A5 Problem Definition/Background

In 1991, the Texas Legislature passed the Texas Clean River Act (Senate Bill 818) in response to growing concerns that water resource issues were not being pursued in an integrated, systematic manner. The act requires that ongoing water quality assessments be conducted for each river basin in Texas, an approach that integrates water quality issues within the watershed. The CRP legislation mandates that each river authority (or local governing entity) shall submit quality-assured data collected in the river basin to the commission. Quality-assured data in the context of the legislation means that data complies with commission rules for water quality monitoring programs, including rules governing the methods under which water samples are collected and analyzed and data from those samples are assessed and maintained. This QAPP addresses the program developed between the SRA and the TCEQ to carry out the activities mandated by the legislation. The QAPP was developed and will be implemented in accordance with provisions of the Quality Management Plan for the Clean Rivers Program (most recent version).

The purpose of this QAPP is to clearly delineate SRA QA policy, management structure, and procedures, which will be used to implement the QA requirements necessary to verify and validate the water quality data collected. The QAPP is reviewed by the TCEQ to help ensure that data generated for the purposes described above are scientifically valid and legally defensible. This process will ensure that data collected under this QAPP and submitted to the statewide database have been collected and managed in a way that guarantees its reliability and therefore can be used in water quality assessments and other programs deemed appropriate by the TCEQ. Project results will be used to support the achievement of Clean Rivers Program objectives as contained in the Clean Rivers Program Guidance and Reference Guide FY 2004 -2005.

The SRA Environmental Services Division (ESD) collects surface water quality data as part of its commitment to water quality protection in the Sabine Basin. This Water Quality Monitoring Program (WQMP) includes fixed station monitoring and analyses of physical, chemical, bacteriological, and biological parameters. SRA also conducts special investigations concerning pollution complaints.

Additional monitoring requirements have been brought about through the implementation of the TCRP. This additional systematic monitoring program complements the existing fixed station monitoring by providing information on the many subwatersheds not covered by the fixed station monitoring. The systematic monitoring utilizes biological screening studies in combination with routine physical and chemical parameters to provide data on the health of aquatic life and long-range water quality protection. The systematic monitoring also includes field investigations to provide data on subwatersheds, which have never been sampled.

The basin topography has been used to divide the Basin into 110 subwatersheds (24 of these are located in Louisiana), which are organized into 7 reaches. A ‘reach’ of the main-stem of the River roughly corresponds to the old segment system but the reaches are based on hydrography and similarity of land features. This system allows a manager to determine which areas have adequate water quality information and which areas do not. The subwatershed approach also incorporates risk factors such as municipal and industrial outfalls, solid waste sites, urban and rural land use, etc., into the decision making process.

Water quality data is analyzed using the data analysis program developed by SRA following guidance from the TCEQ. The fixed station and systematic programs are reviewed each year to consider revisions in every aspect of the programs.

The 1999 TCRP Sabine Basin Summary Report identified subwatersheds with water quality concerns in the Sabine Basin. The areas were prioritized using input from the Sabine Basin Steering Committee and the SRA staff. Monitoring plans were developed by the SRA and other monitoring partners in cooperation with TCEQ staff at the annual coordinated monitoring meetings to address these priority Subwatersheds. Additional sampling will be conducted under this QAPP by City of Longview personnel to provide data from sites not covered by the SRA sampling program.

A6 Project/Task Description

SRA will conduct monitoring at fixed monitoring sites to adequately characterize water quality trends and monitor progress in protecting or restoring water in the Sabine Basin. All monitoring plans are coordinated with the TNRCC regional offices to avoid duplication of effort. The fixed monitoring sites include 39 sampling sites that are monitored monthly for routine physical and chemical parameters. Selected sites are also monitored annually for metals in water and metals in sediment. Details of the monitoring schedule, parameters, and sampling locations are included in Appendix B.

SRA will conduct systematic monitoring utilizing biological screening studies in combination with routine physical and chemical parameters. Two sites will be monitored in FY 2004 and FY 2005. Details of the monitoring schedule, parameters, and sampling locations will be included in Appendix B. The water quality data includes monitoring and analyses of physical, chemical, bacteriological, and biological parameters. Instantaneous flows will be collected at selected sites. These programs provide data on the health of aquatic life and long-range water quality protection.

See Appendix A for the project-related work plan tasks and schedule of deliverables for a description of work defined in this QAPP.

See Appendix B for details on monitoring to be conducted under this QAPP. The TCEQ and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department monitoring sites are included only for the purposes of showing coordinated basin monitoring and are addressed under separate QAPP’s.

Amendments to the QAPP

Revisions to the QAPP may be necessary to reflect changes in project organization, tasks, schedules, objectives, and methods; to improve operational efficiency; and to accommodate unique or unanticipated circumstances. Requests for amendments are directed from the SRA Project Manager to the CRP Project Manager in writing. They are effective immediately upon approval by the SRA Project Manager, the SRA QAO, the CRP Project Manager, the CRP Lead QA Specialist, and the CRP Project QA Specialist. They will be distributed by the SRA Project Manager and incorporated into the QAPP by way of attachment and distributed to personnel on the distribution list.

Appendices to the QAPP

Projects requiring QAPP appendices will be planned in consultation with the SRA and the TCEQ Project Manager and TCEQ technical staff. Appendices will be written in an abbreviated format and will reference the Basin QAPP where appropriate. Appendices will be approved by the SRA Project Manager, the SRA QAO, the CRP Project Manager, the CRP Project QA Specialist, the CRP Lead QA Specialist and other TCEQ personnel as appropriate. Copies of approved QAPP’s appendices will be distributed by the SRA to project participants before monitoring activities are commenced.

A7 Quality Objectives and Criteria

The purpose of fixed/routine and systematic water quality monitoring is to collect surface water quality data needed for conducting water quality assessments in accordance with TCEQ’s Guidance for Assessing Texas Surface and Finished Drinking Water Quality Data. These water quality data, and data collected by other organizations (e.g., USGS, TCEQ, etc.), will be subsequently reconciled for use and assessed by the TCEQ. No decisions will be made by the project team based on the data collected.

The measurement performance specifications to support the project objectives for a minimum data set are specified in Table A7.1. The SRA Laboratory will perform all of the analyses listed in Table A7.1.

Table A7.1: Measurement Performance Specifications

PARAMETER	UNITS	MATRIX	METHOD	STORET	AWRL	Lab Reporting Limit (RL)	RECOVERY at RLs	PRECISION (RPD of LCS/LCS dup)	BIAS (%Rec. of LCS)	Lab
Field Parameters
pH	pH/ units	water	EPA 150.1 and TCEQ SOP	00400	NA*	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
DO	mg/L	water	EPA 360.1 and TCEQ SOP	00300	NA*	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
Percent Saturation of DO	%	water	EPA 360.1 and TCEQ SOP	00301	NA*	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
Conductivity	µS/cm	water	EPA 120.1 and TCEQ SOP	00094	NA*	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
Salinity	ppt, marine only	water	SM 2520 and TCEQ SOP	00480	NA*	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
TDS, calculated	mg/L	water	calculation	70294	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
Temperature	^oC	water	EPA 170.1 and TCEQ SOP	00010	NA*	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
Secchi Depth	meters	water	TCEQ SOP	00078	NA*	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
Days since last significant rainfall	days	NA	TCEQ SOP	72053	NA*	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
Water Color	1-brown 2-reddish 3-green 4-black 5-clear 6-other	water	Field Observation	89969	NA*	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
Water Odor	1-sewage 2-oily/chemical 3-rottenegg 4-musky 5-fishy 6-none 7-other	water	Field Observation	89971	NA*	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
Weather	1-clear 2-ptcloudy 3-cloudy 4- rain	NA	Field Observation	89966	NA*	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
Wind Intensity	1-calm 2-slight 3-moderate 4-strong	Air	Field Observation	89965	NA*	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
Wind Direction	1-North 2-South 3-East 4-West 5-Northeast 6-Southeast 7-Northwest 8-Southwest	Air	Field Observation	89010	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
Total water depth	meters	water	TCEQ RWA SOP	82903	NA*	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
Flow	cfs	water	TCEQ SOP	00061	NA*	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
Flow measurement method	1-gage 2-electric 3-mechanical 4-weir/flume 5-doppler	water	TCEQ SOP	89835	NA*	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
Flow severity	1-no flow, 2-low, 3-normal, 4-flood, 5-high, 6-dry	water	TCEQ SOP	01351	NA*	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
24hrDO avg.	mg/L	water	EPA 360.1	89855	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
24hr DO min.	mg/L	water	EPA 360.1	89856	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	Field
24hrDO max.