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MONITORING TO ESTABLISH REFERENCE CONDITIONS FOR NUTRIENTS AND ALGAL CONDITIONS IN ESTUARINE AND COASTAL WATERBODIES MX974432
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose of this study is to gather scientifically defensible data for use in developing numeric nutrient criteria for estuaries and coastal waters. The overall objective is to facilitate a better understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships in complex systems and reduce the anthropogenic component of nutrient over enrichment to levels that restore beneficial uses and prevent nutrient pollution.
Several project objectives are identified for this project:
1) Historical Water Quality Data Gathering and Analysis;
2) Water Quality Monitoring;
3) Laboratory Analysis; and
4) Database Enhancement and Analysis
Description:
The purpose of this study is to gather scientifically defensible data for use in developing numeric nutrient criteria for estuaries and coastal waters. The ultimate objective is to reduce the anthropogenic component of nutrient overenrichment to levels that restore beneficial uses and to prevent nutrient pollution. The project is intended to facilitate a better understanding of cause-and-effect relationships in these complex systems. This project will provide useful data to identify minimally impacted waterbodies defined as reference sites. Minimal impacts provide a baseline that will protect beneficial uses of the Mississippi Coastal Waters. The term "minimally impacted" implies a high percentage of coniditions in reference locations and a low percentage of conditions in all locations. The upper end of the data distribution range from reference sites represents the threshold of a reference condition, whereas lower percentile will allow from an appropriate margin of safety, excludes the effect of spurious outliers and serves as a sufficiently protective value. MDEQ can then gather data to make comparisons and perform statistical analyses of causal and response variables to help determine effect thresholds and further refine reference conditions. MDEQ understands that establishing reference conditions is but on element of the criteria development process. Reference condition values will be appriopriately modified on the basis of examination of the historical record, modeling, expert judgement, and consideration fo downstream effects.