Watershed Monitoring
Starting in 1996, DEP initiated an effort to re-design its water
resource monitoring efforts. The purpose was to create an efficient,
multi-resource, comprehensive monitoring network, designed to fulfill many
of the Department's monitoring needs.
This effort, the Integrated Water Resource Monitoring Network (IWRM)
Program, is a multi-level or “tiered” monitoring program designed to
answer questions about Florida’s water quality at differing scales. The
program is supported by several DEP water quality monitoring groups in
Tallahassee and in regional (district) offices. In general, Tier I
addresses statewide and regional (within Florida) questions, Tier II
focuses on basin-specific to stream-segment-specific questions, while Tier
III answers site-specific questions.
Tier I monitoring is comprised of two monitoring efforts,
status monitoring, and
trend
monitoring, which are both designed to answer state-wide to regional
questions. Tier II monitoring includes basin assessments and monitoring
required for TMDL (total maximum daily load)
development . This monitoring is more localized in
nature than that occurring under Tier I monitoring, yet may encompass a
broader area then that employed in Tier III. Tier III includes all
monitoring tied to regulatory permits issued by DEP and is associated with
evaluating the effectiveness of point source discharge reductions, best
management practices or TMDLs. The program addresses both surface and
ground waters of the state.
IWRM is used to meet Florida’s programmatic and larger scale reporting
requirements, including production of the state’s
water quality monitoring
strategy report (106 report) and
305(b)-report to the
EPA, and more recently, a means of generating information in support of
the state’s TMDL program.
An overview of IWRM can be found in the state of
Florida Water Quality Monitoring Strategy
document.
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