| SAMPLING & MONITORING


quality and flow monitoring data are supplemented by ecological measurements and laboratory analysis of soils and sediment. The Eden DTC, near Pen- rith, provides an opportunity to study the effects of upland, predominantly livestock, farming on water resources and the local ecology. The Eden catchment includes for- est areas, pasture, moorland and bog, and features both extensive and intensive farm- ing.


The project is split into


three sub-catchments cover- ing a combined area of around 10km2. One area is a control and the other two are inves- tigating the effects of mitiga- tion. Staff from the NWQIS have installed continuous wa- ter quality monitors at each site. These employ a YSI mul- tiparameter sonde in a flow-


through chamber to measure conductivity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbid- ity and Chlorophyll-a. Each site is also fitted with telemetry so live data can be transmitted to the project’s website. Larger, more com- prehensive monitoring sta- tions have been installed at the outlets for the Morland and Pow sub-catchments, which, in addition to the autosampler and YSI mul- tiparameter monitors, also include analysers for phos- phate, ammonium and ni- trate. Dr Clare Benskin, respon- sible for the water qual- ity monitoring work, says: “The continuous monitoring equipment is performing ex- tremely well and is provid- ing valuable baseline data, which is being complemented by monthly spot samples that


are collected manually and transferred to the laboratory for analysis.”


Laboratory analysis is un- dertaken for samples taken from autosamplers


water quality monitoring site, and


from boreholes,


at each river


sediment and soils. Benskin and her colleagues also study ecological indicator organ- isms such as algal diatoms. The Wensum DTC is locat-


ed in a catchment that drains an area of north Norfolk about 40km west-east and 25km north-south with rela- tively low-lying topography. Almost the entire river and stream habitat is considered to be “unfavourable and de- clining” mostly due to sedi- ments, bank poaching and diffuse water pollution. The main river channel has poor ecological


status and 40% of the water bodies in


the catchment are at risk of reaching 50mg/l nitrate; and 27% of the water bodies in the catchment are at risk of failing phosphorus standards. Reflecting a ground up- approach


wards involving


land owners and managers, as well as farming and en- vironmental organisations, government agencies and re- searchers, the Wensum DTC has established the Wensum Alliance, led by Prof Kevin Hiscock and Prof Andrew Lovett from the School of En- vironmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia. The monitoring and miti-


gation work in the Wensum catchment is being conducted in an area of arable farmland including the source of one of the Wensum tributaries, so it is envisaged that improve- ments in the management of the land near the head water


will impact on the water qual- ity at the catchment outlet. The


Hampshire Avon


DTC catchment comprises mixed agriculture and is fo- cusing on using target sub- catchments on clay (River Sem), greensand (River Nad- der) and chalk (rivers Ebble and Wylye). Also, the River Tamar is an official satellite to the Hampshire Avon senti- nel DTC, providing an oppor- tunity to assess water quality and freshwater responses to mitigation by


strategies funded


South West Water via the Payment for Ecosystem Services scheme being imple- mented by the Westcountry Rivers Trust. The Tamar satellite is mon- itoring the effects of mitiga- tion measures at Caudworthy Water with a control site on the River Neet. As with the other DTCs, baseline data is being collected from a net- work of continuous monitor- ing stations.


17-18 October 2012 - SIMMONSCOURT DUBLIN


A new world of opportunity


The Irish Water Exhibition, part of Resource Ireland, is Ireland’s leading event for water and effl uent professionals.


Exhibiting at The Irish Water Exhibition provides the ideal platform for you to showcase your water technology to over 1,600 attendees, all keen to manage water resources and maximise water effi ciency.


Top 5 products & services visitors to the Irish Water Exhibition want to see:


Water treatment technology Groundwater/drainage technology Filtration/separation Pumps/valves Water conservation


There are seven surface water monitoring sites on the Hampshire Avon and four on the Tamar. On the Hamp- shire Avon five sites have autosampler monitoring sta- tions and two sites have high spec monitoring stations. On the Tamar, three sites have autosampler monitoring sta- tions and one site has a me- dium spec station.


Project leader Prof Adrian Collins says: “The DTC plat- form provides a fantastic op- portunity for collaborative re- search and one element of the ongoing work is developing an integrated toolkit for de- tecting change in response to on-farm targeted


mitigation of diffuse pollution.” The Avon DTC Alliance has


also installed 400 porous pots in 29 fields across the target sub-catchments.


These during the winter


be sampled on a bi-monthly basis


will of


each year to measure nitrogen leaching in soil water. An eco- logical monitoring plan is also underway,


recording mac-


roinvertebrates, macrophytes, diatoms and fish.


Traditional environmental monitoring often involved the collection of either samples that represented a moment in time or samples that are a composite taken over a period of time.


In contrast, the latest moni- toring and telemetry technol- ogy can provide data that are almost ‘live’ – high resolution data.


GET INVOLVED


For more information on The Irish Water Exhibition 2012 and the opportunities available please contact James Boyd 1800 927 161 from Ireland or +44 (0) 1342 332091


or email james.boyd@fav-house.com 17-18 October 2012 - SIMMONSCOURT DUBLIN visit www.resourceireland.net 18 | WET News | July 2012


The DTC project specified high resolution monitoring equipment because of the many advantages it brings. For example, spot sampling is laborious and inherently ex- pensive; its greatest drawback is the potential for missing water quality incidents. Matt Loewenthal, from the NWQIS, explains: “Both sensing and telemetry tech- nology have advanced consid- erably in recent years, which means we can now gener- ate continuous reliable data from remote sites. We have


a network of water quality monitoring


stations spread


over the entire catchment of the river Thames, delivering continuous data to the EA’s offices in Reading. We are im- mediately aware of any water quality deterioration and this is a help in protecting water quality as well as looking for long-term trends.”


The WFD is also contribut- ing to the pressure for high resolution data because it specifies short-term targets for improvements in ecologi- cal status, which means mem- ber states must find solutions quickly.


If solutions are to be knowl- edge based and supported by evidence then high resolution data are essential.


All of the DTCs are de- lighted with the high resolu- tion data being generated. Wensum DTC has been re- cording baseline data since March 2011 and Hiscock has found the data is providing greater insight into pollution sources and pathways: “We have


recorded conductivity


peaks following road gritting activity during cold snaps and autumn application of salt


“The Demonstra- tion Test Catch- ments platform provides a fantas- tic opportunity for research”


to sugar beet fields and these have come through as sepa- rate ‘events’ – firstly, via land drains and then later via the soil, and this means that we will be able to develop better models and more quickly un- derstand the effects of mitiga- tion measures.”


The DTC monitoring infra- structure is being used to test additional


measures being


funded through other sourc- es. These include improved maize management; feeder ring management; separation of clean and dirty water in yards; improving slurry stor- age facilities; sediment trap- ping in farm drains; sediment ponds; and grassland aeration to remove compaction. The participants of the DTC project are confident they can deliver the project’s objectives.


for


Prof Bob Harris, secretariat the DTC project,


says:


“An overarching goal of the DTC project is for commu- nities to develop solutions to diffuse pollution that meet their own specific circum- stances and that they learn from each other and serve as examples to communities in other catchments.


“If we can achieve that,” he says, “we will have gone a long way toward helping develop a way to achieving the goals of the Water Frame- work Directive.” n


www.ysihydrodata.com


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