SWAMP - Presentations

Program Overviews

• Introducing the new in 2012 My Water Quality Web Portal 'Are Our Stream and River Ecosystems Healthy?'
  • Introduction | Webinar Presentation
• Monitoring and Reporting Plans - Project Assessment and Evaluation Plan - 2004 by Carrie Austin
• Environmental Monitoring Program Design - 2004 by Karen Larsen
• California's Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program - SWAMP Update - 2004 by Val Connor

Tools and Methods

• California Aquatic Bioassessment Workgroup (2003–2016), including Citizen Monitoring Presentations
• Establishing Reference Conditions for CA’s Wadeable Perennial Streams (November 2010)
    »»  Webinar | PowerPoint
  Reference conditions describe the physical, chemical and biological attributes of streams occurring in regions with relatively low levels of human disturbance. Objective definition of the reference state is the foundation of biological assessment techniques but also serves many other roles in California’s water quality management programs. This webinar covers the development of California’s standardized approach to defining reference conditions and the initial phases of implementation, including approaches for aligning screening thresholds for different regions of the state.
• Sublethal Responses to environmental Stressors in Fish: an Integrative Multibiomarker Approach (July 15, 2010)
    »»  Webinar | PowerPoint
  The webinar describes work being performed at the UC Davis Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory on the effects of sublethal ‘stressors’ such as environmental contaminants or pollutants (such as ammonia) on fish (delta smelt).
• The Importance of a Stream’s Physical Habitat Condition and How to Measure It (Spring - Summer 2010)
    »»  Webinar | PowerPoint
  This webinar and PowerPoint presentation describes all the physical habitat features that are measured using the SWAMP Bioassessment SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) and how that data is used in assessment reports. It also discusses how those measures might be used in the future to produce an Index of Physical Condition. Healthy streams and rivers have complex habitats and physical dimensions that favor a thriving and diverse plant and animal community. The SWAMP physical habitat procedures attempt to measure the physical state of wadeable streams and the human stressors that might alter those measurements.
• The Ecology of Benthic Macroinvertebrates and How to Collect and Describe Them (June 17, 2010)
    »»   Webinar | PowerPoint
  The webinar describes Benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs) uses as a water quality indicator for SWAMP assessment reports and will be an integral part of the development of biological objectives. It shows some examples of BMIs, discuss their ecology and explain why they are such good indicators of healthy streams and rivers. It also shows how the BMIs are collected and then processed in the laboratory to produce the biological metrics that are used to create assessment tools such as the SoCal Index of Biological Integrity.
• A New Tool for Water Quality Assessment - Algae as Bioindicators (October 1, 2009)  »»  Webinar | PowerPoint
  Describes the status of current program and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Algae monitoring.
• Aquatic Invasive Species: Issues Concerning Water Quality Monitors (December 3, 2009)  »»  Webinar | PowerPoint
  Describes what Aquatic Invasive Species are, the harm they are causing, and some decontamination techniques.
• Water Quality Goals (February 11, 2010)  »»  Webinar | PowerPoint
  Provides overview of water quality goals, how to apply narrative water quality objectives, water quality goals (report, database and online resources) and algorithms to select water quality assessment thresholds.

Statewide Monitoring Summaries

• Contaminants in Fish from California Lakes and Reservoirs  »»  PowerPoint
  Describes current activities and findings of bioaccumulation studies in fish.