Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs), with the explicit goal of improving water quality. Earlier research has demonstrated that these implemented BMPs are effective at the plot-scale and the field-scale; however, less information is available to document the effectiveness of these BMPs at the watershed scale - precisely the scale at which water-quality compliance and water-quality improvements are typically judged. Answers are needed to support the development of watershed implementation plans, to motivate BMP implementation by stakeholders, and to ensure the vitality of the cost-share programs that have supplemented the cost of implementing these BMPs.
In the past decade, hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs), with the explicit goal of improving water quality. Earlier research has demonstrated that these implemented BMPs are effective at the plot-scale and the field-scale; however, less information is available to document the effectiveness of these BMPs at the watershed scale - precisely the scale at which water-quality compliance and water-quality improvements are typically judged. Because of the costs associated with the implementation of these BMPs, federal, state, and local agencies are asking:
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Are the implementation activities working?
-
How long will it take for the BMPs to work?
-
Are there more time-efficient, cost-effective methods for detecting these improvements?
Answers are needed to these questions to support the development of watershed implementation plans, to motivate BMP implementation by stakeholders, and to ensure the vitality of the cost-share programs that have supplemented the cost of implementing these BMPs.
Objectives
Develop and initiate a water-resources monitoring network within Fairfax County to describe surface-water quantity and quality in numerous County streams. The data collection will be designed to provide a long-term record that can be used to address two fundamental objectives...
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Objective 1. Develop four integrated water-resources monitoring stations throughout the County that can be used to describe current conditions and trends in both water quality and water quantity. These water-resources data also will be used to compute loads in water-quality constituents, such as sediment and nutrients. Finally, these data will be used to evaluate water-quality improvements that are associated with BMP implementation activities.
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Objective 2. Evaluate the transferability of the results from the intensive water-resources monitoring stations to other watersheds. After determining the water-quality improvements that have occurred in the intensively monitored watersheds, evaluate whether the interpretations developed in these intensively monitored basins are consistent with trends and patterns in other less-intensively monitored (partial-record) watersheds. These partial-record trend sites will have slightly varied basin characteristics as the intensively monitored watersheds and will likely have differing amounts of BMP implementation activities.
Approach
The approach for satisfying the first objective includes operating an intensive water-resources monitoring station in each of four selected watersheds. Each water-resources monitoring station includes a continuous-record (continuous record = data collected every 15 minutes) stream gage, continuous-record water-quality monitor (measuring water temperature, pH, specific conductance, and turbidity), and an automatic stream-water sampler for the collection of stormflow samples. Water-quality sampling (for nutrients and suspended sediment) is conducted monthly for the determination of trends, and during stormflow events for the calculation of loads. Additionally, benthic macroinvertebrate sampling is conducted annually to evaluate the effect of BMP implementation on the in-stream biological community.
Additional data are collected in ten less-intensively monitored basins - referred to as partial-record trend basins to evaluate the transferability of the results from the intensive water-resources monitoring stations (Objective 2),. These partial-record trend basins will be used to determine whether (and how) the inferences drawn in the intensively monitored basins are applicable to other basins. To cost-effectively generate the required data for water-quality trend evaluation in these watersheds, a partial-record streamgage is operated and monthly water-quality sampling is conducted, thus allowing the determination of trends in sediment and nutrients. Annual benthic macroinvertebrate sampling is conducted at these sites as well.
Expansion of Monitoring Network
In 2012, the original 14-station monitoring network was expanded to include 6 additional monitoring stations. Of these 6 monitoring stations, 5 are low-intensity trend-monitoring stations and one is a high intensity monitoring station. The intent of the addition of these stations was to provide representation of watersheds not included in the original network and to monitor smaller (generally ‹1 mi2) watersheds with high rates of planned BMP implementation. Responses to BMP implementation in small watersheds with high rates of implementation are expected to be more readily identifiable in comparison to slightly larger watersheds with potentially less implementation.
Find publications here:
Streamflow, water quality, and aquatic macroinvertebrates of selected streams in Fairfax County, Virginia, 2007-12
Streamflow, water quality, and aquatic macroinvertebrates of selected streams in Fairfax County, Virginia, 2007-12
Characteristic length scales and time-averaged transport velocities of suspended sediment in the mid-Atlantic Region, USA
Recent and historic sediment dynamics along Difficult Run, a suburban Virginia Piedmont stream
Hydrogeomorphology influences soil nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization in floodplain wetlands
Interactions among hydrogeomorphology, vegetation, and nutrient biogeochemistry in floodplain ecosystems
Measurement of net nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization in wetland soils using a modification of the resin-core technique
The influence of microtopography on soil nutrients in created mitigation wetlands
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs), with the explicit goal of improving water quality. Earlier research has demonstrated that these implemented BMPs are effective at the plot-scale and the field-scale; however, less information is available to document the effectiveness of these BMPs at the watershed scale - precisely the scale at which water-quality compliance and water-quality improvements are typically judged. Answers are needed to support the development of watershed implementation plans, to motivate BMP implementation by stakeholders, and to ensure the vitality of the cost-share programs that have supplemented the cost of implementing these BMPs.
In the past decade, hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs), with the explicit goal of improving water quality. Earlier research has demonstrated that these implemented BMPs are effective at the plot-scale and the field-scale; however, less information is available to document the effectiveness of these BMPs at the watershed scale - precisely the scale at which water-quality compliance and water-quality improvements are typically judged. Because of the costs associated with the implementation of these BMPs, federal, state, and local agencies are asking:
-
Are the implementation activities working?
-
How long will it take for the BMPs to work?
-
Are there more time-efficient, cost-effective methods for detecting these improvements?
Answers are needed to these questions to support the development of watershed implementation plans, to motivate BMP implementation by stakeholders, and to ensure the vitality of the cost-share programs that have supplemented the cost of implementing these BMPs.
Objectives
Develop and initiate a water-resources monitoring network within Fairfax County to describe surface-water quantity and quality in numerous County streams. The data collection will be designed to provide a long-term record that can be used to address two fundamental objectives...
-
Objective 1. Develop four integrated water-resources monitoring stations throughout the County that can be used to describe current conditions and trends in both water quality and water quantity. These water-resources data also will be used to compute loads in water-quality constituents, such as sediment and nutrients. Finally, these data will be used to evaluate water-quality improvements that are associated with BMP implementation activities.
-
Objective 2. Evaluate the transferability of the results from the intensive water-resources monitoring stations to other watersheds. After determining the water-quality improvements that have occurred in the intensively monitored watersheds, evaluate whether the interpretations developed in these intensively monitored basins are consistent with trends and patterns in other less-intensively monitored (partial-record) watersheds. These partial-record trend sites will have slightly varied basin characteristics as the intensively monitored watersheds and will likely have differing amounts of BMP implementation activities.
Approach
The approach for satisfying the first objective includes operating an intensive water-resources monitoring station in each of four selected watersheds. Each water-resources monitoring station includes a continuous-record (continuous record = data collected every 15 minutes) stream gage, continuous-record water-quality monitor (measuring water temperature, pH, specific conductance, and turbidity), and an automatic stream-water sampler for the collection of stormflow samples. Water-quality sampling (for nutrients and suspended sediment) is conducted monthly for the determination of trends, and during stormflow events for the calculation of loads. Additionally, benthic macroinvertebrate sampling is conducted annually to evaluate the effect of BMP implementation on the in-stream biological community.
Additional data are collected in ten less-intensively monitored basins - referred to as partial-record trend basins to evaluate the transferability of the results from the intensive water-resources monitoring stations (Objective 2),. These partial-record trend basins will be used to determine whether (and how) the inferences drawn in the intensively monitored basins are applicable to other basins. To cost-effectively generate the required data for water-quality trend evaluation in these watersheds, a partial-record streamgage is operated and monthly water-quality sampling is conducted, thus allowing the determination of trends in sediment and nutrients. Annual benthic macroinvertebrate sampling is conducted at these sites as well.
Expansion of Monitoring Network
In 2012, the original 14-station monitoring network was expanded to include 6 additional monitoring stations. Of these 6 monitoring stations, 5 are low-intensity trend-monitoring stations and one is a high intensity monitoring station. The intent of the addition of these stations was to provide representation of watersheds not included in the original network and to monitor smaller (generally ‹1 mi2) watersheds with high rates of planned BMP implementation. Responses to BMP implementation in small watersheds with high rates of implementation are expected to be more readily identifiable in comparison to slightly larger watersheds with potentially less implementation.
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- Publications
Find publications here:
Streamflow, water quality, and aquatic macroinvertebrates of selected streams in Fairfax County, Virginia, 2007-12
Efforts to mitigate the effects of urbanization on streams rely on best management practices (BMPs) that are implemented with the intent of reducing and retaining stormwater runoff. A cooperative monitoring effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and Fairfax County, Virginia, was initiated in 2007 to assess the condition of county streams and document watershed-scale responses to the implementatStreamflow, water quality, and aquatic macroinvertebrates of selected streams in Fairfax County, Virginia, 2007-12
Efforts to mitigate the effects of urbanization on streams rely on best management practices (BMPs) that are implemented with the intent of reducing and retaining stormwater runoff. A cooperative monitoring effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and Fairfax County, Virginia, was initiated in 2007 to assess the condition of county streams and document watershed-scale responses to the implementatCharacteristic length scales and time-averaged transport velocities of suspended sediment in the mid-Atlantic Region, USA
Watershed Best Management Practices (BMPs) are often designed to reduce loading from particle-borne contaminants, but the temporal lag between BMP implementation and improvement in receiving water quality is difficult to assess because particles are only moved downstream episodically, resting for long periods in storage between transport events. A theory is developed that describes the downstreamRecent and historic sediment dynamics along Difficult Run, a suburban Virginia Piedmont stream
Suspended sediment is one of the major concerns regarding the quality of water entering the Chesapeake Bay. Some of the highest suspended-sediment concentrations occur on Piedmont streams, including Difficult Run, a tributary of the Potomac River draining urban and suburban parts of northern Virginia. Accurate information on catchment level sediment budgets is rare and difficult to determine. FurtHydrogeomorphology influences soil nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization in floodplain wetlands
Conceptual models of river–floodplain systems and biogeochemical theory predict that floodplain soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) mineralization should increase with hydrologic connectivity to the river and thus increase with distance downstream (longitudinal dimension) and in lower geomorphic units within the floodplain (lateral dimension). We measured rates of in situ soil net ammonification,Interactions among hydrogeomorphology, vegetation, and nutrient biogeochemistry in floodplain ecosystems
Hydrogeomorphic, vegetative, and biogeochemical processes interact in floodplains resulting in great complexity that provides opportunities to better understand linkages among physical and biological processes in ecosystems. Floodplains and their associated river systems are structured by four-dimensional gradients of hydrogeomorphology: longitudinal, lateral, vertical, and temporal components. ThMeasurement of net nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization in wetland soils using a modification of the resin-core technique
A modification of the resin-core method was developed and tested for measuring in situ soil N and P net mineralization rates in wetland soils where temporal variation in bidirectional vertical water movement and saturation can complicate measurement. The modified design includes three mixed-bed ion-exchange resin bags located above and three resin bags located below soil incubating inside a core tThe influence of microtopography on soil nutrients in created mitigation wetlands
This study explores the relationship between microtopography and soil nutrients (and trace elements), comparing results for created and reference wetlands in Virginia, and examining the effects of disking during wetland creation. Replicate multiscale tangentially conjoined circular transects were used to quantify microtopography both in terms of elevation and by two microtopographic indices. Corre - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.