Water Quality Division
Statewide Rotating Basin Monitoring Program
Oklahoma is committed to systematically identifying waters impaired by nonpoint source pollution. The Water Quality Division has developed a strategy to monitor small feeder streams on a rotational basis to determine the impacts of non-point source pollution on the water resources of the state. This rotational monitoring program, which rotates into two new basins every two years, supports the state's ambient monitoring program. Through the Rotating Basin Monitoring Program, chemical, physical, and biological sampling is done on 300 priority streams in five watershed basins across the state. Each year monitoring begins in one basin, where streams are monitored for two years. Using this rotation, all basins and 300 streams are monitored every five years, and then the rotation begins again. Monitoring is used to:
- Determine the beneficial use status of streams
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- Collect information on sources of pollution
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- Evaluate success of past and current restoration projects
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- Gather data for planning and implementing future projects
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Fixed Monitoring Sites
Year 1
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2001-2002
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2006-2007
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| Streams List |
Report |
Report |
Year 2
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2002-2003
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2007-2008
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| Streams List |
Report |
Report |
Year 3
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2003-2004
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2008-2009
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| Streams List |
Report |
Report |
Year 4
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2004-2005
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2009-2010
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| Streams List |
Report |
Report in progress |
Year 5
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2005-2006
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2010-2011
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| Streams List |
Report |
Report in progress |
Probabilistic Monitoring Sites
Monitoring randomly selected sites in a basin allows for a statistical statement about the quality of all waters inside the sampled watersheds. To conduct this probabilistic sampling, EPA staff from the Corvalis Lab randomly select for the Commission 150 sites within the basin where sampling will occur the following year. Access permissions are obtained from abutting landowners according to the order of sites listed until a total of fifty sites permissions are obtained. EPA scientists have determined a minimum of fifty sites is necessary to achieve statistical confidence necessary. Water sampling is done and the same parameters measured for the rotating basin streams are assessed. Resulting data are used to make statements with statistical confidence regarding the status of all streams (no greater than Strahler order of 6) from the basin sampled.
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