
impacts on the system.

Since  this  particular monitoring project involves estuarine ecology and possible
impacts of freshwater diversion into estuaries, the following text boxes provides
some  basic background information about these topics.

Estuarine Ecology

Estuaries are bodies of water that are balanced by freshwater and sediment influx
from  rivers and the tidal actions of the oceans, thus providing transition zones
between the freshwater of a river and the saline environment of the sea. The result
of this interaction is an environment where estuaries, along with their adjacent
marshes and seagrasses, provide a highly productive  ecosystem, that supports
wildlife and fisheries and contributes substantially to the economy of coastal areas.
As spawning, nursery, and  feeding grounds, estuaries  are invaluable to fish and
shellfish. Estuarine-dependent species constitute more than 95 percent of the
WATER QUALITY MONITORING
17

-------
                           commercial fishery  harvests  from the Gulf of Mexico, and many important
                           recreational fishery species depend on estuaries during some part of their life cycle.
                           Estuaries are diverse and productive ecosystems that provide a variety of valuable
                           resources, including fish and shellfish, recreation, transportation, and petroleum and
                           minerals.

                           Estuaries and wetland environments are intertwined. Coastal emergent wetlands
                           border estuaries and the coast and include tidal saltwater and freshwater marshes.
                           Coastal wetlands serve as essential habitat for a diverse range of species.  These
                           wetlands are used by shorebirds, migratory waterfowl, fish, invertebrates, reptiles,
                           and mammals.  Migrating waterfowl and migratory birds utilize  these coastal
                           habitats. Mudflats, salt marshes, mangrove swamps, and barrier island habitats also
                           provide year-round nesting and feeding grounds for abundant populations of gulls,
                           terns, and other shorebirds. Estuaries, marshes and associated watersheds provide
                           habitat for  many threatened and endangered species.  Estuaries and wetlands
                           support  complex food webs that provide an abundant food source for juvenile
                           and adult fishes (see  Figure 3.2 below). In addition to providing habitat, wetlands
                           also improve water quality by filtering pollutants and sediment and offer a buffer
                           zone to  protect upland areas from flooding and erosion.
Figure 3.2. Conceptual diagram of the food web in estuarine ecosystems
[Source:  http://www.epa.gov/ged/gulf.htm].
                           Secondary
                           consumers
       plants
                                M   V
                               \    N^  Zoo plankton,
                               \      \fitter leei
                                \ .     ^«^   ^
                     inv^rteDrates,
                     andiheif Iwva
 Detritus feeders and
decomposer community
                                                                                  invertebrates
18
                                                  CHAPTERS

-------
There are usually three overlapping zones in an estuary: an open connection with
the sea where marine water dominates, a middle area where salt water and fresh
water mix, and a tidal river zone where fresh water dominates. Tidal forces cause
the estuarine characteristics to vary. Also variation in the seasonal discharge of rivers
causes  the  limits  of the  zones  to shift, thus increasing the overall ecological
complexity  of  the  estuaries.     [Source:  http://encarta.msn.com/fmd/
Concise.asp?z=l&pg=2&ti=761570978#sl]

Most of the world's freshwater runoff encounters the oceans in estuaries. Tides or
winds help mix the lighter, less dense fresh water from the rivers with the salt water
from the ocean to form brackish water. The salinity of brackish water is typically
2 to 10 parts per thousand (ppt), while the salinity of salt water is about35ppt. Due
mostly to changes in the river flow, the three main estuarine zones - saltwater,
brackish, and freshwater - can shift seasonally and vary significantly from one area
to another.  [Source: http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=l&pg=2&ti=
761570978#sl]

The chemical components of fresh (or river) water can vary greatly and produce
significant differences in estuarine nutrient cycles.  Typically, the most important
compounds for estuarine life that  are supplied  by river  water are nitrogen,
phosphorus, silicon, and iron.  Seawater, which has  fairly uniform chemical
components, provides sulfate and bicarbonate. With adequate nutrients and light
conditions, estuaries enable the production of phytoplankton which provides the
basis for some of the  most productive habitats on  earth.  [Source:  http://
encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=l&pg=2&ti =761570978#sl]

River  Diversion Impacts

Leveeing of the rivers for flood control has impacted the estuarine ecology by
blocking the rivers' historic spring overflows and thus impeding the rush of marsh-
supporting fresh water, nutrients, and sediment to the coastal zone. This resulted
in wetland loss along coastal zones and causes pressing environmental problems.

Diversion of freshwater and sediments from  rivers is expected to conserve and
restore coastal wetlands, but citizens are concerned about the impact that nutrient
rich river water may have on water quality and growths (blooms) of phytoplankton.
The freshwater diversions imitate historic spring floods by providing a controlled
flow of freshwater and nutrients into estuaries.  It is expected that this diversion will
restore former ecological conditions by combating land loss, enhancing vegetation
and improving fish and wildlife habitat.

However, there are concerns that the freshwater diversion may have a negative
impact on estuaries. Commercial fishermen are concerned that massive amounts
of river water may deteriorate the water quality in  the lakes and bays where they
make their living.  Communities downstream of diversion sites are concerned that
water levels will  increase and cause flooding during high wind driven tides.
Scientists debate the wisdom of introducing more nutrients into already eutrophic
WATER QUALITY MONITORING                                                              19

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                           systems. Stakeholders are also interested in the changes that will occur as salinity
                           levels are altered in the upper estuaries.

                           Diverting too much nutrients into estuaries, leads to excessive algae growth and
                           eventually oxygen depletion.  In many cases, fish kills are  evidence of oxygen
                           depleted water in the estuary.  Sewage and other organic wastes that are discharged
                           into rivers and estuaries can overload estuaries with nutrients. These conditions can
                           contribute to the loss of animal and  plant life, the decrease of a buffer zone from
                           storm surges, salt water intrusion, and ultimately the decline of the estuary and loss
                           of  wetland.   [Source:  http://encarta.msn.com/fmd/Concise.asp?z=l&pg
                           =2&ti=761570978#sl]

                           River water diversions from  previously leveed rivers into estuaries have shown
                           three potential impacts: (1) they may increase the water level in the estuary; (2) they
                           may increase nutrient and sediment input into the estuary; and (3) they may decrease
                           the salinity in  the estuary. Figure 3.3 shows the possible beneficial and negative
                           impacts of river water diversions.

                           Designing the Jefferson  Parish Project

                           The Jefferson Parish Project team's decision to collect time-relevant water quality
                           data was in response to the public's repeated request for publicly available real time
                           water quality data. Wetland loss and decline of the estuarine  ecosystem raised an
                           interest to learn more about impacts  of river water diversions from previously
                           leveed  rivers  into estuaries.  The project team determined that pre-and post
                           diversion water quality data have to  be collected in order to make assessments of
                           river water diversion impacts.

                           The project team decided to conduct time-relevant monitoring of lake water quality
                           to be able to detect algal blooms  early  and to provide timely  environmental
                           information to natural resource and human health protection agencies. Having
                           time-relevant  data allows entities to respond quickly to adverse  environmental
                           conditions, make appropriate decisions to ensure economic and  environmental
                           sustainability of the affected environment, and protect the health of commercial and
                           recreational users.

                           3.1.2   Selecting Your Sampling Frequency

                           The sampling frequency you select for your time-relevant water quality monitoring
                           project depends on your project's objectives. For example:

                           •    If you want to identify existing or emerging water quality problems
                               such as algal blooms, you could tailor your monitoring frequency to
20                                                                                  CHAPTERS

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  Figure 3.3. Possible Beneficial and Negative Impacts of River Water Diversion
                                              Rivet Watts
       'A'Otl Lf=*l Jttitldt =11
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                                        Estuary Decline «
                                        Low of W-ll and
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  WATER QUALITY MONITORING
                                                                                21

-------
                               collect data often enough to determine problems early to take measures to
                               alleviate the problem and warn the public.

                           •    If you want to study seasonal water quality problems, you may want to
                               increase your monitoring frequency during seasons when water quality
                               problems are more predominant (i.e., low dissolved oxygen levels and
                               associated fish kills during summer months).

                           It is appropriate to experiment with different monitoring frequencies to optimize
                           your ability  to fulfill your project's objectives.

                           Jefferson Parish Project Monitoring Frequency

                           The Jefferson Parish Project team programed its  time-series sampling system to
                           collect water quality samples  every hour. This monitoring frequency allows the
                           team members to see short-term changes in water quality and allows them to detect
                           problems early to respond quickly to adverse environmental  conditions, make
                           appropriate decisions to ensure economic and  environmental sustainability of the
                           affected environment, and protect the health of commercial and recreational users.

                           The data from the monitoring station in Lake Salvador are used to assess  average
                           conditions and variations from these average conditions. Ancillary measurement,
                           including but not limited to river discharge/stage, are obtained to aid in the
                           determination of the cause of the variability revealed  by the time-series data.
                           Previous studies in shallow estuarine systems of coastal Louisiana have shown that
                           the physical and ecological variability is closely related to changes in wind speed/
                           direction and river discharge.

                           3.1.3 Selecting Water Quality Parameters for Monitoring

                           The time-relevant monitoring parameters that you select depend on your project's
                           objectives and the time-relevant technologies available to you. The Jefferson Parish
                           project team chose to monitor the following eleven water quality parameters on a
                           time-relevant basis to fulfill the project's objectives: water level, precipitation, air
                           temperature, water temperature, wind speed/direction, specific  conductance/
                           salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, reflectance/turbidity, and chlorophyll a.

                           The Jefferson Parish Project team uses time-relevant measurements of the above
                           listed parameters as indicators for the health of the ecosystem (early detection of
                           algal blooms, seagrass die-offs, and fish kills) and to monitor impacts of freshwater
                           diversions.

                           Harmful Algal Blooms

                           Microscopic, single-celled plants (phytoplankton) serve  as the primary producers
                           of energy at the base of the estuarine food web. Some species of phytoplankton
                           grow  very fast,  or  "bloom,"  and   accumulate  into dense, visible  patches
22                                                                                  CHAPTERS

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near the surface of the water. Although the causes of algal blooms are not entirely
known, scientists suspect that blooms occur as a result of a combination of high
temperatures, a lack of wind, and, frequently, nutrient enrichment.  Some algal
blooms are called brown tides, and, while not harmful to humans, they cause serious
ecosystem impacts due to  decreases in light penetration and dissolved oxygen.
Brown tides can cause seagrass die-offs and fish kills. Some algae produce potent
neurotoxins that can be transferred through the food web, where they  cause
damage, even death, to organisms from zooplankton to humans.

The most well-known harmful algal bloom (HAB) events in the Gulf of Mexico
involve blooms of Gymnodinium breve (also known as red tides). This organism
discolors the water red (although other less harmful algae can  also discolor the
water red) and has been implicated in fish kills and the deaths of manatee and other
marine mammals. G. breve  produces brevetoxins that cause Neurotoxic Shellfish
Poisoning (NSP).  NSP induces gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms in
humans that, although debilitating, are not fatal. In addition, toxic aerosols are
formed by wave action and can produce asthma-like symptoms  in humans. This
often leads to  beach closures [Source: http://www.epa.gov/ged/gulf.htm].

Jefferson Parish Time-Relevant Water Quality Monitoring Parameters

Water Level.  The water level is monitored to ensure that freshwater diversions
do not create or add to any local flooding problems. Early warning of an increased
water level allows diversion managers to make appropriate decisions to minimize
the introduction of more water when flooding is likely.

Precipitation.  Precipitation is monitored because it affects the  water level  in the
estuary. Increased water level may lead to flooding, which adversely impacts coastal
communities.  Both, the lack  or  excess, of precipitation can adversely  affect
vegetation and animal life  and stress the ecosystem.  In addition, precipitation
increases urban runoff, which increases nutrient loads, decreases salinity, and
influences dissolved oxygen levels in the estuary.

Air Temperature.  Air temperature affects the water temperature and thus air
temperature monitoring can be used to predict water temperature trends.  Air
temperature has a direct effect on biological activity and the growth of terrestrial
organisms and vegetation.  Extremely high or low air temperatures for extended
periods of time can adversely  affect vegetation and animal life and stress  the
ecosystem.

Water Temperature. Water temperature affects metabolic rates and thus has a
direct effect on biological activity and the growth of aquatic animal life and aquatic
vegetation. Generally, high temperatures (up to a certain limit) increase biological
activity  and growth, while low temperatures decrease  biological activity and
growth. For example, high temperatures in nutrient rich environments  promote
WATER QUALITY MONITORING                                                             23

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                           algal growth and may lead to algal blooms.  Temperature also affects biological
                           activity by influencing lake water chemistry, such as the oxygen content of the water.
                           Warm water contains  less dissolved oxygen than cold water.  Low dissolved
                           oxygen levels in the water might not be sufficient to support some types of aquatic
                           life.

                           Wind speed/direction.  Wind  speed/direction is important for water mixing.
                           High wind  speeds promote mixing of water layers, whereas low wind speeds
                           promote stratification of the water layers. Mixing of bottom and surface water
                           creates relatively uniform temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and reflectance/
                           turbidity profiles. Algal blooms are less likely to occur at high wind speeds because
                           higher turbidity in the surface water layer reduces  light penetration and aquatic plant
                           growth. In  addition, wind speed and direction influence salinity and water levels
                           through wind-driven tides. For example, a strong southerly wind can increase the
                           water level in the project area by as much as 12 inches. Salinity levels in the project
                           area also increase during periods with strong southernly wind.

                           Specific  Conductance/Salinity   or  electrical  conductivity.    Electrical
                           conductivity/salinity is an estimator of the amount of total dissolved salts or total
                           dissolved ions in water. Many factors influence the electrical conductivity/salinity
                           of lake water, including the watershed's geology, the watershed's size, wastewater
                           from  point sources,  runoff from nonpoint sources, atmospheric  inputs,
                           evaporation rates, precipitation, fresh water diversion from rivers, tidal surges, and
                           some  types of bacterial  metabolism.  Electrical conductivity/salinity is also  a
                           function of temperature; therefore, time-series data are standardized to 25°C. High
                           amounts of precipitation and fresh water diversion from rivers  decreases electrical
                           conductivity/salinity, while tidal surges increase electrical conductivity/salinity in the
                           estuary. Estuaries are characterized by gradients in salinity from near fresh water
                           at the mouths of the tributaries to near marine  at the mouth of the estuary. Estuaries
                           in the Gulf of Mexico are predominantly polyhaline (salinity  more than 18 ppt)
                           during the summer months. Electrical conductivity/salinity affects the distribution
                           and health of benthic animals, fish, and vegetation. Both, excessively high or low
                           salinities, can negatively impact the estuarine  ecosystem.

                           pH. pH is a measure of the hydrogen ion concentration in the water. A pH of 7
                           is considered neutral. Values lower than 7 are considered acidic and higher than 7
                           are basic.  Many important chemical and biological reactions are strongly affected
                           by pH. In turn, chemical reactions and biological processes (e.g., photosynthesis
                           and  respiration) can affect pH.  Lower pH values can increase the amount of
                           dissolved metals in the water, increasing the toxicity of these metals.  [Source: Lake
                           Access - Minneapolis BMP ACT Manual - EPA/625/R-00/012]
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Dissolved Oxygen.   Dissolved  oxygen (DO)  is  an indicator of the
habitability of estuarine waters for marine life and it is routinely measured
by monitoring programs interested in characterizing the eutrophic state of
estuaries. DO is recognized as an indicator of the extent of eutrophication because
wide fluctuations in DO often result from increased primary productivity and may
reflect prior nutrient loading. DO concentrations may also vary because of natural
processes, such as stratification, depth, wind-induced mixing, and tidal fluxes. DO
is necessary for respiration in most aquatic animals but different biota have different
requirements for adequate DO. Hypoxia (condition where DO is less than 2 mg/
L) increases stress from other factors (e.g., contaminants) on marine organisms,
whereas anoxic conditions (DO < 0.1 mg/L) produce toxic hydrogen sulfide
which can be lethal to marine biota. Many states require DO concentrations of 4-
5 mg/L for estuaries to meet their designated use criteria. Sufficient evidence exists
that DO < 2 mg/L is extremely stressful to most aquatic organisms.  Low DO is
usually observed from  June  through  October and is  primarily driven  by
stratification of the water column [Source: http://www.epa.gov/ged/gulf.htm].
Additional information about hypoxia can also be found on the following USGS
Web  site: http://wwwrcolka.cr.usgs.gov/midconherb/hypoxia.html.

Turbidity. Turbidity (or backscatter)  describes the clarity of the water. Turbidity
is a measurement of the  amounts of total suspended solids in the water.  The
particles that make up the turbidity can range from mineral matter to organics. In
combination with the chlorophyll measurements, it can be determined if mineral
matter or organics dominate. Predominant orgaincs can be an indication of an algal
bloom, which could mean that algae below the  zone of light penetration are
decaying and consuming oxygen, which in turn, can result in hypoxia that effects
bottom dwelling organisms.   Measurements  of turbidity  and backscatter are
interrelated  in that  water with high turbidity measurements also  yields  high
reflectance measurements. This is the case because the more particles are present,
the more light  can be  scattered back to  the  sensor.   Increased  turbidity
measurements might have several adverse effects on water quality, including the
following:

•      Turbidity reduces light penetration, which deceases the growth of
       aquatic plants and organisms. The reduced plant growth reduces
       photosynthesis, which results in decreased daytime releases of oxygen in
       the water.

•      Suspended particles eventually settle to the bottom, suffocating eggs
       and/or newly hatched larva, and occupy potential areas of habitat for
       aquatic organisms.

•      Turbidity can also negatively  impact fish populations by reducing the
       ability of predators to locate prey - shifting fish populations to species
       that feed at the lake or ocean bottom.
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                           •   Fine participate material can affect aquatic organisms by clogging or
                              damaging their sensitive gill structures, decreasing their resistance to
                              disease, preventing proper egg and larval development, and
                              potentially interfering with particle feeding  activities.

                           •   Increased inputs of organic particles deplete oxygen as the organic particles
                              decompose.

                           •   Increased turbidity raises the cost of treating surface water for thedrinking
                              water  supply.

                           Chlorophyll a. Nutrient loading is just one indicator of the potential that an estuary
                           has to become  eutrophic. Chlorophyll a can be an indicator of the first level
                           response to nutrient enrichment. Measurements of chlorophyll a (via fluorescence)
                           in the water column represent the standing stock or biomass of phytoplankton.
                           Blooms  of  phytoplankton  often  indicate  that  an  estuary  is  undergoing
                           eutrophication.  In some estuaries, there is a good correlation between nitrogen
                           loadings from various sources and  concentrations of chlorophyll a.   In other
                           estuaries, however, the relationship does not hold and it is possible, in fact, for an
                           estuary to receive heavy loads of  nitrogen and  yet not  exhibit increases in
                           phytoplankton biomass. Other factors such as light limitation, depth of the mixing
                           zone, flushing rates, and contaminants may affect the growth of phytoplankton.

                           3.1.4 Selecting Monitoring Equipment

                           The time-relevant water quality monitoring equipment that you select depend on
                           your project's objectives. When you select your monitoring equipment, you should
                           carefully consider ease of use, equipment lifetime, reliability, and maintenance
                           requirements.  You also might consider to use equipment that has been used
                           successfully for similar types of projects.

                           Jefferson Parish Equipment  Components

                           The sampling system consists  of a platform; data acquisition system (computer
                           system); a battery; a solar panel; telemetry equipment; and a  sensor package. The
                           computer  system allows for remote programming, data acquisition, and data
                           retrieval. Information about the equipment components listed below was  obtained
                           from User's Manuals available from the Handar (now Vaisala Inc.)  Web site at
                           http://www.vaisala.com  and from the  Yellow Springs Instruments, Inc. (YSI)
                           Web site at http://www.ysi.com. Even though the Jefferson Parish project team
                           uses  Handar and YSI  instrumentation, other manufactures  provide similar
                           equipment. For example, satellite transmitters are also produced by Sutron (http:/
                           /www.sutron.com) and sensor equipment is also supplied by Hydrolab (http://
                           www.hydrolab.com).
26                                                                                  CHAPTERS

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Platform. The platform, which provides the structure for the sampling system, is
an existing oil pumping platform in Lake Salvador. A picture of the platform with
the sampling system is shown in Figure 3.4. For safety reasons,  the  platform  is
equipped with  a light that is connected to a

battery, which gets charged by a solar panel. The floor of the platform has metal
grating to which the equipment on the platform is secured. The grating also allows
the Jefferson Parish team members to walk on the platform and access the
equipment.

Data Acquisition System (DAS).  The Handar Model 555A is a programable
DAS that controls the sensors, data storage, telemetry, and data transmission. The
555 software governs all aspects of the DAS operation, which includes reading the
sensors, analyzing and processing the data, storage and telemetry.  The user creates
its own unique  program using an MS-DOS compatible computer by selecting
commands and  sensor parameters from pull down menus. The program is then
stored in the nonvolatile memory of the DAS. The unit contains a data acquisition
board, serial bus, and power supply enclosed in a corrosion-resistant fiberglass resin
case. The Handar 555 unit enables the user to:

• Collect, process, and store data at user-specified intervals.
• Transmit data to the land-base station via wireless communication.
• Program the unit from the land-base station.
• Operate the unit in the field with a portable computer.

Figure 3.4.  Picture of the sampling system platform taken during the January 9, 2001 site visit.
WATER QUALITY MONITORING
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                           The structure on the left of picture is the light (A) below which you see the solar panel
                           (B) and the box containing the battery (C). The structure to the right of the light
                           is the fiberglass case (D) containing the DAS, the satellite radio transmitter, and the
                           battery. The solar panel for the sampling system (E) is to the left of the DAS case.
                           Above the DAS case is the rain gauge (F)

                           and the satellite transmission antenna (G). The wind speed/direction sensor, which
                           is usually mounted above the DAS case, is not shown in the picture because it was
                           damaged prior to the site  visit and was in the process of being replaced. The right
                           of the pictures shows pipes and structures (H) of the oil platform, which are not
                           part of the sampling system.

                           Battery and Solar Panel. The Handar 555A DAS model has an internal lead-acid
                           gel cell battery. This battery is sealed and rechargeable with a solar panel assembly.
                           A variety of solar panels may be used for recharging the battery as long as the
                           charging current is regulated not to exceed 0.3 A.  Higher charging currents can
                           damage the battery and even  cause a hydrogen gas explosion.

                           Telemetry Equipment. The Handar Serial Bus allows the data acquisition board
                           to communicate with the communications devices and the Programming Set.  A
                           variety of  communications  options are  available  for telemetry,  including
                           communication via telephone systems, radio, or satellite.

                           The  Jefferson Parish project  team uses  a satellite  radio  transmitter for
                           communications via GOES.  The GOES are satellites operated by the National
                           Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS) of NOAA. The
                           GOES Satellite Radio Module consists of a 10-watt transmitter that can be set  to
                           any of the allowable 199 domestic GOES and 33 international channels assigned
                           by NESDIS.  The normal configuration of GOES consists of the GOES East
                           satellite stationed 21,700 miles above the equator at 75 degrees west longitude and
                           the GOES West satellite  is at 135 degrees west longitude.

                           Data are  transmitted by  the  data acquisition system  on an assigned ultra high
                           frequency (UHF)-band frequency in the direction of the GOES.  The GOES
                           repeats the message in the S-band, which is received at the NESDIS ground station
                           at Wallops Island, Virginia.   The data are then re-broadcast to the DOMSAT
                           satellite, which is a low orbiting communications satellite, and then retrieved on an
                           eight-foot dish at the USGS office in Baton Rouge.

                           Sensor Package.  The  sensor package, YSI 6600, has multisensor probes  to
                           measure the various water quality parameters. A picture of the sensor package and
                           probes is  shown in Figure 3.5 below. The YSI 6600 is controlled by the Handar
                           555 unit. The sensors collect water quality and water level data beneath the platform.
                           A special cable transmits power and protocols from the Handar 555 unit to the
                           sensors and transmits data from the sensors to the Handar 555 unit.
28                                                                                  CHAPTERS

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Jefferson Parish Equipment Selection

When selecting the water quality sampling equipment, the Jefferson Parish project
team worked with their local USGS office in Baton Rouge to find out which
equipment they use.  The USGS district office in Baton Rouge

Figure 3.5.   Picture of the YSI 6600 sensor package with multisensor probes taken during the
             January  9,  2001 site visit.
already maintains and services a number of water quality sampling stations in
that area and has extensive experience with the monitoring equipment used.
Since the Jefferson Parish team contracted USGS to operate and maintain their
time-series sampling unit, they wanted to use the same equipment the Baton
Rouge USGS office is using for their other projects to facilitate the process and
reduce costs.  Since other USGS offices may be using different water quality
monitoring equipment than the Baton Rouge office, you should contact your
local USGS office and find out which equipment they use, if you are contracting
USGS to operate and maintain your time-series sampling unit. The Jefferson
Parish Project team selected the Handar 555A DAS with the YSI 6600 sensor
package to collect time-relevant  water  quality data.   This  capability has
provided the Jefferson Parish Project team with new opportunities for data
collection and analysis and helps the project team to meet its objectives as
described below:
WATER QUALITY MONITORING
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                           •   Multiple water quality parameters can be collected simultaneously.

                           •   On demand water quality sampling can be conducted during significant
                              environmental events or when humans are physically unable to test on-site.

                           •   Multiple data points may be collected and received daily making water
                              quality testing a more efficient and economical process.

                           •   The frequent collection of water quality data enables  personnel to
                              provide timely environmental information to the community and natural
                              resources and human health protection agencies.

                           The Jefferson  Parish  Project  team also selected the  time-series monitoring
                           equipment for its ease of use,  warranty  and Customer  Service, reliability, low
                           maintenance requirements, and  successful use for similar types of projects.

                           Ease of Use. Using the time-series monitoring equipment allows the project team
                           to collect near-real time data without having to travel out into the field to view,
                           upload, and process  the data.   This eliminates the need for frequent trips  to a
                           monitoring site and lets the project team respond to events as they occur.

                           Equipment Warranty and Customer Service.  The Handar 555 DAS with its
                           YSI 6600 multi-parameter monitoring systems is designed for long-term in situ
                           monitoring.

                           The YSI sondes are warranted for two years; all cables are warranted for one year;
                           and depth, dissolved oxygen, temperature/conductivity, pH, chloride, turbidity,
                           and chlorophyll probes are  warranted for one year.  Handar warrants  its  data
                           acquisition systems for five years and its telemetry systems for one year. Both YSI
                           and Handar have customer service agreements providing repair services for their
                           equipment.

                           Reliability. The Handar 555 DAS with its YSI 6600 multi-parameter monitoring
                           systems is designed to work reliably even in extreme weather conditions.

                           Low Maintenance Requirements.  The  time-series sampling system has
                           relatively low maintenance requirements.  The YSI probes need some regular
                           maintenance, such as periodic cleaning, membrane changes of the dissolved oxygen
                           probe, and replacement of desiccant for the water level sensor. In addition, weekly
                           calibration of the dissolved oxygen sensor is required. Users also need to check the
                           batteries and the charging system of the DAS on a regular basis.

                           Successful Use in Similar Projects.  The Jefferson Parish Project team also
                           selected the time-series sampling system because of its proven track record. Other
                           water quality monitoring projects (e.g., the Louisiana Lake Pontchartrain project
30                                                                                  CHAPTERS

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and other local monitoring sites maintained by the USGS) use time-series sampling
systems successfully for similar types of projects.

3.1.5  Siting Monitors

The time-relevant water quality monitoring location(s) that you select depend on
your project's objectives. When you select your monitoringlocation(s), you should
carefully consider the following factors:

•       Will the data collected at this location (s) fulfill your project's
        objectives?  For example, if you would like to study the impacts
        of freshwater diversions on water quality in estuaries, you need
        to make sure that the monitor to collect pre- and post-diversion
        data is located in a representative area downstream from the
        diversion structure.

•       Is your community supportive of equipment installation for time-
        series monitoring in the location(s) you selected?

•       Does the monitoring equipment at the selected location(s) present a
        danger to your community?  For example, is the location (s) in an area
        with heavy boat, swimming, or personal water craft traffic?

•       Is your monitoring equipment safe at the selected location(s)? For
        example, is the equipment protected from vandalism, tampering, or
        weather  related damage?

•       Are there any local, state, or federal regulations that you need to
        consider in siting the monitor(s)?

•       Is the access to the monitor location(s) adequate?

Siting the Jefferson Parish Monitoring Location

The Jefferson Parish Project team decided to locate the time-relevant monitoring
system on an existing structure, an old oil pumping platform, located in  Lake
Salvador, a key outfall area of the Davis Pond Diversion.  Key project members
determined that this site met project locality needs during field reconnaissance.

3.1.6   Installing  the Time-Series  Sampling System

This section discusses some of the basic installation procedures  for the sampling
system. The detailed installation procedures for the time-series sampling equipment
are available from the user's manuals of the individual pieces of equipment. The
user's manual for the  YSI 6600 sensor package can be downloaded from the
Yellow Springs Instruments, Inc. Web site  at http://www.ysi.com.  The user's
manual for the data acquisition system is can be ordered from the Handar  (now
WATER QUALITY MONITORING                                                             31

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                          Vaisala Inc.) Web site at http://www.vaisala.com. You will need to consult these
                          manuals for detailed step-by-step installation guidance.

                          Unpacking and Inspecting the Equipment

                          The first step to install the time-series sampling system is to unpack and inspect the
                          equipment. As soon as you receive the equipment, you should follow the following
                          steps:

                          1.      Remove the packing material surrounding the equipment.
                          2.      Using the enclosed packing slip, perform an inventory of all items. If you
                                  are missing any items, contact the manufacturer immediately.
                          3.      Conduct a thorough visual inspection of all items. If you observe any
                                  damage, contact the manufacturer and the carrier.

                          Preparing and Assembling the Equipment

                          The second step to install the time-series sampling system is to conduct a series of
                          preparation and assembly activities on land and at the sampling location. Complete
                          the following list of preparation and assembly activities:

                          Installation and preparation on land:

                          •    Calibrate your water quality monitoring sensor according to
                               manufacturer's instructions.

                          •    Install the sampling system base software program on your land-base
                               station computer.

                          •    Ensure your battery to supply power to the sampling system is charged.

                          Installation at the site:

                          •    Secure Handar unit on the sampling platform.

                          •    Assemble sensor package.

                          •    Install telemetry antennas and correctly point directional antennas.

                          •    Run cables along platform structure and tie cables to the structure with
                               tie-wraps.

                          •    Connect cables (At the lower end of a cable, allow the cable to form a
                               loop with the low point well below the connector on the Handar unit
                               panel. This lets the moisture running down the cable drip to the ground
                               at the low point and keeps it from running into the connectors).

                          •    Assemble the electrical system.
32                                                                                  CHAPTERS

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•      Connect the Handar unit to the electrical system.

•      Connect the sensor package (Connect sensor cables to sensor and data
       acquisition system).

•      Position and connect the solar panel.

•      Connect power supply.

•      Perform electrical testing to ensure proper operation.

•      Initialize data acquisition system.

•      Load data acquisition software.

•      Test the sensors.

•      Set the clock.

•      Set start time and interval

3.1.7  Operating the Time-Series Sampling System

This section discusses the basic steps for operating the time-series sampling system.
The procedures were summarized from the user's manual for the data acquisition
system, which can be ordered from the Handar (now Vaisala Inc.) Web site at http: /
/www.vaisala.com.  You will need to refer to this manual, for detailed step-by-step
operation guidance.

Viewing and Retrieving Data

In order to examine and collect data from the DAS while it is running in the field,
connect your programming set to the DAS and use the RETRIEVE DATA
command of the ONLINE menu. If you just want to look at the most recent data
in memory to see how things are currently going, proceed as follows:

       (1)      Select RETRIEVE DATA command.

       (2)      Select ALL DATA STORES.

       (3)      To view the most recent items, select DISPLAY.

       (4)      Select either ALL data, LAST MEASUREMENTS, or
               INCLUSIVE PERIOD, depending on which data you
               would like to view.

       (5)      Press ENTER for the data to appear on the screen.


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                          Printing Data

                          If you have a printer connected to your programming set, and you want to
                          have a printed version of the screen display, follow the steps below:

                                  (1)      Select RETRIEVE DATA command.

                                  (2)      Select ALL DATA STORES.

                                  (3)      To print the most recent items, select PRINTER.

                                  (4)      Select either ALL data, LAST MEASUREMENTS, or
                                         INCLUSIVE PERIOD, depending on which data you would
                                         like to print.

                                  (5)      Press ENTER for the data to print.

                          Saving Data Files

                          The procedure for transferring data from the DAS memory to a file on the hard
                          disk or floppy disk in your programming set is nearly the same as for viewing and
                          retrieving data. If you want to save data files, proceed as follows:

                                  (1)      Select RETRIEVE DATA command.

                                  (2)      Select ALL DATA STORES.

                                  (3)      To save the data, select DISK.

                                  (4)      Choose either TEXT or BINARY format

                                  (5)      Specify a file name and a path using standard DOS
                                         notation to store the data.

                          Inspecting and Changing Parameters

                          Parameters  are numbers or characters that  you provide to control program
                          operation. They include  such items as measurement times and intervals to control
                          process schedules, sensor calibration information, and current values and offsets.
                          Initial values of all these items are required during programming, but you can change
                          some of them  after  loading  the program into  the  data acquisition system.
                          Parameters that you can inspect and change in the data acquisition system are called
                         field accessible. To change field accessible parameters, proceed as follows:
34                                                                                CHAPTERS

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(1)      Select ALTER PARAMETERS in the ONLINE menu.

(2)      The screen displays a list of the names of all the field accessible
        parameters together with their current values. Move the highlight to
        one you want to change and select it by pressing ENTER

(3)      If you see the message EDITING ACCESS DENIED, you cannot
        change the parameter in the present mode of the DAS. Just above
        this message, there will be a label, for example ALTERABLE IN STOP
        MODE ONLY, that explains the restrictions on the parameter. If the
        number is displayed, you can change it.

(4)      After making your changes, press ENTER and you will see the list of
        parameters again with the new value for the one you changed. The
        change will affect all sensors and processes that use that parameter.

3.1.8  Maintaining the Time-Series Sampling System

The scheduled maintenance activities for your time-series sampling system will likely
involve cleaning and calibration of your water quality monitoring sensors and
replacement of desiccant for the water level sensor.  Maintenance frequency is
generally governed by the fouling rate of the sensors, and this rate varies by sensor
type, hydrologic environment, and season. The performance of temperature and
specific conductance sensors tends to be less affected by  fouling, whereas the
dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity sensors are more prone to fouling. The use
of wiper or shutter mechanisms on modern turbidity instruments has decreased the
fouling problem significantly.   For stations with  critical  data quality objectives,
service intervals may be weekly or more often.  Monitoring sites  with nutrient-
enriched waters and moderate to high temperatures may require service intervals
as frequently as  every third day. In cases  of severe environmental fouling, the use
of an observer for servicing the water quality monitor should be considered.  In
addition to fouling problems, physical disruptions (such as recording equipment
malfunction, sedimentation, electrical disruption,  debris, or vandalism) also may
require additional site visits. The service needs of water quality monitoring stations
equipped with telemetry can be recognized quickly, and the use of satellite telemetry
to verify proper equipment operation is recommended.  The USGS Web site
(http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/wri/wri004252/#pdf)  is  a good  source  for
background information on operation and maintenance of near-real time water
quality monitoring systems. (The information in this Section is summarized from
the USGS document titled "Guidelines and Standard Procedures for Continuous
Water-Quality Monitors:  Site Selection, Field Operation, Calibration,  Record
Computation, and Reporting".  This document is available from the USGS Web
site listed above.)
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                           Jefferson Parish Project Maintenance Activities

                           Jefferson Parish team services the time-series sampling system at least once per
                           week to conduct routine maintenance activities.  In case of physical disruptions
                           (such as recording equipment malfunction, sedimentation, electrical disruption,
                           debris, or vandalism), the Jefferson Parish team conducts additional site visits. Since
                           the Jefferson Parish system is equipped with satellite telemetry, proper equipment
                           operation can be verified at all times allowing quick identification of any service
                           needs of the water quality monitoring station. The following general maintenance
                           functions are conducted on the Jefferson Parish system:

                           •    Daily review of the sensor function by  checking the transmitted data

                           •    Weekly inspection of the site for signs of physical disruption

                           •    Weekly inspection of the sensors for fouling, corrosion, or damage

                           •    Weekly change of desiccant used on the "dry" atmospheric  side of the
                               differential transducer used  for water level measurements

                           •    Check if desiccant for the water level sensor is active (active desiccant is
                               colored blue whereas inactive desiccant is colored pink) and replace it as
                               needed

                           •    Battery/power check

                           •    Routine sensor cleaning and servicing

                           •    Calibration

                           The Jefferson Parish project team cleans, calibrates, and inspects the monitoring
                           equipment according  to  detailed instructions  provided by  the equipment
                           manufactures. The sensors are cleaned carefully and thoroughly to remove algae
                           and any other organisms that foul the sensors. The pH, turbidity, and conductivity
                           sensors are calibrated against known standard solutions. The temperature sensor
                           is generally not calibrated, but the team makes  comparisons of the temperature
                           readings by using USGS District-certified thermometers or thermistors. Although
                           field calibration is possible, rough water in Lake Salvador and temperature changes
                           in the field can complicate calibration efforts. Thus, calibration  of the dissolved
                           oxygen sensor is conducted in the controlled environment of the USGS laboratory
                           to  facilitate the process. The team has two dissolved oxygen sensors, which are
                           being switched between field use and lab calibration on a weekly basis.

                           The detailed maintenance requirements  and  procedures for the  sampling
                           equipment are available from the user's  manuals of the  individual pieces of
                           equipment.  The  user's manual  for the  YSI  6600  sensor package  can  be
36                                                                                   CHAPTERS

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downloaded from the Yellow Springs Instruments, Inc. Web  site at http://
www.ysi.com. The user's manual for the data acquisition system is can be ordered
from the Handar (now Vaisala Inc.) Web site at http://www.vaisala.com.

Figure. 3.6.  Picture of the antenna at the LSU Costal Studies Institute taken during the January 9,2001 site visit.
3.2   Satellite/Remote Sensing Technology

3.2.1 Available Satellite Data

Satellite image data can be used to provide regional maps of the surface or near-
surface distribution of physical and biological components/characteristics of water
bodies. Data from the NOAA Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES)
can be received directly via antenna, such as is done at the Earth Scan Laboratory,
Coastal Studies Institute at LSU. A picture of the antenna used at the LSU Coastal
Studies Institute is shown in Figure 3.6 above. The data can be viewed and analyzed
close to realtime.  The Orbview-2 SeaWiFS (Sea-viewing Wide Field of View
Sensor) has a 2-week embargo on research use.  A list of SeaWiFS ground stations
is provided in Appendix B. The NOAA satellites are equipped with an Advanced
Very High Resolution  Radiometer (AVHRR).  Orbview-2 carries the  SeaWiFS
ocean color sensor.

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer -  a broad-band, four or five
channel  scanner,  sensing  the visible, near-infrared, and  thermal  infrared
WATER QUALITY MONITORING
37

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                          portions of the electromagnetic spectrum.  Important functions of the AVHRR
                          include:

                          •   Deriving Sea Surface Temperatures

                          •   Deriving the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index

                          •   Deriving atmospheric aerosols over the oceans

                          •   Monitoring volcanic eruptions and supporting an operational NOAA
                              warning of volcanic ash in the atmosphere during eruption events

                          •   Other applications requiring high temporal resolution of daily coverage,
                              with moderate spectral and spatial resolution, operational  stereoscopic
                              coverage, and calibrated thermal sensors.
                              [Source:  http: //www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/globsys /avhrr3.shtml]

                          There are four types  of AVHRR data:

                          •   High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT)
                          •   Global Area Coverage  (GAG)
                          •   Local Area Coverage (LAC)
                          •   Automatic Picture Transmission (APT)

                          HRPT Data are full resolution  (1-km) real time data received directly by ground
                          stations. GAG  data are sampled onboard to represent a 4.4-km pixel, stored and
                          played back to a NOAA ground stations in Virginia, Alaska, and Lanion, France.
                          LAC  data are 1-km recorded onboard and played back to the NOAA ground
                          stations. APT is an analog derivative of HRPT data transmitted at a lower resolution
                          and high power for low-cost very high frequency (VHP) ground stations. For the
                          Jefferson Parish EMPACT document, LSU receives HRPT data. [Source: http:/
                          /www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/globsys/avhrr3.shtml]

                          Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor - a sensor that provides quantitative
                          data on global  bio-optical properties to  the Earth science community.  Subtle
                          changes in ocean color signify various types and quantities of marine phytoplankton
                          (microscopic marine plants), the knowledge of which has both scientific and
                          practical applications.

                          The concentration of microscopic marine plants (or phytoplankton) can be derived
                          from  satellite observation and quantification of ocean color. This is due to the fact
                          that the color in most of the world's oceans in the visible light region (wavelengths
                          of 400-700 nm) varies with the concentration of chlorophyll and other plant
                          pigments present in the water, i.e., the more phytoplankton present, the greater the
                          concentration of plant pigments and the greener the water.
38                                                                                  CHAPTERS

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Since an orbiting sensor can  view every square kilometer  of cloud-free
ocean every 48 hours, satellite-acquired ocean color data constitute a valuable tool
for determining the abundance of ocean biota on a global scale. [Source: http://
seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS/BACK GROUND/
SEAWIFS_BACKGROUND.html].  The SeaWiFS data have an embargo period
of at least 14 days and therefore are not available in real time on the Web site [Source:
EMPACT 1st Year Report, November 2000, Walker, et al].

The SeaWiFS Project operates a research data system, which gathers, processes,
archives, and distributes data received from an ocean color sensor.  The  data can
also  be obtained as a  "data buy" from a private contractor, Orbital Sciences
Corporation (OSC).  OSC operates the SeaStar satellite which carries the SeaWiFS
sensor.  [Source:  http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS/BACKGROUND/
SEAWIFS_970_BROCHURE.html]


3.2.2 Use of Satellite Data  - Jefferson  Parish  Project

The LSU Coastal Studies Institute (CSI) manages the Earth Scan Laboratory (ESL)
(http://www.esl.lsu.edu). The ESL is an earth station telemetry site for the capture
of NOAA AVHRR, Orbview-2 SeaWiFS and GOES-8 digital satellite image data.
The mission of the ESL is to  support research, education, and public service/
emergency response with near-real time or archived remotely sensed satellite and
aircraft data. ESL's mission also  includes processing, analysis, interpretation, and
dissemination of the remotely sensed data. These satellite data are a valuable asset
for environmental management and decision making that involves environmental
conditions, such as:

•       Monitoring conditions of coastal and estuarine waters, their surface
        temperature, turbidity  (reflectance) levels, and coastal inundation for
        fisheries management

•       Detecting river flooding in local detail for state disaster-related decision
        makers.
        [Source: http://antares.esl.lsu.edu/htmls/intro.html]

The Jefferson Parish project uses satellite data to monitor regional changes in
temperature, reflectance (suspended solids) and chlorophyll a in Louisiana lakes,
bays, and the coastal ocean adjacent to the Davis Pond diversion project.

3.3 Water Quality Field Sampling

The USGS District Office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, takes weekly and  special
event field samples to "surface truth" the remote sensing data and to validate the
time-series water quality sampling data. "Surface truthing" satellite data involves
WATER QUALITY MONITORING                                                            39

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                          measuring reflectance  and relating the digital measurements of turbidity and
                          fluorescence to suspended solids and chlorophyll a measurements taken from field
                          samples.

                          3.3.1 Water Quality Field Sampling and Analysis  Team

                          The USGS District Office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, collects water quality field
                          samples. Jefferson Parish provides a trained environmental technician and the
                          parish's boat to assist the USGS with water sample collection.

                          LSU-CEI is responsible for analysis of water samples and providing the resulting
                          data in tabular and graphic form. The LSU-CEI lab analyzes the field samples for
                          chlorophyll a, nutrients, suspended solids, salinity, and pH and provides graphical
                          summaries of  each parameter within one week of laboratory analysis.  The
                          chlorophyll a and nutrient analyses on water samples  are used to surface-truth
                          satellite images. LSU-CEI scientists interpret the water quality and remotely sensed
                          data and post it to a Web site. LSU-CEI provides quarterly reports of all data (with
                          allowances for a one month delay in processing and Quality Assurance and Quality
                          Control) to the project manager at Jefferson Parish. Graphical summaries of each
                          parameter are updated within one week of laboratory analysis, but are subject to
                          subsequent QA/QC procedures. Monthly graphics of key parameters  are sent to
                          the EMPACT  manager for Jefferson Parish. A tabular summary of samples
                          received, status and completion are maintained as part of a routine chain-of-
                          custody procedure.  Data are also presented on an LSU Web page, which will be
                          linked to the Jefferson  Parish EMPACT home page.

                          LUMCO identifies harmful algal species contained in each sample, provides the
                          resulting data in tabular and graphic  form, and coordinates with the Louisiana
                          Department of Health and hospitals regarding possible threats to human health.


                          3.3.2 Sampling Locations  and Frequency


                          Water samples for lab  analysis  are taken weekly from seven stations in Lake
                          Salvador and Lake Cataouche.  (Cataouche is a smaller lake to the north of Salvador.
                          Both lie in the direct flow path of the Davis Pond Diversion.)  Collection stations
                          were chosen by Dr. Chris Swarzenski, a scientist with the USGS who has been
                          doing marsh grass research in the area for the past 15 years, to compliment and
                          augment monthly  monitoring in the  area by  others (USAGE,  Louisiana
                          Department of Natural Resources, United States Park Service, and Turner). The
                          coordinates and a map depicting the location of collection sites is  shown in
                          Figure 3.7.

                          Additionally, samples are taken from the upper Barataria Basin to the Gulf of
                          Mexico during two separate collection dates during the summer months when
                          conditions are  most conducive to phytoplankton growth. The relation between
40                                                                                CHAPTERS

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surface characteristics from the field samples and satellite data are described in more
detail in Section 4.

Figure 3.7. Map and Coordinates (tat/long or UTM) of Water Quality Field Sampling Locations
              LCI (294423, 901254) Southwesterly of platform
              LC2 (294549, 901325) West of platform
              LC3 (294748, 901405) Northeasterly of No. 2
              LC4 (295001, 901426) Northeasterly of No. 3
              LC5 (294943, 901207) Easterly of No. 4
              LC 6 (294901, 901011) Southeasterly of No. 5 (in channel on east side of Couba  Island)
              LC 7 (294738, 901043) Northeasterly of platform
              LC 8 (294608, 901116) Platform
WATER QUALITY MONITORING
41

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                        4. COLLECTING,  TRANSfERRING,  AND

                            MANAGING TIME-RELEVANT WATER

                            QUALITY DATA

                            In order to effectively assess water  quality and the impacts of water
                            quality management activities, such as river diversions into estuaries,  it is
                            necessary to monitor water quality over time (i.e., monitor pre- and post-
                        diversion water quality). The water quality monitoring should take into account
                        water quality  parameters important to the local community.   Conducting  a
                        comprehensive manual sampling program that covers different times of the day,
                        as well as different seasons and seasonal events, presents distinct challenges. As a
                        result, many water quality monitoring programs, such as the Jefferson  Parish
                        Project, rely on automated systems, in which water sampling units collect data at
                        programmed intervals and  then transmit the data to a land-based station for
                        storage, retrieval, and analysis. In addition,  the Jefferson Parish project relies on
                        remote  sensing data to  monitor water parameters.  However,  limited  field
                        sampling still has to be conducted to "surface truth" the satellite data.

                        Using the Jefferson Parish  Project as a model, this chapter provides you and
                        your community with "how-to" instructions on how to operate and
                        maintain such data collection systems. If you are responsible  for or interested
                        in implementing time-series water  sampling, you should carefully read the
                        technical information presented in Section 4.2, which discusses setting up
                        and using a sampling station for data collection and transfer, and managing
                        the data at the base station. If you are interested in using remote sensing
                        technology to monitor water quality parameters, you should read the
                        information  presented in  the  Section 4.3. This section provides detailed
                        information  on satellite  data  acquisition, processing,  interpretation,
                        ground-truthing, and data transfer and management.  Details on water quality
                        field sampling are discussed in Section 4.4, which provides details on sampling,
                        water quality parameter analyses phytoplankton speciation, and data transfer and
                        management.  Readers interested  in an overview of the system  should focus
                        primarily on the introductory information in Section 4.1 below.


                        4.1  System Overview
                        The water quality monitoring program for the Jefferson Parish Project uses
                        three types of  data: (1) time-series water sampling data; (2) satellite data; and
                        (3) water quality field sampling data. The data are collected and analyzed by
                        four separate entities. Time-series water sampling data and satellite data can
                        be accessed  through links from the Jefferson Parish Web site at http://
                        www. jeffparish.net/pages/index.cfm?DocID = 1228.
COLLECTING, TRANSFERRING, AND                                               43
MANAGING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA

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                                      Figure 4.1  System Overview
    Time S eries
  S ampling Unit
     in Lake
     Salvador
GOES
                         -Transmit Data
                   - Schedule profiles
                   for data collection
                   -Transfer data
    NOAAand
    Oibvuew-2
    Satellites
                         -SeaSpace Terascan™
                         image reception .and
                         processitig
                                                                         NOAAard
                                                                         Oiiview-2
                                                                          Satellites
                                                                          Data provided
                                                                           inLSUCEI
                                                                             Be ports
                                                                         &LSU Web page
                                                                        - Model data
                                                                        - Analyze data
                                                                        -Display data
                         -Phyto plankton
                         speciation
44
                                                                 CHAPTER 4

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                          The field sampling data are available via the Internet at http://its2.ocs.lsu.edu/
                          guests/ceilc/. A schematic of the main components  of the data collection,
                          transfer, and management system for the Jefferson Parish project is presented
                          in the figure on the following page.

                          The time-series water sampling data are collected by an  automated system, in
                          which a sampling unit collects hourly  data and then transmits the data via
                          GOES to the USGS  District  Office every four hours for storage, retrieval,
                          and analysis. The sampling unit is located in  Lake Salvador, a key outfall area
                          of the Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion Project.

                          Satellite data collected by NOAA satellites are received and processed using
                          SeaSpace Terascan™  system which operates  at the Earth Scan Laboratory,
                          Coastal Studies Institute at LSU. This software package  performs calibration,
                          geometric correction, and more specialized processing for the determination
                          of temperature, reflectance (turbidity), and chlorophyll a concentrations. Water
                          sampling results are used to  "surface truth" satellite reflectance measurements
                          and to relate the digital measurements of turbidity and fluorescence  to
                          suspended  solids and chlorophyll a.

                          Water quality field sampling is conducted weekly from seven stations in Lake
                          Salvador and Lake Cataouche (a smaller lake north of Lake Salvador)  to
                          ground-truth remote  sensing data and validate time-series water sampling data.
                          The LSU-CEI analyzes the samples for chlorophyll a, nutrients, and suspended
                          solids.  The LUMCON  provides data on phytoplankton speciation including
                          identification  of harmful algal  species.  The field  sampling data are
                          interpreted and made available via the Internet.

                          4.2  Time-Series Water Quality  Sampling

                          A data collection, transfer, and management  system can benefit your
                          community  in two ways: It enables you to automate the collection of water
                          quality samples, and  it enables you to control the resulting data flexibly and
                          easily. By using the system's software, you can  program your time-series   water
                          sampling unit to collect water quality data at specified  intervals.  Then you
                          can call the sampling unit as needed for data transmission or program your
                          system to call for transmissions of data at specified times.  Once the data
                          arrive, the information can be formatted and stored or otherwise prepared for
                          export to  another database, or it can be  analyzed  using geographical
                          information system or data visualization software.

                          The  sampling station  unit  is installed on  a platform in the  water and
                          programmed to collect water quality data at specified intervals.  The sampling
                          unit has  a multiprobe water  quality  sensor manufactured by YSI.
                          This  YSI Model  6600  data  collection station is  equipped  with two optical
                          ports for  temperature and conductivity measurements  plus a  pressure and
COLLECTING, TRANSFERRING, AND                                                 45
MANAGING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA

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turbidity probe and dissolved oxygen and pH sensors.  The data collected
by the sampling station unit is transmitted via GOES to the USGS District
Office at set time intervals and displayed on the USGS Internet home page.
The data is archived as part of the  USGS national hydrologic information
system and resides in INGRES, a software developed by the USGS. Data
security is managed by established USGS procedures.

The land-based station at the USGS District Office is basically a computer
equipped with two main parts: (1) the base system software used to create
profile schedules of sampling parameters  and to communicate with the
sampling station unit to transmit schedules and receive sampling data  and
(2) the database management system used to format, quality check,  and
store  collected data.

The sampling station unit and the base station computer are equipped with
communications hardware  featuring  a satellite  radio  transmitter. This
equipment allows the sampling station unit and computer to "talk" to each
other over long  distances.  Because of this communication ability, the
sampling station  unit becomes part of a  remote data acquisition system
controlled from the land-base station. At the base station, an operator runs the
sampling station-base software to connect to the sampling station unit for  data
collection and transfer.

The system's  flexibility enables you to establish sampling and data transfer
protocols based on your specific monitoring needs. For example, you might
program your sampling station unit to sample every hour, 7 days a week, to
monitor general trends. You might also want to conduct sampling specific
to certain events, such as conditions conducive to algal blooms, during which
you might monitor water quality on a  30-minute basis.

The system can collect and store data for future use, or it can retrieve  and
transmit collected data in near-real time. Each sampling station  unit stores
collected data  in  its on-board  computer,  making the data available for
download on demand by the base   station.  The unit can  also serve  as a
temporary archive by retaining a copy of all transmitted data files. Once the unit
runs out of space, it will overwrite data as necessary, beginning with the oldest
data.

The remainder of this section provides information  on how the data
collected by the sampling system are transferred to the base station, how
the data are managed, and which  troubleshooting  and data quality
assurance steps are taken. These steps are illustrated using the Jefferson  Parish
project as an example.

How often should data be collected?

The Jefferson Parish time-series sampling station collects samples  on an
hourly basis  and transmits the data via  GOES to the USGS District  Office
46                                                                               CHAPTER 4

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                         every four hours.  The data is then displayed on the USGS Internet home
                         page.

                         4.2.1  Data  Collection Equipment Calibration

                         USGS members of the  Jefferson Parish team perform routine, weekly
                         maintenance and calibration of the sensors with independent equipment. This
                         independent equipment is  tested to ensure accuracy and reliability of the field
                         instrumentation.  The USGS district office ensures that adequate testing is
                         carried  out and the documented results fully characterize the performance
                         and capabilities of the instruments. The USGS Hydrologic Instrumentation
                         Facility  (HIF) conducts testing, evaluation,  and documentation of instrument
                         performance.  USGS districts purchase  instruments through HIF when
                         possible.  HIF  can also perform independent testing for the district offices.
                         The USGS Web site (http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/wri/wri004252/#pdf) is a good
                         source  for background information on calibration  and data QA/QC of
                         "real-time" water quality monitoring systems.  Table 4.1  shows some USGS
                         sensor  calibration requirements.  USGS  recommends  that equipment
                         adjustments be  made until the  equipment meets their recommended
                         calibration criteria.  Otherwise, equipment that  cannot meet the calibration
                         criteria! should be replaced. The information in this Section is summarized
                         from the  USGS document  titled "Guidelines and Standard Procedures  for
                         Continuous  Water-Quality Monitors: Site Selection, Field Operation,
                         Calibration, Record Computation, and Reporting" available from the USGS
                         Web site listed above. The USGS guidelines referred to in this document have
                         evolved based on decades of experience with water-quality monitoring.

                         4.2.2  Transferring  Your   Collected  Data to the Base
                         Station

                         As a first  step,  you will need to determine  what kind of data communication
                         or telemetry  equipment to install on your sampling station unit. Telemetry
                         equipment enables data  to be transferred from a sampling station to a
                         receiving station (i.e., the base station). You can choose between a number of
                         telemetry  equipment options including cellular telephone modem, a 900 MHz
                         transceiver, and a satellite radio transmitter.

                         Jefferson Parish Telemetry Equipment

                         The USGS, a key partner in the Jefferson  Parish EMPACT  project, uses
                         automated earth-satellite telemetry for the transmission of data via satellite
                         from the  time-series sampling system located in  lake Salvador.  The data  are
                         being collected on an hourly basis  and transmitted via GOES. Every four
                         hours a data set that consist of eight hours of monitoring data are being
                         transmitted (one redundant data set from the past four hours and one current
                         four hour data  set).
COLLECTING, TRANSFERRING, AND                                                47
MANAGING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA

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Table 4.1. Sensor Calibration and Accuracy Requirements
         Sensor
  Temperature
                       USGS-Recomme nde d
                       Calibration Accuracy
                        +/-0.2°C
                                        Calibration
                         Annual 5-point calibration over temperature
                         range of 0-40°C.  Three or more 2-point
                         calibration checks per year for thermistors over
                         the maximum and minimum expected
                         temperature range.
                                                   Calibration is conducted weekly at 0.0 mg/L
                                                   and 1 00% dissolved oxygen saturation.
Dissolved Oxygen
+/- 0.3 mg/L
  Specific Conductance
                       The greater of +/- 5
                       uS/cm or
                       +/- 3 % of the measured
                       value
                         Standards bracketing the expected full range
                         are used to calibrate the specific meter to the
                         appropriate units for particular field conditions.
                         The specific conductance standards are
                         available from the USGS Ocala Quality Water
                         Service Unit (QWSU).
                         x 0.2 pH units
                                                 Two standard  buffers bracketing the expected
                                                 range of values are used to calibrate the PH
                                                 electrode, and a third is used to check for
                                                 linearity. The  pH-7 buffer is used to establish
                                                 the null point, and the pH-4 or pH-1 0 buffer is
                                                 used to establish the slope  of the calibration
                                                 line  at the temperature  of the solution. The
                                                 temperatures of the buffers should be as close
                                                 as possible to  the samples  being measured.
                                                 Standard buffers are available from QWSU.
  Turbidity
                       The greater of +/- 5
                       NTU or
                       +/- 5 % of the measured
                       value
                         Conduct 3 point calibration at values of 0, 1 0,
                         and 1 00 NTU using standards based on either
                         Formazin or approved primary standards, such
                         as styrene divinylbenzene polymer standards.
The access to GOES to transmit information is limited to specified
users such as governmental agencies like  USGS or the Corps of
Engineers. Thus, if you want to use  satellite telemetry to  transmit
your data from the sampling system  to the base station, you may
want to enter into a cooperative agreement with an organization such
as USGS.

The GOES are operated by the NESDIS of NOAA.  The GOES
Satellite Radio Module consists of a 10-watt transmitter that can be
set to any of the allowable  199 domestic GOES and 33 international
channels assigned by NESDIS.  The normal configuration of GOES
consists of the  GOES East   The normal configuration of  GOES
consists of the GOES East satellite stationed 21,700 miles above
the equator  at 75 degrees west longitude and the  GOES West
satellite is at 135 degrees west longitude.
48
                                                                                 CHAPTER 4

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                         Data are  transmitted by the data acquisition system  on an assigned
                         UHF-band frequency in the direction of the GOES.  The GOES repeats the
                         message in the S-band, which is received at the NESDIS ground station at
                         Wallops Island, Virginia. The data  are then re-broadcast to  the DOMSAT
                         satellite, which is a low orbiting communications  satellite, and then retrieved
                         on an eight-foot dish at the USGS office in Baton  Rouge.  A schematic of the
                         data transfer process is shown in Figure 4.2.

                         4.2.3 Managing Data at the Base Station

                         This section provides you with background information on  managing data at
                         the base station.  It discusses  the basic  data management steps conducted at
                         the base station including processing, QA/QC, distribution, and storage.

                         The base station  software  used by  USGS is  called ILEX, which is  a
                         specialized software that was  developed specifically for USGS by an outside
                         contractor. The Local Readout Ground Station (LRGS) at the USGS district
                         office in Baton Rouge  receives data from all USGS data collection sites.  By
                         entering specific site codes, data from specific USGS monitoring sites can be
                         filtered out and kept for processing.

                         The data received by the LRGS are processed, checked to assure they do not
                         fall outside the range of set thresholds,  and distributed. The data are stored/
                         archived as part  of the USGS national hydrologic information system and
                         resides in INGRES,  a software developed by USGS.  Data security is
                         managed by established USGS procedures.  USGS is currently coordinating
                         with the EPA to make the archived data available in STORET, a software
                         used by the  EPA. The data are displayed near-real time  on the USGS
                         Hydrowatch Web site,  from where they can be accessed by anyone who has
                         access to the Internet  including Federal, State, and local agencies, academia,
                         industry, the public, policy-makers, and managers. Figure 4.3  shows the data
                         transfer to the base station and the basic data management steps taken  at the
                         base station.

                         Data-Processing  Procedures

                         To  ensure time-relevant access to the  data and to avoid data management
                         problems,  the water quality monitoring data should be processed soon after
                         data collection and retrieval. When processing the data, no corrections should
                         be made unless  they  can be validated or explained with information or
                         observations in the field notes or by comparison to information from other
                         data sources. The USGS data processing procedures consist of six  major
                         steps: (1) initial data evaluation, (2)  application of corrections and shifts, (3)
                         application  and evaluation  of cross-section corrections,  (4) final data
                         evaluation, (5) record checking, and (6) record  review.  These processing
                         procedures,  which are described  in detail  in  the sections below,  are
                         summarized    from    the   USGS   document   titled    "Guidelines and
COLLECTING, TRANSFERRING, AND                                                49
MANAGING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA

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en
o
                                                Remote Data. LciUjectum bites
                                                                                                                  Ronot* Dili CoILection Sit*s
          D QMS AT User
          Reception Stes
                     AFOS Circuits
                     G-TS Circuis
                                                                 DCS Automatic
                                                                         System
                                                                 Wallops Station
                                                            Gatswsy
                                                                              DCS Systems
                                                                              Management
                                                                            Camp Spring;, MD
O
I
>
Tl
H
m
Figure 4.2 Schematic of the GOES DATA Collection System (DCS) and Data Transfer Process
Source: http://www.osd.noaa.gov/sats/dcs/dcs-figure.htm

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Figure 4.3. Data Transfer and Management Diagram

Time- Series
Sampling System
Colfect data it
Specific
TlIIES
V
Stoie Datafot
DoTsniload







EndUsei
^f


Se ±id C ollec tion P iohle
Base Station Initiated
Transfer. Data
Base Station Initiated

Base Statioi

w

Set Data C dlectitMi
and Ti ansfei:
So liedule

Incoming Data
DataC
QA
1
aiveision
/QC
Database
(ai chree d)

y




ng Data


                         Standard Procedures for Continuous Water-Quality Monitors: Site Selection,
                         Field  Operation, Calibration,  Record  Computation,  and Reporting"
                         available from the USGS Web site at http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/wri/wri004252/
                         #pdf.

                         Initial Data Evaluation

                         In the initial data evaluation step, USGS checks the success of the raw field
                         data transfer to the office database.  This provides an opportunity for initial
                         checks to evaluate and correct erroneous  data.  The raw  field data may be
                         stored in a variety of formats, depending on the recording equipment and the
                         means of downloading data from the recording equipment.  The conversion
                         of raw data from  the sampling system into a standard entry format to the
                         USGS district database, or Automated Data-Processing System (ADAPS), is
                         accomplished by using an on-line computer program, or Device Conversion
                         and Delivery System (DECODES).  After entry into ADAPS, primary data
                         tables and plots can be produced  for review.

                         Application of Corrections and  Shifts

                         The application of corrections and shifts allows USGS  to adjust data to
                         compensate for errors  that occurred during the  service interval as a result
                         of  environmental   or  instrumental  effects.   There are  three  types  of
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measurement-error corrections: (1)  fouling, (2) drift, and (3) cross-section
correction.  USGS only make corrections to  measurements when the type and
degree of correction is known.  If the deviation between the actual value and
sensor reading exceed  the criterion for water quality data shifts, as shown in
Table 4.2, a correction is required.  The correction is a linear interpolation over
time between sensor inspections.

Table  4.2.  Criteria for Water-Quality Data Shifts
USGS-Recomm ended Shift Criteria
Measured Physical Property (Apply Shift when Deviation Exceeds
this Value)
Temperature
Dissolved Oxygen
Specific Conductance
PH
Turbidity
+ /- 0.2°C
+ /- 0.3 mg/L
The greater of +/- 5 uS/cm or +/- 3
of the measured value
%
x 0.2 pH units
The greater of +/- 5 NTU or +/- 5 %
of the measured value
Evaluation and Application of Cross-Section Corrections

Cross-section corrections allow USGS to adjust measurements of the
monitoring equipment to reflect conditions more accurately in the entire
cross  section of the monitoring  area (e.g., from bank to bank of the water
body  that you are monitoring).  The application of cross-section corrections
is intended to improve the accuracy and representativeness of monitoring
measurements.  However, USGS  only makes cross section corrections, if the
variability in the cross section exceeds the shift criteria.  Corrections to the
cross  section are based on field  measurements taken both horizontally and
vertically in the water body cross section.

Final Data Evaluation

Final  data evaluations consist of reviewing the data record, checking shifts,
and making any needed final corrections.  When  completed, USGS verifies
the  data for publication and rates the data for quality. The data that USGS
cannot verify  or  that  are  rated as  unacceptable  are retained for
record-checking and review purposes but are not  published in  ADAPS.
However, USGS  archives unacceptable or unverified  data  following
established USGS district policies.

Many USGS district offices  have  established  quality-control limits for
shifting data, which are commonly referred to as "maximum allowable
limits."  This  means that data are not published, if the recorded values differ
from  the field-measured values by more  than the maximum allowable limits.
For the purpose of consistency within the USGS the limits  are established
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                         at 10 times the calibration criteria for all standard continuous-monitoring
                         data-gathering activities, except for more stringent requirements for DO and
                         turbidity.  Table 4.3 below shows the maximum allowable limits for
                         continuous water quality monitoring sensors.

                         Table 4.3.   USGS  Recommended  Maximum  Allowable  Limits  for
                         Continuous Water-Quality Monitoring Sensors
. Maximum Allowable Limits for Water
Measured Physical Property
Quality sensor Values
Temperature
Dissolved Oxygen
Specific Conductance
pH
Turbidity
+/-2.0°C
The greater of +/- 2.0 mg/L or 20 %
+/-30%
D2.0 pH units
+/-30%
                         After evaluating each record for maximum allowable limits, USGS applies
                         one of four accuracy classifications to each measured physical property on a
                         scale ranging from poor to excellent. The accuracy ratings are based on data
                         values recorded before any shifts or corrections are made and depend on how
                         much the  recorded values differ from the field-measured values.  For more
                         details on the  USGS data publication criteria guidelines refer to  the USGS
                         document titled "Guidelines  and Standard  Procedures for Continuous
                         Water-Quality Monitors:  Site Selection, Field Operation, Calibration, Record
                         Computation, and Reporting" available  from the USGS Web site at http://
                         water.usgs.gov/pubs/wri/wri004252/#pdf.

                         Record Checking and Record Review

                         In the record  checking process,  USGS thoroughly checks all  data used in
                         producing the final water quality record for completeness and accuracy  before
                         final review and publication.  The hydrographer who is responsible for
                         computing the water quality record first reviews the record, followed by a
                         second check  for  completeness and  accuracy  by an  experienced
                         hydrographer.  Finally, the USGS  district water quality  specialist  or
                         district-designated reviewer inspects the water quality record.  In addition, all
                         field data are verified for accuracy and transcription from field sheets,  all
                         shifts are checked to assure that the correct values are used for a shift, and all
                         dates  and  numbers  in the station manuscript are checked for accuracy.

                         Near-Real Time Data QA/QC versus  Non-Real Time Data QA/QC

                         Depending on  the type of data (near-real time versus non-real time data) you
                         are providing to the  public, you  can spend different amounts  of time and
                         effort on quality control checks. If your goal is to provide near-real time data,
                         there   is   no  time  for  extensive manual  QA/QC  checks.   On  the
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other hand, if you are providing non-real time data, you have time to
perform extensive quality checks,  as described in the  sections above.
Performing quality checks on Jefferson Parish non-real time data can take
from a few days to weeks or months, depending on the  amount of data
streaming into the project's  base  station.

When you are providing near-real time  data, such  as the data found on
the USGS Hydrowatch Web site, time for QA/QC checks is limited.
The checks that can be conducted must either  be automated or can only
focus  on obvious data problems, if they are done manually. The near-real
time data undergo  two very basic QA/QC steps during  the  data
management process.

The  first QA/QC step is  done while the data are processed by the
DECODES  software program at the USGS base station.  USGS can enter
set thresholds in  the DECODES software for each water quality
parameter.  If the value for any given parameter falls outside the
acceptable  range entered for that parameter,  the  data point will be
removed. For example, if a pH reading exceeding a  pH of 10  is recorded,
the data point will be removed because it  falls in an unacceptable range for
that particular parameter.

The second  QA/QC step is taken at the base  station when the data are
imported into Microsoft Access.  At this point, the data undergo a brief
manual QA/QC step, at which outliers or obvious  erroneous data points
are deleted  manually  from the database.

Storing and Archiving the Data

It  is  recommended that you store  and archive all sample records, raw
data, quality  control data, and results. A variety of media are available for
archiving data (e. g, CD- ROMs, Zip disks, floppy diskettes, and hard copy).
The server storing the data should also be backed up daily to prevent data
loss.

4.2.4 Troubleshooting

This section contains information about common troubleshooting issues.
Table 4.4 below can be used to identify the causes of some  common
difficulties that may occur while operating the  YSI  6600 sensor package.
The "symptom" column describes the type  of difficulty that you might
experience, the "possible cause" column describes the condition that might
cause  the stated symptom, and the "action" column provides simple steps
that can be followed  to correct the  problem. [Source: The user's manual
for the  YSI 6600 sensor package, which can  be downloaded  from the
Yellow Springs Instruments, Inc. Web site at http://www.ysi.com
54                                                                             CHAPTER 4

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Table 4.4. Common Troubleshooting Issues and Actions
    Symptoms
   Dissolved
   Oxygen
   reading
   unstable or
   inaccurate
            Possible Cause
                 Probe not properly calibrated
                 Membrane not properly installed or
                 punctured
                 DO probe electrodes require cleaning
                 Water in probe connector
Algae or other contaminant clinging to
probe
Barometric pressure is incorrect
Calibrated at extreme temperature
DO charge to high (>100):
(1) Anode polarized (tarnished)
(2) Probe left on continuously
                 DO charge too low (<25); insufficient
                 electrolyte.
                 DO probe has been damaged
                 Internal failure
               Action
                                        Follow DO calibration procedures
                                        Follow setup procedure
                                        Follow DO cleaning procedure
                                        Dry connector; reinstall probe
                                                         Rinse DO probe with clean water
Repeat DO calibration procedure
Recalibrate at/near sample temperature
Enable DO charge parameter in sonde
report menu. Run sonde, if charge is over
100, recondition probe. Follow DO
cleaning procedure.
                                        Replace electrolyte and membrane
                                        Replace probe
                                        Return sonde for service
   pH, chloride,
   ammonium,
   or nitrate
   readings are
   unstable or
   inaccurate.
   Error
   messages
   appear
   during
   calibration.
Probe requires cleaning
Follow probe cleaning procedure
Probe requires calibration
Follow calibration procedures
pH probe reference junction has dried out
from improper storage
Soak probe in tap water or buffer until
readings become stable
Water in probe connector
Dry connector; reinstall probe
Probe has been damaged
Replace probe
Calibration solutions out of spec or
contaminated
Use new calibration solutions
                 Internal failure
                                        Return sonde for service
   Level Sensor
   unstable or
   inaccurate
                 De sic cant is spent
                                        Replac e de s ic cant
Level sensor hole is obstructed
Follow level sensor cleaning procedure
Level sensor has been damaged
Return sonde for service
                 Internal failure
                                        Return sonde for service
   Conductivity
   unstable or
   inaccurate.
   Error
   messages
   appear
   during
   calibration
                 Conductivity improperly calibrated
                                        Follow recalibration procedure
Conductivity probe requires cleaning
Follow cleaning procedure
Conductivity probe damaged
Replace probe
Calibration solution out of spec or
contaminated
Use new calibration solution
Internal failure
Return sonde for service
Calibration solution or sample does not
cover entire sensor
                                                         Immerse sensor fully
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Table 4.4. Concluded - Common Troubleshooting Issues and Actions
    Symptoms
   Installed
   probe has no
   reading
            Possible Cause
                 Sensor has been disabled
Water in probe connector
Probe has been damaged
Report output improperly set
                 Internal failure
               Action
                                       Enable sensor
Dry connector; reinstall probe
Replace probe
Set up report output
                                       Return sonde for service
   Temperature
   unstable or
   inaccurate
Water in connector
Probe has been damaged
Dry connector; reinstall probe
Replace probe
   Turbidity
   probe
   unstable or
   inaccurate.
   Error
   messages
   appear
   during
   calibration
                 Probe requires cleaning
Probe requires calibration
Probe has been damaged
Water in probe connector
                                       Follow probe cleaning procedure
Follow calibration procedure
Replace probe
Dry connector; reinstall probe
Calibration solutions out of spec
Use new calibration solutions
Wiper is not turning or is not
synchronized
Activate wiper. Assure rotation. Make
sure set screw is tight.
Wiper is fouled or damaged
Clean or replace wiper
                 Internal failure
                                       Return probe for service
4.3  Satellite/Remote  Sensing Technology
4.3.1 Data Acquisition

As mentioned earlier, LSU receives two different satellite data streams; NOAA
AVHRR and Orbview-2 SeaWiFS.   AVHRR satellite data  are available to
anyone who has the capability  to receive it.  NOAA does not charge any fee
for an entity to establish and  operate a station to receive AVHRR  data nor
does NOAA require station operators to make themselves known to NOAA.
However, NOAA recommends that operators subscribe to NOAA's  mail outs
and make use  of its on-line bulletin board.  NOAA maintains an office to
support potential operators of  HRPT at the  following address:

               Coordinator, Direct Readout Services
               NOAA/NESDIS
               Washington, DC 20233

HRPT ground  stations can be constructed using commercial equipment for
under $100,000.  However, some radio amateurs have constructed systems for
$100s using personal computers, surplus antennas, and circuit boards.
[Source: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/globsys/avhrr3 .shtml]
56
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                         If your project is not considered "research," the SeaWiFS data can be
                         purchased from   Orbimage,  since  they own  the  commercial  rights to
                         SeaWiFS. Note that Orbimage refers to SeaWiFS data as OrbView-2.  If your
                         project  is  considered  research,   you   may   apply  to  become  a
                         NASA-Authorized SeaWiFS user. To  become an Authorized SeaWiFS  data
                         user, you must read the SeaWiFS Dear Colleague 'Letter and Appendices to  gain
                         an understanding of the terms  of the user  agreement.  The applicant must
                         then submit a short  proposal, which includes the title of  the project, a
                         scientific rationale  for the request, the processing level of the data required,
                         and plans for the publication/dissemination of the results  or data access. The
                         applicant must  print, sign, and complete a hard copy of the Research Data Use
                         Therms and Conditions Agreement.  The applicant must mail the proposal and
                         original hard copy  of the form to:

                                           Dr. Charles R. McClain
                                           SeaWiFS  Project
                                           NASA/GSFC Code 970.2
                                           Building 28, Room W108
                                           Greenbelt, MD  20771

                         Additional procedures for requesting data should be  followed if the applicant
                         desires to become  an authorized SeaWiFS Direct Readout Ground  Station or
                         an authorized  SeaWiFS Temporary Real-Time User or Station. There are
                         not any specific deadlines for receipt of proposals to obtain  SeaWiFS data.
                         [Source: http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS/LICENSE/checklist.html]

                         Once approved as  an authorized user, you can receive data for free from the
                         Goddard Distributed Active Archive Center  (DAAC) after the  data is at least
                         two weeks old.  If your project is considered research and your  organization
                         wants  to receive HRPT SeaWiFS data,  you can apply to  become an
                         authorized SeaWiFS Ground Station.  Current SeaWiFS users who want to
                         get data in real-time from an  existing SeaWiFS Ground Station, can apply to
                         become an authorized SeaWiFS Temporary Real-Time User.  [Source: http://
                         seawifs .gsfc .nasa.gov./SEAWIFS/ANNOUNCEMENTS/getting_data.html]

                         LSU is  an authorized SeaWiFS Direct Readout Ground Station and has
                         applied  for and received  authorization to become a Temporary Real-Time
                         User Station.  However, since the data must be held for two weeks prior to
                         publication, the SeaWiFS data are not  placed on the LSU Web site.

                         If a new user  wants a turnkey operation to obtain  SeaWiFS data, SeaSpace
                         TeraScan SeaWiFS  systems can be purchased.  [Note that you must still   obtain
                         a  decryption  device  and decryption  key from NASA  to read the data.]
                         The TeraScan    SeaWiFS  system    can   be   configured   to   support
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land-based, shipboard, or portable applications and is comprised of  the
following components:

•      Polar Orbiting Tracking Antenna (1.2 m and 1.5 m)
•      Global Positioning System (GPS)  Antenna/Receiver
•      Telemetry Receiver
•      SGP Interface Unit (SGPI)
•      Workstation
•      Uninterruptible  Power Supply (UPS)
•      TeraScan Software

The specifications for the TeraScan  SeaWiFS system are described below

Antenna
  Specifications
  Reflector Diameter
  Input Frequency
  Acquisition Elevation
  Input Bandwidth
  Down converter Gain
  Azimuth Range
  Elevation/Azimuth Trackint
  Temperature Rs
  Maximum Wind For
  Radome Dimension
  Antenna/Radome Weight
  Antenna Shipping Weight
1 .2 m Antenna
1 .2 m (4 ft)
1691 - 1714 MHz
8 degrees
30 dB minimum LNA Gain
<0.8 dB
15 MHz
22 dB minimum
0 to 90 degrees
±265 degrees
6 degrees per second
0.5 degrees
-30CC (-22CF) - without heater
to 70CC(158IF)
0 to 1 00%
161 km/hr (100 mph)
1 .55 m (61 ") diameter by 1.67
m (65.90") high
95kg (2101bs)
227 kg (5 00 Ibs)
1 .5 m Antenna
1 .5 m (5 ft)
1691 - 1714 MHz
5 degrees
30 dB minimum LNA Gain
<0.8 dB
15MHz
22 dB minimum
0 to 1 80 degrees
± 265 degrees
6 degrees per second
0.5 degrees
-30CC (-22CF) - without heater to 60CC
(140CF)
0 to 100%
161 km/hr (100 mph)
1.88 m (73. 88") diameter by 1.82m
(71. 94") high
131 kg (290 Ibs)
273 kg (600 Ibs)
GPS
        Satellites tracked:              8
        Satellites used in a solution:    4
        Positional  Accuracy:          ±100 m (330 ft)
        System Time Accuracy: + 0.1 second
Receiver
       Model:
       IF input frequency range:
       Demodulator Type:
HR-250
128 - 145 MHz
PSK-PLL
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                        •   IF input frequency range:             128 - 145 MHz
                        •   Demodulator Type:                  PSK-PLL
                        •   Bit rate:                             665.4 Kbps
                        •   Bit error rate:                        Within 1 db of theoretical
                        •   Programmable IF input frequency selection

                        Workstation

                        •   Type:                               Sun ULTRA-10
                        •   Processor:                           440 MHz
                        •   Memory:                           128 MB  RAM
                        •   Internal Hard Drive Capacity:         18 GB
                        •   Internal CD-ROM Capacity:          644 MB
                        •   Monitor  Size:                        21"
                        •   Display Resolution:                  1280 x 1024 x  24 bit
                        •   LAN Types:                         10/100 BaseT
                        •   External DAT 4 mm Tape Storage:     24 GB compressed
                        •   Modem:                             56 Kbps
                        •   Operating System:                   Solaris 7
                        •   Keyboard and mouse
                        •   PCI Frame Synchronizer
                        •   PCI SCSI Controller
                        •   PCI Serial Multiplexer
                        UPS
                        •   Output Power Capacity 1400 VA
                        •   Dimensions: 0.18 m (7") W x 0.23 m (9") H x 0.42 m (18") D

                        Options

                        •   Antenna Pedestal
                        •   Antenna Heater
                        •   Color Printer
                        •   100 m (330 ft) Antenna Control and Signal  Cable

                        For more information about the TeraScan SeaWiFS system refer to their Web
                        site,  the  source of this  information,  at  http://www.seaspace.com/ main
                        product_line/seawifs/seawifs.html.

                        4.3.2  Data Processing

                         Acquisition and processing of the satellite data are performed using the
                         SeaSpace TeraScan™ image reception and processing system operated at the
                         LSU Earth Scan Laboratory  (http://www.esl.lsu.edu).  This software
                         performs calibration, geometric correction,  and additional specialized
                         processing for the determination of temperature, reflectance (turbidity), and
                         chlorophyll a.


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AVHRR -  Dr. Nan Walker and Adele Hammack (LSU-CSI) view satellite imag-
ery from the NOAA satellites daily (at least 8 times per day) and     processes
these images with specialized software to produce color-enhanced imagery of
water temperature and turbidity  (reflectance).  At the end of each month, Dr.
Walker provides a written description of the more interesting images taken dur-
ing the month to assist the public in interpreting the   turbidity and temperature
changes that are visible in the satellite images.

For the EMPACT project, sea  surface temperatures  (SST) are computed, in
either Celsius or Fahrenheit,  with NOAA AVHRR satellite data using a
modification of the MCSST technique described by McClain et al (1985).
Surface reflectance is computed in percent albedo with NOAA AVHRR sat-
ellite data using a modification  (Walker and Hammack, 2000) of the Stumpf
atmospheric correction technique  (1992).  The technique corrects  for incom-
ing solar irradiance, aerosols, sunlight and Rayleigh scattering.

Dr. Walker uses a commercial software package suite called TeraScan™, which
is  produced  by SeaSpace.  You can  find SeaSpace's  Web site  at http://
www.seaspace.com. The TeraScan™ software suite includes software for data
acquisition and scheduling called TeraCapCon and TeraTrack.  TeraMaster &
TeraPGS are  used for product generation. TeraVision is used for developing
images to visualize  satellite  data. TeraPGS is used to distribute data images
according to  user  specifications.  The image processing of temperature and
reflectance is a multi-step process and is outlined below.

•   Calibrate  visible and  thermal infrared data from count values to science
    units.

•   Screen the data for image quality.

•   Calculate temperatures and reflectances.

•   Navigation/registration images to project on a rectangular map.

•   Scale temperatures and reflectances.

•   Produce GIF images of  temperatures and reflectances.

•   Post images on LSU Web site (http://www.esl.lsu.edu/research/
    empact.html).

[Source:  EMPACT 1st Year Report, Satellite Remote Sensing of Surface Wa-
ter Temperature, Surface Reflectance,  and Chlorophyll a Concentrations:
Southeastern Louisiana,  Nan D. Walker,  Adele Hammack,  and Soe Myint,
November 2000.]
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                         SeaWiFS - The Orbview-2 satellite broadcasts SeaWiFS data in real time to the
                         GSFC HRPT Station as well as other stations. LSU receives the SeaWiFS data in
                         real-time via their satellite.  LSU uses the SeaSpace TeraScan™   software suite
                         to process (calibrate and atmospherically correct) and visualize the SeaWiFS data.
                         The software is based upon the SeaDAS software used by NASA.  The NASA
                         OC2 algorithm is used to estimate chlorophyll a   concentrations with the 490
                         and 555 nm bands (O'Reilly et al., 1998).

                         [Source: EMPACT 1st Year Report, Satellite Remote Sensing of Surface Water
                         Temperature, Surface Reflectance, and Chlorophyll a Concentrations:
                         Southeastern Louisiana, Nan D. Walker, Adele Hammack, and Soe Myint,
                         November 2000.]

                         4.3.3 Data  Interpretation

                         Wind measurements from monitoring stations  are used to interpret the image
                         patterns and to  write the monthly text that is provided on the LSU Web site.
                         The  hourly  time-series  measurements   at  the Lake  Salvador  monitoring
                         station are obtained from the USGS and used to interpret the satellite data.

                         [Source: EMPACT 1st Year Report, Satellite Remote Sensing of Surface Water
                         Temperature, Surface Reflectance, and Chlorophyll a Concentrations:
                         Southeastern Louisiana, Nan D. Walker, Adele Hammack, and Soe Myint,
                         November 2000.]

                         4.3.4 Ground Truthing

                         Ground truthing is a process of comparing and correlating satellite data to
                         actual field measurements.  Ground truthing of sea temperatures in the
                         Jefferson Parish project showed very similar results when  comparing satellite
                         and field  measurements of surface sea temperatures taken at the eight
                         sampling points shown in Figure 3.7.  The linear regression  of the
                         temperature data-sets using 173 data points show a strong statistical linear
                         correlation with an R2 of 0.951. However, the satellite reflectance values, when
                         compared to YSI turbidity field measurements, were not very similar (R2 =
                         0.43).  The  differences are thought to result from several factors.   For
                         example, the satellite reflectance measurements were made at 580-680  nm and
                         are  related to light reflected from near the water surface by suspended material
                         in the water column.  The  YSI  probe measures backscatter  from particles
                         suspended in the water  column (4 feet below the surface)  in the  830-890 nm
                         region. Other factors, which affect the satellite reflectances and YSI backscatter
                         results,  include the concentration of inorganic and organic  material, type of
                         inorganic sediment (clay, silt, and sand), and additional pigments (e.g., from other
                         chlorophyll and colored dissolved organic matter).
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[Source: EMPACT 1st Year Report, Satellite Remote Sensing of Surface  Water
Temperature, Surface Reflectance, and  Chlorophyll a Concentrations:
Southeastern Louisiana, Nan D. Walker, Adele Hammack, and  Soe  Myint,
November 2000.]

The  mapping of chlorophyll a with SeaWiFS in coastal regions requires
extensive collection  of water samples to validate the technique and develop
regional algorithms if necessary.  The SeaWiFS radiance data is collected in 6
visible channels which can be  used to map  suspended solids, suspended
sediments and chlorophyll a. On April 26, 2000,  a  SeaWiFS ground truth
experiment was conducted in Barataria Bay  and the coastal ocean, seaward of
the bay.  The satellite-derived chlorophyll  a estimates using SeaWiFS were
very  similar to the chlorophyll a concentrations of the field samples.

A  cubic regression  model yielded the  best relationships between  field and
satellite data, with a an R2  of 0.92.  However, the correlation was not as strong
for chlorophyll values measured in Lakes Cataouche  and Salvador, probably
due to higher concentration of colored  dissolved organic matter.

Turbidity was estimated from two SeaWiFS channels (555 nm and  670 nm).
Regression analysis  revealed that the  670 nm channel yielded the highest
statistical relationship between the satellite and field measurements. (R2 of
0.84  - nonlinear power relationship).

[Source: EMPACT 1st Year Report, Satellite Remote Sensing of Surface  Water
Temperature, Surface Reflectance, and  Chlorophyll a Concentrations:
Southeastern Louisiana, Nan D. Walker, Adele Hammack, and  Soe  Myint,
November 2000.]

4.3.5  Data Transfer

As discussed earlier,  the LSU ESL receives the  NOAA AVHRR and SeaWiFS
satellite data. Through a sequence of processing steps computations are made of
surface temperature,  surface reflecance and chlorphyll a. GIF images are posted
on the LSU Web site  in quasi real-time.

The  GSFC EOS DAAC is responsible for  the distribution of SeaWiFS data
to  all approved SeaWiFS data users.

4.3.6   Data  Management

The  NOAA AVHRR temperature and  reflective  imagery is provided  on the
LSU Web  site usually the same day  the  data are received (i.e., almost
real-time).  Dr. Walker provides interpretive text with the imagery to assist
the public in understanding the  image  pattern.

The  GSFC EOS DAAC is responsible  for permanently archiving and
distributing the SeaWiFS data. LSU processes  the SeaWiFS data as they are
62                                                                             CHAPTER 4

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                         received; however because the data have a 14 day embargo period, they are
                         not available in real-time nor are they posted on the LSU Web site.

                         4.4  Water Quality Field Sampling

                         Water samples for lab analysis are taken weekly from eight stations in Lake
                         Salvador and Lake Cataouche.  (Cataouche is a smaller lake to the north of
                         Salvador (Figure  3.7).  Both  lie in  the direct  flow path of the Davis Pond
                         Diversion.). Collection stations were chosen by Dr. Chris Swarzenski, a  scientist
                         with USGS, who has been doing marsh grass research in the area for the past 15
                         years to compliment and augment monthly monitoring in the area by others
                         (USAGE,  Louisiana Department of Natural  Resources, United  States  Park
                         Service, and Turner).

                         Additionally samples are taken from the upper Barataria  Basin to the Gulf of
                         Mexico  during two separate collection dates during the summer months when
                         conditions are most conducive to phytoplankton growth. These weekly and
                         special  event samples are  to "surface  truth"  the  satellite reflectance
                         measurements and  to relate the digital measurements of turbidity and
                         fluorescence to  suspended  solids and chlorophyll a. These water  samples
                         provide  baseline information on variations in water quality in the study  region
                         before the opening of the Davis Pond Diversion.

                         4.4.1   Water  Quality Analyses

                         The  LSU-CEI laboratory  analyzes the field water  samples for the following
                         parameters: (1) water salinity; (2) pigments (chlorophyll a and phaeophytin
                         a); (3) suspended load (sediment and organic); (4) carbon (total, inorganic,
                         and  total organic carbon); and (5)  nutrients (Ammonium, Nitrate,  Nitrite,
                         Phosphate, and Silicate).  The analytical techniques  used  to conduct the water
                         quality analyses are described below.

                         Salinity/Conductivity

                         Salinity or conductivity of  each sample is measured upon return to the
                         laboratory using a Haake-Buchler  Digital Chloridimeter®  [http://
                         www.analyticon.com/manurefy.html].  This device measures the amount of
                         chloride in the sample by titrating  it with silver. Salinity measurements are
                         necessary  to interpret the circulation and bulk impacts of the freshwater
                         diversion.

                         pH

                         A Corning Model pH-30 waterproof pH meter is used to measure pH of the
                         samples upon return to the laboratory [http://www.scienceproducts.corning.com].
                         The  pH  measurements  are  necessary  to convert  the total carbon dioxide
                         measurements to  alkalinity.
COLLECTING, TRANSFERRING, AND                                                63
MANAGING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA

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Chlorophyl a and Pheo-Pignients

Chlorophyll  a containing plankton are concentrated from a volume of water
by filtering at a low vacuum through a glass fiber filter (GFF).  The pigments
are  extracted from the phytoplankton using a solution of 60% Acetone and
40% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO).  The samples are allowed to  steep for 2 to
24 hours  (maximum) to  extract the chlorophyll a.  The samples are then
centrifuged to clarify  the solution.  The fluorescence is then measured before
and after acidification with 0.1 N HC1.   The fluorescence readings are then
used to calculate the concentration (in ug/1) of chlorophyll a and pheophytin a in
the sample extract. This procedure is a modification of EPA method 445.0 (Arar
and Collins 1992) in which DMSO is used in lieu of grinding for extraction of the
pigments.

Suspended Load

The suspended load is determined by  filtering a known volume of water
through a combusted (550 C) and pre-weighed glass fiber filter (Whatman
Type GF/F  or equivalent).  The filters are dried (at 60 C) then re-weighed to
determine total suspended load in mg/1.  The filters are then combusted at
550 C, cooled, then re-weighed to determine organic suspended load (APHA,
1992).  The sediment or non-organic  suspended load  is determined by
subtracting the organic suspended load from the total suspended load.

Carbon

Total carbon (TC) is measured by  employing High Temperature Catalytic
Oxidation (HTCO) using a  Shimadzu® TOC-5000A analyzer [http://
www.ssi.shimadzu.com]. The machine operates by combusting the water sample
(at  680 centigrade)  in a   combustion tube filled  with  a  platinum-alumina
catalyst. The carbon in the sample is combusted to CO2, which is detected by a
non-dispersive infrared gas analyzer (NDIR) that measures the total amount of
carbon in  the sample. Inorganic carbon  (1C) is analyzed by first treating the
sample with  phosphoric acid (to remove organic carbon) and then performing
the above analysis to obtain the total amount if inorganic carbon in the sample.
Total organic carbon (TOG) is obtained by subtracting the 1C value from the TC
value.

Nutrients

The water  samples are analyzed for  nutrients  with  a  Technicon
Auto-Analyzer II [http://www.labequip.com] using the methods listed in Table
4.5  for each nutrient:
64                                                                              CHAPTER 4

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                         Table 4.5.  Methods and Detection Limits  for Nutrient Analyses
Nutrient Limit Method Detection
Nitrate-Nitrite
Nitrite
Ammonia
Silicate
Phosphorus
EPA Method 353.2
EPA Method 353.2
EPA Method 350.1
Technicon Method 1 86-72W/B
EPA Method 365.2
0.05 mg/l
0.05 mg/l
0.01 mg/l
0.03 mg/l
0.01 mg/l
                         4.4.2   Phytoplankton Identification

                         Water samples are also sent to Louisiana University Marine Observatory
                         Consortium (LUMCON) where the harmful algal species present in the sample
                         are identified by Dr. Quay Dortch. The Gulf of Mexico Program is currently
                         providing funds to support this research.

                         Prior experience in counting phytoplankton in Louisiana coastal waters shows
                         that the phytoplankton range in size from 1 ^ to greater than  100 p, with the
                         tiny phytoplankton often dominating the biomass. Traditional methods of
                         counting  phytoplankton have  missed or underestimated these small
                         phytoplankton, whereas the more recently  developed epifluroescence
                         methods can be used to count both small and large phytoplankton. Table 4.6
                         shows  common phytoplankton groups counted in each  size fraction.
                         Methods other than the epifluroescence method, such as differential
                         interference contrast (DIG) or  scanning electron microscope (SEM), can also
                         be used for identification  when necessary.

                         The method for preserving and counting phytoplankton  is adapted from
                         Murphy and Haugen (1985), Shapiro and Haugen (1988), and Shapiro et al.
                         (1989).  In this method, one hundred milliliters of  seawater are preserved with
                         50% glutaraldehyde to a final concentration of 0.5% (by volume) and
                         refrigerated until samples  are processed.  One aliquot of sample is filtered
                         through a  3 jam polycarbonate  filter and  onto  a 0.2 jam polycarbonate filter
                         without prior staining.  The 3 jam  filter  is discarded and the 0.2 jam filter
                         retained (0.2 to 3 jam size fraction). Another aliquot of sample is filtered through
                         an 8 jam polycarbonate filter and then a 3 jam filter; both filters are retained
                         (3 to 8 and >8 jam size fractions). Before filtration this aliquot is made up to 25
                         ml with filtered water of approximately the same salinity and stained with 0.05 ml
                         proflavine   monohydrochloride  (Sigma  P-4646,  1.5  g/liter  in  distilled,
                         deionized water).  If possible, all samples are  filtered without vacuum, but
                         if necessary,  <100 mm  vacuum  is  applied.  All  filters are  transferred
                         to   slides   and    mounted    with   low    fluorescence,    low    RFA
COLLECTING, TRANSFERRING, AND
MANAGING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA
65

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Table 4.6. Common Phytoplankton Groups Counted in each Size Fraction
  0.2-3 um
                                Phytoplankton Groups
                  Coccoid cycmobacteria -- mostly Synechococcus
                  Autotrophic eukaryotes
                  Heterotrophic eukaryotes
  3-8 um
                  Photosynthetic flagellates and non-flagellates
                  Heterotrophic flagellates and non-flagellates
                  Cryptomonads
                  Athecate dinoflagellates
                  Diatoms
                  Coccoid cyanobacteria
> 8 um
Diatoms
                    Dinoflagellates
                    Ciliates
                    Cryptomonads
                    Colonial cyanobacteria
                    Colonial, freshwater chlorophytes
                    Coccoid cyanobacteria 1
Many coccoid cyanobacteria occur in aggregates, especially when suspended
particulate matter concentrations are high, which do not break up during size
fractionation.

epi-fluorescence microscope [http://www.olympus.co.jp] with blue and green
excitation (excitation filters BP-490 and BP-545, barrier filters O-515 and
O-590, and  dichromatic mirrors DM500 and DM580, respectively).  The 0.2
and 3 um pore size filters are counted immediately at lOOOx.  The 8  um pore
size filters are stored frozen and counted as soon as possible. Three  different
counts are made on the 8 um filters, using different magnification and  counting
different  areas of the filter, in order  to adequately count  small,  abundant
organisms, as well as large, rarer organisms. To avoid counting an organism more
than once they are separated according to length. Phytoplankton is identified to
the nearest possible taxon and the previous table describes the types of organisms
usually observed in each size fraction. It is possible for some groupings of taxa
and even individual species, to be present in more than one size fraction, if the size
of colonies  or individuals varies considerably or if they occurred both singly
and in aggregates of sediment, organic matter and cells. The 0.2 and 3 um filters
are discarded after counting, because they quickly become uncountable; 8 um
filters are archived frozen at Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium.

4.4.3  Data Transfer and Management

The  personnel collecting the water samples complete a field documentation
form, of which one copy  is  kept on file by Jefferson Parish and one  copy
66
                                                                                  CHAPTER 4

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                         accompanies the samples to the lab.  These water samples are delivered to the
                         LSU-CEI  laboratory within 6 hours of collection and are stored on ice or in
                         a refrigerator until analyzed for corruptible analytes.  The  LSU-CEI
                         laboratory  has  existing QA/QC  plan approved  under EPA project
                         X-9996097-01.  The processing for Chlorophyll a begins within 12 hours of
                         sample delivery, and usually within 1 hour.  The dissolved nutrient samples
                         are stored frozen  until analysis, usually within 2-4 weeks (sample analysis is
                         more economical if done in batches of >50 samples).

                         Sub-samples of the water samples are  sent to LUMCON immediately after
                         sample collection for identification of harmful algal  species. The Gulf of
                         Mexico Program is currently providing funds to support this research.  Project
                         funds are used to interpret this data set and make it available to the public via
                         the Internet; interpretive text is written or reviewed  by Dr. Dortch.

                         LSU-CEI provides quarterly  reports of all data (with allowances for a one
                         month delay in processing and QA and QC) to the project manager at Jefferson
                         Parish.  Graphical summaries of each parameter, averaged for each lake, are
                         updated within one week  of laboratory  analysis, but are subject  to
                         subsequent QA/QC procedures. Monthly graphics of key parameters are sent
                         to  the  EMPACT manager  for Jefferson Parish.   A tabular  summary of
                         samples  received, status and completion  are maintained as part of a  routine
                         chain-of-custody procedure. Data are also presented on an LSU Web page linked
                         to the Jefferson Parish EMPACT home page.

                         Jefferson Parish disseminates  the monthly graphics of  key parameters to the
                         Jefferson Parish  Marine Fisheries Advisory Board,  the Davis Pond
                         Freshwater Diversion Advisory  Committee, Louisiana Department of Health
                         and Hospitals and other stakeholders as requested,  for their review and
                         feedback.

                         Plots of the weekly field water  sampling data from August 19, 1999 through
                         August 17, 2000 are available on the LSU-CEI Web site at http://its.ocs.lsu.edu/
                         guests/ceilc/.

                         The EPA is  in the planning stages to make such data available through their
                         EMPACT website  [http://www.epa.gov/empact].  Currently, the EMPACT
                         website has a link to the Jefferson Parish  website.
COLLECTING, TRANSFERRING, AND                                                67
MANAGING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA

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5.    PRESENTING WATER QUALITY
       MONITORING DATA
         Once  your water  quality monitoring  network  is  in  place  and
         you   have  collected  or  received  the  resulting  data,  you
         can  provide  your  community  with  time-relevant  water  quality
information  using  data  visualization  tools  to   graphically  depict  this
information.    Using  data visualization  tools, you  can  create  graphical
representations  of water quality data that  can be downloaded  on Web  sites
and/or  included  in reports  and  educational/outreach  materials for  the
community.  The types  of data visualization  software  used by the Jefferson
Parish  EMPACT  team are  Microsoft Excel and  SeaSpace's  TeraScan™
satellite  imagery software.

Section 5.1  provides a basic introduction  and overview to data visualization
and is useful if you are  interested  in gaining a general understanding of data
visualization.   Section  5.2 contains  an introduction  to the  software  data
visualization tools  used on the Jefferson  Parish EMPACT  project.   You
should consult Section 5.2 if you are responsible for choosing and using data
visualization software to model and analyze  your data.

5.1    What is Data Visualization?

Data visualization is the process of converting raw data to images or graphs
so that the  data  are  easier to  comprehend  and understand.   A common
example of data visualization can be seen when you watch the weather report
on television.   The electronic pictures  of cloud cover over an area or the
location and path of an impending hurricane are examples  of satellite  data
that have been visualized with computer software.  Displaying data visually
enables you  to  communicate results to a broader audience, such as residents
in your community. A variety of software tools  can be used to convert data
to images. Such tools range from standard spreadsheet and statistical software
to more advanced  analytical tools  such  as:

•  Satellite imaging software products
•  Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
•   Computer Models
•  Statistical techniques

By applying such tools to  water quality data,  you can  help residents in  your
community gain a better understanding  of factors affecting the water quality
in area lakes or nearby estuaries (e.g., chlorophyll a  or turbidity).   Once you
begin using  satellite data visualization  tools, you  will be impressed with  their
ability to model and analyze your data.  You can then use the visualized data
for a variety of purposes such as:
 PRESENTING WATER QUALITY MONITORING DATA                                    69

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                           •   Exploring trends in lake elevation, chlorophyll concentration,
                               pH, dissolved oxygen concentration, salinity, specific
                               conductance, turbidity, and water temperature.

                           •   Studying spatial patterns of sea-surface temperature.

                           •   Studying spatial patterns of near-surface  reflectance.

                           •   Making resource  management  decisions.

                           •   Supporting  public  outreach and  education programs.

                           There are a number  of commercially available data visualization tools  that
                           allow you to graphically represent real-time satellite data.  Section 5.2 focuses
                           on the software tools  which were  used to visualize  the  satellite data in the
                           Jefferson  Parish EMPACT project.   These software tools are listed  in Table
                           5.1 below.
Table 5.1.  Software Tools to Visualize Satellite Data
        Tool Group
  SeaSpace's TeraScan™
  Software Suite

  http://www.seaspace.com
   TeraCapCon
                              TeraTrack
                              TeraMaster
                              TeraScan™ Product
                              Generation System
                              (TeraPGS)
                              TeraVision
                                       Primary Uses
Enables the user to program the system for
automatic capture, archiving, and processing
of the satellite data.
                          Reports the information related to a satellite
                          pass capture; reports information that can be
                          used for diagnosing reception problems;
                          insures quality control performance.
                         Views, creates, or modifies a data set that
                         defines an area of the earth's surface in terms
                         of map projection (shape), extends, and pixel
                         resolution.
                         Automatically generates and distributes
                         products according to user specifications.
                          Displays and manipulates data images and
                          overlays.
  Database and Spreadsheet
  Software
   Microsoft Access
   Microsoft Excel
Displays raw data (parameters) from Lake
Salvador in tables.

Creates 1 - to 7-day summary hydrographs of
various Lake Salvador data.

Al lows to Investigate correlations or trends in
water quality variables.
70
Many computer users are familiar with Microsoft Access (a database software) and
Excel (a spreadsheet software).  For this reason, the remainder of this chapter will
only focus on the satellite imagery software.                    r^uiADTCD c
                                                            UHAr I tr\ o

-------
5.2    Satellite Acquisition,  Processing, and
       Visualization Software

There are various vendors which offer satellite data visualization software. The
USGS also posts visualized satellite data on their Web site.  This  section
discusses only the  satellite  data acquisition, processing, and visualization
software used for the Jefferson Parish EMPACT project.

As mentioned earlier, the Jefferson Parish Project utilized the SeaSpace's
TeraScan™ software  suite.  This software can be used to acquire, process,
visualize and disseminate the AVHRR and SeaWiFS satellite data.  Provided
below is a description of the TeraScan™ software suite.  More information
about  this  software   can be  found on  SeaSpace's  Web  site (http://
www.seaspace.com).

TeraCapCon

TeraCapCon is the graphical user interface  (GUI) that provides automatic,
"hands-off' scheduling and archiving of satellite data.  With TeraCapCon, the
user can define the autoscheduling parameters that govern the daily acquisition
(or capture) of the satellite data. Such parameters include the following:

•  Which satellites to select for data collection,

•  The minimum satellite  elevation at the satellite's highest point
   relative to the receiver,

•  The minimum sun elevation,

•  The time of day when the data are to be collected,

•  The number of days of passes to be obtained,

•  Whether or not the data should be archived on tape,

•  Specify which processing script to run on the data.

These autoscheduling parameters can be easily edited. In addition, the user can
view the upcoming swath of the pass from a polar orbiting satellite.  Figure 5.1
is a screen shot from the TeraCapCon software.
PRESENTING WATER QUALITY MONITORING DATA                                   71

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Figure 5.1.  TeraCapCon Screen Shot

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                             TeraTrack
                             TeraTrack is the GUI that reports information used for diagnosing reception
                             problems and insuring quality control performance.  Such information related to
                             the satellite pass capture includes signal strength, lag time between the actual pointing
                             direction of the antenna and the commanded pointed direction.  The software
                             also  displays   the  functionality  of  the  receiver,   synchronizer,  and frame
                             synchronizer.  Figure 5.2 is  a screen shot from the TeraTrack software, which
                             provides  satellite   pass  information,  antenna  information,    and  receiver
                             information.
72
                                                                     CHAPTERS

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Figure 5.2.  TeraTrack Screen Shot
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TeraMaster

TeraMaster is a GUI for viewing, creating, or modifying a data set that defines
an area of the earth's surface in terms of map projection (shape), extents, and
resolution. This data set is referred to as a master. The user can specify a
master area anywhere in the world by using the computer mouse or entering
latitudes and longitudes into the data fields. Figure 5.3 is a screen shot of the
TeraMaster software.
PRESENTING WATER QUALITY MONITORING DATA
                                        73

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Figure 5.3.  TeraMaster Screen Shot
                                                           CenterLan  '97 36.47 W
[Image Courtesy of SeaSpace Corporation]
                       TeraScan™ Product Generation System (TeraPGS)

                       TeraPGS automatically generates and distributes products (TeraScan™ data sets
                       and picture products) according to the specifications provided by the user. The
                       picture products can be produced in any of the following formats:

                        •  JPEG
                        •   TIFF
74
CHAPTERS

-------
•   MARTA-PCX
•   GIF
•   PNG
    PostScript

TeraPGS has three primary components: (1) the GUI, (2) the product generation
(processing) scripts, and (3) the distributor.

TeraPGS - GUI:  The GUI allows the user to create, edit and store product
definitions. These product definitions can dictate which TeraScan™ data set to
use and the type of picture representations to be generated from the data. The
software has a "dry run" feature, which allows the user to test product definitions
by generating and displaying the product locally prior to being sent to a delivery
destination (e.g.,  Web  site,  database, or archive).   The  types of definition
parameters include the following:

•   Data selection by telemetry and variable, by  time window, by geographic
    coverage, and by minimum sun elevation.

•   Options for picture products.

•   Data unit, palette, and enhancement selection.

•   Delivery  destinations and times.

•   Notification of delivery success and/or failure.

Figure 5.4 is a screen shot of the TeraPGA - GUI.

TeraPGS - Product Generation (Processing) Scripts: The processing
script generates either data sets or picture  products according to the product
definitions  prescribed via  the GUI. The  software  automatically logs  the
processing progress and notifies the user (via e-mail) in  the event of a failure.
PRESENTING WATER QUALITY MONITORING DATA                                     75

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Figure 5.4.  TeraPGS - GUI Screen Shot

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                         TeraPGS - Distributor: The distributor is a server that manages the delivery
                         of the products (e.g., data sets or pictures). The distributor's features include:

                         •   Delivery of up to  50 products simultaneously to multiple users.

                         •   Delivery of both data sets and picture products via FTP, copy, or remote
                             copy.

                         •   Data delivery retry options.

                         Figure 5.5 is a screen shot from the TeraPGS' Distributor software.
76
CHAPTERS

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Figure 5.5.  TeraPGS - Distributor Screen Shot
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                         equalization and printed to any color or black-and-white PostScript Level 2
                         printer.  Figure 5.6 is a screen shot of the TeraVision software.
Figure 5.6.  TeraVision Screen Shot
[Image Courtesy of SeaSpace Corporation]
                         Training
                         SeaSpace offers basic hands-on, instructor-led training courses for its TeraScan™
                         software.  Such courses include a 4-day Scientific Training  Program, a 3-day
                         Operational/Forecasting  Training Program,  and an Operational  program
                         consisting of 2 half day sections.  SeaSpace also offers customized training upon
                         request. For more information about TeraScan™ training see the following Web
                         site:  http://www.seaspace.com/service/support/training.shtml.
78
CHAPTERS

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 6.    COMMUNICATING TIME-RELEVANT

        WATER QUALITY INFORMATION

     In addition to designing and  implementing a time-relevant water quality
     monitoring system, you will also want to consider how and what types of data
     to communicate to the community. This chapter is designed to help you
 develop an approach for communicating pertinent water quality information to
 people in your community, or more specifically, your target audience. This chapter
 provides the following:

 • The steps involved in developing an outreach plan.
 • Guidelines for effectively communicating information.
 • Resources to assist in promoting community awareness.
 • The outreach initiatives implemented by the Jefferson Parish Team.

 6.1    Developing an Outreach Plan for Time-
        Relevant Water Quality Reporting

 Your outreach program will be most effective if you ask yourself the following
 questions:

 • Who do you want to reach? (i.e., Who is your target audience?)
 • What information do you want to distribute or communicate?
 • What are the most effective mechanisms to reach my target
   audience?

 Developing an outreach plan ensures that  you have considered all important
 elements of an outreach project before you begin. The plan  itself provides a
 blueprint for action. An outreach plan does not have to be lengthy or complicated.
 You can develop a plan simply by documenting your answers to each of the
 questions discussed below. This will provide you with a solid foundation for
 launching an outreach effort.

 Your outreach plan will be most effective if you involve a variety of people in its
 development. Where possible, consider involving:

 • A communications specialist or someone who has experience
   developing and implementing an outreach plan.

 • Technical experts in the subject matter (both scientific and policy).

 • Someone who represents the target audience (i.e., the people
   or groups you want to reach).
COMMUNICATING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA                      79

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                          • Key individuals who will be involved in implementing the
                            outreach plan.

                          As you develop your outreach plan, consider whether you would like to invite any
                          organizations to partner with you in planning or implementing the outreach effort.
                          Potential partners might include shoreline and  lakeshore  property  owner
                          associations, local businesses, environmental organizations, schools, boating
                          associations, local health departments, local planning and zoning authorities, and
                          other local or state agencies.  Partners can participate in planning, product
                          development and  review,  and distribution.  Partnerships can be  valuable
                          mechanisms for leveraging resources while enhancing the quality, credibility, and
                          success of outreach efforts.   Developing an outreach plan is a creative and
                          iterative process involving anumber of interrelated steps, as described below. As
                          you move through each of these steps, you might want to revisit and refine the
                          decisions you made in earlier steps until you have an integrated, comprehensive,
                          and achievable plan.

                          What Are  Your Outreach  Goals?

                          Defining your outreach  goals is the  initial step  in  developing an  outreach
                          plan. Outreach goals should be clear, simple, action-oriented statements about
                          what you hope to accomplish through outreach. Once you have established your
                          goals, every other element of the plan should relate to those goals. Here were some
                          project goals for the Jefferson Parish EMPACT project:

                          •  To provide the public with a weekly,  or more frequent "weather
                             report" on freshwater diversions and their impact on water
                             quality and algal blooms in area water bodies.

                          •  To gather baseline data in the Davis Pond Diversion outfall area
                              to assist coastal scientist and managers in  distinguishing the effects
                              of river water from other ecosystem stressors.

                          •  To use the data collected to confirm remote sensing data and
                              calibrate the  predictive ability of remote sensing data.

                          •  To provide ground-truthed remotely sensed  data on water
                             quality and phytoplankton blooms  to  the agencies and
                              organizations involved with public health, fisheries, and habitat
                             related issues.

                          Whom Are You Trying To Reach?

                          Identifying Your Audience(s)

                          The next step in developing an outreach  plan is to  clearly identify the target
                          audience or  audiences for your outreach effort.  As  illustrated in the Jefferson
80                                                                                CHAPTER 6

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Parish project goals above, outreach goals often define their target audiences (e.g.,
the public, coastal scientists, fisheries, etc.). You might want to refine and add to
your goals after you have defined your target audience (s).

Target audiences for a water quality outreach program might include, for example,
the general public, local decision makers and land management agencies, educators
and students (high school and college), special interest groups (e. g., homeowner
associations,  fishing and boating  organizations,  gardening  clubs,  and lawn
maintenance/landscape professionals).  Some audiences, such as educators and
special interest groups, might serve as conduits to help disseminate information to
other audiences you have identified, such as the general public.

Consider whether  you should divide the public  into two or  more audience
categories.   For example: Will  you be providing different information to
certain groups,  such as citizens and businesses? Does a  significant portion of
the public  you are trying to reach have a  different  cultural or linguistic
background from  other  members?  If  so, it likely will  be most effective to
consider these  groups as separate  audience categories.

Profiling Your Audience (s)

Once you have identified your audiences, the next step is to develop a profile
of their situations, interests, and  concerns.  Outreach will be most  effective if
the type, content, and  distribution  of outreach  products are  specifically
tailored to  the  characteristics of your  target  audiences.  Developing a profile
will help you identify the most effective ways of reaching the audience.  For
each  target audience, consider:

•  What is their current level of knowledge  about water quality?

•  What do you want them  to  know  about water quality? What
   actions would you like them to  take regarding water quality?

•  What information is likely to  be of  greatest interest to the
   audience? What information will they likely want to know once
   they develop some awareness of water quality issues?

•  How much  time are they  likely to give to receiving  and
   assimilating the information?

•  How does this group generally receive information?

•  What professional, recreational, and domestic activities does this group
   typically engage in that might provide avenues for distributing outreach
   products?  Are there any organizations or centers that represent or serve
   the audience and might be  avenues for disseminating your outreach
   products?
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                          Profiling an audience  essentially involves putting yourself "in your audience's
                          shoes." Ways to do this include consulting with individuals or organizations who
                          represent or are members of the audience, consulting with colleagues who have
                          successfully developed other outreach products for the audience, and using your
                          imagination.

                          What Do You Want To  Communicate?

                          The next  step in planning an outreach program is to think about what you
                          want to communicate. In particular at this stage, think about the key points,
                          or "messages," you want to communicate.   Messages are the "bottom line"
                          information you want your audience to walk away with, even  if they forget
                          the  details.

                          A message is usually phrased as a brief (often one-sentence) statement. For
                          example:

                          •  The freshwater diversion this week had a	effect on Lake
                             Salvador.

                          •  Salinity levels at the sampling station in  Lake Salvador are
                             dropped below	ppt.

                          •  The Hydrowatch site  allows  you to track daily changes  on Lake
                             Salvador.

                          Outreach products will often have multiple related messages.  Consider what
                          messages you want to send to  each target audience  group. You may have
                          different messages for different  audiences.

                          What Outreach  Products Will You Develop?

                          The next  step in developing an outreach plan  is to  consider what  types of
                          outreach products will be  most effective for reaching each target audience.
                          There are  many different types  of outreach:  print,  audiovisual, electronic,
                          events, and novelty items. The  table below provides  some  examples of each
                          type of outreach product.

                          The audience profile  information you assembled  earlier will be helpful in
                          selecting appropriate products.  A  communications professional can provide
                          valuable guidance  in choosing the most appropriate  products  to meet your
                          goals within your resource and time constraints.  Questions  to consider  when
                          selecting products include:
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• How much information does your audience really need? How much does
  your audience need to know now? The simplest, most effective, most
  straightforward product generally is most effective.

• Is the product likely to appeal to the target audience? How much time
  will it take to interact with the product? Is the audience likely to make
  that time?
Print Audiovisual Electronic Events Novelty Items
• Bro chure s
• Educational
curricula
•Newsletters

•Posters
• Question- and-
answer sheets
•Editorials
•Fact sheets
•Newspaper and
magazine articles
•Press releases
•Utility bill inserts
or stuflers
• Cable television
programs
•Exhibits
•Kiosks
•Public service
announcements
(radio)
•Videos






•E-mail messages
•Web pages
•Subscriber list
servers









•Briefings
•Fairs and festivals
•One-on-one
meetings

•Public meetings
•Community days
•Media interviews
•Press conferences
•Speeches



•Banners
•Buttons
•Floating key
chains for boaters

• Magnets
•Bumper stickers
•Coloring books
•Frisbee discs
•Mouse pads
•Golf tees


• How easy and cost-effective will the product be to distribute or, in
 the case of an event, organize?

• How many people is this product likely to reach? For an event,
  how many people are likely to attend?

• What time frame is needed to develop and distribute the product?

•  How much will it cost to develop the product? Do you have
   access  to the talent and resources needed for development?

•  What  other related products are  already available? Can you  build
   on existing products?

•  When will the  material be out of date? (You probably will want  to
   spend fewer resources on products with shorter lifetimes.)

• Would it be effective to have distinct phases of products over
   time? For example, an  initial phase of products designed to raise
   awareness/ollowed by later phases of products to increase
  understanding.

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                          • How newsworthy is the information? Information with inherent
                            news value is more likely to be rapidly and widely disseminated by
                            the media.

                          How Will Your  Products  Reach Your Audience?

                          Effective  distribution is essential  to the success of  an outreach strategy.
                          There are many  avenues  for distribution.   The  table  below lists  some
                          examples.
                         EXAMPLES OF DISTRIBUTION AVENUES
 •"Your mailing list
 •Partners' mailing list


 •Phone/Fax


 •E-mail

 •Internet

 •TV

 •Radio

 •Print media
•Hotline that distributes products upon request
•Journals or newsletters of partner organizations

•Meetings, events, or locations (e.g., libraries,
schools, marinas, public beaches, tackle shops,
and sailing clubs) where products are made
available
                          You need to consider how each product will be distributed and determine who
                          will be responsible for distribution. For some products, your organization might
                          manage distribution.  For others, you might rely on intermediaries (such as  the
                          media or educators) or organizational partners who are willing to participate in the
                          outreach effort.  Consult with an experienced communications professional to
                          obtain information  about the  resources  and time required for the various
                          distribution options.  Some points to consider in selecting distribution channels
                          include:

                          •   How does the audience typically receive information?

                          •   What distribution mechanisms has your organization used in the past for
                              this audience? Were these mechanisms effective?

                          •   Can you identify  any partner organizations that might be willing to
                               assist in the distribution?

                          •   Can the media play a role in distribution?

                          •   Will the mechanism you are considering really reach the
                              intended audience? For example, the Internet  can be an effective
                              distribution mechanism, but certain groups might have limited
                              access to  it.
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• How many people is the product likely to reach through the
  distribution mechanism you are considering?

• Are sufficient resources available to fund and implement
  distribution via the mechanisms of interest?

What  Follow-up Mechanisms Will You Establish?

Successful outreach may cause people to contact you with requests for more
information  or  expressing  concern  about  issues  you have  addressed.
Consider whether  and  how you  will  handle  this interest.  The following
questions can help you develop this part of your strategy:

•  What types of reactions or concerns are  audience members likely to
   have  in response to the outreach  information?

•  Who will handle requests for additional  information?

•  Do you want  to indicate on the outreach product where people can go
   for further information  (e. g., provide a contact name, number, or
   address, or establish a hotline)?


What  Is  the  Schedule for Implementation?

Once you have decided on  your  goals, audiences,  messages, products,  and
distribution channels, you will need  to develop an implementation schedule.
For each product, consider how much time will be needed for  development
and distribution.   Be sure to factor in  sufficient  time  for product review.
Wherever possible, build in time for testing and evaluation by  members or
representatives of the target audience in focus groups or individual sessions so
that  you can get feedback on  whether you have  effectively targeted your
material for your audience. Section 6.3 contains suggestions for presenting technical
information to the public. It also provides information about online resources that
can provide  easy to understand background information that you can use in
developing your own outreach projects.

6.2     Elements of the Jefferson Parish Project's
        Outreach  Program

The Jefferson  Parish team uses  a variety of mechanisms to communicate
time-relevant water quality information - as well as information  about the
project  itself - to  the  affected  commercial and recreational  users of Lake
Salvador and other nearby  water bodies.  The team  uses the Parish Web site
as the primary vehicle  for communicating time-relevant information to the
public.  Their  outreach  strategy  includes   a   variety of  mechanisms
(e.g.,Internet,  brochures, presentations  at events, and  television) to provide
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                          the public with information about the Jefferson Parish project.  Each element of
                          the project's communication program are discussed below.

                          Bringing together experts. The EMPACT project stakeholders are made up of
                          a variety of organizations that provide input on the information generated from
                          the project and how it is communicated. These stakeholders are identified below.

                          •  Jefferson Parish Marine Fisheries Advisory Board
                          •   Davis  Pond  Freshwater Diversion Advisory  Committee
                          •   Barataria-Terrebonne  National  Estuary  Program  (BTNEP)
                          •   Lake Pontchartrain Basin  Foundation
                          •  SMSA Parishes
                          •  Nearby State Agencies
                          •   Local  academic  community

                          Brochure.  The Jefferson Parish Environmental  &  Development Control
                          Department published a  brochure highlighting current projects overseen by
                          the Coastal Zone Management  (CZM) Program.  The EMPACT project was
                          announced in the  brochure.   The  team  distributed  the  CZM brochures
                          through local libraries  and during  community events.   Appendix C contains
                          a reproduction of the brochure.

                          Newspaper.    Shortly  after  the  time-series  sampling   system  became
                          operational, two newspaper  articles  were  run announcing the monitoring
                          effort.  The articles described the types of data to be collected, how the data
                          were  relevant to the community, how the data would be used, and where the
                          public could access the data.

                          Survey.    To  determine  specific issues  of  concern  in  the surrounding
                          communities, the Jefferson Parish team used information  already collected
                          by BTNEP, one of the team members.  To increase public awareness for the
                          estuary's importance and  problems,  and to encourage residents,  users, and
                          decision makers  to  become more involved in the promotion and protection
                          of the estuary, BTNEP held a series of eight public workshops in 1998.  These
                          workshops  provided   citizens  with  information about  the  program  and
                          allowed them to address any specific  issues of concern. The Jefferson Parish
                          team  used  this  information  to  find  out  what  was  important  to  the
                          communities regarding their wetlands.  Also the  team was able to determine
                          their  target audience:

                          •  Commercial and recreational users of Lake Salvador.

                          •  Residents of  communities  that could be impacted by diversion related to
                              flooding.

                          •   Louisiana citizens  concerned about coastal erosion, hypoxia in  the  Gulf,
                             eutrophication, and algal blooms.
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Web  site. The Jefferson  Parish Web  site  can  be  accessed  at  http://
www.jeffparish.net.   The   EMPACT  project  is  discussed  at  http://
www.jeffparish.net/pages/index.cfm?DOCID= 1228. The Web site is the main
avenue used by the team for disseminating the water quality information.  The site
has a static page which describes the Jefferson Parish EMPACT project. On the
left side of the site, there are links to the USGS Hydrowatch site, which displays
near-real time data from the time-series sampling system at Lake Salvador.  An
example of the results measured by the time-series sampling system is provided in
Appendix D. The Web site also has a link to the Earth Scan Laboratory's Web site.
An example of the reflectance results taken from satellite data is provided in
Appendix E. The site also has links to learn more about the Davis Pond Diversion
Project and the EPA's EMPACT program.

Piggybacking on existing  events. The Jefferson  Parish team has found some
opportunities   to  promote  the  EMPACT  project at  other  events.    For
example, BTNEP hosted  a  one-day Forum to discuss their Estuary Program.
The team had the opportunity to give a power  point presentation concerning
the EMPACT project.   The  team also provided a poster presentation  and
handed  out an information sheet  about the project.

Developing the Lake Access Web Site

Experience Gained and  Lessons Learned

The  Jefferson  Parish  team  uses a private  contractor   to  manage  their
EMPACT   Web   site   (http://www.jeffparish.net/pages/index.cfm?
DOCID=1228). The team is considering  ways to  make the Web site  more
effective.   Currently the site has only  information  about the EMPACT
project and links to the data via Earth Scan and Hydrowatch.  Because  the
information on the Jefferson Parish Web site  is  not  routinely revised  or
changed, the  team  is concerned that individuals interested in the near-real
time   water  quality  data  are  going  directly  to  the  Earth  Scan  and/or
Hydrowatch Web sites.  As a  result, the  team  does not  know how  many
people are accessing data  generated by the Jefferson Parish EMPACT project.
The team is considering revising the Jefferson Parish site to store "live" data
to attract users back to the  Web site.

The Jefferson Parish Project team recommends  that you  design your Web  site
to include  live changing data  (e.g.,  daily)  so that users will  always  find
something  new and different  when  they visit  your site.  The team also
recommends that you set up procedures for notifying the project team  when
changes are made to your site.  Such procedures could include providing your
Web Master with a list of individuals (and their  e-mail addresses) to contact
when the site is modified (e.g., site has moved to a  new address or new features
are available).
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                          Some of the local entities interested in the Lake Salvador data do not have Internet
                          connectivity. As a result they do not have access to any of the near-real time data.
                          At present, the team encourages them to visit their local library so they can access
                          the Web site.  The team is considering other avenues to relay the information to
                          interested parties who do not have Internet access.

                          6.3     Resources for Presenting Water Quality Information
                                  to the Public

                          As you  develop your various forms of communication materials and begin to
                          implement your outreach  plan,  you  will want to  make  sure  that these
                          materials  present your  information as  clearly and  accurately  as  possible.
                          There are  resources on the  Internet to  help you  develop your  outreach
                          materials.  Some of these are discussed below.

                          How  Do  You  Present  Technical  Information  to  the
                          Public?

                          Environmental topics are  often  technical in nature and full of jargon, and
                          water   quality  information   is  no   exception.  Nonetheless,  technical
                          information can be conveyed in simple, clear  terms  to those in the  general
                          public not familiar with water quality.   The  following principles should  be
                          used when conveying technical  information  to the public:

                          •   Avoid using jargon,

                          •   Translate technical terms (e.g., reflectance) into everyday language the
                              public can easily understand,

                          •   Use active voice,

                          •   Write short sentences,

                          •   Use headings and other formatting techniques  to provide a clear and
                              organized structure.

                          The  following Web sites provide guidance regarding how to write clearly and
                          effectively for a general audience:

                          •   The National Partnership for Reinventing Government has a guidance
                              document, Writing User-friendly Documents, that can be found on the
                              Web at http://www.plainlanguage.gov.

                          •   The American Bar Association has a Web site that provides links to on-
                              line  writing Iabs(http://www.abanet.org/lpm/bparticlell463_front.
                              shtml). The Web site discusses topics such as handouts and grammar.
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As you develop communication materials for your audience, remember to tailor
your information to consider what they are already likely to know, what you want
them to know, and what they are likely to understand. The most effective approach
is to provide information that is valuable and interestingto the target audience.  For
example, the local fishers in the Lake Salvador area are concerned about some of
the potential effects (e.g., changes in salinity and algae blooms) of the Davis Pond
freshwater diversion. Also when developing outreach products, be sure to consider
special needs of  the target audience. For example, ask yourself if your target
audience has a large number of people who speak little or no English. If so, you
should prepare communication materials in their native language.

The  rest of this section contains information about resources available on the
Internet that can assist you as you develop  your own outreach projects. Some
of the Web sites discussed  below contain products, such  as  downloadable
documents or fact  sheets, which  you can use to develop  and tailor your
education  and outreach efforts.

Federal  Resources

EPA's Surf Your Watershed
http://www.epa.gov/surf3

This Web site can be used to locate, use, and share environmental information on
watersheds. One section of this site, "Locate Your Watershed," allows the user to
enter the names of rivers, schools, or zip codes to learn more about watersheds in
their local area or in  other parts of the country. The EPA's Index of Watershed
Indicators  (IWI) can also be accessed from this site. The IWI is a numerical grade
(1 to 6), which is compiled and calculated based on a variety of indicators that point
to whether rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands, and coastal areas are "well" or "ailing."

EPA's Office of Water Volunteer Lake Monitoring: A Methods Manual
http://www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/volunteer/lake

EPA developed this manual  to present specific information on volunteer lake
water quality monitoring methods.  It  is intended both for the  organizers of
the volunteer  lake  monitoring  program and for  the volunteer(s) who  will
actually be sampling  lake  conditions.    Its   emphasis  is on  identifying
appropriate parameters to monitor  and listing specific steps  for each selected
monitoring method.   The  manual also  includes  quality  assurance/quality
control  procedures to ensure that the  data collected by volunteers are useful
to States and other  agencies.
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                          EPA's Non Point Source Pointers (Fact sheets)
                          http: / / www.epa.go v/owow/np s /facts

                          This Web site features a series of fact sheets (referred to as "pointers) on nonpoint
                          source pollution (e.g., pollution occurring from storm water runoff).  The pointers
                          covers  topics including: programs and opportunities for public involvement in
                          nonpoint source control, managing wetlands to control nonpoint source pollution,
                          and managing urban runoff.

                          EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office
                          http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/about.html

                          EPA's  Great Lakes National Program Office Web  site includes information
                          about topics such  as  human health, visualizing the lakes,  monitoring,  and
                          pollution prevention.  One section of this site (http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/
                          gl2000/lamps/index.html) has links to Lakewide Management Plans (LaMP)
                          documents for each of the Great Lakes.  A LaMP is a plan of action developed
                          by the  United  States and Canada to assess, restore, protect and monitor the
                          ecosystem health of a Great Lake. The LaMP has a section dedicated to public
                          involvement or  outreach  and education.   The program  utilizes a  public
                          review  process to  ensure that the  LaMP is addressing their concerns. You
                          could use the  LaMP as a  model in developing similar plans for your water
                          monitoring   program.

                          U. S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service
                          http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/water/quality/frame/wqam

                          Under  "Guidance  Documents," there are several  documents  pertaining to
                          water quality that can be downloaded or ordered. These documents are listed
                          below.

                          •  A Procedure to  Estimate the Response of Aquatic  Systems to Changes in
                            Phosphorus and Nitrogen Inputs

                          •   Stream Visual Assessment Protocol

                          •   National Handbook of Water Quality Monitoring

                          •   Water Quality Indicators  Guide

                          •   Water Quality Field Guide
90                                                                                CHAPTER 6

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Education Resources

Project WET (Water Education for Teachers)
http: / /www.montana.edu/wwwwet

One goal of Project WET is to promote awareness, appreciation, knowledge,
and good stewardship of water resources by developing and making available
classroom-ready teaching aids. Another goal of WET is to establish state- and
internationally-sponsored Project WET programs.  The WET site has a list of
all the  State Project  WET Program Coordinators.

Water Science for Schools
http://wwwga.usgs.gov/edu/index.html

The USGS's Water Science for School Web site offers information on many
aspects of water and water quality. The Web site has pictures, data, maps, and
an interactive  forum where  you can provide opinions and test your water
knowledge.   Water quality is discussed under "Special Topics."

Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN)
http://www.earthforce.org/green

The GREEN  provides opportunities for middle and high school-aged youth
to understand, improve and sustain watersheds in their community. This site (http:/
/www.igc.apc.org/green/resources.html) also  includes a list of water quality
projects being conducted across the country and around the world.

Adopt- A-Watershed
http://www.adopt-a-watershed.org/about.htm

Adopt- A- Watershed is a  school-community learning experience for students
from kindergarten through  high  school.   Their goal is  to  make  science
applicable  and relevant to  the  students.    Adopt-A-Watershed  has many
products and  services  available  to  teachers wishing to start  an  Adopt-A-
Watershed project. Although not active in  every state, the Web site has a list
of contacts in 25 States if you are interested in beginning  a project  in your
area.

National Institutes for Water Resources
http://wrri.nmsu.edu/niwr/niwr.html

The National  Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR) is  a network of 54
research institutes throughout each of the 50  States, District of Columbia, the
Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam/Federated  States of Micronesia.  Each
institute conducts research to solve water problems unique  to  their area and
establish cooperative programs  with local  governments, state  agencies, and
industry.
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                          Other  Organizations

                          North American Lake Management Society (NALMS)  Guide  to Local
                          Resources
                          http://www.nalms.org/

                          This Web  site  provides resources for those  dealing with local  lake-related
                          issues.  NALMS's mission is to  forge partnerships among citizens,  scientists,
                          and professionals to promote the management and protection of lakes and
                          reservoirs.  NALMS's Guide to  Local Resources  (http://www.nalms.org/
                          resource/lnkagenc/links.htm)  contains  various links  to  regulatory  agencies,
                          extension  programs, research centers,  NALMS chapters, regional  directors,
                          and a  membership  directory.

                          The Watershed Management Council
                          http://watershed.org/wmc/aboutwmc.html

                          The  Watershed  Management Council  (WMC)  is  a  nonprofit  organization
                          whose  members represent a variety of watershed management interests and
                          disciplines. WMC   membership  includes  professionals, students,  teachers,
                          and  individuals  whose   interest  is   in  promoting  proper  watershed
                          management.

                          Gulf of Mexico Program
                          http://gmpo.gov

                          The EPA established the Gulf of Mexico Program (GMP).  Their mission is
                          to provide  information and  resources  to  facilitate  the   protection  and
                          restoration of the coastal marine waters of the Gulf of Mexico and its coastal
                          natural habitats.  The GMP's Web site has links to existing  coastal projects,
                          has links  to  educator  and  student resources, and provides near-real  time
                          oceanic data.

                          The Barataria - Terrobonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP)
                          http://www.btnep.org

                          BTNEP is the  result of a cooperative  agreement  between the EPA and the
                          State  of Louisiana  under  the  National Estuary Program.  The  program's
                          charter was to  develop  a  coalition of  government, private, and  commercial
                          interests  to  identify problems,  assess  trends,  design  pollution  control,
                          develop resource management strategies, recommend corrective  actions, and
                          seek implementation commitments  for  the preservation  of  Louisiana's
                          Barataria and Terrebonne basins.
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APPENDIX A




GLOSSARY OF TERMS & ACRONYM LIST
 GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ACRONMYM LIST                    A-1

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ADAPS: Automated Data - Processing System.

Algae: Simple single-celled, colonial, or multi-celled aquatic plants.  Aquatic algae
are (mostly) microscopic plants that contain chlorophyll and grow by photosyn-
thesis. They absorb nutrients from the water or sediments, add oxygen to the water,
and are usually the major source of organic matter at the base of the food web.

Algal blooms: Referring to excessive growths of algae caused by excessive nutrient
loading.

Anoxia: Absence of oxygen in water.

APT: Automatic picture  transmission.

AVHRR: Advanced very high resolution radiometer.
BTNEP: Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program.
CEI:  Coastal Ecology Institute.

Chlorophyll: Green pigment in plants that transforms light energy into chemical
energy by photosynthesis.
CO2: carbon dioxide.
CSI: Coastal Studies Institute.

CZM: Coastal Zone Management.
DAAC: Distributed Active Archive Center.
A-2                                                                             APPENDIX  A

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                        DAS: Data acquisition system.

                        dB: decibel

                        DECODES:  Device Conversion and Delivery System

                        DIG:  Differential interference contrast.

                        Dissolved oxygen (DO): The concentration of oxygen
                        dissolved in water, usually expressed  in milligrams per liter,
                        parts per million, or percent of  saturation (at  the field tem-
                        perature).  Adequate concentrations of dissolved oxygen  are
                        necessary to sustain the life of fish  and other  aquatic organ-
                        isms and prevent offensive odors.  DO levels are considered a
                        very important and commonly  employed measurement of
                        water quality and indicator of a water body's  ability to sup-
                        port desirable aquatic life.  Levels above 5 milligrams per liter
                        (mg O2/L) are considered optimal and fish cannot survive  for
                        prolonged periods at levels below 3 mg O2/L.  Levels below 2
                        mg O2/L are often referred to as hypoxic and when O2 is less
                        than 0.1 mg/, conditions are considered to be anoxic.

                        DMSO: Dimethyl sulfoxide.

                        DO: Dissolved oxygen.

                        DOMSAT: Domestic satellite.  A DOMSAT  system utilizes
                        a geosynchronous satellite to re-broadcast satellite data received
                        at a central reception  and preprocessing center.

                        DVT(s):  Data  visualization tools.
                        EMPACT: Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and
                        Community  Tracking.

                        EPA: U.S Environmental Protection Agency.

                        ESL: Earth Scan Laboratory

                        Estuary: A semi-enclosed coastal area, where seawater mixes
                        with fresh water from rivers.

                        Eutrophication: The process by which surface water is en-
                        riched by nutrients  (usually phosphorus  and nitrogen) which
                        leads  to excessive plant growth.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ACRONMYM LIST                                     A-3

-------
ft: feet.

FTP: File transfer protocol.
GAG: Global area coverage.

GFF: Glass fiber filter.

GIS: Geographic information systems.

GMP: Gulf of Mexico Program.

GOES: Geostationary operational environmental satellites.

GPS: Global positioning system.

GREEN: Global Rivers Environmental Education Network

GUI: Graphical user interface.

ug/1: micrograms (10~6 grams)/liter.

uS/cm: microsiemens per centimeter.
HAB: Harmful algal bloom.

HC1: hydrochloric acid.

HRPT: High resolution picture transmission.

HTCO: High temperature catalytic oxidation.

Hypoxia: Physical condition caused by low amounts of dissolved oxygen in water
(i.e., less than 2 mg/1.)




1C: Inorganic  carbon.

IWI:  Index of Watershed Indicators
                                                                                 APPENDIX A

-------
                       J




                       K




                       Kbps: kilobytes per second.




                       kg: kilogram.




                       km: kilometer.




                       km/hr: kilometers per hour.
                       Ibs: pounds.





                       L: liter





                       LAC: Local area coverage.





                       LaMP:  Lakewide Management Plans





                       LNA: Low noise amplifier.





                       LRGS:  Local readout ground  station





                       LSU:  Louisiana State University





                       LSU-CEI: Louisiana State University Coastal Ecology Institute.





                       LUMCON:  Louisiana University Marine Observatory Consortium.








                       M





                       m: meters.





                       mg: milligrams




                       mg/L: milligrams/liter





                       mph: miles per hour.





                       MHz: Megahertz.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ACRONMYM LIST                                   A-5

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NALMS: North American Lake Management Society.

NASA: National Aeronautics and  Space Administration.

NDIR: Non-dispersive infrared gas analyzer.

Near-real time: Refers to data current enough to be used in day-to-day decision-
making These data are collected and distributed as close to real time as possible.
Reasons for some small time delays in distributing the collected data include the
following: (1) the time it takes to physically transmit and process the data, (2)
delays  due  to the data transmission schedule (i.e., some collected data are only
transmitted in set time intervals as opposed to transmitting the data continu-
ously), and (3) the time it takes for automated and preliminary manual QA/QC.

NESDIS: National  Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service.

NIWR: National Institute for Water Resources.

NOAA: National Oceanic  and Atmospheric Administration.

nrn: Nanometer, 10~9 meter.

NSP: Neurotoxic shellfish  poisoning.

NTU: Nephelometric turbidity unit.

Nutrient loading: The discharge of nutrients from the watershed into a receiv-
ing water body (e.g., wetland).  Expressed usually as mass per unit area per unit
time (kg/ hectare/ yr or Ibs/acre/year).
ORD: Office of Research and Development.

Organic: Refers to substances that contain carbon atoms and carbon-carbon
bonds.

OSC: Orbital Sciences Corporation.
PC: Personal computer.

PCI: Peripheral component interconnect.


A-6                                                                              APPENDIX  A

-------
                        pH scale: A scale used to determine the  alkaline or acidic
                        nature of a substance. The scale ranges from 1 to 14 with 1
                        being the most acidic and 14 the most basic.  Pure water is
                        neutral with a ph of 7.

                        Parameter: Whatever it is you measure - a particular physi-
                        cal, chemical, or biological property that is being measured.

                        Photosynthesis: The  process by which green plants  convert
                        carbon dioxide to sugars and oxygen using sunlight for en-
                        ergy.

                        POES: Polar orbiting environmental satellites.

                        ppt: parts per thousand.
                        Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC):  QA/QC
                        procedures are used to  ensure that data are accurate, precise,
                        and consistent.  QA/QC involves established rules in the field
                        and in the laboratory to ensure thatsamples are representa-
                        tive of the water you are monitoring, free from contamina-
                        tion, and analyzed following standard procedures.

                        QWSU: Quality Water Service  Unit.
                        Remote Monitoring: Monitoring is called remote when the
                        operator can collect and  analyze data from a site other than
                        the monitoring location itself.
                        Salinity: Measurement of the mass of dissolved salts in wa-
                        ter.  Salinity is usually expressed in ppt.

                        SeaWiFS: Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor. The
                        SeaWiFS is an Earth-orbiting ocean color sensor flown on
                        the Orbview-2 satellite that provides quantitative data on glo-
                        bal ocean bio-opticals properties  to the science community.
                        [Source: http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS/BACK-
                        GROUND/  SEAWIFS_BACKGROUND.html]

                        SCSI:  Small Computer System Interface (pronounced
                        "scuzzy")
GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ACRONMYM LIST                                     A-7

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SEM:  Scanning electron microscope.

SMSA: Standard metropolitan statistical area.

Specific  Conductance: The measure of how well water can conduct an electrical
current.  Specific conductance indirectly measures the presence of compounds
such as sulfates, nitrates, and phosphates.  As a result, specific conductance can be
used as an indicator of water pollution.  Specific conductivity is usually expressed
in »S/cm.

SST: Sea surface temperatures.

Surface Truthing: Relating the digital measurements of a parameter (e.g., turbid-
ity and fluorescence) to field sample measurements for the same or a similar pa-
rameter.

Suspended solids: (SS or Total SS  [TSS]).   Organic and inorganic particles in
suspension in a water mass.
TC: Total carbon.

Time-relevant environmental data: Data that are collected and communicated
to the public in a time frame that is useful to their day-to-day decision-making
about their health and the environment, and relevant  to the temporal variability
of the parameter measured.

TOG: Total organic  carbon.

Turbidity: The degree to which light is scattered in water because of suspended
organic and inorganic particles.  Turbidity is commonly measured in NTU's.
UHF: Ultra high frequency, 300 to 3000 megahertz.

UPS: Uninterruptible power supply.

USGS:  United States Geologic Survey.

USAGE: United States Army Corps of Engineers.
VHP: Very high frequency, 88 to 216 megahertz.

A-8                                                                             APPENDIX A

-------
                    w




                    WET: Water Education for Teachers.




                    WMC: Watershed Management Council.
                    YSI®: Yellow Springs Instruments*
GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ACRONMYM LIST                               A-9

-------
APPENDIX B

LIST OF AUTHORIZED SEAWIFS GROUND
STATIONS/USERS
LIST OF AUTHORIZED SEAWIFS GROUND STATIONS/USERS            B-1

-------
Name/Telephone No. Affiliation Address
Andrew B. Archer
303. 790. 8606, ext. 3136
Dr. Robert Arnone
601.688.5268
Mr. B. Edward Arthur Jr.
228.688.5265
Dr. Max P. Bleiweiss
505.678.3504
Robert A. Kamphaus
757.441.6206
Dr. Francisco Chavez
831.775.1709
Prof. Duane E. Waliser
631.632.8647
Dr. Kevin Engle
907.474.5569
Rafael Fernandez-Sein
787. 834. 7620, ext. 2263
Dr. Pierre Flament
808.956.6663
Mr. Scott M. Glenn
908. 932. 6555, ext. 544
Dr. Frank E. Hoge
757.824.1567
Antarctic Support Association
Naval Research Lab/Stennis
Space Center
Naval Research Lab/Stennis
Space Center
US Army Research Laboratory
NOAA Ship Ron Brown
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Research Institute
Institute for Terrestrial And
Planetary Atmosphere
Institute of Marine Science
University of Puerto Rico
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Institute of Marine and Coastal
Sciences
NASA/GSFC Wallops Flight
Facility
61 Inverness Dr. East, Suite 300
Englewood, CO 801 12
Code 7243
Building 1 105
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
Code 7340
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-
5004
AMSRL-IS-EW
White Sands Missile Range, NM
88002-5501
NOAA Ship Ron Brown
Atlantic Marine Center
43 9 W. York Street
Norfolk, VA 235 10-1 1 14
P.O. Box 628
7700Sandholdt Rd.
Moss Landing, CA 95039-0628
MSRC/Endeavor Hall #205
State University of New York
Stony Brook, NY 1 1 794-5000
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220
NASA-URC Tropical Center for Earth
and Space Studies
University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez
Road 108, Km 1.0 Miradero
PO Box 9001
Mayaguez, PR 00680-9001
1 000 Pope Road
Honolulu, HI 96822
Marine Science Building
Rutgers, The State University
71 Dudley Road
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8521
Code 972
Building N-159
Wallops Island, VA 23337
B-2
APPENDIX B

-------
Name/Telephone No. Affiliation Address
Dr. Michael Laurs
808.942.1279
Mr. Ronald J. Lynn
619.546.7084
John M. Morrison
919.515.7449
Thomas L. Mote
701.777.3164
Dr. Frank E Muller-Karger
813.553.3335
Dr. Norman B. Nelson
805.893.5303
Dr. Torben N. Nielsen
808.956.5896
Albert J. Peters
402.472.4893
Dr. John N. Porter
808.956.6483
Mr. Raymond C. Smith
Greg Stossmeister
303.497.8692
Dr. Byron D. Tapley
Dr. Andrew Thomas
207.581.4335
Nan D. Walker
225-388-2395
Dr. Kirk Waters
843.740.1227
Hawaii Regional Coastwatch
Node
NOAA/La Jolla
Department of Marine Earth
and Atmospheric Science
Department of Space Studies
Department of Marine Science
University of California, Santa
Barbara
University of Hawaii/HIGP
University of Nebraska
University of Hawaii
University of California, Santa
Barbara
University Corporation for
Atmospheric Research
UT Center for Space Research
University of Maine
Louisiana State University
NOAA Coastal Service Center
National Marine Fisheries Service
Honolulu Laboratory
2570 Dole Street
Honolulu, HI 96882
National Marine Fisheries Service
PO Box271
La Jolla, CA 92007
North Carolina State University
1 125 Jordan Hall
Box 8208
Raleigh, NC 27695-8208
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND 58202-9008
University of South Florida
140 7th Avenue S.
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
ICESS, Ellison Hall
Santa Barbara, CA 931 06
1 680 East-West Road
Post619E
Honolulu, HI 96816
1 13 Nebraska Hall
Lincoln, NE 68588-051 7
Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and
Planetology
2525 Correa Rd.
Honolulu, HI 96822
University of California Santa Barbara
Ellison Hall, 6th Floor
Santa Barbara, CA 931 06
PO Box 3000, UCAR
Boulder, CO 80307-3000
3925 West Broker Lane
Suite 200
Austin, TX 78759-5321
School of Marine Sciences
University of Maine
5741 Libby Hall, Room 218
Orono, ME 04469-5741
Coastal Studies Institute
Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
2234 South Hobson Ave.
Charleston, SC 29405-231 4
LIST OF AUTHORIZED SEAWIFS GROUND STATIONS/USERS
B-3

-------
APPENDIX C




JEFFERSON PARISH BROCHURE
JEFFERSON PARISH BROCHURE                            C-1

-------
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-------
APPENDIX D




EXAMPLE DATA FROM USGS HYDROWATCH
EXAMPLE DATA FROM USGS HYDROWATCH                     D-1

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                                  Elevation
        1/11/01  1/12/01  1/13/01  1/14/01  1/15/01  1/16/01  1/17/01  1/18/01  1/19/Q1
        00	—		___™	,„—	—	—j 4.00
                00:00   00:00   00:00    00:00    00:00    00:00   00:00

        PROVISIONAL DATA - SUBJECT TO CHANGE UPON FINAL REVIEW
D-2
APPENDIX D

-------
APPENDIX E

EXAMPLE DATA FROM EARTH SCAN LABORATORY
(Satellite Data - Reflettante)
EXAMPLE DATA FROM EARTH SCAN LABORATORY                 E-1

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E-2
APPENDIX E

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-------