EPA908-R-01-015
A Publication of The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8 Ecosystem Protection Program
&EPA
United States
r -1' rr. im.-n-.-il Protection
Agency
U.S.EPA
999 18th Street, Suite 300
8EPR-EP
Denver, CO 80202-2466
In this Issue:
South Dakota's Bad River
Project - Meeting the TMDL
Celebration of Clean Water
Act30h Anniversary
Governor's Upper Yello w-
stone River Task Force
Regional Network Brings
Leaders Together
Watershed Initiative
EPA Region 8 Consolidated
Funding Process
Web Highlights
International Year of the
Mountain
Brownfields Grants
Safe Drinking Water for All
EPA Region 8 Improves Its
Environmental Performance
Water Quality Standards-
Biocriteria Part I
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
4
5
5
6
7
Sediment front the Bad River Entering
Lake Sharpe
South Dakota's Bad River
Project - Meeting the TMDL
~Jerry Thelen, Project Coordinator and
Doug Lofstedt, EPA Region 8
The Bad River Water Quality Project is
one of South Dakota's largest and earliest
watershed improvement projects. The Bad
River Watershed is over two million acres
and has historically delivered an annual
average sediment load of 3.25 million tons
into Lake Sharpe on the Missouri River at
Ft. Pierre. Duane Murphey of the South
Dakota Department of Environment and
Natural Resources' Nonpoint Source
Program states that "the Bad River is
considered one of the highest priority
water quality concerns in the State." The
watershed is primarily rangeland, but also
has extensive highly erodible cropland,
"badlands," and several animal feeding
operations. The sediment load has caused
severe impacts, such as increased flooding,
channel flow restrictions, reduced power
generation, and an impaired fishery.
The total maximum daily load (TMDL)
goal is a 30 percent reduction in the
sediment load. A TMDL is a pollution
budget. To meet this goal with an effective
implementation program, it took a
thorough assessment to determine sources
of sediment and target areas needing
intensive treatment. The Stanley County
Conservation District volunteered to lead
the project with assistance from a wide
variety of State, federal, and local
organizations. The largest funding
contributions have come from South
Dakota's State Water Resources
Management System, Clean Water Act
Section 319 grant funds, and US
Department of Agriculture (USDA) cost-
share. Since 1990, over $9 million has
been invested in practices such as planned
grazing systems, erosion control structures,
livestock pipelines and tanks, conservation
tillage, and strip cropping. This includes at
least 25 percent cash contributions for
construction practices from the landowners
and operators. Technical assistance
primarily comes from the USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service.
Ted Turner recently purchased
approximately 150,000 acres in the
watershed for a bison ranch. The ranch
operators have been working with project
staff to re-establish native vegetation on
cropland and develop an environmentally
sound grazing management program.
So what has been achieved? The initial
phase of the project, which ran from July
1990 through April 1995, had 90 percent
landowner participation. Due to this
participation, 95 percent of the land had a
higher level of management to reduce
erosion. Data from the Army Corps of
Engineers in 2001 show that the Bad River
currently delivers 1.95 million tons of
sediment per year. This is a 40 percent
reduction, based on an average of US
Geological Survey data from 1972 through
1997, which exceeds the TMDL. The Bad
River Watershed is also one of the EPA-
funded national nonpoint source monitoring
(Continued on page 2)
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projects. The study is on-going with results yet to be published.
Everyone involved is justifiably proud of the results achieved.
Several "keys to success" have been identified:
Stress the voluntary nature of cooperator involvement
Meet the desires of the cooperator while maintaining the
integrity and technical correctness of the practices
Develop agreements with a win-win outcome
Technical staff need to have appropriate technical
capabilities and training, yet be practical so that potential
cooperators are not alienated
Develop cost-share packages that are creative and involve
non-traditional parties as partners
For additional information, contact Jerry Thelen at
(605) 223-2253 or brjerrv(a),dakota2k.net
Celebration of Clean Water Act 3tfh Anniversary
~Contributed by Stacey Eriksen, EPA Region 8
To help celebrate the 30th
.- anniversary of the Clean Water
Act and the Year of Clean Water,
EPA Administrator, Christie
Whitman, announced the first
National Water Monitoring Day
and encouraged everyone to take
part by monitoring his/her local
water quality on October 18th.
'::: "Most Americans would agree that
the quality of our water has improved dramatically over the past
quarter century although there is still much to be done," said
Whitman. Please see enclosed brochure for more water-related
information.
Governor's Upper Yellowstone River Task Force
~Liz Galli-Noble, Task Force Coordinator
In response to a request from the citizens of Park County,
Montana's former Governor, Marc Racicot, created the
Yellowstone River Task Force in November 1997. County
residents had experienced back-to-back, near 100-year floods in
both 1996 and 1997, and consequently requested that a more
comprehensive and consolidated planning effort for the upper
Yellowstone River be formed.
The purpose of the Task Force was "to provide a forum for the
discussion of issues that affect the Upper Yellowstone River
Basin; particularly, to bring together landowners, sportsmen
and sportswomen, and community leaders to develop a shared
understanding of the issues and competing values and uses that
impact the upper Yellowstone River." Further, the Task Force
was directed to "ensure that future projects affecting the river
are planned and conducted in a manner that would preserve the
integrity, beauty, values, and functions of the upper
Yellowstone River for Montanans now and in the future."
The Task Force functioned as a structured, non-regulatory
organization that involved citizens, communities, and
governmental agencies. The overall goal of the Task
Force was to develop a set of publicly supported river
corridor management recommendations that addressed
potential adverse cumulative effects of river channel
modification, floodplain development, and natural events
on the human community and riparian ecosystem.
From the beginning, the Task Force recognized the need to
consolidate efforts in the upper Yellowstone River area
and to avoid duplication of effort. The makeup of the
Task Force was testament to the power of seating
concerned citizens' groups and governmental agencies as
collaborative investigators and decision makers. Having
many of the interested parties and agencies charged with
regulation of river resources represented on the Task
Force, has streamlined much of the research and outreach
efforts thus far.
The Task Force appointed a Technical Advisory
Committee (TAG) in 1998. The TAC's role was: 1) to
assist the Task Force by offering scientific guidance, 2) to
develop an integrated research program, and 3) to
evaluate research proposals and results. The TAG also
took the lead in data synthesis and interpretation of
information for the Task Force.
In 1998, the Task Force TAG set in motion an
interdisciplinary study effort to assess the cumulative
effects of bank stabilization, channel modification, and
natural events on the physical, biological, and cultural
attributes of the upper Yellowstone River. The study
design consisted of seven interrelated research
components:
1. Watershed Conditions and Land Use
2. Geomorphology
3. Hydrology and Hydraulics
4. Riparian Vegetation
5. Fish Habitat and Populations
6. Wildlife Habitat and Populations
7. Socio-Economic
Realistic physically - and biologically -based scenarios
were to be developed for analysis with TAG and Task
Force oversight. These scenarios were to provide the basis
for analyzing the cumulative effects of difficult types and
levels of bank stabilization and floodplain modification on
the physical and biological environment. In this manner,
scientifically sound predictions of how the river and its
resources would likely change in response to a particular
channel modification or series of modifications would be
developed. These analyses would then be used as a basis
upon which to develop river corridor management
recommendations
Presently, the Task Force is concluding the research phase
of the project. Next comes the project synthes is phase of
the project, which will provide the insight and
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understanding necessary to link information from independent
research components into an integrated analysis of the
cumulative effects of bank stabilization.
The final project phase will be the development of management
recommendations based on an integrated understanding of the
upper Yellowstone River. Educating the public, as well as Task
Force members, landowners, and regulatory agencies becomes
paramount at this point.
For more information, contact Liz Galli-Noble (Task Force
Coordinator) at (406) 222-3701 or noblefgivcsi.net You may
also visit the Task Force website at:
httD://www.uDpervellowstonerivertaskforce.org
MN Wetland Health Evaluation Project
-Photo by Pete Schade
Regional Network Brings Leaders Together
~Kristy Hoffman, Rocky Mountain Watersheds
Volunteer Monitoring Network
It's not often that you find a room full of people with a
propensity for slugging through thigh-deep muck.
Nevertheless, more than 20 program coordinators from the
Rocky Mountain Region sorted through the seeming quagmire
of wetland monitoring with gusto last June.
Hosted in Park City, Utah by the Rocky Mountain Watersheds
Volunteer Monitoring (RMWVM) Network and funded by EPA
Region 8, these coordinators of existing or fledgling monitoring
programs met to explore topics relevant to citizen monitoring of
bogs, fens, marshes, prairie potholes, vernal pools, riparian
zones and other wetland types. With the help of outstanding
presenters, the three-day event included sessions on:
Types, values and functions of wetlands
The roles of the EPA, Army Corps of Engineers, and the
US Fish and Wildlife Service in regards to wetlands
Two models of existing citizen wetland monitoring
programs (Minnesota Wetland Health Evaluation Project
and Utah Wetland Partners Project)
Wetland monitoring status across the nation
Wetland monitoring efforts in Montana and North Dakota
Biological Assessment of Wetlands Work Group
(BAWWG) overview
EPA's National Wetland Monitoring Strategy
Existing resources and protocols used by various
monitoring entities
In addition to these sessions and opportunities to learn in-
depth information about other programs, each participant
developed a plan of action for his/her own situation in
order to have a road map to follow upon returning home.
Participants were overwhelmingly appreciative of the
opportunity to examine a topic so pertinent to their efforts.
In July, the RMWVM Network was at it again when they
hosted a data management training along with their annual
meeting in Brighton, Utah. One might wonder why
program coordinators get so wound up when they hear
phrases like "Excel spreadsheets," "STORET"(EPA's
water quality database), "sequel server," "quality
assurance," and "data validation." But the nuts and bolts of
data management and interpretation are hot topics for
citizen monitoring programs. All leaders in attendance
were trying to improve services and methods used by their
programs.
Network members shared specifics on how their volunteer
monitoring programs manage their water quality data from
A to Z. Coordinators swapped spreadsheets, hints on
graphing data, and cool web interface ideas. Guest
speakers addressed the application of STORET for
volunteer monitoring groups and demonstrated new data
entry and analysis tools that simplify the use of the
STORET system. Pete Schade of Montana Watercourse
commented, "the meeting gave me a better understanding
of what other programs are doing and I learned about
aspects of data management that I hadn't considered."
On the Network's list of 2003 activities are a manual and
workshop on creating effective monitoring designs. Watch
for upcoming information on training opportunities or
contact Kristy Hoffman, RMWVM Network Coordinator,
at (530) 283-2208 or khoffman(a),plumasnet.com For
more information on EPA and volunteer monitoring,
contact Tina Laidlaw at (406) 457-5016 or
lai il la\v. ti na « c-nam ai l.ep a. go v
Watershed Initiative Proposals Due to EPA by
November 21st
~Contributed by Stacey Eriksen, EPA Region 8
EPA will be requesting nominations for its Watershed
Initiative. The program would provide assistance to state
and local communities to protect and restore inland and
coastal watersheds.
(Continued on page 4)
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Clean and healthy watersheds are the key focus of the Year of
Clean Water, which celebrates the 30th anniversary of the
Clean Water Act. As part of this new Watershed Initiative, the
President has requested that Congress appropriate $21 million
for grants to encourage community-based approaches and
techniques to protect water resources throughout the country.
Governors and Tribal leaders are being invited to submit
nominations to EPA by November 21st for projects that would
help promote and advance the success of efforts in up to 20
watersheds. Each state and tribe will establish its own process
for selecting projects to forward to EPA. Project awards will
range from $300,000 to $1,300,000 which would be made
available in the form of grants to help local entities protect and
restore their local watershed. Selection and funding are
contingent upon favorable Congressional action on the
appropriations request.
The Federal Register Notice and other information about the
Watershed Initiative are available at
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/initiative/
For more information, please contact Karen Hamilton at
(303) 312-6236 or hamilton.karen(S),epa.gov
EPA Region 8 2003 Consolidated Funding
Process
~Pam Dougherty, EPA Region 8
October 1, 2002 was the release date for the Fiscal Year 2003
Request for Proposals (RFP) under the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency Region 8 Ecosystems Protection Program
(EPP) and Water Program (WP) "Consolidated Funding
Process." This funding process allows each participant to
make one proposal submission to be considered formultiple
sources under four different Clean Water Act section 104(b)3
programs including Regional Geographic Initiative, Wetlands,
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES),
and Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). This year,
proposal(s) must be received in our office by close of
business December 3, 2002. Applicants are required to
submit both an electronic and hardcopy version of their
proposals. If you did not receive a copy of the RFP or if you
need preparation guidance, program criteria, or additional
information such as updates, process schedule, and program-
specific guidance, please check our website at
http://www.epa.gov/region08/cfp
EPA Region 8 is pleased that we have been able to support
projects proposed by state, tribal, local, and non-governmental
organizations and we are confident that this program will
continue to provide significant assistance for environmental
restoration and protection throughout Region 8. We look
forward to receiving your proposal. Should you have any
initial questions, please feel free to contact Pam Dougherty,
Program Coordinator, at doughertv.pamfa),epa.gov
Web Highlights
~Contributed by Stacey Eriksen, EPA Region 8
Heinz Center Report: The State of the Nation's Ecosystems:
Measuring the Lands, Waters, and Living
Resources of the United States
http://www.heinzctr.org/ecosvstems
Watershed Signs
http://dipi n.kent.edu.gov/Watershed Signs.htm
Web-based training on watershed management
http://www.epa.gov/watertrain
EPA Watershed Academy training courses
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/wacademy/
corsched.htm
The "National Water Quality Inventory: 2000 Report"
http://www.epa.gov/305b/2000report
I gave my heart to the mountains the minute
I stood beside this river with its spray in my
face and watched it thunder into foam,
smooth to green glass over sunken rocks,
shatter to foam again. I was fascinated by
how it sped by and yet was always there; its
roar shook both the earth and me.
Wallace Stegner
International Year of the Mountain /Special
Events in November
-Gene Reetz, EPA Region 8
The United Nations has designated 2002 as the
"International Year of the Mountain" (IYM) to recognize
both the importance and fragility of mountain environments
throughout the world. Within EPA Region 8, our mountains
are especially important as sources of most of our water
supplies, much of our regional biodiversity, as well as
places many of us like to recreate. In observance of IYM,
EPA has worked with the Denver Lodo Tattered Cover
Book Store's "Rocky Mountain Land Series," the Colorado
Mountain Club, and the University of Colorado's Arctic and
Alpine Institute to have a series of free programs on the
natural history of Colorado's mountains. Throughout
November, a distinguished group of authors, naturalists,
scientists, and historians will give presentations on various
topics ranging from the tundra environment to stream
ecology.
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For more information on the specific events, contact Jeff Lee
at the Lodo Tattered Cover (303) 322-1965 ext. 2729 or
jeffl(S),tatte redcover.com or Gene Reetz, Wetlands Team
Leader (303) 312-6850 or reetz.genefSiepa.gov
"Most cf the minus worth
dcina in the world have
been declared impossible
I before they were done."
-Louis Erandeis
Brownfields Grants
-Kathie Atencio, EPA Region 8
The EPA's Brownfields Initiative was developed to empower
States, communities, and other stakeholders in redevelopment
to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely
clean up, and reuse brownfields (contaminated or potentially
contaminated properties). In January 2002, President Bush
signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act. This law provides more
funding and expands the current Brownfields Program to
assist communities to clean up and reuse brownfields sites.
Under the new law, grants for assessment, revolving loan
funds, and cleanup will soon be available through a
competitive grant selection process.
A draft of the new Brownfields Assessment, Cleanup, and
Revolving Loan Fund Grant Guidelines for Fiscal Year
2003 is now posted on the EPA Brownfields website
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields These grants provide
funding and revitalization opportunities for communities by
returning contaminated (or potentially contaminated)
properties back to reuse. The current proposed due date for
proposals for the Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and
Cleanup grants is November 27, 2002.
EPA put the guidelines out on the website for public review
and held two public meetings in Washington, D.C.
on September 26, 2002 to discuss any comments submitted on
the draft guidelines. Depending on the number of
comments received, EPA plans to finalize the guidelines in
early October 2002.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact one of the EPA
Region 8 Brownfields Team by calling (303) 312-6037.
A Well's Proximity to the House
-Photo by Melinda J. Erickson
Safe Drinking Water For All
-Ellen Salvador, EPA Region 8
Is your drinking water safe? If you live in the city, your
drinking water is treated and tested, but for 35% of farm
workers surveyed in rural Colorado, safe drinking water is
an almo st unattainable luxury. Migrant farm workers
depend on water supplied by labor contractors or growers
from wells and other non-public water sources. Many of
these sources are unmonitored and unregulated.
Can you imagine getting your water from an irrigation
ditch? For some farm workers, this is an everyday reality.
Agricultural run-off, laden with pesticides, nitrates, and
other chemicals, collects in irrigation ditches and is drunk
by farm workers. Shallow wells, less than 30 feet deep, are
common drinking water sources in migrant camps and are
often contaminated with nitrates and pesticides. Because
some farm worker camp s' water systems aren't regulated,
who knows what else could be in their water?
The lack of information about drinking water quality in
migrant farm worker camps led the EPA Region 8
Environmental Justice Program to begin the Migrant Farm
Worker Drinking Water Project. The goal is to find camps
and assess the safety of drinking water. The Safe Drinking
Water Act protects public health through regulation of the
nation's drinking water, as long as the water systems meet
the following criteria:
1. serving a minimum of 25 individuals for at least 60
days/year, or
2. which have at least 15 service connections.
Some of the camps meet these criteria, but are not currently
regulated. Getting these camps into the regulatory
framework is a major project objective. Local health
providers helped us locate 200 farm worker camps
throughout Colorado. Of these 200, 24 camps may be large
enough to be regulated, but only four growers gave us
permission to test their water, giving us a total of 4 camps to
sample. We tested for organophosphates and chlorinated
pesticides, (Continued on page 6)
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sulfates, nitrates, lead, total coliform, andE. coli bacteria.
These samples are still being analyzed.
About 40,000-50,000 farm workers (some living here year-
round) work Colorado's agricultural fields during the growing
season which lasts from April to October. Isolated in camps
furnished by labor contractors or growers, many workers suffer
in silence from a high risk occupation and substandard housing
conditions.
Lack of sanitation in the bathrooms and showers was a real
eye-opener. At another camp, the only visible bathroom was a
portable toilet which was located within 20 feet of the
drinking-water well. The toilet proved too unsanitary for some
workers, as proven by human fecal matter found around the
camp. In addition to unsanitary conditions, overcrowding,
structural problems, contaminated water, and poor rodent/
insect controls, farm workers live in sub-standard housing
conditions.
Agricultural work is the most hazardous industry in the United
States. Everyday physical stresses and pesticide exposure
compromise farm workers' health as illustrated in the table
below.
Physical
Stresses
back pain
eye injuries
arthritis
lacerations
sprains
Acute Pesticide
Exposure
skin, nose,
and/or throat
irritations
headaches
dizziness
nausea
fatigue
difficulty
breathing
inflamed
eyes
Chronic Pesti-
cide Exposure
cancer
reproductive
problems
fertility
problems
birth defects
development
al
disabilities
Farm workers provide an essential backbone to our economy
and well being. They plant and harvest our produce and put
food on our table. We need to guarantee them common
luxuries such as safe drinking water.
For more information, please contact Ellen Salvador at (303)
312-6543 or salvador.ellen(S),epa.gov
EPA Region 8 Improves Its Environmental
Performance
-Jody Ostendorf, EPA Region 8
Have you ever looked around your home or your workplace
and thought to yourself "we could do better" in terms of
polluting less, reducing waste and increasing energy
efficiency? EPA's Denver office, Golden laboratory, and
Montana office have taken a look around and decided that
"yes" we can do better. To that end, in October 2001, our
regional office formed an Environmental Management
System (EMS) work team including representatives from
each program office and was selected as an EPA EMS pilot.
Our goal is simple but big: to bring a higher standard of
environmental management to our office operations. An
EMS is a continual cycle of planning, implementing, and
reviewing our activities to exceed our regulatory obligations
and improve our environmental performance. Our initial
focus is on internal operations, such as our vehicle fleet,
commuting to work, travel, energy and water use, hazardous
wastes generated, paper, the Fitness Center, computers,
batteries ... even how meetings and conferences are
conducted.
Our office is already doing a lot to promote improved
environmental performance. Our Performance Track
program provides technical assistance and recognition to
businesses that go the extra mile beyond compliance in their
operations. The Energy Star program recognizes companies
and products that exceed waste generation, pollution, and
energy efficiency standards, with a designation that gives
customers satisfaction in knowing they are buying "green"
products and services. EPA's enforcement program
encourages the development of EMSs and other
environmentally beneficial projects as part of enforcement
settlements.
But we've decided we can do more and show more
leadership. All EMS members have received extensive
training in identifying our environmental impacts and what
we can do to control or reduce our impacts. And we've
begun delivering training to our co-workers. Outreach will
eventually extend to our partners, contractors, grantees, and
suppliers to help them improve their environmental
performance. The EMS will incorporate appropriate
modifications into existing processes and systems wherever
we can. A more streamlined system will allow us to
intensify our efforts into a better functioning whole.
So, how do we do that? The EMS team developed a set of
Guiding Principles to provide direction toward our goal of
sustainability. Simply put, we will:
1. Reduce our use of natural resources and dependence on
materials extracted from the earth. We will move
toward operations based upon renewable energy and
materials.
2. Reduce purchases, use and releases of man-made toxic
substances.
3. Ensure that our decisions and actions protect all
communities and people, regardless of location, income,
or race.
4. Increase staff knowledge about EMSs and become
effective EMS advocates to others.
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7
In addition to the environmental benefits, we'll realize with
our EMS, our office will be a stronger leader in protecting our
precious resources. We'll have increased technical expertise
and guidance for the regulated community, the public, and our
partners so they can achieve their environmental goals.
For more information, please contact Jody Ostendorf at (303)
312-7814 or ostendorf.iodv(g),epa.gov
Water Quality Standards - Biocriteria Part I
~Karen Hamilton, EPA Region 8
This is the fifth article in a series describing how the Clean
Water Act is linked to water shed planning and
implementation. The previous articles described the Clean
Water Act components that are analogous to a generic
watershed plan, water quality standards, total maximum daily
loads, and data for watershed management. Water Quality
Standards were discussed in the Spring 2001 issue. The entire
standards package includes a designated use for the water
body, such as cold-water aquatic life, whole body contact, and
agriculture; the narrative or numeric water quality criteria
that are meant to be protective of those uses; and an
antidegradation policy.
People interested in water quality have long emphasized water
chemistry to understand how polluted water is. However,
chemistry alone does not always reveal whether a water body
is supporting the plants and animals that someone would
expect to find in a particular water body. For example, water
that is in no way chemically harmful to living things may be
flowing in a concrete ditch. The ditch habitat and its flow
pattern would be unlikely to support many plants and animals
(biota). Similarly, exotic or invasive species may change the
food web or biotic community that would be expected even in
an otherwise pristine area. Streams that have become wide
and shallow due to loss of stream banks and their riparian
areas will have a different assemblage of plants and animals
(community) than a similar stream with intact banks and
streamside vegetation. We know that aquatic biota are
severely impacted by drought, even though the remaining
water may be clean, while floods hardly register as a
disturbance.
In addition to evaluating stream chemistry, we can "ask" the
biota how supportive their environment is to them as they
carry out a life cycle. Like taking water samples to analyze
chemicals, we can sample a water body for plants and
animals - typically, invertebrates, like insects and clams, and
plants such as soft algae and diatoms. In a cold water
mountain stream, unaffected by min ing, you would expect low
zinc levels, high oxygen levels, and low nitrogen levels.
Likewise, a particular community of plants and animals would
be expected in this stream. The species would be adapted to
water with little turbidity, low temperature, high oxygen
levels, faster water, and certain food sources and a certain
physical structure. Many of the species may not be able to
withstand certain levels of dissolved metals, fine particles in
the water, an abundance of vegetation stimulated by high
levels of phosphorus or nitrogen, or competition from
species that are taking advantage of high levels of organic
pollution, such as sewage.
In an intensive survey in the late 1980's in Ohio, 431 sites in
were assessed using instream chemistry and biological
surveys. In 36% of the cases, chemical evaluations implied
no impairment, but biological survey evaluations showed
impairment. Recently, researchers found that nitrogen
concentration was not a good indicator of eutrophication in
the Yellowstone River. Eutrophication results from high
nutrient levels which increases plant and algae growth,
resulting in low levels of dissolved oxy gen and decreased
ability to support animal life. However, the amount of algae
and community composition indicated availability and use
of nitrogen even if it was not detectable in high
concentrations. The researchers concluded that algal
community indicators can provide an early warning of
accelerated eutrophication processes, long before nuisance
algal growths impair a stream use such as recreation.
Over the past 30 years, considerable research has revealed
relationships between the structure of aquatic communities
(i.e. the numbers and kinds of different organisms relative to
each other in a particular place) and how impacted the water
body is by human disturbances. Biologists have learned
more about which species are tolerant of certain water
quality problems like sewage or heavy metals, and which
ones disappear from the scene when the environment
changes due to, for example, pollution or habitat
disturbance. Biologists have also been able to describe an
expected community of plants and animals for a given kind
of stream (e.g., northern sandy plains stream; southern
rockies alpine stream) with minimal human disturbance.
Such streams are "reference streams" and are used as a
benchmark to evaluate impacts to the biotic community of a
similar stream that has received pollutants or has been
disturbed in some manner.
People are most familiar with criteria that describe chemical
or physical attributes like dissolved oxygen, pH, or metals
concentrations needed to protect a water use designation.
However, criteria can be developed for biological conditions
as well based on reference streams. Streams are sampled to
evaluate the existing biotic community. The results are then
compared to the expected picture of a community for that
kind of stream This comparison used with chemistry data
can be a powerful tool to determine how well a stream is
functioning and what might be keeping it from fully meeting
expectations for that stream. In Biocriteria Part III will
describe in more detail the conceptual framework, the role
of biocriteria in surface water management, and ecological
and policy issues associated with biocriteria. Meanwhile,
the Maine Bureau of Water Quality has a good treatment of
biomonitoring and biocriteria at
http://www.state.me.us/dep/blwq/biohompg.htm
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Volunteer Monitoring
Tina Laidlaw (406) 457-5016
laidlaw.tina@epa. gov
Wetlands
Paul Mclver (303) 312-6056
mciver.paul@epa.gov
Watersheds and Community-
Based Environmental Protection
Marc Alston (303) 312-6556
alston.marc@epa.gov
Ground Water
Darcy Campbell (303) 312-6709
campbell.darcy@epa.gov
Nonpoint Source Pollution
Kris Jensen (303) 312-6237
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