High Priority Monitoring Goals
Monitoring Goals
The following goals are items that could be included when the project develops a comprehensive monitoring strategy.
The goals must be evaluated for cost and efficiency. The following monitoring goals would be considered short range
goals to be accomplished in three to five years.
 | Develop Detailed Monitoring Strategies |
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| | The monitoring strategy for the watershed should encompass biological,
chemical, and physical parameters with short and long term goals using local and multi-agency
input. |
| Establish Funding and Technical Support for Monitoring |
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| | Ohio EPA 319 grants do not allow for monitoring to be part of a grant-funded
program. A permanent source of funding needs to be established to insure a database of
information continues to track watershed project accomplishments. |
| Increase Citizen Involvement Through Expansion of Action Programs |
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| | Increase volunteer stream and lake monitoring programs. Increase number of
sites and types of monitoring conducted by volunteers. Programs like CLIP and MWS and
macroinvertebrate sampling are examples of citizen action programs. Others could include lake
and tributary habitat assessment and vegetation surveys as well as others. If there is a
strong need or want of a volunteer monitoring program, and there are volunteers available, then
the program should be developed. |
| Develop Strategies for Distribution and Management of Monitoring Data |
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| | The project needs to gain access to EPA and other agencies collecting data
and establish a local data base. Utilize GIS technology to map existing and future water
quality data, such as CLIP and Volunteer Stream Monitoring data. |
| Update Baseline Data for Sediment Deposits in Indian Lake and Tributaries |
|---|
| | Establish transacts on the lake and mouths of tributaries for recording
sediment and water depths. This would establish a record of data and could be conducted
utilizing GPS and GIS technologies. This data could be compared to the 1989 data and used to
track trends and monitor the sediment entering the lake and the sediment movement. A sediment
survey is scheduled to be conducted in the summer of 1996. |
| Installation of Sediment & Chemical Sampling Stations on Tributaries |
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| | Establish water quality monitoring stations on the four major tributaries
including North Fork, South Fork, Black Hawk, and Van Horn. Each station will include a
water-level monitor that records river level every ten minutes, and a pumping sediment sampler
that will take 24 water samples at predetermined, regular intervals, automatically triggered by
a rise in water level. These stations will allow the project to determine the total amount of
water, sediment and nutrients entering the lake on a storm-by-storm or other predetermined
basis. |
| Develop a Site Assessment Protocol for Volunteers |
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| | This program will identify and record potential point and non-point sources
of pollution in the watershed reported by volunteers. This data would be used by the project
to fulfill reports and areas of high complaints. By having more volunteers watching for
potential and/or present pollution hot-spots, the watershed project can react faster to water
quality threats. |
| Develop Urban On-Site Monitoring Programs |
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| | This program would identify specific monitoring strategies for the increased
number of urban homeowners around the lake and the urban areas throughout the watershed.
Issues to be addressed are near-shore sources of pollution, prevention of the near-shore
pollution sources, and the effects of activities on land near the shore line to lake water
quality. |
| Chlorophyll Sampling |
|---|
| | Regular chlorophyll sampling would start a data set on algae conditions in
the lake. Tracking algae growth and trends can help the project in efforts to develop a
comprehensive nutrient management program. Chlorophyll sampling data will aid in developing
programs designed to alleviate the algae related concerns which have surfaced more frequently
in recent years. |
| Fish Creel Surveys |
|---|
| | The last creel survey was conducted in 1986 by
ODNR, Division of Wildlife.
Rather than redeveloping an existing program established by ODNR, the watershed project should
work with ODNR personnel to find ways of obtaining more frequent fish creel surveys to be used
in tracking trends in the lake. |
| Staff a River / Lake Keeper |
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| | Because of the definite need for streambank and shoreline stabilization
projects within the watershed, there is a need for a person whose sole purpose is to keep track
of these issues. The River/Lake Keeper would be the guardian of the water resources and the
field person acting as the "eyes on" the rivers and lake water. This person would become known
as the contact person for groups interested in the rivers and the lake. The Keeper becomes
part of the rivers, highly visible to the public and perceived as the caretaker of the resource.
Possible areas that could be under this position could include but not limited to the
following: |
 | Determine, organize and coordinate streambank stabilization efforts |
| Determine, organize and coordinate shoreline stabilization efforts |
| Help with water education and public relation efforts |
| Organize, coordinate, develop and train volunteers in a holistic monitoring effort including: |
| | - Macroinvertabrate Sampling
- Secchi Disk/CLIP efforts
- Sediment Sampling
- Chemical Sampling
- Physical Assessment
- Habitat Assessment |
| Organize and coordinate tributary snag and clear projects |
| Coordinate livestock exclusion programs |
| Develop, organize and present educational programs on the aquatic aspects of the rivers and lake for local schools and the public. |
| Develop a program for placing filter strips along all corridors |
| Develop and construct artificial habitat areas |
| Organize river cleanup and improvement efforts |
| Develop relationships and help with instructional management of CRP land |
| Determine and promote CRP contracts in riparian corridor and high erosion potential areas. |
By working with current baseline data and expanding the data in more areas, the project will be
better able to detail the improvements which are being made as well as determine where areas of
improvement are needed. The Keeper can assist in the control of dumping, littering, toxic waste
matters and riparian corridor destruction. This position is not a "water warden," but a "water
keeper." If citizens observe a degradation of water quality, the keeper will first attempt to
work with the person. By working to build understanding as to why the action is wrong, the
person will help build the personal connection and build a relationship between the people and
the water. If these actions are not accepted by the person, they can be turned over to the
proper authorities. Much like the "turn in a poacher" concept, the keeper is the front line
connection to water problems. Once accepted as the "River and Lake Keeper," the person can build
relations and communications between the public and the project. The River/Lake Keeper position
is a win-win situation. The public and project will benefit because they have a highly visible
contact person to deal with problems when they occur. Though the river keeper concept has been
around, it still is a very popular concept. The river/lake keeper will need to be someone who
is highly motivated and dedicated to the water. The keeper will need to tactfully handle
misinformed individuals, solve problems with limited supervision and be willing to be out in
the water under many situations. The keeper will be a well-used contact person and will need
to handle the educational aspects for all age groups.
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