Fall Creek Watershed Committee Minutes
October 5, 2000
4-H Acres

Present: Sharon Anderson, David Bouldin, Yvette deBoer, Deb Grantham, Roxy Johnston, Phil Koons, Stephen Lewandowski, Joyce Gerbasi, Greg Nagle, Dave Nicholls, Steve Penningroth, Stefan Wodicka

Guest Speaker: Pat Reidy, Water Quality Specialist for Cortland Soil and Water Conservation District

Two parts of a water monitoring program:

1. Collect data.
2. Analyze data. Need to analyze if collected data is to be useful.

Pat summarized his Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) for Virgil Creek (contact Sharon Anderson for a copy).

Monitoring of Virgil in Cortland County

• Money from FLLOWPA.
• Objects - baseline conditions, seasonal variability, wet and dry weather differences.
• Nine locations at bridges or roads, three on main stem, six on tributaries.
• Each season will sample at base level and wet weather to give eight samples each year.
• One point each, upstream and down stream of the Village of Virgil.
• Since interested in spatial variability in watershed, picked the six largest sub-watersheds that lie within Cortland County. For five, chose the closest road crossing to Virgil Creek. For the sixth, chose a point near to Cortland County line. Pat is willing to move that sampling point.

Parameters

Four nutrients, six metals, three solids (total solids, suspended solids, total dissolved solids), biological (coliform), field parameters (temperature, conductivity, DO, pH), others (sulfate, chloride, alkalinity, hardness, total organic carbon). All except field parameters will be analyzed by Buck Labs. Cost estimated at $300/sample totally $25,000 for 8 rounds

Quality Control

Will probably do duplicates (one per round), an equipment blank to test sampling techniques. They are trying to get integrated samples, so will use bailer like those used for ground water sampling. An equipment blank consists of using the sampling technique with distilled water rather then stream water.

Suggestions for Volunteer Monitoring

• Develop base map
• Naming convention for sample sites
• Inspect sample areas once they have been identified
• Safety concerns re: access and requirements of sampling technique
• Private property
• Imagine what the site will look like at other times of year

Plan the Sampling Event

• How long will it take?
• How many people do you need?
• Getting all the equipment set up and labeled.
• Transport of samples.
• Do you need cell phones?
• Should every team have an instruction booklet?

Documentation

• Checklist (DEC has one for the RIBS program).
• Log book - write down anything unusual.
• Write up a summary for reference when referring back.
• Waterproof pens.

Communicate With the Lab

• Develop a relationship.
• Ascertain hold times.
• Detection limits - are they lower than the water quality standard?

Discussion Items

• Patrick is open to extending the sampling into Tompkins County to include the full sub-watershed of Virgil Creek. FCWC will talk more about their role in making this idea a reality. Sharon will talk with Kate Hackett, Tompkins County Water Resources Planner and Jose Lozano who provides leadership for water monitoring for the Tompkins County Water Resources Council.

• Prof. Bouldin suggested collecting data to try to determine why the sediment load of Virgil Creek is ten times greater than the rest of Fall Creek. There are several plausible theories. He postulated that highly erodable glacial deposits at one particular location may be a key factor.

• Prof. Bouldin’s has a significant collection of data. Might FCWC support efforts to analyze or post the data on the Web?

• Gauging stations were discussed. Fall Creek gauge is at Forest Home.

Possible Guest Speakers

1. Dave Bouldin
2. Steve Lewandowski
3. Anne Gallagher

NEXT FCWC MEETING: November 2, 2000