Water Quality And Quantity - Litter Cluster (Oral)

Loading Session...

Session Information

The bays and bayous of the coastal zone are squeezed between the land and sea, which leads to strong connections to both environments. As a result, direct modification to conditions in coastal systems and alterations to adjacent systems (e.g. watersheds, rivers, shelf waters) can affect changes in water quality. This underscores the difficulties associated with maintaining good water quality, as well as managing recreational, commercial and industrial interests that all depend on these water bodies. Increasingly frequent droughts and floods compound this difficulty, resulting in disruptions to normal patterns of freshwater availability. Potential presentations in this track include: how we assess these alterations in quality and quantity, how changes in the types and rates of terrestrial, aquatic and marine processes and activities have affected water quality, how we identify the human health and ecosystem impacts associated with these alterations, how we use this information to improve and better manage this critical resource, how we address water quality and quantity issues in formal and informal education and how we bring about behavior change to protect water quality.

Dec 02, 2020 11:45 AM - Dec 31, 2020 01:15 PM(America/Chicago)

Venue :

20201202T1145 20201202T1315 America/Chicago Water Quality and Quantity - Litter Cluster (Oral) The bays and bayous of the coastal zone are squeezed between the land and sea, which leads to strong connections to both environments. As a result, direct modification to conditions in coastal systems and alterations to adjacent systems (e.g. watersheds, rivers, shelf waters) can affect changes in water quality. This underscores the difficulties associated with maintaining good water quality, as well as managing recreational, commercial and industrial interests that all depend on these water bodies. Increasingly frequent droughts and floods compound this difficulty, resulting in disruptions to normal patterns of freshwater availability. Potential presentations in this track include: how we assess these alterations in quality and quantity, how changes in the types and rates of terrestrial, aquatic and marine processes and activities have affected water quality, how we identify the human health and ecosystem impacts associated with these alterations, how we use this information to improve and better manage this critical resource, how we address water quality and quantity issues in formal and informal education and how we bring about behavior change to protect water quality. 2020 Bays and Bayous Symposium melissa.schneider@usm.edu

Adicionar ao meu cronograma

Sub Sessions

View Abstract

Littering for Science – a Comparison of Two Trash Tracking Methodologies.

Oral PresentationWater Quantity and Quality 11:45 AM - 12:00 Noon (America/Chicago) 2020/12/02 17:45:00 UTC - 2020/12/31 18:00:00 UTC

As part of the implementation of their EPA Gulf of Mexico Program grant to develop a Comprehensive Trash Abatement Program for the Dog River Watershed, Dog River Clearwater Revival (DRCR), a grassroots, place-based nonprofit began developing a protocol to determine trash transport routes throughout the 95 square mile urban watershed. Using satellite imaging transponders, the group began gathering test data late in 2019. In an effort to generate comparable data to support the newly forming theories related to marine trash transportation, Osprey Initiative, a partner in the grant, initiated their own method using brightly painted, single-use water bottles. Both vastly different methods for tracking the movement of litter from its land-based inception throughout the water system are being documented with additional datasets being added as needed i.e., weather conditions as such events influence trash movement. Combining the knowledge of the composition of waterborne trash, marine debris, and/or litter using EPA’s Escaped Trash Assessment Protocol (ETAP) with the behavior of the items once they enter the waste stream will influence the future efforts to reduce litter commonly found in area waters. During this session, we will discuss the pros and cons of each protocol, different phases of development, and the results of the project thus far.

Presenters

Co-Authors

View Abstract

Using the Escaped Trash Assessment Protocol to Create Trash-Free Waters in the Three Mile Creek Watershed, AL

Oral PresentationWater Quantity and Quality 12:00 Noon - 12:15 PM (America/Chicago) 2020/12/02 18:00:00 UTC - 2020/12/31 18:15:00 UTC

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Trash-Free Waters program (TFW) develops tools and strategies to reduce sources of land-based litter (primarily single-use disposables) ending up in our waterways. To create more uniform data collection methods, TFW developed the Escaped Trash Assessment Protocol (ETAP). In 2017, after receiving an award from the EPA’s Gulf of Mexico Program (GMP) to implement a comprehensive strategy to create trash-free waters in the Three Mile Creek (TMC) Watershed, TFW asked the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) to incorporate ETAP into the project. Our team was initially hesitant to pilot a draft protocol, adding another layer to an already complex litter abatement strategy. Almost immediately after ETAP data collection began, the project team realized the added value ETAP provided. Prior to ETAP, MBNEP had no experience discerning litter types and sources and was missing a data pool necessary to promote change. The TMC dataset now represents one of the longest continuous collections of ETAP data in the country. ETAP crystalizes understanding of trash and marine debris by generating both site-specific and watershed-level data to guide effective deployment of limited litter removal resources and target source reduction campaigns. Over time, data trends can be used to build “litter profiles,” which include increases or decreases in the amount of litter, types and volume of material, and patterns or reoccurrence periods. Data reveal information that could be used to better manage limited local and state resources, better educate businesses and the community, and assist decision makers and regulatory agencies instituting tougher penalties or policy change.

Presenters