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Great Lakes Water Authority Detroit Regional Water Quality Monitoring Program

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By Upper Midwest Water Science Center June 6, 2024

The Great Lakes Water Authority Detroit Regional Water Quality Monitoring Program provides current and accurate water quality data to track progress toward water quality standard milestones and document long-term trends.

Purpose

 
The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) is a regional water authority that provides water and sewer services for southeast Michigan communities.

GLWA’s 2020 Wastewater Master Plan is a holistic and regionally integrated plan for CSO, SSO, wastewater treatment, stormwater, capacity management, and receiving water quality. The plan includes many improvements to their system.

The Regional Water Quality Monitoring Program is part of the Master Plan.

Person in bright yellow hat working on streamgage housing
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Regional Water Quality Monitoring Program Goals

Current and accurate data on water quality in the Rouge River, Clinton River, Lake St Clair, and Detroit River is the principle way to:
  • Monitor the suitability of these waters for their designated uses of recreation and aquatic life protection.
  • Identify areas of impairment to focus corrective action
  • Track progress toward attainment of water quality standard milestones
  • Develop the long term CSO control plan model (LimnoTech product)Document long-term trends
  • Guide efforts in ongoing inspections, maintenance, capacity management and rehabilitation of combined sewers, separated sanitary sewers, and separate storm drainage systems
Equipment inside of streamgage housing
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Data Collection

Continuous Discharge
  • 5-parameter YSI
  • Temperature
  • Dissolved Oxygen
  • Specific Conductance
  • pH
  • Turbidity
SUNA Nitrate data – 1 hour
NuLab Ortho-P data – 2 hour
  • Water samples – Monthly
  • Nutrients (P, N)
  • Chloride
  • Suspended sediment
  • E.coli
Precipitation (one site only)
Sunset on a winter day reflected in the water in a canal in Michigan
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Data Management and Deliverables

All data are in NWIS and QWDATA
Continuous Stage & discharge records currently done by data section
Water Sample Data
  • Field and equipment blanks
  • Results checked when uploaded into QWDATA
Sensor Data
  • Monthly field calibrations and maintenance on YSIs, SUNAs, NuLabs.
  • Point samples for comparison with SUNA and NuLab values.
  • Tori and others work QW-sensor data records (Analysis and Approval) 1x/year
Deliverables
  • Online continuous record
  • Annual Summary Report to GLWA

Study Design - Phase 1:8 sites

USGS Role:

Monitor stream flow, nutrients, sediment, and E. coli in the Rouge, Clinton, and Detroit Rivers.

Study Design - Phase 2

Electronics with stickers stating "pump power" and "pump direction"
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Challenges

Troubleshooting complex sites:
  • Understanding how these gages work
  • Having the right back up equipment and supplies
  • What red flags are, when is data not coming in correctly
  • Not knowing things that seem obvious to Dave/Paul
  • These sites follow Murphy’s Law
Staffing and Training
  • Turn over in ’22 meant no experienced staff to train how to run these complex sites
  • No back up staff (the Tori Show)
  • Folks from data section generally happy to help out, but they need permission from supervisor to help us instead of what they were going to do.
Detroit River is a large sub-project with multiple chiefs, accounts, objectives, and opinions

The Great Lakes Water Authority Detroit Regional Water Quality Monitoring Program provides current and accurate water quality data to track progress toward water quality standard milestones and document long-term trends.

Purpose

 
The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) is a regional water authority that provides water and sewer services for southeast Michigan communities.

GLWA’s 2020 Wastewater Master Plan is a holistic and regionally integrated plan for CSO, SSO, wastewater treatment, stormwater, capacity management, and receiving water quality. The plan includes many improvements to their system.

The Regional Water Quality Monitoring Program is part of the Master Plan.

Person in bright yellow hat working on streamgage housing
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Regional Water Quality Monitoring Program Goals

Current and accurate data on water quality in the Rouge River, Clinton River, Lake St Clair, and Detroit River is the principle way to:
  • Monitor the suitability of these waters for their designated uses of recreation and aquatic life protection.
  • Identify areas of impairment to focus corrective action
  • Track progress toward attainment of water quality standard milestones
  • Develop the long term CSO control plan model (LimnoTech product)Document long-term trends
  • Guide efforts in ongoing inspections, maintenance, capacity management and rehabilitation of combined sewers, separated sanitary sewers, and separate storm drainage systems
Equipment inside of streamgage housing
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Data Collection

Continuous Discharge
  • 5-parameter YSI
  • Temperature
  • Dissolved Oxygen
  • Specific Conductance
  • pH
  • Turbidity
SUNA Nitrate data – 1 hour
NuLab Ortho-P data – 2 hour
  • Water samples – Monthly
  • Nutrients (P, N)
  • Chloride
  • Suspended sediment
  • E.coli
Precipitation (one site only)
Sunset on a winter day reflected in the water in a canal in Michigan
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Data Management and Deliverables

All data are in NWIS and QWDATA
Continuous Stage & discharge records currently done by data section
Water Sample Data
  • Field and equipment blanks
  • Results checked when uploaded into QWDATA
Sensor Data
  • Monthly field calibrations and maintenance on YSIs, SUNAs, NuLabs.
  • Point samples for comparison with SUNA and NuLab values.
  • Tori and others work QW-sensor data records (Analysis and Approval) 1x/year
Deliverables
  • Online continuous record
  • Annual Summary Report to GLWA

Study Design - Phase 1:8 sites

USGS Role:

Monitor stream flow, nutrients, sediment, and E. coli in the Rouge, Clinton, and Detroit Rivers.

Study Design - Phase 2

Electronics with stickers stating "pump power" and "pump direction"
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Challenges

Troubleshooting complex sites:
  • Understanding how these gages work
  • Having the right back up equipment and supplies
  • What red flags are, when is data not coming in correctly
  • Not knowing things that seem obvious to Dave/Paul
  • These sites follow Murphy’s Law
Staffing and Training
  • Turn over in ’22 meant no experienced staff to train how to run these complex sites
  • No back up staff (the Tori Show)
  • Folks from data section generally happy to help out, but they need permission from supervisor to help us instead of what they were going to do.
Detroit River is a large sub-project with multiple chiefs, accounts, objectives, and opinions