Sampling & Monitoring Guidance

A summary paper published by the U.S. EPA that water quality managers can use to better understand when and how to utilize algae as indicators of nutrient pollution in stream ecosystems.

Agencies monitoring Indiana's waters use many methods and protocols. This site is designed to compile existing protocols used by statewide monitoring programs in Indiana into a central location to provide accessible information on methods used for monitoring across the state of Indiana. Purdue University has coordinated the development of this site, in collaboration with the Indiana Water Monitoring Council.

This 44-page guide was published by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2015 to aid in the identification of cyanobacteria in freshwater and provides field images that show cyanobacteria blooms, some of which can be toxin producers, as well as other non-toxic algae blooms and floating plants that might be confused with algae. After recognition of a potential toxin-producing cyanobacterial bloom in the field, the type(s) of cyanobacteria present needs to be identified. Species identification, which requires microscopic examination, may help distinguish a toxin-producer from a non-toxin producer. This guide also provides microscopic images of the common cyanobacteria that are known to produce toxins, as well as images of algae that form blooms but do not produce toxins.

Hoosier Riverwatch promotes stewardship of Indiana's waterways through a water quality education and volunteer monitoring and water quality education program. Hoosier Riverwatch is a state-sponsored volunteer stream water quality monitoring initiative. The program was started in 1994 to increase public awareness of water quality issues and concerns by training volunteers to monitor stream water quality. Hoosier Riverwatch is sponsored by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management's Office of Water Quality and is located in the Watershed Assessment and Planning Branch.

This is the training manual provided to all Hoosier Riverwatch Basic Training workshop participants. The chapters include guidance on chemical and biological monitoring, macroinvertebrate identification, as well as overview chapters on watersheds and habitat. The entire manual is provided via this Web site in PDF format.

This index is designed to measure the aquatic vertebrate community and the surrounding conditions by using fish species as indicators. Overall, there are 12 fish community variables that can be broken down into three main categories: species richness and composition, trophic composition, and fish abundance and condition. By assessing the variables within these parameters, scientists can compare a sampled site with a relatively undisturbed site with similar geographical and climatic conditions. With this rationale, the only variable would be stressors resulting from human development and disturbance.

The Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program is a cooperative effort by three groups: volunteers, IDEM, and Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA). Begun in 1989, the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program now includes over 90 Indiana lakes. This expanded handbook contains explanations about measurements and methods, and contains forms, checklists, and detailed descriptions of how to conduct lake monitoring.

The Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program is a cooperative effort by three groups: volunteers, IDEM, and Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA). Begun in 1989, the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program now includes over 90 Indiana lakes. The handbook contains explanations about measurements and methods, and contains forms, checklists, and overview descriptions of how to conduct lake monitoring.

The invertebrate community index (ICI) is very similar to the IBI and measures the health of the macroinvertebrate community. This index is comprised of 10 metrics where sampled sites are also compared to relatively undisturbed sites with similar geographical features. Both IBI and ICI are useful tools for biological measuring of aquatic environments, but IBI is often the preferred method; fish are generally longer lived and can therefore represent environmental changes over a longer period of time.

The qualitative habitat evaluation index (QHEI) gives scientists a quantitative assessment of physical characteristics of a sampled stream similar to IBI and ICI biological data (see below). QHEI represents a measure of instream geography. By combining evaluations of QHEI and IBI, for example, researchers can gain a well-rounded perspective of both the physical and biological conditions of a particular stream site. This comprehensive assessment is critical for evaluating disturbance and land-use practices.

The U.S. Geological Survey has compiled information and guidance regarding lake monitoring. Chapters include principles of designing a monitoring program, an overview of limnology, an overview of tools and techniques, as well as specific guidance on field sampling.

This very spare navigation page by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides links to two NAWQA program pages. One link is for method, sampling, and analytical protocols, whereas the second link is for biological sampling, habitat, and laboratory protocols. After following one of the links, a series of links to USGS publications relevant to various water-quality or biological sampling, processing, documentation, or analysis is provided.

This Web page was developed as part of the National Facilitation Project by USDA CSREES, and Land Grant Colleges and Universities to provide Volunteer Monitoring Program Coordinators with access to a number of relevant publications that relate to water-quality monitoring in lakes and streams. Links to many external resources are provided.