Communities caring for catchments
Module 2 - getting started: the team, monitoring plan and site
Waterwatch Australia Steering Committee
Environment Australia, December 2002
ISBN 0 6425 4856 0
This section consists of:
A To find out the effect of rainfall in the town on turbidity in the river. If turbidity is affected by rainfall, as expected, is it only by heavy rainfall in the town, or by rainfall elsewhere in the catchment as well?
A The main users of our Waterwatch group’s data will be the secondary college, local council, local water treatment staff, the fishing club, local irrigators.
A Our Waterwatch data will be used:
A Our group has identified the following characteristics:
| Characteristic | How it will help to answer the question? | Critical or background |
|---|---|---|
| Rainfall | By helping identify a possible cause of turbidity. | Critical |
| Turbidity | The turbidity may vary in relation to local rainfall. | Critical |
A Our aim is to produce data that the local officials and irrigators can use to predict times when equipment may not function well.
Our data quality requirements for sampling are to:
Our data quality requirements for analysis are:
A Our Waterwatch group will use the following sampling and analytical water quality methods:
| Collecting procedure | Sample container | Preservation method | Maximum holding time | Equipment and method | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall | Rain gauge | Read and empty | |||
| Turbidity, suspended solids | Sample main current | Polyethylene 500 mL | Refrigerate | 24 hours | Turbidity tube |
A Our Waterwatch group has chosen sites at the following locations:
| Site code | Map name | Map no. | Map scale | Easting (6 figs) | Northing (7 figs) | Catchment name | Subcatchment name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOM 010 | Somewhere | 1234 | 1:100 000 | 460200 | 5414100 | Somewhere else River | not applicable |
| SOM 020 | " | " | " | 460900 | 5414700 | " | " |
| SOM 030 | " | 1235 | " | " | " | " | " |
| SOM 040 | " | 1236 | " | " | " | " | " |
Our Waterwatch group has chosen the following sites in the river for the reasons listed in the table:
| Site code | Site name | Site description | Reason for selecting site |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOM 010 | Sullivans Road Stormwater Drain | River 50 metres upstream of stormwater outlet | Reference site upstream of stormwater outlets. By comparing data from the reference site with that from below the stormwater outlets, the source of the turbidity may be identified. |
| SOM 020 | Country Road | River very near gravel road No riverside vegetation |
By sampling upstream and downstream of the road’s closest approach to the river, another source of turbidity may be found. |
Sites SOM 030 and 040 are two upriver rainfall sampling sites. Rainfall will also be measured at the town weather station.
A The timing details of monitoring by our Waterwatch group are as follows:
| Type of monitoring | Characteristic | Sampling frequency | Period of sampling | Time of sampling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volume of rain | Irregular | When it has rained | 9 am on appropriate days | |
| Impact of stormwater runoff | Turbidity | Irregular | During winter floods | During heavy rain |
A To meet our goals, our regional Waterwatch group has identified the following roles and responsibilities:
| Role | Responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Waterwatch coordinator | Oversees monitoring for the catchment; responsible for coordinating monitoring efforts for 15 sub-groups in the catchment, i.e. schools/Landcare groups; liaison with government agencies; obtains funding; coordinates work with communities; responsible for preparing monitoring plan and final reports; coordinates training of participants |
| Quality assurance (QA) officer | Oversees all QA/QC activities; responsible for developing and updating the monitoring plan; supports the coordinator in training, QA and procedures; checks quality of data and carries out follow-up |
| Data manager | Enters data from field sheets onto the Waterwatch database and prepares reports for users |
| Participants: Grade 10 Science classes of WW of data at sites and XX High Schools Environmental Science class at YY College ZZ Landcare group Others |
Responsible for implementing the monitoring plan; carrying out surveys/sampling/analysis |
Our regional Waterwatch group has made the following plans for 2003 and 2004:
| Project task | Main position responsible and supporting positions | Task complete by: |
|---|---|---|
| Draft and get approval of Monitoring Plan | Waterwatch coordinator QA officer Agency QA officer |
February 2003 |
| Ask potential members to become involved | Waterwatch coordinator QA officer Project coordinator |
April 2003 |
| Waterwatch training sessions | Waterwatch coordinator QA officer |
Three Sunday training sessions in May 2003 |
| Habitat survey | WW and XX Schools | As scheduled in Questions 4, 6, 7 and 8 using Waterwatch Technical Manual |
| Water quality sampling | YY College and ZZ Landcare group | As scheduled in Questions 4, 6, 7 and 8 using Waterwatch Technical Manual |
| Data processing and analysis | Waterwatch coordinator QA officer Data manager Waterwatch group members |
June 2003 to April 2004 |
| Reporting | Waterwatch coordinator Data manager Waterwatch group members |
Regular monthly media release June 2004, public meeting |
The May training sessions will be run by the Waterwatch coordinator, with help from the QA officer and aquatic ecologist, for eight high school teachers at Pollington Flats. All participants will be asked to evaluate the training sessions at the end of training. Teachers will be expected to demonstrate competence in macro-invertebrate identification to order level and rate the quality of sites using the Macro-invertebrate Rating Method.
Students from Environmental Science at YY College will be transported to sites SOM 010 and SOM 020 during rainfall events during term time. They will be under close supervision of the teacher when sampling. The emergency phone number is 2345 6789.
Our quality assurance coordinator will maintain and calibrate the group's equipment according to the following table:
| Equipment type | Inspection frequency | Type of inspection | Calibration frequency | Standard or calibration instrument used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain gauge | Monthly | Visual check for foreign bodies or damage | Not applicable | |
| Turbidity tube | Before each use | Visual check of cleanliness of tube | Not applicable | Check against formazin standards |
A Schools in our regional Waterwatch group will use water quality data record sheets to record rainfall and turbidity. Our data manager will store data from record sheets on the Waterwatch Australia Database. Record sheets will be stored and catalogued by site and date. A library of photos of all activities and sites in the catchment will be maintained.
Contamination incident guidelines for our Waterwatch Group are: If you discover a severe contamination incident,
immediately contact the coordinator (phone 9876 5432), who will contact the council.
Severe incidents include:
For unusual water quality results, i.e. more than plus or minus 20% of normal results, check calibration of the meter (if applicable), the procedure and reagents used, and then re-sample. If the original result is confirmed, record the result and contact the coordinator so they can inform neighbouring groups in the catchment. For small regular incidents of this kind, keep a record of the time and day that it occurs for about a month and if possible try to identify the source. The coordinator will report the information to the local council, land manager, and water authority.
Our monthly media releases to the general public about turbidity levels will raise general awareness of the problem in the river. A workshop for members of the fishing club, irrigators, local water treatment staff and the council will be held in June to present our year’s data for discussion and action.
A Our Waterwatch group will check the quality of data of the following parameters using the methods listed in the table.
| Parameter | Equipment and method | Quality control checks | QC sample frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbidity | Turbidity tube | Field replicate to measure natural variation and precision of method | Collect a replicate at 10% of sites |
As soon as possible after each sampling event, calculations for precision and accuracy will be made by the QA officer to check data quality. If data are not good enough for the intended use, then reviews of training, methods, equipment and reagents will be done with the coordinator to identify the source(s) of the problem. The required standards of data quality may need to be revised. Comparability, completeness, and representativeness will be assessed after each sampling run. Any limitations on the use of the data will be reported to data users.
Our Waterwatch data manager will continually review the completeness of data. They will screen data for transcription errors before entering onto the Waterwatch database. Decisions about accepting, rejecting or modifying data will be made in conjunction with the coordinator and QA officer.
| Conductivity (dissolved solids) | |
| DO | dissolved oxygen |
| NO3 | nitrate |
| PO4 (o) | ortho-phosphate |
| PO4 (t) | total phosphate |
| temp | temperature |
The table is available as a PDF file. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view it.
If you are unable to access this document, please contact us to organise a suitable alternative format.