Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/12
Outputs
Target Audience: Target Audience: Northwest Ohio has one public access to Lake Erie which is located within Maumee Bay State Park (MBSP). The Park provides recreational access for an economically depressed region with a high percentage of racial minorities. In the last decade, attendance at the public swimming beaches of MBSP has decreased by 50% due to the high levels of Escherichia coli that prompt advisory postings. Thus, the primary target audience includes recreational users of MBSP and western Lake Erie who need to be advised of the "safety" level of the beaches and the lake water in general. In addition, commerical interests are highly invested in western Lake Erie and in MBSP. These include charter fishing boat companies, hotels and restaurants, and businesses that cater to tourists and recreational users of the lake. Efforts: The Maumee Bay Bacerial Task Force serves as an advisory committee for our projects; members are also a means of disseminating information. Members include representatives of Lucas County Health Department, the City of Oregon and Jerusalem Township (the site of MBSP), the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Hull and Associates, Toledo, OH, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG), Lucas County Engineers office, the Lake Erie Center, the University of Toledo, and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. One postdoctoral researcher, one doctoral student, one technician and eight undergraduate researchers took part in this research effort. Our laboratory works closely with the U S Geological Survey who maintain the stream gauges and sampling stations located in the Wolf Creek watershed. Data are collected by the Dwyer laboratory and made accessible to the public at the USGS maintained site:http://waterdata.usgs.gov/oh/nwis/uv/?site_no=04194085&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,00010 Financial support for student workers is provided by the Ohio Department of Health. These workers do the beach sampling and the analyses for densities of E. coli. Our research efforts resulted in a model that uses environmental variables to predict in real-time the occurences of high densities of E. coli. These predictions have been more accurate than previous methods; thus, our data are used in the Ohio NowCast system for people to access regarding beach conditions: http://www.ohionowcast.info/nowcast_maumee_bay.asp The data were used to prepare design plans for a restored wetland at MBSP. Public notice of the plans is available at: http://www.tmacog.org/Environment/Wolf/WolfCreekbrochure10_13.pdf Finally, our data and the development of the model have been made available to the scientific community via conference presentations as outlined in this report. Changes/Problems: The only change from the original intent was our inability to make all data available to the public using the server at the Lake Erie Center. This was due to a reduction in personnel, but relevant data are available at the USGS website and the final report for the project at the TMACOG website as previously stated. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Two to three undergraduate researchers from the University of Toledo have worked each year for sample collection, processing and data presentation; One postodctoral researcher was involved in preparing scientific presentations and wrting of the grant proposals for the GLRI program. One technician was involved in sample collection, maintenance of equipment, and data presentation; this person trained the undergraduate students in proper methodology. Both the postdoctoral researcher and the technician presented our findings at regional and international conference settings. The list of conferences in presented within this report. A publication concerning the development and proof testing of the model used to predict densities of E coli at the beaches of MBSP is in preparation. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Three venues have been used to inform the local public about the source of E coli to the beaches of MBSP and of the plans to restore wetland and riparian habitat that will limit input of E coli from the Wolf Creek watershed: (1) Data collected for water quality are posted at a USGS website (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/oh/nwis/uv/?site_no=04194085&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,00010); (2) project plans and descriptions are present as a poster and pamphlets by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources at MBSP for visitors to the Park; (3) the poster and pamphlet are also available online (http://www.tmacog.org/Environment/Wolf_Creek.htm) along with the minutes from the quarterly meetings of the Wolf Creek Committee; (4) a public forum was held at the University of Toledo's Lake Erie Center to present our data and the plans for the wetland at MBSP (Dr. Kris Barnswell (LEC),Amie Brady (USGS),Corey Schwab (Ohio Dept. of Health).Nowcast Beach Safety Advisories (coming in May to Maumee Bay State Park) and predictive modeling.Thursday, May 5, 2011, 7:00 pm, LEC Room 155). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This project is located within the Maumee Area of Concern (AOC) in the Lake Erie Tributaries watershed. To facilitate measurable improvements to beneficial uses in the Maumee AOC, we have undertaken a regional collaboration to improve watr qality in one hydrologic unit; the watershed of Wolf Creek – Berger Ditch. By focusing on collective efforts, we expect greater measurable progress toward delisting Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) by addressing the Beach Closings BUI by reducing bacteria, nutrients, and suspended solids in the watershed, prior to its discharging into Maumee Bay within Maumee Bay State Park. The planned remediation and restoration project makes use of a constructed wetland and is a priority project for the Maumee Remedial Action Plan (RAP) that will result in improved protection of public health and water quality at a public beach within a key AOC watershed. The current project was devised to add to our data base (discharge, total suspended sediments, densities of E. coli, and concentrations of dissolved reactive phosphorus) which will enable us to complete the engineering design phase of the overall project. Accomplishments for specific objectives: (i) Two stream gauges and automatic water sampler were installed in Berger Ditch/Wolf Creek. Samples were collected by one technician, and undergraduate student researchers throughout the year and analyzed for the above parameters. In addition, environmental parameters that contributte to the occurence of E. coli at the swimming beaches of MBSP were collected from local meterological sources and observations of site conditions. These data were used in a simple linear regression model to predict real time densities of E. coli for the public swimming beaches, which accurately (85.5%) predicted exceedances of E. coli (235 colony formig units per 100 ml lake water) than the persistence model (71.4%). (ii) The baseline data were used to prepare two grant proposals that were submitted to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) via the US Environmental Protection Agency. Both proposals were funded for the design and construction of a wetland at MBSP ($1.35 M; GL-00E00823-0) and a restored riparian habitat for the Wolf Creek watershed ($472 K; GL-00E01148-0). As of September 2014, construction for both projects has been completed and continued data collection as above is continuing for comparison to the base line data to determine the degree of success in water quality improvements. (iii) The Wolf Creek Bacterial Task Force was maintained as an advisory and public outreach venue for the project. Meetings were held quarterly (agenda and minutes are presented at:http://www.tmacog.org/Environment/Wolf_Creek.htm by the Toledo Metropolitan Council of Governments. An initial report of the data collection process, the predictive model and plans to build the wetland at MBSP was presented at the University of Toledo's Lake Erie Center (Dr. Kris Barnswell (LEC),Amie Brady (USGS),Corey Schwab (Ohio Dept. of Health).Nowcast Beach Safety Advisories (coming in May to Maumee Bay State Park) and predictive modeling.Thursday, May 5, 2011, 7:00 pm, LEC Room 155.) The final report for the project was prepared for the public and posted at the TMACOG website as a poster (http://www.tmacog.org/Environment/Wolf/Wolfcreek_poster10_13.pdf) and a pamphlet (http://www.tmacog.org/Environment/Wolf/WolfCreekbrochure10_13.pdf), both of which are on display and made available by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in the Nature Center of MBSP. Unfortunately, personnel cuts at the University of Toledo did not allow us to maintain the online data base for the project, which was the reason for data storage at the US Geological Survey website (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/oh/nwis/uv/?site_no=04194085&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,00010) and the presentation of the final report at the TMACOG website. The technical report is actually the two proposals submitted and funded through the GLRI.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Barnswell, K. D., Dwyer, D. F., and Struffolino, P., Increased Accuracy in Predicting Water Quality at Swimming Beaches Using a Time Adjusted Environmental Model. International Association for Great Lakes Research. Cornwall, Ontario Canada. May 2012
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
amela Struffolino, Daryl F. Dwyer, & Amie Brady. 2012. Continuing Efforts to Improve a Water-Quality Model for a Recreational Beach. 12th Annual Great Lakes Beach Conference Mackinac, MI. October 16 18.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2011
Citation:
Pamela Struffolino, Daryl F. Dwyer, Amie Brady,& Kristopher Barnswell. (2011). Development of a Predictive Water-Quality Model for Recreational Beaches. EPAs National Beach Conference. Miami, Fl, March.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2010
Citation:
Kristopher D. Barnswell, Steven J. Choc, Pamela Struffolino, and Daryl F. Dwyer. Designing a constructed wetland for water quality enhancement at Maumee Bay State Park on the
southwestern coast in Lake Erie: Phase 1 ? monitoring loadings of Escherichia coli, suspended solids and total phosphorus. 10th Great Lakes Beach Association Conference. Erie PA, October 2010.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2010
Citation:
Pamela Struffolino, Daryl F. Dwyer, & Amie Brady. Development of a Predictive Water-Quality Model for Recreational Beaches. 10th Great Lakes Beach Association Conference. Erie PA, October 2010.
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