CALIFORNIA’S BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM

1. CALIFORNIA’S BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM April 5, 2005 Jim Harrington WPCL Bioassessment Laboratory

5. Advantages of Bioassessment Integrates the effects of water quality over time Sensitive to multiple aspects of water and habitat quality Provides the public with a more familiar expressions of ecological health

6. Advantages of Bioassessment Adds a more direct assessment of ecological health since it measures the biological communities that live in aquatic systems Better defines the effects of point source discharges and provides more relevant measures to evaluate discharges of non-chemical substances (e.g. sediment, flow augmentation and habitat alteration)

7. Statutory Authority • Clean Water Act Section 101(a) Purpose: • “To restore and maintain the chemical,physical and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters”

8. Water Quality Standards and Criteria (CWA §303c) Point Source Discharge Permitting (CWA §402) Wet Weather Discharge (CSOs, Stormwater) Aquatic Life Use Assessments (CWA §305b) Comprehensive Watershed Assessments Listing of Impaired Waters (CWA §303d) Nonpoint Source Assessment (CWA §319) Hazardous Waste Site Assessments (CWA §104e) Bioassessment Data Evaluation and Permitting of Habitat Modifications (CWA §404) Marine Point Source Discharge Permitting (CWA §403c) Sewage Treatment Plant Discharges in Marine Waters (CWA §301h) Marine Protection and Sanctuaries Act– Ocean Dumping (MPRSA) Comprehensive Risk Assessment Use of Bioassessment in Water Quality Monitoring

9. Stressor Identification Identifying Unknown causes of biological impairment

10. How Do We Do Bioassessments

11. Florida’s Bioassessment Program Florida Department of Environmental Protection

12. Bioassessment Program Steps 1. Classify environments (e.g., regionalization) 2. Standardize sampling methods 3. Develop assessment approach (IBI) 4. Perform biological surveys 5. Select metrics (positive biological signals) 6. Incorporate Quality Assurance activities 7. Incorporate training and testing (certification) 8. Integrate into programs 9. Report results (Ecosummaries) 10. Revise biocriteria

13. Streams and Wadeable Rivers May be next May be next =developing basic bioassessment program =developing quantitative biocriteria =basic bioassessment program in place =quantitative biocriteria adopted in or implemented through water quality standards

14. How Do We Do Bioassessments In California

15. Benthic Macroinvertebrates Ubiquitous Relatively stationary Their large species diversity provides a spectrum of responses to environmental stresses

16. Sensitive Organisms in Streams Dragonflies and Damselflies Mayflies Stoneflies Caddisflies Expected Response to Stress: abundance & proportion

17. Tolerant Organisms in Streams Scuds Snails Leeches Midges Expected Response to Stress: abundance & proportion

18. Rapid Biological Assessment California Stream Bioassessment Procedure (CSBP) for High and Low Gradient Streams Riffle Habitat for High Gradient Streams Multi-habitat for Low Gradient Streams Other Protocols for Historic Projects Cost effective Benthic Macroinvertebraes

19. Rapid Biological Assessment U.S. EPA RBP Quantify: Canopy Cover Stream Size Substrate Flow Rapid Physical/Habitat

20. >2500 DFG sites Many More Using CSBP

21. Application of a benthic invertebrate IBI to regional 305(b) reporting in southern California Peter R. Ode, Andrew C. Rehn and Jason T. May Aquatic Bioassessment Laboratory Water Pollution Control Laboratory California Department of Fish and Game California State University, Chico

22. Existing Data: • EPA’s EMAP (2000-2002; multiple methods): CSBP- targeted riffle EMAP- multihabitat USFS/Hawkins- targeted riffle • USFS (2000, 2001, Hawkins method) • CSBP (2000-2002, multiple programs) Regions 3, 4, 7, 8, 9

23. Development set (75% of sites) to create IBI Validation set (25% of sites) totest IBI 66 sites 140 sites 47 sites 22 sites

24. Index Development Approach(SoCal IBI) 62 Candidate Metrics Range Test (range at least 0 – 2) Signal:Noise Test (S:N variance ratio > 3) Redundancy Test (Pearson Coefficient < 0.75) 10 Metrics Eliminated 13 Metrics Eliminated 22 Metrics Eliminated Correction for Natural Variability Responsiveness Test 7 Final Metrics 0 Metrics Corrected 10 Metrics Eliminated

25. SoCal IBI Scores

26. Very Good

27. Good

28. Fair to Poor

29. Very Poor

30. Definitions of Reference Condition • Minimally Disturbed Condition - condition of streams in the absence of significant human disturbance (e.g., “natural,” “pristine” or “undisturbed”) • Least Disturbed Condition– found in conjunction with the best available physical, chemical and biological habitat conditions given today’s state of the landscape – the “best of what’s left” • Best Attainable Condition– equivalent to the ecological condition of (hypothetical) least disturbed sites where the best possible management practices are in use

31. Reference Sites Sierra Foothill Ecoregion

32. 236 Watershed Planning Areas • BASIC APPROACH • Use GIS landuse data to screen for potential target areas • Use field reconnaissance to identify good sites within target areas

33. National Landcover Database (NLCD) • Identifies different types of landuse at a resolution of 30 meter pixels • Based on Landsat 1992 imagery • USGS and EPA joint developed

34. Rapid Reconnaissance: Flow Conditions Habitat Conditions Local Landscape Assessment Ownership Access Issues 154 sites reviewed

35. Final Reference Sites 1st Order Streams - 7 2nd Order Streams - 8 3rd Order Streams - 11 4th Order Streams - 4

36. California Regional Water Quality Control Boards 1 5a 5b 2 5c 3 6 How Do We Use Bioassessment Data 4 7 8 9

37. Biological Integrity “As Naturally Occurs” Curve Colors Supports CWA Interim Goal* Historic Pre-Colombian Minimally Disturbed Nonattainment of CWA Interim Goal Least Disturbed/Best Attainable BIOLOGICAL CONDITION ---------------------CWA Interim Goal Threshold ------------------------------------- Mining/ Natural Pristine Industrial Urban Prairie Grazed Agricultural Forested STRESSOR GRADIENT (Dominant Land Use) *Protection & Propagation of Fish, Shellfish and Wildlife

39. Hypothetical Subcategorized Biologically-Based Aquatic Life Uses Designated Uses IBI = 60 Cold water salmon fishery/natural spawning IBI = 50 Cold water salmon nursery/rookery IBI = 40 Biological Condition Cold water salmon passage IBI = 30 Seasonal cold water salmon passage IBI = 20 Habitat restoration IBI = 10 Limited aquatic life habitat

40. Designated Aquatic Life Uses: Ohio Example 1 2 Exceptional Warmwater Habitat: an unusual, balanced integrated community of organisms having a species composition, diversity & functional composition comparable to 75% of statewide ref sites. 3 Warmwater Habitat: Biological Condition 4 … comparable to the 25%ile of ecoregional reference sites Modified Warm Water Habitat: …irretrievable, human modifications of physical habitat … 5 Limited Resource Waters: lack potential … substantially degraded….irretrievable habitat modifications 6 Increasing Effect of Human Activity

41. State of FloridaEffectiveness of Forestry Best Management Practices • Joint project between Florida DEP, Florida Department of Agriculture and the silviculture industry. • Purpose: to determine if forestry BMPs, when properly applied, protect aquatic biota in adjacent streams

42. Examples of forestry BMPs • Undisturbed buffer zone (SMZ) • Site preparation to prevent erosion • Control fertilizers and pesticides • Design roads/drainage easements for minimum erosion/deposition

45. The Biological Condition Gradient Natural structure and function of biotic community maintained 1 Minimal changes in structure & function 2 Evident changes in structure and minimal changes in function 3 Moderate changes in structure & minimal changes in function Biological Condition 4 5 Major changes in structure & moderate changes in function 6 Severe changes in structure & function Increasing Effect of Human Activity

46. Get to Know Your Mayflies

47. And your Beetles

48. Thanks for Listening