The Water Quality Monitoring Strategy provides a description of the main objectives of the agency’s water monitoring operations and a detailed overview of the monitoring programs. All chapters and appendices of the current Water Monitoring Strategy are available.

DEQ, in partnership with scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), are conducting water quality monitoring at a number of proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline stream crossings before, during and after pipeline construction activities. Monitoring includes identification of benthic macroinvertebrate and fish community assemblages; quantitative physical habitat assessment; and real-time, continuous water quality monitoring for turbidity, temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen and pH.

To establish an inventory of baseline, pre-construction water quality conditions in the streams of interest, monitoring began in the fall of 2017. Scientists also conducted monitoring for turbidity, temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen and pH during and after pipeline construction activities and will conduct additional monitoring for benthic macroinvertebrates, fish and quantitative physical habitat assessment once construction is complete. The water quality monitoring data will enable DEQ to evaluate physical, chemical, and aquatic life conditions over time at the identified project stream crossings.

The agency’s monitoring plan provides more information on site locations and the process for site prioritization. A summary of current data is included below.

Real Time Water Quality Monitoring: The USGS installed real-time water quality monitoring stations upstream and downstream of six stream crossings along the MVP. Readings of turbidity, temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen and pH are taken every five minutes, and all data are available online to the public within 1-2 hours of collection. DEQ will review all data during construction activities and utilize the real-time capability to direct inspection resources as appropriate.

Fish Community Assessment: Fish assemblages are of special interest to many citizens. Informative fish community measures include the number of species present (for warm water streams), the abundance of trout (for cold water streams) and the presence of deformities and lesions on specimens. These measures provide an indication of the overall ecological health of streams. VCU and DEQ biologists collected fish community data monitoring during the fall of 2017 to establish background conditions. Follow-up monitoring will begin in the first fall season following the completion of construction activities, and in additional years (during fall), as needed. Note that no fish monitoring is conducted at the proposed crossing of the Blackwater River because water depth and current prevent effective sampling. A correction sheet regarding Bottom Creek samples is issued as well.

Benthic macroinvertebrates and physical habitat: Benthic macroinvertebrates are bottom-dwelling animals that lack backbones and can be seen without magnification. Benthic macroinvertebrates are the most commonly used assemblage for assessing ecological integrity and the only assemblage used for formal assessment in Virginia. Virginia’s Stream Condition Index includes community measures that provide indicators of stream health, including the number of different kinds of benthic macroinvertebrates observed, and the number of sensitive types of benthic macroinvertebrates observed (e.g. mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies).

Physical habit assessments provide a detailed evaluation of the stream bottom. In the streams of interest, coarse bottom material (e.g. rocks and logs) that is free of fine sediment is essential for supporting healthy plant and animal communities. Physical habitat and benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring occurred during fall 2017 at the six MVP stream crossings. Samples were collected upstream and downstream of the crossings. DEQ biologists completed follow-up monitoring in Spring 2018 and will monitor again during the first fall or spring assessment window after all construction activities are complete. Monitoring thereafter will be completed as needed. Benthic macroinvertebrate and physical habitat data are available upon request.

For additional information, see our MVP special topics page.