MONITORING PLAN DEVELOPMENT & SAMPLING
NEW ENGLAND
EPA Southeast New England Program Pilot Watershed Initiative Monitoring
New England
FBE has been working with Horsley Witten Group (HWG) since 2021 to develop monitoring plans for EPA's Southeast New England Program Pilot Watershed Initiative (SNEP PWI). This initiative covers five watersheds in sensitive coastal areas of Massachusetts and Rhode Island including Buttonwood Brook-Apponagansett Bay (MA), Lagoon Pond (MA), Marstons Mills (MA), Greater Allen’s Cove and Eastern Ninigret Pond (RI), and Woonasquatucket River (RI). FBE and HWG are collaborating with each of the five PWI grantee organizations and their partners, conducting in-depth reviews of each watershed and proposed restoration activities. The monitoring plans developed by FBE and HWG complement current water quality monitoring activities and historical data, and consider MS4 status, sources of pollution, land use patterns, development, and social and economic factors. This knowledge has been synthesized and used to generate long term (seven- to ten-year) monitoring plans specific to each watershed's pilot restoration efforts. Many monitoring recommendations have been proactively adopted by the pilot watershed grantees while others are being implemented in the field by FBE and HWG staff.
Megunticook River
Camden, ME
In 2023, FBE developed a long-term, comprehensive baseline monitoring plan for the Megunticook River watershed. Proposed monitoring incorporated a cross-disciplinary approach to holistically assess the physical, chemical, and biological condition of major waterbodies in the watershed, including the Megunticook River, Megunticook Lake, Norton Pond, Moody Pond, and Levenseller Pond. Monitoring stations along the Megunticook River were selected to be representative of the various geomorphic conditions of the river, including impounded areas and free flowing areas in a variety of depths. Results from the long-term implementation of this monitoring plan can be used to evaluate changes in waterbody health over time and help inform watershed management activities for the Megunticook River watershed. FBE has assisted the Town of Camden and the Megunticook Watershed Association (MWA) in deploying water quality data loggers along the Megunticook River. Following FBE’s logger deployment in 2022 and 2023, MWA has successfully taken over monitoring efforts with continued support from FBE on proper calibration and maintenance practices as well as data quality control.
Nineteenmile Brook
Tuftonboro, NH
Since 2021, FBE has designed and carried out a multi-year monitoring plan for Nineteenmile Brook in Tuftonboro and Wolfeboro, NH to characterize pollutant impacts from a Rapid Infiltration Basin (RIB) system managed by the Wolfeboro Water & Sewer Department. Sites above and below the RIB system have been monitored using a combination of continuous monitoring, flow monitoring, and monthly grab samples between April to November to evaluate RIB impact on the stream’s water quality. Monitoring in 2024 expanded to include storm sampling using an automated ISCO sampler to collect nutrient grab samples over the course of a storm event. The Tuftonboro Conservation Commission and the Town of Tuftonboro, in cooperation with the Wolfeboro Water & Sewer Department, use these results to inform RIB operations and maintenance to protect downstream water quality.​
Sagamore Creek
Portsmouth, NH
With guidance from a Technical Advisory Committee, FBE developed a Water Quality Sampling Program for the Sagamore Creek watershed based on information gained from the watershed characterization, water quality analysis, pollutant source input identification, and data gap analysis completed by FBE in the first phase of the long-term monitoring and restoration project. FBE assisted the City of Portsmouth with carrying out the sampling program, including building a robust baseline dataset over two years. As part of the baseline monitoring, FBE completed (1) synoptic grab sampling at ten sites at both high and low tide during eight annual sample events that captured spring snowmelt and baseflow conditions; (2) continuous data monitoring at two estuary sites in late summer, (3) diel or overnight sampling using automated samplers that collected samples at regular intervals over several tidal cycles; and (4) water quality monitoring database management. The City has used the results from the baseline dataset to select “hotspots” of pollutant contamination to follow-up with investigative or “bracket” monitoring of catchment areas
