Georgia surface water and groundwater quality monitoring and assessment strategy



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Estuary Nutrient Monitoring. The purpose of the nutrient monitoring effort is to establish scientifically sound data for nutrient loads in Georgia’s coastal rivers, estuaries, and sound systems. These baseline data are a tool for resource managers to use in making sound management decisions based on both historical and current water quality conditions.

Estuary nutrient monitoring is funded by the State of Georgia. The data collected is used to assess the nutrient loads in the State’s sounds and estuaries.  Nutrient monitoring began on March 1, 2000, and is a long term monitoring program designed to establish trends for nitrate-nitrogen, nitrite-nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, total dissolved phosphorus, ortho-phosphate, and silicate.  Sample collection for nutrients occurs monthly at 89 stations selected by CRD. Tidal river nutrient monitoring is conducted monthly year-round on the Ogeechee, Altamaha, and St. Marys Rivers by GAEPD. Water samples collected from each site are analyzed by the UGA laboratory.


DNR State Park Beach Monitoring. The DNR State Park Beach Monitoring supports the following program objectives: protecting the public health, documenting water use impairment, assessing environmental and public health effectiveness of voluntary and required pollution control programs, and supporting water quality management programs.
The DNR Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division (PRHSD) operate public beaches on small lakes and reservoirs at several State parks in Georgia. State park beach monitoring of bacteria was conducted on a periodic park-by-park basis prior to 1996. Beginning in 1996, beach monitoring has been conducted at census State park freshwater inland beaches by DNR personnel. A table of the DNR State Parks Lake Beach monitoring sites is provided in Appendix A.
Groundwater Well Monitoring. In January 2011, GAEPD’s Regulatory Support Program reinstated a state-wide ambient groundwater monitoring network similar in design to that which existed within the Georgia Geologic Survey prior to 1998. The network consists of wells and springs located throughout the State such that broad characterizations may be drawn regarding the general water quality of all major aquifers found within Georgia. Water samples are analyzed for dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, presence of radiation, VOCs, chloride, fluoride, sulfate, total phosphorus, nitrate/nitrite, and metals. Pesticide analyses are conducted on certain samples (mainly from the Coastal Plain), when and if possible. Monitoring personnel will collect quarterly samples at 22 stations and single annual samples at 122 well locations. The list of the ground water wells monitored is provided in Appendix A.
4. CORE AND SUPPLEMENTAL WATER QUALITY INDICATORS
As described in the individual monitoring program designs above, a variety of indicators are used to assess compliance with water quality standards and support of individual use classifications. A common set of water quality criteria including pathogen indicators (fecal coliform, enterococci, E. coli), dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, and toxic substances apply to all water uses in Georgia including recreation, drinking water, fishing and aquatic life, wild river, scenic river, and coastal fishing. In assessing lake water quality, additional indicators such as nutrients, secchi depth, and chlorophyll a are included. Core and supplemental indicators are shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2. WATER QUALITY INDICATORS




INDICATOR TYPE


AQUATIC LIFE


RECREATION

Core

Dissolved oxygen

pH

Temperature



Turbidity

Suspended solids

Lake trophic status

Macroinvertebrate community

Fish community

Periphyton/Phytoplankton

Macrophyton

Habitat


Flow

Pathogen Indicators

Transparency

Algal blooms, chlorophyll a

Macrophyte density

Land-use/% impervious cover


Supplemental

Toxic pollutants (e.g., priority

pollutants, pesticides, metals)

Toxicity tests

Tissue chemical assays

Nutrients

Chlorophyll a

Sediment chemistry

Organism condition factor

Non-native species

Land-use/% impervious cover

Pollutant loadings

Fish kills



Aesthetics

Objectionable scums, sheens,

debris, deposits

Sediment quality

Color

Turbidity



pH

Flow/water level






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