Evaluation of Monitoring Programs For the NHEP Monitoring Plan

The objective of this report is to evaluate the monitoring programs for indicators in the NHEP Monitoring Plan (NHEP, 2002) to determine if sufficient data are being collected for each indicator and to identify any datagaps. The outcome of this report is a list of recommended changes to monitoring programs and a list of follow-up research projects. These recommendations will be considered to develop the workplans for NHEP monitoring funds in 2003

Environmental Indicator Report: Shellfish

During the fall and winter of 2001-2002, the New Hampshire Estuaries Project’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) developed a suite of environmental indicators to track progress toward the NHEP’s management goals and objectives. These indicators were fully described in terms of their performance criteria, statistical methods, and measurable goals in the NHEP’s Monitoring Plan published in March 2003 (NHEP, 2003). From September 2002 to April 2003, the NHEP Coastal Scientist prepared four “Indicator Reports” that summarized the available information and results of statistical tests for each of the indicators. The TAC reviewed and commented on these reports, and then recommended a subset of the most important or illustrative indicators to be presented to the Management Committee. Finally, after being presented to both the TAC and the Management Committee, 12 key indicators were incorporated in the 2003 State of the Estuaries report. The NHEP Coastal Scientist will update each indicator report at least every 3 years. A new State of the Estuaries report will be produced every three years. This report is an update to the first Shellfish Indicator Report, which was first published in September 2002

Summary of Freshwater Monitoring Programs in New Hampshire\u27s Coastal Watershed, Trowbridge, P

The New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) is part of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program, which is a joint local/state/federal program established under the Clean Water Act with the goal of protecting and enhancing nationally significant estuarine resources. The NHEP uses a Monitoring Plan to track changes in the estuarine environment as a result of the NHEP’s efforts. Up to this point, the Monitoring Plan has focused exclusively on conditions in the estuaries. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the feasibility of including water quality data from the freshwater portion of New Hampshire’s coastal watershed in the Monitoring Plan

Environmental Indicator Report: Species and Habitats

During the fall and winter of 2001-2002, the New Hampshire Estuaries Project’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) developed a suite of environmental indicators to track progress toward the NHEP’s management goals and objectives. These indicators were fully described in terms of their performance criteria, statistical methods, and measurable goals in the NHEP’s Monitoring Plan, which was most recently updated in March 2003 (NHEP, 2003). The next step is to use these indicators to produce an updated “State of the Estuaries” report by mid-2003. The TAC decided to break this task into three sections: shellfish indicators in the fall of 2002; water quality indicators in the winter of 2002-2003; and land use/habitat indicators in the spring of 2003. For each group of indicators, the NHEP Coastal Scientist would prepare an “Indicator Report” that summarizes the available information and results of statistical tests for each of the indicators. The TAC would review and comment on this report, and then recommend a subset of the most important or illustrative indicators to be presented to the Management Committee. Finally, after being presented to both the TAC and the Management Committee, the indicator charts and interpretation would be incorporated in the State of the Estuaries report. This report is the last of four indicator reports to be presented to the TAC. The focus of this report is the NHEP’s species and habitats indicators (see list below). In an effort to be brief, the details of the monitoring programs for each indicator are not included. Please refer to the NHEP Monitoring Plan (NHEP, 2003) for additional details for each indicator

New Hampshire Estuaries Probabilistic Monitoring Program in 2008

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the University of New Hampshire (UNH) partnered in 2008 to implement the National Coastal Assessment in NH’s estuarine waters. USEPA provided the study design and field protocols. UNH collected the samples and field data at the designated sites in the estuary. Funding for this sampling effort was provided by the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership, NHDES, and the New Hampshire Coastal Program. The purpose of this memo is to document the quality assurance checks that were performed by NHDES. The data were not collected as part of a national survey; therefore, the data have not been transmitted to USEPA

NHEP Data Management Plan

A goal of the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) and its monitoring program is to promote a cooperative effort by all agencies and organizations who participate in monitoring activities, in order to maximize the usefulness of current monitoring efforts and available data. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to effectively manage the large volume of existing information as well as new information that will be developed through the NHEP monitoring program. Data and information about NH’s estuaries now exists in multiple formats within a variety of organizations. Existing monitoring programs are designed to meet the missions of the various implementing organizations. The organizations use different procedures and protocols for data collection, analysis, storage, and reporting. Coordination of data management among organizations is currently limited. This Data Management Plan contains protocols for data reporting to the NHEP to facilitate data integration. Different protocols will be applied to different types of data (e.g., chemical, geospatial, and biological). The protocols will be considered contract requirements for NHEP monitoring programs and recommended guidelines for other partners. This plan also includes protocols for conducting quality assurance tests on water quality data to ensure the integrity of the NHEP indicators

Environmental Indicator Report: Land Use and Development

During the fall and winter of 2001-2002, the New Hampshire Estuaries Project’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) developed a suite of environmental indicators to track progress toward the NHEP’s management goals and objectives. These indicators were fully described in terms of their performance criteria, statistical methods, and measurable goals in the NHEP’s Monitoring Plan, which was most recently updated in March 2003 (NHEP, 2003). The next step is to use these indicators to produce an updated “State of the Estuaries” report by mid-2003. The TAC decided to break this task into three sections: shellfish indicators in the fall of 2002; water quality indicators in the winter of 2002-2003; and land use/habitat indicators in the spring of 2003. For each group of indicators, the NHEP Coastal Scientist would prepare an “Indicator Report” that summarizes the available information and results of statistical tests for each of the indicators. The TAC would review and comment on this report, and then recommend a subset of the most important or illustrative indicators to be presented to the Management Committee. Finally, after being presented to both the TAC and the Management Committee, the indicator charts and interpretation would be incorporated in the State of the Estuaries report. This report is the third of four indicator reports to be presented to the TAC. The focus of this report is the NHEP’s land use and development indicators (see list below). In an effort to be brief, the details of the monitoring programs for each indicator are not included. Please refer to the NHEP Monitoring Plan (NHEP, 2003) for additional details for each indicator

Summary of Coastal and Estuarine Monitoring Programs in New Hampshire (2005)

The New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) compiles data from many coastal and estuarine monitoring programs to assess the status and trends of environmental indicators in the Great Bay and Hampton/Seabrook Harbor. The full list of NHEP environmental indicators has been published in the NHEP Monitoring Plan. The following catalog is a summary of the coastal and estuarine monitoring programs that provide data for NHEP indicators or for State water quality assessments. This list is limited to long-term monitoring programs that do not have an end date

Ambient Rivers and Shellfish Tissue Monitoring in New Hampshire Estuarine Watersheds 2003

The Department of Environmental Services received funding from the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) to conduct monitoring activities in 2003. The activities involved water monitoring in tidal tributaries and contaminant analyses of mussel tissue. These monitoring activities were completed with the overall purpose of improving the understanding of water quality trends and the concentrations of toxic contaminants in shellfish tissue. The Department of Environmental Services, in cooperation with the University of New Hampshire Jackson Estuarine Lab and others, completed all tasks as planned. This report includes the sample collection information, field data, and laboratory data, with the exception of contaminant concentration data for shellfish tissue. The data for the mussel tissue contaminants will be available at a later date. Data summaries and interpretations will come at a later time in other New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and New Hampshire Estuaries publications