Meeting on Coastal Water Quality Remote Sensing: Assessing the Current Needs and Capabilities

1. Meeting on Coastal Water Quality Remote Sensing: Assessing the Current Needs and Capabilities Shellfish Applications NOAA Coastal Services Center Charleston, South Carolina October 7, 2003

2. Presenter John “Rusty” McKay, Section HeadMaryland Department of the Environment (MDE)Technical and Regulatory Services AdministrationCompliance Monitoring ProgramTechnical Studies Section

3. Background Experience: 19 years conducting water quality monitoring of shellfish growing waters on Maryland’s portion of Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic Ocean, and coastal bays. Education: B.A. Geography 1999 University of Maryland Baltimore County Emphasis in GIS and Remote Sensing

4. Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) MISSION: To Protect and restore the quality of Maryland's air, land, and water resources, while fostering economic development, healthy and safe communities, and quality environmental education for the benefit of the environment, public health, and future generations. VISION: To ensure a clean environment and excellent quality of life for all Marylanders.

5. MDE Goals MDE’s15-fold goals aim to meet future environmental challenges by continuing to improve and build new partnerships between governments, businesses and communities. Specifically, the goals that pertain to the TSS are: • Ensure that Water is Clean and Safe for Harvesting of Fish and Shellfish • Improve and Protect Maryland’s Water Quality • Utilize Information Technology to Optimize and Enhance Environmental and Administrative Operations

6. Technical Studies Section (TSS)Who We Are and What We Do • Formed to conduct specialized water quality studies and to integrate GIS technology into Maryland’s Shellfish Program • Comprised of a staff of 4 professionals with GIS backgrounds and a wealth of field experience

7. Specialized Studies • Dye Tracer Studies to determine tidal dispersion of pollutants. Sinepuxent Bay Assateague Island Visitors Center WWTP Study August 2000

8. Specialized Studies Susquehanna River SRBC’s Susquehanna Drinking Water Intake Study 2001-2002 Northeast River Town of North East, MD SWA Fall 2002 • Dye Tracer Studies to determine time of travel and contribution • Technical support to projects of other Administrations within MDE

9. Bacterial Source Tracking (BST) • TSS developed field methods and conducted all field activities in a one year collaborative study with Salisbury University on developing the use of DNA fingerprinting of bacteria for BST. These methods have lead to subsequent research that is currently being used in Maryland’s TMDL efforts.

10. Shellfish TMDL • About to conclude our 2nd year of monitoring in three Chesapeake Bay tributaries identified on Maryland’s 2002 303(d) List of impaired waterways using BST techniques-SCAT • Physical water quality parameters measured at surface and bottom at each station included: • Temperature • pH • D.O. • Conductivity • Salinity • Turbidity • Secchi Depth Supplemental information collected included: air temperature, wind speed & direction, and tidal state

12. Scat Sampling • Collected animal scat throughout the watershed to build a 500 isolate library to be compared against isolates from the water samples collected.

13. Environmental Emergency Response • Patuxent River Oil Spill. 120K gallons of #4 & #6 oil. • Shoreline Contamination Assessment Teams (SCAT). Swanson Creek, Chalk Point Power Plant, April 2000

14. Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Monitoring • Collect routine HAB samples in Maryland’s coastal bays as part of a mandated surveillance program • Conduct intensive HAB surveys to support regulatory decisions involving shellfish and beach closures Microcystis Bloom, Sassafras River, Aug 2003

15. Fish Kills • MDE is responsible for the investigation of both algae complaints and fish kills. • TSS staff provide support to the fish kill duty roster and assist with investigations.

16. GIS Mapping

20. Maryland’ Shellfish Program • Maryland, as with every other shellfish producing state, adheres to the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) guidelines also known as the Model Ordinance. The regulations of the Model Ordinance are enforced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) • The Model Ordinance requires harvesting states to have in place three major elements to their Shellfish Programs. These elements include a classification unit, a patrol unit, and a sanitary control unit.

21. Maryland’s Shellfish Program Maryland Department of the Environment Maryland Department of Natural Resources Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

22. MDE’s Shellfish Program • Required to identify and eliminate pollution sources with shoreline surveys • Conduct bacteriological surveillance with routine monitoring • Monitor shellfish for bacteriological contamination and chemical constituents Soft-shelled and Razor clam collections, Patuxent River, May 2000

23. Shoreline Survey MDE conducts shoreline surveys of all waterfront property and along major drainage basins that flow into shellfish harvesting areas. These surveys are conducted as door to door surveys looking for anything that may pose an impact to water quality with emphasis on sanitary violations. Failing Onsite Waste System

24. Sanitary Violations Failing onsite waste systems, direct pipes, gray water discharges.

26. Agricultural Sources Surveyors evaluate animal waste management practices.

27. Routine Monitoring • MDE monitors over 700 monitoring stations in shellfish growing waters for bacterial levels • Five regionally based monitoring teams sample the monitoring network twice monthly 8-10 months out of the year

30. Today’s Situation • Maryland has an emerging shellfish aquaculture industry that is beginning to tax staff resources. The continued growth of this industry will require that new methodologies that can add efficiency into the Program be explored.

31. Off-Bottom Shellfish Aquaculture Near-shore harvest of shellfish grown in restricted harvesting waters. Concern is that the industry could develop rapidly exceeding staffing resources.

33. Remote Sensors Of Interest • Thermal IR/ Themography • Chlorophyll Production • Soil Moisture • Fluorescence • Oil/Petroleum

34. Platforms • Land base/handheld • Boats • Fixed wing aircraft • Helicopter • Airships--- under development for Homeland Security.

35. Thermography • Develop thermal signature library of known point and non-point pollution sources • Include failing septic systems, direct pipes, illegal discharges, animal waste management practices or effectiveness of BMP Forward Looking Infra-Red

37. Pending Project Using FLIR TSS is collaborating with NOAA’s Cooperative Oxford Laboratory to conduct a pilot project using Forward Looking Infrared Imaging (FLIR).

41. Goal and Objective • Develop a more thorough method of detecting pollution sources impacting water quality • Promote a less invasive survey method---PASS • Continue to help promote the shellfish industry in Maryland • Provide a tool in the field for staff to assist in collections or to direct monitoring activities

42. How Could We Use Remote Sensing • Shoreline Survey • HAB Monitoring/Detection • Environmental Emergency Response • Hydrographic Dye Studies • Supplement Routine and TMDL Monitoring

43. Needs • Funding • Data/Imagery • Equipment: Thermal Cameras, Computers & Software, Video and Digital Cameras, Photo/Video Analysis • Services: Flight Time • Staff: GIS Techs, Thermography Techs, Field Techs

44. Benefits • Better coverage • Increased Frequency • Efficient use of staff resources • Overcomes property access issues • Public perception • Techno-deterrent

45. THEEND