Monitoring Plan Guide
This Monitoring Plan Guide will help you fill out the Monitoring Plan Form provided in your information packet. The guide will help you ask questions, seek answers, and solve any potential problems before you begin monitoring. This will make your volunteer monitoring experience more productive and positive.
Before completing this plan, it is extremely important to consider WHY you want to monitor. You will need to consider the time involved with training, monitoring, quality assurance and other group activities. Strictly following the quality assured program assures your data will be consistent with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved methods.
For Texas Stream Team to approve your monitoring plan quickly, it is very important to thoroughly and accurately complete this plan. If you have any questions or problems, please contact Texas Stream Team toll-free at 877-506-1401or e-mail us at . Enclosed in this packet are a monitoring plan form and a sample monitoring plan to guide you in completing the plan.
· Send the Original Monitoring Plan to Texas Stream Team and a copy to all volunteers in the group.
If pertinent information is missing or illegible, the plan will be returned to the contact person for completion.
· TEXAS STREAM TEAM will then:
1. Communicate with you as necessary during the plan’s approval process;
2. Notify you of the plan’s approval and designate a Texas Stream Team partner if not already identified;
3. Send information concerning the scheduling of training sessions and subsequent quality control (QC) sessions
STEP 1: Set Your Goals!!
· Setting goals is VITAL to the success of your program.
· In order to obtain sufficient quality data and accurately assess the water body being samples, Texas Stream Team recommends monitors plan for two years of sampling. Therefore design your project to last two years.
· Why are you interested in monitoring and what do you want to achieve? Statements which answer these questions become your goals. For example: We are interested in learning more about the water quality in our neighborhood stream and are interested in seeing how the data change over time.
· These goals need to include tasks you and the group realistically can do in addition to work, school, extra-curricular activities, vacations, and all other activities and commitments.
Funding Goals
1) Estimate administrative expenses such as postage, copying costs, phone calls and refreshments, and
equipment including yearly replacement reagents, spare components, and sampling gear such as
buckets. Texas Stream Team can provide you a list of equipment suppliers and price estimates.
2) Generate a list of potential sources of funding. Texas Stream Team can provide suggestions that have
worked with other volunteer groups.
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STEP 2: Set Objectives for each of your Goals
1) How are you going to use your environmental monitoring information to achieve your goals?
2) In addition to your group, what local entities would be interested in using your quality assured data?
Interested parties may include municipal governments, local media or other public and private
organizations.
3) Where are the specific locations the volunteers will be collecting samples? Remember if any of the
monitoring sites are on private property, the group and/or respective volunteers must have written
permission from the property owner to sample. Please obtain written consent and attach it to the
monitoring plan. Texas Stream Team can provide you with a consent form.
4) When will sampling occur? It needs to be a convenient, regular time of day and day of the week.
It is okay to monitor on a different day if necessary, but keep the time of day the same.
5) How frequently does monitoring need to occur to accomplish your goals? Do you need to monitor daily,
weekly, twice-a-month or monthly? Your sampling frequency may vary depending on the type of
monitoring program you undertake. Please contact your partner or Texas Stream Team if you have any
questions.
Emergency Information. It is important for all volunteers to know who to call in case of an emergency. These emergencies may be environmental such as illegal dumping or they may involve the safety of volunteers. If you see an environmental problem, contact your local TCEQ regional office or the proper city or county official. If any volunteers require emergency care, list the appropriate numbers to call. 911 is available in most areas.
Volunteers should carry these emergency numbers with them each time they monitor.
STEP 3: Selecting Sites
· Once sites have been identified, it is essential that detailed information be provided about each site on your monitoring plan. Without this information, Texas Stream Team cannot generate site station identification numbers or enter your data into its data bases. Station identification numbers are based on the longitude and latitude for each site.
· First, obtain a map. It is important to obtain a Google Earth, MapQuest, US Geological Survey (USGS) topographic map (scale of 1:24,000), or county map and mark your site(s). Please mark roads pertinent to each site labeled.
· Second, describe each site. Clearly describe each monitoring site in the space provided by referring to the nearest road and tow. For example: “Elm Creek at County Road 1163, 2 miles Southeast of Greenview.”
For each sampling site, identify and list potential hazards, how to get safely to the site, and the location of the nearest telephone. Take photos of each site and attach them to this plan. If possible take photos at different angles and panoramic views (please keep a photo copy for your group). If your group or Texas Stream Team partner can determine latitude and longitude, include it in the space provided. Also list the county where each of the sites is located.
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STEP 4: Assigning Job Duties
Certified volunteers must take on specific responsibilities to make the monitoring experience a positive one. Each job should be done by a different person unless the group contains one person. These positions may be filled by new people as the group grows or by existing volunteers to provide new and different opportunities to all group members.
Group Coordinator:
1) Communicates with Texas Stream Team, designated partners, group members, and the watershed community
2) Arranges logistics for group meetings and notifies group members;
3) Represents the group or designates representatives when working with other organizations;
4) Ensures the group adheres to the set monitoring schedule and helps reschedule back-ups if a volunteer has to miss their scheduled monitoring event; and,
5) Assists other coordinators and quality assurance officers as required to meet group objectives and goals.
Training Coordinator:
1) Oversees all training requirements for all group members;
2) After receiving proper certification, conducts and/or assists with training sessions for all group members;
3) Arranges logistics for training sessions and notifies group members;
4) Ensures training packets are completed and sent to Texas Stream Team after phase III training; and,
5) Keeps certification records on all monitors and issues certificates for trained monitors.
Equipment Coordinator:
1) Oversees the purchase of monitoring supplies as program budget allows or through partner support;
2) Supplies all monitors in group with needed equipment and yearly replacement reagents;
3) Maintains group’s equipment inventory and obtains storage; and,
4) Return Texas Stream Team equipment if not in use or no longer needed.
Data Coordinator:
1) Oversees data requirements for all group members;
2) Ensures all data forms are completed accurately and performs a manual check using the standardized protocol prior to computer entry;
3) Corresponds with monitors to ensure data are recorded accurately;
4) Provides all data in a standardized format monthly. Texas Stream Team will assign a partner to whom data are submitted. If submitting data on the three-part data form, the yellow copy is submitted to a designated partner and the white copy to Texas Stream Team. If Texas Stream Team is the partner, the data coordinator submits the original and yellow copy to Texas Stream Team;
5) If possible, prepares and graphs data for comparison and evaluation, and reports data for group use and communication with designated partner and Texas Stream Team; and,
6) Maintains other data relevant to the group’s activities.
Quality Assurance Officer (QAO):
This is an extremely important role. The QAO documents successful completion of QC sessions by monitors and performs corrective action with volunteers when problems occur.
1) Oversees the quality assurance requirements for group members;
2) After receiving proper certification, conducts and/or assists with QC sessions to fulfill quality assurance requirements for each group member;
3) Arranges QC sessions, notifies volunteers, and requests assistance to ensure required numbers of QAO’s are present at QC sessions;
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4) Provides opportunities for all group members to successfully complete two QC sessions every 12 months after certification;
5) Ensures QC session packets are completed and sent to Texas Stream Team after any corrective action is taken; and,
6) Keeps QC session records on all monitors.
Volunteer Motivation and Community Activities
Volunteers need support, feedback, and motivation to focus on goals and monitor successfully. Have frequent meetings and invite a guest speaker to speak about a topic related to your monitoring efforts. The meetings could also include award ceremonies, newsletter development, refreshments, a potluck dinner or dessert party.
Communicate frequently about the monitoring information collected, share or present your QC’ed data with other groups or local entities, or write an article evaluating your information for the Texas Stream Team newsletter.
Many groups have diversified their activities throughout the community. These activities include storm drain stenciling; picking up litter; planting native vegetation; sponsoring a recycling program, environmental essay, or poster contest at a local school; or taking a field trip to a local wastewater treatment plant or NPS pollution control structure.
Quick Tips to Assist in Accurately Completing the Monitoring Plan
Please contact Texas Stream Team and your designated partner when changes within your group occur. Texas Stream Team will instruct you as to the appropriate method for recording your changes. If your monitoring project has completed two years of sampling, Texas Stream Team will help you review the goals and objectives of your plan.
The “Name of your organization” is the company or partner in a multi-level organization with more than one group. The “Name of your monitoring group” is the name which refers to your monitoring project.
Example: “City of Austin” is the Organization, but within that organization the monitoring group is “Water Watchdogs.”
In some groups, the Group Coordinator may be different from the contact person. Where differences occur, Texas Stream Team will communicate first with the contact person.
Make it fun, challenging, rewarding, and safe!
Texas Stream Team
Texas State University-San Marcos, The Landing Bldg., 601 University Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666
Phone: 1-877-506-1401 E-Mail: Fax: 512-239-4760
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Please Type or Print Clearly
CONTACT INFORMATION
Name Joe Alex Smith
Mailing Address 3333 Creekside Avenue
(This mailing address is for all group correspondence, which may be the same or different from the Group Coordinator address)
City Austin State TX Zip Code 78750
Phone # (day) 512-555-1272 Phone # (night) 512-555-1997 FAX # 512-555-6300
E-Mail Address
Name of your organization Bishop Chemical Company
Name of your monitoring group (if different from organization name) Bishop River Keepers
Texas Stream Team Partner (if known) Utopia River Authority
GROUP INFORMATION (these roles are filled by members of your monitoring group)
Group Coordinator Name Joe Alex Smith
Address 3333 Creekside Avenue
City Austin State TX Zip Code 78750
Phone # (day) 512-555-1272 Phone # (night) 512-555-1997 FAX # 512-555-6300
E-Mail Address
Training Coordinator Name Debra Birnbaum
Address 3333 Creekside Avenue
City Austin State TX Zip Code 78750
Phone # (day) 512-555-5477 Phone # (night) 512-555-1997 FAX #
E-Mail Address
Equipment Coordinator Name Deb Rogers
Address 4013 Canine Road
City Buda State TX Zip Code 78666
Phone # (day) 512-836-9999 Phone # (night) 512-783-9998 FAX # 512-788-0012
E-Mail Address
Data Coordinator Name Jim Doggins
Address PO Box 677
City Austin State TX Zip Code 78750
Phone # (day) 512-555-1272 Phone # (night) 512-555-1455 FAX # 512-555-1997
E-Mail Address
Only needed if following a quality assurance program
Quality Assurance Officer Name Copper T Davis
Address 1818 Dog Wood Way
City Austin State TX Zip Code 78753
Phone # (day) Phone # (night) 512-555-2345 FAX # 512-555-2345
E-Mail Address
MONITORING INFORMATION
What goals do you want to achieve as a monitoring group?
We are interested in learning more about the water quality in our neighborhood stream and are interested in seeing how the data changes. We would like to educate our neighbors to the fact that the fertilizers and detergents used in washing cars does have a nonpoint source effect on our streams.
List the names and addresses to whom you will send your data (i.e., Texas Stream Team, your Texas Stream Team Partner, local business, school, local newspaper, etc.):
Texas Stream Team, The Landing, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666 ; The Austin American Buglar Newspaper, local newspaper at 444 N East St. Austin, TX 78701; The Utopia River Authority at 5647 Lower River Authority Way, Austin, TX 78700
Who are you going to contact if you see a problem? List the names and phone numbers:
TCEQ Regional Office 14 in Austin at 512-239-7777; We will call 911 and if an emergency arises, as well as the Austin Police Department. They can be reached at 512-239-0001.
MONITORING SITE INFORMATION (Attach copy of topographic map and photos of all sites; If you have more than three sites, please list them on the additional sites form included in this packet. If monitoring on private property, please attach landowner’s written consent.)