PM18 Investigations of the Columbia River and Estuary (USA)
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Monday
(PM286) Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership Water Quality Monitoring Project.
Karnezis, Jason1, Johnson, Lyndal2, Fuhrer, Greg 3, Rinella, Joseph3, 1 Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership, Portland, OR, USA2 NOAA Fisheries - Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA, USA3 USGS - Water Resources Division, Portland, OR, USA
ABSTRACT- Current understanding of the interactions and relative effect of toxics and conventional pollutants on salmonid life-histories in the Lower Columbia River and Estuary (LCR&E) is limited. The Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership has designed a water quality monitoring program which will further describe the effects of toxics and conventional pollutants on the recovery potential of salmonids in the estuary. There are 3 main components: 1) Development of a toxics and conventional pollutant conceptual model as a guidance tool to direct on the ground monitoring efforts, and subsequent semi-quantitative to quantitative models of contaminant transport, uptake and effects on salmon to evaluate risk to listed salmon stocks.;2) Fixed station and synoptic monitoring of a suite of conventional and toxic pollutants; 3) Analysis of fish tissue, plasma vitellogenin, and biomarkers to determine exposure levels of salmonids to toxic pollutants. The conceptual model will provide an ecological framework for understanding dynamics of contaminant transfer and uptake by salmon in the Columbia, assist us in the development of hypotheses about the potential risk of contaminants to specific listed Evolutionary Significant Units (ESUs), and form the basis for development of a more quantitative model. Water quality monitoring will be accomplished through a combination of monthly samplings at three locations, and timed seasonal samplings to capture both high flow and low flow conditions at another 3 locations. In order to characterize contaminant concentrations in fish as they move through the estuary, sub-yearling chinook salmon sampling locations will be coordinated with water quality sampling locations. Water quality sampling and conceptual model development began in May 2004 and fish sampling will begin in March 2005.
Key words: water quality, monitoring, toxic & conventional pollutants, salmon recovery