Stream Water Quality Monitoring
The OCWA stream biomonitoring project began in 2004 and continues to this day. Stream biomonitoring
involves assessment of water quality in streams using macroinvertebrates as indicators of water quality.
Macroinvertebrates are invertebrate organisms large enough to see with the naked eye and include various
taxa (groups) including aquatic insects, clams, snails, worms, and crustaceans. These organisms vary in
their sensitivity to water pollution, with some types being extremely sensitive to pollution and others
being more tolerant. The relative abundance of more- and less-sensitive species, and their diversity,
provide a robust and reliable indication of the overall water quality at a given site.
OCWA is using the water quality ranking system that was developed by the NY State Dept. of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Stream Biomonitoring Unit - a methodology that has been approved by the US EPA. Because the OCWA utilizes NYS DEC methodology, the OCWA’s results are comparable to the field data collected by the State. The DEC methodology results in a water quality assessment for each sampling site that is expressed numerically as water quality score called a Biological Assessment Profile, or BAP. The BAP is expressed in two ways in NYS DEC’s reports: a numerical value from 0-10, where 10 equals the best possible water quality; and a narrative description. To review a more detailed description of these narrative descriptors, Click here.
When mapping this data, the OCWA typically displays the stream biomonitoring points using a unique symbol for each category: non-impacted sites are shown as green circles, slightly impacted sites are yellow squares, moderately impacted sites are orange triangles, and severely impacted sites are red pentagons.
In addition to a sample of the macroinvertebrate community, other data collected at each site include certain physical characteristics of the stream site; chemical data, including dissolved oxygen, dissolved oxygen saturation, temperature, specific conductivity, pH, salinity; digital photography; GPS coordinates; and aquatic vegetation information. Detail on the significance of these parameters as well as a glossary of terms, project history, and other information can be found in Appendix 1 of the Summary Report for Years 2004 – 2006. These parameters are provided for each site in the appendices of the reports.
Water Quality Scores for All Sites, All Years (2004-2010)
REPORTS
2010 Stream Biomonitoring Report
2009 Stream Biomonitoring Report
Specific Conductance Level Report (2008)
2008 Stream Biomonitoring Report
2004-2007 Stream Biomonitoring Report
2004-2007 Stream Biomonitoring Report Appendix
Biomonitoring Project: Summary Report for years 2004-2006
Biomonitoring Project: Phase 1 Report for years 2004–2005
MAPS AND GIS DATA
The two maps below show, among other features, the locations of the sites that have been sampled through the OCWA stream biomonitoring project from 2004 to 2010. The symbol for the stream biomonitoring data indicates the Biological Assessment Profile (BAP) for the particular site, as described in the paragraphs above; for sites that were sampled in more than one year, the symbol for the most recent year’s data is shown on top.
Both maps have the same information for the stream biomonitoring sites, but the map called “Simplified Stream Biomonitoring Sites” allows for easier identification of stream biomonitoring sites due to the fact that it does not include roads, parks, floodplains, and certain other information that is shown on the other map. The map called Stream Biomonitoring Sites allows for easier navigation to the sites and also provides greater context as to what natural or cultural features are around the sites.
Note: These two maps include the capability to turn certain features – like streams, roads, parks, labels, etc - off and on, using the Layers button on the top left-hand side (appears as two diamond shapes stacked atop one another). Click on the + symbols to view all options for turning layers or labels off and on.
Simplified Stream Biomonitoring Sites Map
Stream Biomonitoring Sites Map
GIS Stream Biomonitoring Data 2004-2010
Stream Biomonitoring Poster
OCWA is using the water quality ranking system that was developed by the NY State Dept. of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Stream Biomonitoring Unit - a methodology that has been approved by the US EPA. Because the OCWA utilizes NYS DEC methodology, the OCWA’s results are comparable to the field data collected by the State. The DEC methodology results in a water quality assessment for each sampling site that is expressed numerically as water quality score called a Biological Assessment Profile, or BAP. The BAP is expressed in two ways in NYS DEC’s reports: a numerical value from 0-10, where 10 equals the best possible water quality; and a narrative description. To review a more detailed description of these narrative descriptors, Click here.
When mapping this data, the OCWA typically displays the stream biomonitoring points using a unique symbol for each category: non-impacted sites are shown as green circles, slightly impacted sites are yellow squares, moderately impacted sites are orange triangles, and severely impacted sites are red pentagons.
In addition to a sample of the macroinvertebrate community, other data collected at each site include certain physical characteristics of the stream site; chemical data, including dissolved oxygen, dissolved oxygen saturation, temperature, specific conductivity, pH, salinity; digital photography; GPS coordinates; and aquatic vegetation information. Detail on the significance of these parameters as well as a glossary of terms, project history, and other information can be found in Appendix 1 of the Summary Report for Years 2004 – 2006. These parameters are provided for each site in the appendices of the reports.
Water Quality Scores for All Sites, All Years (2004-2010)REPORTS
2010 Stream Biomonitoring Report2009 Stream Biomonitoring ReportSpecific Conductance Level Report (2008)2008 Stream Biomonitoring Report2004-2007 Stream Biomonitoring Report2004-2007 Stream Biomonitoring Report AppendixBiomonitoring Project: Summary Report for years 2004-2006Biomonitoring Project: Phase 1 Report for years 2004–2005 MAPS AND GIS DATA
The two maps below show, among other features, the locations of the sites that have been sampled through the OCWA stream biomonitoring project from 2004 to 2010. The symbol for the stream biomonitoring data indicates the Biological Assessment Profile (BAP) for the particular site, as described in the paragraphs above; for sites that were sampled in more than one year, the symbol for the most recent year’s data is shown on top.
Both maps have the same information for the stream biomonitoring sites, but the map called “Simplified Stream Biomonitoring Sites” allows for easier identification of stream biomonitoring sites due to the fact that it does not include roads, parks, floodplains, and certain other information that is shown on the other map. The map called Stream Biomonitoring Sites allows for easier navigation to the sites and also provides greater context as to what natural or cultural features are around the sites.
Note: These two maps include the capability to turn certain features – like streams, roads, parks, labels, etc - off and on, using the Layers button on the top left-hand side (appears as two diamond shapes stacked atop one another). Click on the + symbols to view all options for turning layers or labels off and on.
Simplified Stream Biomonitoring Sites MapStream Biomonitoring Sites MapGIS Stream Biomonitoring Data 2004-2010Stream Biomonitoring Poster