Development and implementation of coral reef biocriteria in U.S. jurisdictions

Coral reefs worldwide are declining at an alarming rate and are under continuous threat from both natural and anthropogenic environmental stressors. Warmer sea temperatures attributed to global climate change and numerous human activities at local scales place these valuable ecosystems at risk. Reefs provide numerous services, including shoreline protection, fishing, tourism and biological diversity, which are lost through physical damage, overfishing, and pollution. Pollution can be controlled under provisions of the Clean Water Act, but these options have not been fully employed to protect coral reefs. No U.S. jurisdiction has implemented coral reef biocriteria, which are narrative or quantitative water quality standards based on the condition of a biological resource or assemblage. The President’s Ocean Action Plan directs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop biological assessment methods and biological criteria for evaluating and maintaining the health of coral reef ecosystems. EPA has formed the Coral Reef Biocriteria Working Group (CRBWG) to foster development of coral reef biocriteria through focused research, evaluation and communication among Agency partners and U.S. jurisdictions. Ongoing CRBWG activities include development and evaluation of a rapid bioassessment protocol for application in biocriteria programs; development of a survey design and monitoring strategy for the U.S. Virgin Islands; comprehensive reviews of biocriteria approaches proposed by states and territories; and assembly of data from a variety of monitoring programs for additional metrics. Guidance documents are being prepared to assist U.S. jurisdictions in reaching protective and defensible biocriteria.     

Status of Aquatic Bioassessment in U.S. EPA Region IX

U.S. EPA Region IX is supporting bioassessment programs in Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada using biocriteria program and Regional Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (R-EMAP) resources. These programs are designed to improve the state, tribal and regional ability to determine the status of water quality. Biocriteria program funds were used to coordinate with Arizona, California and Hawaii which resulted in these states establishing reference conditions and in developing biological indices. U.S. EPA Region IX has initiated R-EMAP projects in California and Nevada. These U.S. EPA Region IX sponsored programs have provided an opportunity to interact with the States and provide them with technical and management support. In Arizona, several projects are being conducted to develop the State's bioassessment program. These include the development of a rotational random monitoring program; a regional reference approach for macroinvertebrate bioassessments; ecoregion approach to testing and adoption of an alternate regional classification system; and development of warm-water and cold-water indices of biological integrity. The indices are projected to be used in the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) 2000 water quality assessment report. In California, an Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) has been developed for the Russian River Watershed using resources from U.S. EPA's Non-point Source (NPS) Program grants. A regional IBI is under development for certain water bodies in the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. Resources from the U.S. EPA Biocriteria program are being used to support the California Aquatic Bioassessment Workgroup (CABW) in conjunction with the California Department of Fish & Game (CDFG), and to support the Hawaii Department of Health (DoH) Bioassessment Program to refine biological metrics. In Nevada, R-EMAP resources are being used to create a baseline of aquatic information for the Humboldt River watershed. U.S. EPA Region IX is presently working with the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) to establish a Nevada Aquatic Bioassessment Workgroup. Future R-EMAP studies will occur in the Calleguas Creek watershed in Southern California, and in the Muddy and Virgin River watersheds in southern Nevada, and the Walker River watershed in eastern California and west-central Nevada.     

A study of the effect of physical and chemical stressors on biological integrity within the San Diego hydrologic region

Environmental agencies across the United States have searched for adequate methods to assess anthropogenic impacts on the environment. Biological assessments, which compare the taxonomic composition of an aquatic assemblage to relevant biocriteria, have surfaced as an effective method to assess the ecological integrity of US waterbodies. In this study, bioassessment data were collected and analyzed in conjunction with physical habitat and chemical stressor data for streams and rivers within the San Diego basin from 1998 through 2005. Physical stressors such as sediment loading, riparian destruction, and in-stream habitat homogenization affect many locations in the region. However, physical habitat measures alone were found to frequently overestimate the biological integrity of streams in the region. Many sites within the San Diego Basin, although unaffected by physical stressors, continue to exhibit low biological integrity scores. Sites with low biological integrity tend to possess higher specific conductance and salinity compared to sites with high biological integrity. We suggest that one possible reason for these differences is the source water used for municipal purposes.     

An ecological function and services approach to total maximum daily load (TMDL) prioritization

Prioritizing total maximum daily load (TMDL) development starts by considering the scope and severity of water pollution and risks to public health and aquatic life. Methodology using quantitative assessments of in-stream water quality is appropriate and effective for point source (PS) dominated discharge, but less so in watersheds with mostly nonpoint source (NPS) related impairments. For NPSs, prioritization in TMDL development and implementation of associated best management practices should focus on restoration of ecosystem physical functions, including how restoration effectiveness depends on design, maintenance and placement within the watershed. To refine the approach to TMDL development, regulators and stakeholders must first ask if the watershed, or ecosystem, is at risk of losing riparian or other ecologically based physical attributes and processes. If so, the next step is an assessment of the spatial arrangement of functionality with a focus on the at-risk areas that could be lost, or could, with some help, regain functions. Evaluating stream and wetland riparian function has advantages over the traditional means of water quality and biological assessments for NPS TMDL development. Understanding how an ecosystem functions enables stakeholders and regulators to determine the severity of problem(s), identify source(s) of impairment, and predict and avoid a decline in water quality. The Upper Reese River, Nevada, provides an example of water quality impairment caused by NPS pollution. In this river basin, stream and wetland riparian proper functioning condition (PFC) protocol, water quality data, and remote sensing imagery were used to identify sediment sources, transport, distribution, and its impact on water quality and aquatic resources. This study found that assessments of ecological function could be used to generate leading (early) indicators of water quality degradation for targeting pollution control measures, while traditional in-stream water quality monitoring lagged in response to the deterioration in ecological functions.     

水环境生物监测的发展方向与核心技术

水环境生物监测是环境监测的重要内容,它应重点说清环境胁迫的生物效应。简述了总量管理、流域管理、风险管理、生态管理等环境管理对水环境生物监测有迫切需求,应引入＂生态系统健康＂、＂生物完整性＂、＂环境胁迫＂、＂全排水毒性＂等现代环境生物监测的基本概念,建立水环境生物监测技术发展的理论基础,发展生物完整性、综合毒性等监测与评价核心技术;革新现行监测方法体系,建立包括QA/QC、快速方法等支持系统在内的现代水环境生物监测业务化方法体系;创新评价技术体系,建立水环境生态健康评价及综合毒性评价指标体系、基准及分级管理标准,确立水环境质量管理的生物学目标。     

水生态环境质量评价方法及在黄河流域的应用进展

开展水生态环境质量评价方法研究,建立合适的河流健康评价体系是解决河流健康问题的前提和实现河流健康管理的重要手段。黄河自上而下生态环境现状迥异,水生态环境脆弱,寻求一种或多种适合黄河流域水生态环境质量的评价方法具有重要意义。该文介绍了国内外水生态环境质量评价方法及在黄河流域的应用进展,总结了鱼类生物完整性指数(F-IBI)、底栖无脊椎动物完整指数(B-IBI)、着生藻类生物完整性指数(P-IBI)及水生态环境质量综合评价法的主要指标,以及黄河流域不同区域生物种类的评价指标,分析了各评价方法优缺点及应用范围,并根据目前研究基础评述了黄河流域水生态环境质量评价存在的问题,对黄河流域水生态环境质量评价方法、指示生物的选择及水生态环境质量综合评价法的研究等提出了具体建议。     

Using environmental stressor information to predict the ecological status of Maryland non-tidal streams as measured by biological indicators

In Maryland, U.S., an interim framework has recentlybeen developed for using biologically based thresholds, or `biocriteria', to assess the health of nontidal streams statewide at watershed scales. The evaluation of impairment is based on indices of biological integrity from the Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS). We applied logistic regression to quantify how the biotic integrity of streams at a local scale is affected by cumulative effects resulting from catchment land uses, point sources, and nearby transmission line rights-of-way. Indicators for land use were developed from the remote sensing National Land Cover Data and applied at different scales. We determined that the risk of local impairment in nontidal streams rapidly increases with increased urban land use in the catchment area. The average likelihood of failing biocriteria doubled with every 10% points increment in urban land, thus an increase in urban land use from 0 to 20% quadruples the risk of impairment. For the basins evaluated in this study, catchments with more than 40–50% urban land use had greater than 80% probability of failing biocriteria, on average. Inclusion of rights-of-way and point sources in the model did not significantly improve the fit for this data set, most likely because of their low numbers. The overall results indicate that our predictive modeling approach can help pinpoint stream ecosystems experiencing or vulnerable to degradation.     

我国流域水生态完整性评价方法构建

流域水生态完整性评价是指通过对水生态系统中不同水生态指标(生物和非生物)的监测以及由数学方法综合形成的综合评价指数,来反映水生态系统完整性状况。近年来,世界各国水环境管理政策发生了变化,开始强调生态保护,重视水体的生态质量。中国现行的常规理化监测指标(如COD、氨氮、BOD5)很难满足水环境管理的需求,难以全面准确地反映水环境质量变化的趋势。因此,在借鉴欧美发达国家流域水生态完整性评价方法的基础上,结合中国目前监测现状以及流域水环境管理需求,构建了包括物理生境指标、理化指标、水生生物指标在内的流域水生态完整性监测与评价方法,以期为中国流域水质目标管理技术体系的业务化运行提供可资借鉴的技术支撑,实现从单一的化学指标监测转向综合的水生态系统监测,实现流域水生态完整性的监测与评价。     

江苏省太湖流域大型底栖无脊椎动物完整性业务化评价指数构建

为支撑流域水生态目标的业务化管理,提高水生态监测和评价的可操作性,突破物种分类鉴定的技术瓶颈,以大型底栖无脊椎动物为研究对象,在江苏省太湖流域布设120个采样点,于2013年1—3月、7—8月和10—11月开展3次监测。以最小干扰为参照状态,对涉及物种丰度、物种多度组成、耐污能力和摄食类群的72个候选指数进行分布范围、判别能力及相关性分析,结合指数获取的便利性及物种分类的难易程度,最终筛选出3个核心指数构成大型底栖无脊椎动物完整性业务化评价指数,其中湖荡、河流和水库的指数为软体动物分类单元数、优势分类单元相对多度和BMWP指数,溪流的指数为ETO分类单元数、前三位优势分类单元相对多度和BMWP指数。经验证,业务化指数与环境梯度有较好的响应关系,且可操作性强,具备开展业务化应用的前景。但目前的流域水生态目标管理尚处于摸索阶段,技术体系还须在业务化过程中不断修正和完善。     

Critical technical elements of state bioassessment programs: a process to evaluate program rigor and comparability

We developed a systematic process to evaluate state/tribal bioassessment programs to provide information about the rigor of the technical approach. This is accomplished via on-site interviews to produce an evaluation that assigns one of four levels of rigor as an outcome. Level 4 is the most rigorous and reflects a technical capacity to accurately determine incremental condition and support management programs. The remaining three levels are less able to assess incremental condition and are appropriate for only some management support needs. Accurately determining impairment and diagnosing pollution-specific stressors are fundamental tasks that states/tribes must accomplish to provide management support. This goal is fulfilled to varying degrees by most states/tribes. The evaluation employs a checklist and a sliding scale of rigor for 13 technical elements. Feedback is provided to each state/tribe via a technical memorandum that describes the technical components of the monitoring program, highlights strengths, and recommends improvements for specific technical issues. This can be used to refine the bioassessment and monitoring programs to better support management programs. The results of 14 state/tribal evaluations are included here. The majority (nine states, one tribe) revealed that most operate at level 2 with developmental activities that will elevate the level of program rigor already underway. Two states operate level 4 programs and each have numeric biocriteria and refined designated uses in their water quality standards. This is the ultimate goal of the process of engaging states in the development of bioassessment programs in the U.S.     

水生态监测技术路线选择与业务化运行关键问题研究

“十二五”期间,中国流域治理将由行政区管理向流域水生态管理转变、由水质达标管理向生态健康管理转变.在实施水生态功能分区的基础上,科学开展水生态监测和评价是实现流域水质目标的重要基础工作.对水生态监测技术路线选择与业务化运行关键问题进行研究,包括水生态表征及监测指标选择、水生态质量参照点的确定及评价分级标准的确定、水生态评价方法的确定以及水生态监测业务化运行体系构建.     

Assessment of surface water quality using multivariate statistical techniques: a case study of Behrimaz Stream, Turkey

Multivariate statistical techniques, such as cluster analysis (CA), principal component analysis, and factor analysis, were applied for the evaluation of temporal/spatial variations and for the interpretation of a water quality data set of the Behrimaz Stream, obtained during 1 year of monitoring of 20 parameters at four different sites. Hierarchical CA grouped 12 months into two periods (the first and second periods) and classified four monitoring sites into two groups (group A and group B), i.e., relatively less polluted (LP) and medium polluted (MP) sites, based on similarities of water quality characteristics. Factor analysis/principal component analysis, applied to the data sets of the two different groups obtained from cluster analysis, resulted in five latent factors amounting to 88.32% and 88.93% of the total variance in water quality data sets of LP and MP areas, respectively. Varifactors obtained from factor analysis indicate that the parameters responsible for water quality variations are mainly related to discharge, temperature, and soluble minerals (natural) and nutrients (nonpoint sources: agricultural activities) in relatively less polluted areas; and organic pollution (point source: domestic wastewater) and nutrients (nonpoint sources: agricultural activities and surface runoff from villages) in medium polluted areas in the basin. Thus, this study illustrates the utility of multivariate statistical techniques for analysis and interpretation of data sets and, in water quality assessment, identification of pollution sources/factors and understanding temporal/spatial variations in water quality for effective stream water quality management.     

The value of long-term environmental monitoring programs: an Ohio River case study

As a subset of environmental monitoring, fish sampling programs have been an important part of assessing the potential impacts of water withdrawals and effluent discharges on fish populations for many years. New environmental regulations often require that adverse environmental impacts to fish populations be minimized. Without long-term field data, population evaluations may incorrectly indicate adverse impacts where none exist or no impact where one is likely to occur. Several electric utility companies have funded the Ohio River Ecological Research Program, which has been in existence for over 40 years and consists of fish, habitat, and water quality studies at multiple power plant sites on the mainstem Ohio River. Sampling includes seasonal night-time electrofishing and daytime beach seining at three upstream and three downstream locations near each plant. The long-term nature of the program allows for the establishment of aquatic community indices to support evaluations of technology performance, the collaborative development of compliance metrics, and the assessment of fish population trends. Studies have concluded that the Ohio River fish community has improved in response to better water quality and that power plant fish entrainment and impingement and thermal discharges have had little or no measureable impact. Through collaboration and the use of long-term data, $6.3 million in monitoring costs have been saved during recent fish impingement studies. The ability to access a multiyear fish abundance database, with its associated data on age, growth, and fecundity, improves the quality of such evaluations and reduces the need for extensive field sampling at individual locations.     

Indicators of ecosystem health at the species level and the example of selenium effects on fish

Chemical monitoring of aquatic ecosystems describes the chemical exposures of aquatic biota and measures the success of pollution control. However, meeting water quality criteria cannot assure that aquatic biota are protected from the effects of unexpected chemicals, mixtures and interactions between toxicity and environmental stressors.Biological monitoring is an obvious solution since aquatic biota integrate spatial and temporal variations in exposure to many simultaneous stressors. Top predators, typical of specific ecosystems (e.g. lake trout in cold water oligotrophic lakes) indicate whether environmental criteria have been met. The presence of naturally reproducing, self-sustaining and productive stocks of edible fish demonstrates a high quality environment. If these conditions are not met, there is a clear sign of environmental degradation. Specific changes in population structure and performance may also diagnose which life stage is affected and the nature of the stressor.Unfortunately, environmental managers cannot rely solely on populations, communities or ecosystems to indicate chmical effects. The lag between identifying a problem and finding a cause may destroy the resource that we wish to protect, particularly where chemicals are persistent.A solution to this dilemma is the measurement of primary or secondary responses of individual organisms to chemical exposure. Since toxicity at any level of organization must start with a reaction between a chemical and a biological substrate, these responses are the most sensitive and earliest sign of chemical exposure and effect.Application of this idea requires research on molecular mechanisms of chemical toxicity in aquatic biota and adaptation of existing mammalian diagnostic tools. Since relevance of biochemical responses to populations and ecosystems is not obvious, there is a need to study the links between chemical exposure and responses of individuals, populations and ecosystems.The recognition of chemical problems and cause-effect relationships requires the integration of chemical and biological monitoring, using the principles of epidemiology to test the strength of relationships and to identify specific research needs. The contamination of a reservoir with selenium and impacts on fish populations provide an excellent example of this approach.     

基于数据物流服务思想的流域水环境监测数据交换与集成技术

提出了面向流域水生态监控预警的水环境信息完整性管理理念,分析了多源、多手段采集的流域水环境监测数据的交换与集成技术需求,重点针对中国环境监测部门流域监测断面管理存在的不足,提出了目录管理架构.基于数据物流服务思想,利用微软BizTalk平台和XML技术设计了支持多源水环境数据接人、可灵活配置并监控的水监测数据交换平台原...     

石家庄市典型乡镇饮用水源地环境调查与分析

通过调查“十一五”期间石家庄市县级行政区典型乡镇集中式饮用水水源地开展基础环境状况,了解典型乡镇饮用水水源地属性、水质水量状况以及饮用水水源地保护区划分情况,分析研究影响石家庄市典型乡镇饮用水水源水质的主要因素,针对饮用水水源地环境问题进行评估并对乡镇集中式饮用水水源地监管能力建设情况、环境管理制度执行情况提出相关建议及对策。     

Integrating sentinel watershed-systems into the monitoring and assessment of Minnesota’s (USA) waters quality

Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act requires States and Tribes to list waters not meeting water quality standards. A total maximum daily load must be prepared for waters identified as impaired with respect to water quality standards. Historically, the management of pollution in Minnesota has been focused on point-source regulation. Regulatory effort in Minnesota has improved water quality over the last three decades. Non-point source pollution has become the largest driver of conventional 303(d) listings in the 21st century. Conventional pollutants, i.e., organic, sediment and nutrient imbalances can be identified with poor land use management practices. However, the cause and effect relationship can be elusive because of natural watershed-system influences that vary with scale. Elucidation is complex because the current water quality standards in Minnesota were designed to work best with water quality permits to control point sources of pollution. This paper presents a sentinel watershed-systems approach (SWSA) to the monitoring and assessment of Minnesota waterbodies. SWSA integrates physical, chemical, and biological data over space and time using advanced technologies at selected small watersheds across Minnesota to potentially improve understanding of natural and anthropogenic watershed processes and the management of point and non-point sources of pollution. Long-term, state-of-the-art monitoring and assessment is needed to advance and improve water quality standards. Advanced water quality or ecologically-based standards that integrate physical, chemical, and biological numeric criteria offer the potential to better understand, manage, protect, and restore Minnesota’s waterbodies.     

The effect of saline water disposal: implications for monitoring programs and management

In an effort to combat rising groundwater tables andexpanding saline lakes, saline water has been disposedof into the aquatic environment, despite there beinglittle information as to the environmental effects.Monitoring of the effect of saline lake water disposalon aquatic macroinvertebrates and water quality wasconducted in the Barwon River, south west Victoria,Australia, in association with toxicity tests. Thedisposal of saline lake water was associated withchanges in macroinvertebrate community structure.Contrary to expectations, increases in electricalconductivity (a measure of salinity) was not the onlywater quality parameter associated with saline waterdisposal. An experiment was conducted where thetoxicity of saline lake water was compared to that ofa prepared solution of the same electricalconductivity. Toxicity was greater in the saline lakewater than the prepared solution. The results suggestthat saline water disposal is impacting onmacroinvertebrate fauna but electrical conductivity isnot the only factor responsible. These results haveconsequences for both management of aquatic resourcesand for monitoring programs which are discussed.     

Sizing an Off-stream Reservoir with Respect to Water Availability,Water Quality,and Biological Integrity

Sizing a new reservoir is a challenging task, which normally requires simultaneously a cost-effective, risk-informed, and forward-looking decision analysis with respect to basin-wide hydrological features, environmental quality, and biological integrity. Such a sustainable planning approach takes into account the global trend to balance the needs of economic growth, ecological conservation, and environmental protection. To achieve the goal of sustainability, emphasis in this paper was placed upon the correlation of three physical, chemical, and biological indices, including the dissolved oxygen (DO), the 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), and the index of biotic integrity (IBI), for the optimal planning of a reservoir in a river basin. This new methodological paradigm has been employed for sizing an off-stream reservoir in the Hou-Lung River Basin, central Taiwan. The internal linkage between the water quality parameters (DO and BOD₅) and the IBI levels further enables us to formulate a special biotic integrity constraint which reflects fish community attributes to suit a relatively low-density and unspecialized freshwater fish fauna in response to the changing water quality conditions in the river basin. The tradeoffs among economic, environmental, and ecological aspects for reservoir sizing can then be based on the river flow patterns, the water demand, the water quality standards, and the anticipated biological integrity in some critical river reaches. Findings in a preliminary case study suggest that an optimal pumping scheme may be smoothly maintained on a yearly basis within a combined multicriteria and multiobjective decision-making process.     

Using two classification schemes to develop vegetation indices of biological integrity for wetlands in West Virginia, USA

Bioassessment methods for wetlands, and other bodies of water, have been developed worldwide to measure and quantify changes in “biological integrity.” These assessments are based on a classification system, meant to ensure appropriate comparisons between wetland types. Using a local site-specific disturbance gradient, we built vegetation indices of biological integrity (Veg-IBIs) based on two commonly used wetland classification systems in the USA: One based on vegetative structure and the other based on a wetland’s position in a landscape and sources of water. The resulting class-specific Veg-IBIs were comprised of 1–5 metrics that varied in their sensitivity to the disturbance gradient (R ²?=?0.14???0.65). Moreover, the sensitivity to the disturbance gradient increased as metrics from each of the two classification schemes were combined (added). Using this information to monitor natural and created wetlands will help natural resource managers track changes in biological integrity of wetlands in response to anthropogenic disturbance and allows the use of vegetative communities to set ecological performance standards for mitigation banks.