WATER QUALITY: "The U.S. Geological Survey's Program in Aquatic Biology" by Phillip E. Greeson In Reply Refer To: October 11, 1979 EGS-Mail Stop 412 QUALITY OF WATER BRANCH TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM NO. 79.18 Subject: WATER QUALITY: "The U.S. Geological Survey's Program in Aquatic Biology" by Phillip E. Greeson At the recent 30th annual meeting of the American Institute of Biological Sciences in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the U.S. Geological Survey was honored during its centennial by a special symposium. The symposium, "A sampling of current research in biology by the U.S. Geological Survey: A symposium on the occasion of the agency centennial", was chaired by J. P. Bradbury of the Geologic Division. Speakers included Nancy Milton, of the Geologic Division and F. A. Branson, P. E. Greeson, B. W. Lium, R. L. Phipps, R. M. Turner and T. A. E. Van Hylckama of the Water Resources Division. The paper by Phil Greeson entitled, The U.S. Geological Survey's Program in Aquatic Biology", was the lead paper and set the stage for the subsequent papers. Because of the general nature of the paper, a copy of it is enclosed for your information. Please circulate the paper as widely as possible to all of those involved in water-quality activities. Thank you. R. J. Pickering Chief, Quality of Water Branch Enclosure WRD Distribution: A, B, FO-L, S THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY's PROGRAM IN AQUATIC BIOLOGY 1/ by Phillip E. Greeson 2/ The U.S. Geological Survey has the principal Federal responsibility for appraisal of the Nation's water resources. The agency conducts a major National program of water-resources investigations, of which aquatic biology is an important component; and in total it provides about 70 percent of all water data collected by the Federal establishment. The Geological Survey has the responsibility for insuring that the Nation's surface- and ground-water resources are appraised, and that the necessary water data, understanding, and methodologies to develop, manage, and protect them efficiently are available when needed. Included in these responsibilities is the applied and basic research needed to increase the understanding of fundamental principles, application, and improvements in technology and methods. Authority for carrying out this mission derives from Federal legislation of 1879 which created the Geological Survey, and legislation of 1888 and 1894 which provided for gaging of streams and for determining the water supply of the Nation. An additional broad responsibility was assigned to the Geological Survey in 1964, when it was designated the lead Federal agency for coordinating surface- and ground-water data acquisition activities of all Federal agencies collecting water data (OBM Circular A-67). These Nationwide responsibilities have been implemented in three ways: (l) through cooperative programs of surface- and ground- water investigations with about 580 state and local governmental organizations, (2) through a broad program of studies of regional or National significance conducted with direct Federal funds, and (3) through conduct of investigations for other Federal agencies. _________________________________________________________________ l/Presented at 30th Annual Meeting of American Institute of Biological Sciences, Stillwater, Oklahoma, August 14, 1979. 2/ Senior Staff Specialist, Quality of Water Branch, U.S. Geological Survey, 412 National Center, Reston, Virginia 22092 The Geological Survey's water-resources program is conducted by its Water Resources Division which maintains, in addition to its headquarters at the Geological Survey's National Center at Reston, Virginia, 4 regional and 46 district offices throughout the United States and its possessions. In addition, there are numerous subdistrict offices, field headquarters, and special project offices. Altogether, the Water Resources Division maintains about 240 field offices. The water-quality program, of which aquatic biology is a part, is the fastest-growing component of the Geological Survey's water- resources program. Data collection in response to recent environmental protection legislation has produced a major increase in the demand for both field measurements and laboratory analyses of samples of precipitation, ground water, and surface waters. Although it is difficult to clearly separate water quality from other components of the Geological Survey's water resources program, because of the interdisciplinary nature of much of the work, a recent estimate of the water-quality component showed it to be on the order of about $70 million annually. This represents about 40 percent of the total program of the Water Resources Division. The increase in program has been dramatic: 20 years aga, the water quality program amounted to only about $3 million annually; 10 years ago, it amounted to about $10 million; and 5 years ago, it amounted to about $25 million. The growth of the aquatic biological program has been just as dramatic. During the mid- 1960's, the number of professional biologists in the Water Resources Division could be counted on one hand. Today, the Geological Survey employs over 150 individuals holding a degree in some field of aquatic biology. About 25 of the individuals have a doctorate level degree, while about 65 have a degree at the masters level. The Geological Survey is not only the largest water data gathering agency in the Country, operating about 14,800 stations (Table 1), but it also has become the largest agency in terms of number of stations at which it collects and processes aquatic biological samples. According to the National Water Data Exchange (NAWDEX), which serves as the Country's water data indexing system for over 220 Federal, state, and local water data processing systems, the Geological Survey currently is operating over 4,000 stations at which aquatic biological information is repetitively obtained (Table 2). Routine data are collected on enteric and native bacteria, as well as on community groups such as phytoplankton, zooplankton, periphyton, macrophytes, benthic invertebrates, and aquatic vertebrates. Additionally, limited information is obtained on community functions, such as primary and secondary productivities and from biostimulatory tests. Table l.--Largest agencies in terms of number of stations operated. 1/ Number of Agency Stations 1. U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 14,814 2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 5,497 3. S.C. Dept. Health & Environmental Control 2,336 4. U.S. Forest Service 2,019 5. Wisc. Dept. Nat. Resources 1,999 6. N.C. Dept. Nat. Res. & Community Develop. 1,728 7. U.S. Corps of Engineers 1,410 8. Va. State Water Control Board 1,062 9. Fla. Dept. Environ. Regulation 949 10. Calf. St. Water Resources Control Board 827 1/ from NAWDEX, June 1979. Table 2.--Largest agencies in terms of number of stations at which biological samples are collected and processed.1/ Number of Agency Stations 1. U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 4,008 2. S.C. Dept. Health & Environmental Control 1,597 3. N.C. Dept. Nat. Res. & Community Develop. 1,056 4. Va. State Water Control Board 997 5. Nebr. Dept. of Environmental Control 869 6. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 862 7. U.S. Forest Service 724 8. Ill. Dept. of Public Health 604 9. U.S. Corps of Engineers 516 10. Wisc. Dept. Natural Resources 512 _ l/ from NAWDEX, June 1979. The aquatic biological program of the Geological Survey can be divided into (l) monitoring, (2) investigative, and (3) supportive activities for the convenience of discussion. Monitoring activities consist of the repetitive measurement of aquatic biological properties for the purpose of determining changes with time, variations between locations, and conformance to water-quality standards and criteria. Most monitoring activities of the Geological Survey are included in network-type operations, conducted at the State level in cooperation with State agencies or at the National level. Principal National networks involved with the monitoring of aquatic organisms are the National Stream-Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN), the Benchmark Network, both operated by the Geological Survey, and the National Water-Quality Surveillance System (NWQSS), operated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency but assisted by the Geological Survey. NASQAN, consisting of 515 stations, is designed to provide information on year-to- year variations in water quantity and quality and to document changes with time in water quality throughout the Nation. The biological component of NASQAN includes monthly sampling at each station for indicator bacteria, phytoplankton density and identification, and chlorophyll content and biomass of periphyton. The Benchmark Network consists of 56 measuring sites in small basins where the hydrology is relatively unaffected by man and thus is not likely to change over the years. It is designed to document the range of "natural streamflow and water-quality conditions and to provide a basis for understanding the natural forces controlling them. Indicator bacterial densities are determined at all Benchmark Network stations. NWQSS is designed to monitor the progress in the Nation's effort to abate water pollution. The approximately 120 stations of the network are situated in paired configurations to observe changes in quality of water passing through municipal-industrial and agricultural-rural areas. Indicator bacterial densities are determined at all NWQSS stations. Investigative activities consist of areal appraisals, problems assessments, and applied and basic research of fundamental properties. Implicit in the investigations is the interpretation of cause and effect relationship The investigations are conducted through the Geological Survey's cooperative program with state and local agencies and through a discrete research program by research groups associated with the four regional offices. Currently, the Geological Survey has 126 active investigative projects involved in some manner with aquatic organisms or with organsims associated with the hydrologic environment. The objectives of the projects are varied. It is impossible within the constraints of this paper to summarize or even categorize all of the projects; however, a few are mentioned below. The Geological Survey has projects studying the limnological characteristics of numerous lakes and streams, phytoplankton dynamics of tidal estuaries, environmental requirements for fish propagation, biouptake and biomagnification of trace organic and inorganic substances, microbiological ecology of ground water, leaf fall as a source of detritus for estuarine enrichment, controls on biotic community distribution and composition, application of remote sensing techniqeus for characterizing biotic communities, effects on biota of chronic levels of toxic substances, waste assimilative capacity of streams, rates of nutrient release from decomposing vegatation, and environmental stresses on aquatic macrophytes. Several projects are looking at the effects on aquatic ecosystems of energy resource and minerals development; of subsurfce waste disposal; of sanitary landfills, drainage wells, and spray irrigation; and of urban development, highway construction, and irrigation return flows. A few projects are studying the effects of changes in hydrology, including precipitaion, on riparian vegatation, range land vegatation, and deciduous trees. Many of the investigative projects include an element for the development of simulation or predictive, mathematical models for studying environmental stresses on organisms. Supportive activities are of several types. To support its water- quality program, the Geological Survey has developed a Central Laboratories System which provides the bulk of its analytical determinations. The system consists of two large, highly automated laboratories located in Denver and Atlanta. The Atlanta Central Laboratory, where most biological samples are analyzed, has the capability for the enumeration, identification, and biomass determinations of phytoplankton, periphyton, zooplankton, macrophytes, benthic invertebrates, and aquatic vertebrates; for seston; for chlorophyll contents of phytoplankton and periphyton; for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and for algal growth potential (AGP). Over 50 benthic invertebrate samples and over 600 phytoplankton samples are processed each month by the Central Laboratories System. Specialized and time critical biological determinations are made at the local levels. Most biological methods used by the Geological Survey are documented in Methods for Collection and Analysis of Aquatic Biological and Microbiological Samples (edited by P. E. Greeson and others, 1977, U.S. Geological Survey, Techniques of Water Resources Investigations, Book 5, Chapter A4, 332 p.). Another service that supports the Geological Survey's aquatic biological program is WATSTORE, the Survey's water data storage and retrieval system. All of the Water Resources Division's district offices have remote terminals connected to the Geological Survey's computer at Reston, Virginia, and have direct access to the WATSTORE system at any time. Field data are entered into the system regularly through the field terminals. Laboratory data are entered through similar terminals at each of the central laboratories after the data have been retrieved by the appropriate field office through its terminal and approved for release. At weekly intervals, all new data in WATSTORE are transcribed onto tape and provided to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for entry into its STORET data system. In addition, the Geological Survey has developed and maintains a computerized Biological Taxonomic Data File, into which all taxonomic data are entered and stored. Ultimately, the Geological Survey's taxonomic data file most likely will be interfaced with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's BIOSTORET data system, which is under development. As an example of the magnitude of the biological data file available from the Geological Survey, a retrieval from WATSTORE in March, 1979 revealed the following: total coliform bacteria 67,347 analyses fecal coliform bacteria 95,52G analyses fecal streptoccocal bacteria 60,233 analyses phytoplankton, cell counts and identification 20,378 analyses periphyton, biomass 6,410 analyses chlorophyll, in phytoplankton 24,227 analyses chlorophyll, in periphyton 7,396 analyses algal growth potential 1,566 analyses The aquatic biological data collected by the Geological Survey are published in a series of reports organized on a state-boundary basis. Reports of interpretive investigations or research may be published in any of several series of Geological Survey publications, in the form of publications of cooperating state or local agencies, or as articles in a wide variety of technical journals. The U.S. Geological Survey is proud of the part it plays in gathering the information necessary for the proper management of the water resources of the United States. The agency's freedom from regulatory responsibility in the water resources area, makes it uniquely able to provide unbiased water-resources information and advice in disputes between regulatory agencies and those that they seek to regulate. There is every reason to believe that the Geological Survey's water-quality program and its aquatic biological component will continue to grow in the years to come as they have in the past.