Task 4: Pre/Post Water Quality Monitoring & Evaluation
This task will be integrated with previous tasks and includes the following steps:
a) Develop/implement protocols for establishing baselines for agricultural BMPs using Michigan Trading Rules.
b) Field validate agricultural credits with monitoring at a select number of representative sites selected for BMP applications. The objective of these efforts will be to quantify or estimate loadings.
c) Field verify practice installations. Technical Service Providers and CARES will be involved in the development of conservation plans and other BMPs, and will be responsible for design, oversight and follow-up confirmation of practice installation.
d) Address discrepancies in predicted vs. monitored loads. The suitability, reliability and uncertainty associated with modeling estimates will be characterized in the context of the BMP application, scale of implementation, seasonal considerations, BMP maturation and trading ratios.
e) Track implemented agricultural BMPs with NutrientNet. For each agricultural site, current conditions, proposed BMP applications, predicted load reductions and predicted costs will be derived from NutrientNet. These will be compared with actual data where available. The intent is to institutionalize the process for agriculture to consistently use this tool in all watershed applications and track measurable success in terms of pounds of phosphorus reduction.
f) Track urban BMPs of partner projects.
g) Adjust trading ratios, baselines or TMDL margin of safety. The scientific, economic and political utility of the 2:1 trading ratio will be examined together with baseline phase-in opportunities outlined in the TMDL Implementation Plan, and the TMDL margin of safety. Progress made towards the agricultural (and urban) load allocation targets will be used to gauge the utility of a trading program to achieve TMDL goals.
h) Document other environmental commodities, such as sediment load reductions, construction of habitat buffers, creation of wetlands, carbon sequestration, etc.
The 2005 Interim report: "Phosphorus sources, fate and transport in the Lake Allegan/Kalamazoo River TMDL Watershed for the growing season April 1 to Sept 30, 2005" is available from MSU Extension Lake Allegan/Kalamazoo River Non-point source information and tracking system.
Quality Assurance Project Plan for Monitoring and Water Quality Sampling - Oct. 2004
