Estuary Environments Spring 2013

Cindy Ricks Myers

Curry Watersheds Partnership

Water

Quality

Water Quality

Water Uses

Water Quality Parameters

Aquatic Life Requirements

Measurement and Standards

Demonstrations

Sampling Objectives & Design

Clean Water Act Framework

Water Quality

& Beneficial Uses

Juvenile & adult salmonids

Other aquatic organisms

Aesthetics/Recreation

swimming & boating

Wastewater

Industrial Use

Agriculture

Drinking water

Human consumption

Livestock

Wildlife

Water quality monitoring is

like…

being a veterinarian

interviewing a rebellious teenager

solving a puzzle with missing

pieces

Water Temperature

Most aquatic animals are cold-blooded

Increased stress, changes in behavior

Susceptibility to disease

Competition

Cold water holds more dissolved oxygen

Juvenile salmon rearing:

Optimal: 54-57 °F

Preferred: 61.5 –64.5 °F

Lethal: 68-77 °F

Optimum and range varies by species and life stage

Varies by season

and within day

Water Temperature Measurement

WQ Standard for juvenile salmonid rearing:

7-day moving mean of daily maximum < 64ºF

Salinity

Measured in parts per thousand (‰), approximately

grams of salt per kilogram of solution

Specific Conductivity

An indirect measurement of

minerals dissolved in the water

Varies by rock type

Usually higher in summer than

in winter (groundwater in

contact with soils longer)

Detect pollutants

Rogue River

@Lobster Bridge,

101 µS

Demonstrations

1) Measure specific conductivity on water

samples leached from Rogue sandy

sediments, collected upstream and

downstream of the influence of salinity.

Which is upstream and which is downstream?

2) Simulate the ocean water wedge moving

upstream at high tide by introducing cold salt

water to one end of the “estuary.” Does the

meter detect the salt at the same time we see it

arrive?

Dissolved Oxygen

Amount held in water is less when temperature is higher

Turbulence dissolves oxygen in water

Aquatic plant photosynthesis & respiration

Decomposition of organic matter

Summer rearing

8.0 mg/L or 90% saturation

Spawning, incubation &

emergence

11.0 mg/L or 95% saturation

Most aquatic organisms use gills to extract oxygen Mayfly, Drunella, gills in action

Dissolved

Oxygen

Measurement

Collect sample in bottle without

bubbles, fix oxygen with chemicals,

titrate until blue color disappears.

Titrant volume converts to mg/L of

dissolved oxygen.

pH – acid to basic (alkaline)

pH scale 1-14 measures

H+ ions

Neutral pH = 7.0

Rainwater pH = 5.6

Salmonids among most

sensitive organisms to

changes in pH

Daily (diurnal) cycle

with plant photosynthesis

& respiration

High pH changes form of

N to toxic ammonia

pH Standard for South Coast

& Rogue Basins:

6.5-8.5 pH units

Turbidity

Water cloudiness

caused by

suspended solids

(soil particles) or

plankton

May cause gill

abrasion or failure

to feed in

overwintering

juvenile salmon

Confluence of Lobster Creek

at Rogue River

Meter measures light scattering

in response to particles, in

nephelometric turbidity units

(NTU). Higher is more turbid.

Standard: No more than 10%

increase in natural stream

turbidity, measured upstream of

the activity

Turbidity Measurement

"Turbidty: A Water Quality Measure", Water Action Volunteers, Monitoring Factsheet Series,

UW-Extension, Environmental Resources Center.

Demonstrations (continued)

3) Test turbidity on the Rogue samples. Guess the

turbidity of the water in the container after adding

1 teaspoon of soil.

Assume it will settle until the end of class.

Total Solids

Total Suspended Solids + Total Dissolved Solids =

Total Solids

Evaporate 100 mL in a

drying oven for 24 hours

and weigh the residue.

Units of mg/L

No DEQ Standard, but the

Oregon WQ Index

changes from Excellent-

Good at 70 mg/L

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

Amount of oxygen consumed by bacteria in the

decomposition of organic material

Helps to determine causes of low dissolved oxygen

Incubate at 20ºC in the dark 5 days, and re-measure DO

90-100 Excellent

85-89 Good

80-84 Fair

60-79 Poor

0-59 Very Poor

Oregon Water Quality Index

Oregon Water Quality Index

Nutrient

Inorganic

Dissolved

(Plant

Available)

Total, including

Organic

Particles &

Dissolved

Nitrogen

Nitrate + Nitrite

Total Nitrogen

Phosphorus

Ortho-Phosphate

Total

Phosphorus

Nutrients

Phosphorus

Particulate sources from erosion, manure, or sewage

Dissolved sources from chemical fertilizer, or leaching of septic systems

P is the limiting nutrient in streams, so small amounts can significantly increase plant growth

Total Phosphorus

Measurement

Digest sample to free

dissolved phosphate,

add color reagent to

produce blue color,

then read on

spectrophotometer

Concentration in mg/L

Loads may be

allocated for water

bodies with excessive

aquatic plant growth

Flasks for digestion on hot plate or

autoclave, and phosphate standards at

varying concentrations

Nitrogen

Nutrient required for growth of aquatic plants

Excessive amounts (with adequate phosphorus) can cause eutrophication of estuaries and lakes

Leaching into the groundwater table

Reduce nitrate to nitrite in column, add color reagent to produce pink color and read on spectrophotometer

Nitrogen (Nitrate + Nitrite)

Measurement

Concentrations in

mg/L

Standards for

drinking well water

EPA Guidance and

Oregon Water

Quality Index

Dissolved Oxygen and

Nutrient Conditions in

Estuaries

• Excessive nutrient input

leads to algae growth,

decomposes & depletes

oxygen (eutrophication)

• Hypoxia (DO < 5 mg/L)

creates biological stress

• Anoxia (DO < 2 mg/L)

results in death

• Estuaries tend to be

Nitrogen-limited

– (N:P of 16:1)

Primary Production,

producing bubbles and

increasing dissolved oxygen

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21:00 0:00 3:00 6:00 9:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00

Dis

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Time of Day

Hunter Creek Estuary Diurnal August 2-3, 2004

Dissolved Oxygen

Abv Turner Ck

Low County Br

Low County Br bot

Turtle Rock RV

Hwy 101 Br mid

E. coli Bacteria

Common in natural waters

High concentrations indicate source of human/animal wastes

Disease-causing (pathogenic) bacteria & viruses may be present

Septic tank failure, urban runoff, pastureland runoff

E. coli Measurement

Drinking Water

0 organisms per 100 ml

Water Recreation Contact

406 per 100 ml

126 per 100 ml (avg 5 samples/mo)

Feed 100 mL of sample with nutrients, incubate at 35ºC

for 24 hours, count numbers of fluorescent cells

Sampling Objectives & Designs

Baseline

upstream and downstream of land uses

Synoptic Storm

Storm chasers - multiple sites at same time

Diurnal (daily) variation

Restoration Project Effectiveness

Trend

DEQ Ambient Sampling Program

Compliance

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Floras Creek

Port Orford

Sixes

River

Pistol River

Lower Rogue

Elk River

New River

Euchre

Creek

Winchuck

River

Hunter Creek

Chetco

River

Water Quality Monitoring

Phase I Sites

Stormchaser

Volunteer Sampling

All sites

Turbidity

Conductivity

Approximately 1/3 of sites

E.coli

Nitrate + nitrite

Total phosphorus

All sites sampled during

the same two-hour period

2-3 storms each year

Estuary/Lake

Summer Diurnal

Events

Objectives:

Magnitude & Duration of

DO & pH Impairment

Search for Nutrient and

E.coli Sources

Using two adjacent reaches allows you to “control” variables

weather, rainfall, precipitation

discharge, land use

Using before/after helps you interpret your results better

Requires advance planning and time

Adjacent Stream Reaches:

Experimental and Control

X

X

X

Point A

Point B

Point C

trees will go here

Temperature Monitoring: Riparian Project Effectiveness

Determine relationship between reaches

Install practice or experimental device

Determine change in relationship

Other Parameters/ Pollutants

Metals

Volatile Organics

Pesticides

Harmful algal

blooms

More inexpensive to

monitor biological

condition through

macroinvertebrates

Clean Water Act Framework

Water Quality Standards

Point Source and Non-point Source Pollution

303(d) list combined with 305(b) report

Total Maximum Daily Load

Water Quality Management Plans

Rogue Basin Listed for E.coli and Temperature