GIS-Based Sediment Quality Database for the St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC): Overview Presentations and Demonstration

Judy L. Crane1 and Dawn E. Smorong2

1Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, St. Paul, MN2MacDonald Environmental Sciences Ltd., Nanaimo, BC

Funding provided by the U.S. EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office through Grant #GL97536301-1

Project Overview

BackgroundContaminated sediments contribute to the following use impairments:

degradation of benthic invertebrate communities,

restrictions on dredging, and

fish advisories.

A number of stakeholders have conducted sediment quality assessments in the St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC); and,

A GIS-based database is needed to compile and utilize these data.

Project Goal

To develop a GIS-based sediment quality database to support the assessment, preservation and restoration of the lower St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC) and adjoining Lake Superior ecosystems.

Project Objectives

Develop a sediment quality database for the St. Louis River AOC;

Develop a GIS-based mapping component to be used in conjunction with the database; and,

Provide training to stakeholders on the use and application of the GIS-based sediment quality database.

Primary Applications

Allow users to access sediment quality data;

Allow users to view the data spatially, along with other GIS-related watershed data;

Assist stakeholders with implementing the three-phase sediment strategy for the St. Louis River Remedial Action Plan (RAP); and,

Further the goals of the Lake Superior LakewideManagement Plan (LaMP) by tracking the occurrence of critical pollutants.

Secondary Applications

Determine the status and trends of sediment quality indicators;

Assist with the development of total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for contaminants in the lower St. Louis River;

Provide data for risk assessments of contaminated sediment sites;

Map the distribution of contaminated sediments and associated bioeffects (pre- and post-remediation);

Secondary Applications (cont.)

Provide a means to integrate sediment quality data and habitat information;

Compare sediment chemistry data to corresponding Level I and Level II sediment quality target (SQT) values, as well as mean PEC-Qs;

Analyze environmental data as part of the MPCA’sEnvironmental Performance Partnership Agreement (EnPPA) requirements;

Evaluate the economic and ecological benefits of sediment remediation;

Secondary Applications (cont.)

Highlight data gaps and possible new areas of sediment contamination; and

Assist with the development of a multimedia approach for managing contamination along the waterfront.

Summary of Oct. 2001 Stakeholder Meetings

Over 60 people participated in two meetings;Stakeholders suggested the following:

include high priority sediment quality indicators and GIS data,consider older data sets, in addition to newer data sets,include geographic coverage of data sets,update the GIS-based database periodically,

Summary of Oct. 2001 Stakeholder Meetings (cont.)

Stakeholders suggested the following (cont.):reference sediment quality data to mean low water datum for Lake Superior,provide guidance for treatment of sediment chemistry data below the detection limit,identify links to other information sources, andmake the GIS-based sediment quality database broadly available to stakeholders.

Project Deliverables

Microsoft™ Access ’97 sediment quality database;

ArcView 3.2 projects of GIS watershed data; and,

Help Section and technical documentation.

Sediment Quality Database

Summary of Oct. 2001 Stakeholder Meetings

Stakeholders identified the following sediment quality indicators in order of their priority:

1. whole sediment chemistry,2. whole sediment toxicity,3. benthic invertebrate community structure,4. sediment quality triad,5. physical characteristics of whole sediments,

and 6. tissue chemistry (fish and benthic species).

Development of the Sediment Quality Database

Identified 37 sediment quality data sets, collected since 1990;

Prioritized data sets for inclusion in database:

data sets generated by MPCA,

available in electronic format,

provided broad geographic coverage, and

withheld benthic community data due to inadequate resources.

Development of the Sediment Quality Database (cont.)

Evaluated data quality according to pre-defined criteria;

Incorporated all or part of 20 data sets into a MS™Access ’97 database;

Verified data according to project QA/QC procedures; and,

Audited the MS™ Access ’97 database.

Summary of Data Incorporated

Analytical chemistry results for 423 surficialsediment samples;

Analytical chemistry results for 658 sub-surface sediment samples;

Sediment toxicity test results for 303 surficialsediment samples;

Sediment bioaccumulation test results for 6 surficial sediment samples; and,

Fish tissue residue results for 39 samples (from 2 sites).

Ancillary Data Captured

Bibliographic references;

Geographical coordinates (latitude/longitude and UTM);

Laboratory qualifier codes;

Mean PEC-Quotients;

Sample collection dates; and,

Sediment sample depths, water depths, and soft sediment depths.

Watershed GIS Data

Compiled in ArcView 3.2 Projects

Summary of Oct. 2001 Stakeholder Meetings

Stakeholders identified the following GIS data sets as high priority:

locations of sediment hot spots,locations of brownfield sites, Superfund sites, hazardous waste sites, fill sites, and other land-based disposal sites,location and timing of dredging activities,land use information (e.g., roads),water use information (e.g., recreation areas, marinas, public swimming beaches), substrate types,

Summary of Oct. 2001 Stakeholder Meetings (cont.)

Stakeholders identified the following GIS data sets as high priority:

location of wetlands,location of sediment sources (including information on local topography and geology),location of current and historical industrial sites,location of other contaminant sources (e.g., air-borne contaminants), andnatural heritage information.

Summary of Oct. 2001 Stakeholder Meetings (cont.)

Stakeholders identified the following GIS data sets as low priority:

location of groundwater discharge and recharge,distribution of mussels,location of fish sampling stations,location of water quality sampling stations,location of drinking water intakes, andbathymetry information.

Selection of GIS Software

Compiled GIS data using ESRI’s ArcView software:

version 3.2,

compatible with NOAA’s Query Manager and related tools, and

widely available.

Upgrading to ArcView 8.x will be identified as a priority if funding is secured to do additional work on the GIS-based sediment quality database.

Development of ArcView 3.2 Projects

Acquired GIS data:based on input from stakeholders,internet searching for publicly available data,directly from MPCA staff and stakeholders, and,digitized data in-house (MESL).

Evaluated GIS data based on:reliability of data source,age, and,quality.

Development of ArcView 3.2 Projects (cont.)

Compiled basemap data:digital orthographic aerial photographs,digital orthographic topographic maps, and,basic line and polygon theme data.

Compiled ArcView 3.2 Projects:categorized data into 10 main themes, andUTM projection at 1:32,000 scale.

Listing of ArcView 3.2 Projects

1. Contaminated Areas

2. Ecological Areas

3. Geographic Features

4. Hydrology

5. Land Use

6. Recreation

7. USEPA Inland Sensitivity Atlas

8. Water Quality

9. Water Use

10. Black & White Basemap

NOAA’s Query Manager Software

Two Platforms for Viewing DataMain delivery platform is MS™ Access ’97 database (discussed previously):

more flexibility for querying data,

best choice for intermediate to advanced users, and

data available on project CD.

Secondary delivery platform is NOAA’s Query Manager software:

easy-to-use user-interface,

less flexibility for querying data,

best choice for novice users, and

data available from NOAA’s web site.

Query Manager Software

Based on a standard relational database structure;

Menu of flexible, built-in database queries; and,

Direct link to mapping application (MARPLOT).

Help Section and Technical Documentation

Help Section for Sediment Quality Database

Primarily designed to provide guidance for using the Sediment Quality Database in MS™ Access ’97 format:

database structure and contents,

retrieving and querying data,

options for data treatment, and

linking with ArcView 3.2 projects.

Also provides guidance for access and set-up of NOAA’s St. Louis River Watershed database and Query Manager and MARPLOT software.

Help Section for the ArcView 3.2 Projects

Provides the following information and guidance:

summarizes the GIS data compiled,

describes how the data are organized,

instructions for displaying data, and

linking with the MS™ Access ’97 database.

Technical Documentation

Outlines the methods used to develop the database and ArcView 3.2 projects;

Provides relevant information regarding data management issues; and

Provides documentation to be incorporated in future quality assurance project plans (pending the acquisition of additional funds).

Next Steps

Next Steps

Obtain funding to maintain and update the GIS-based sediment quality database over time;Expand the database to include benthic community structure data;Incorporate additional GIS data for the Superior area;Periodically solicit feedback from stakeholders to ensure it meets their needs; and,Expand the GIS-based database statewide.

Demonstration