Water Monitoring Team Charge

• Water Monitoring Team Purpose
• Water Monitoring Team Authority
• Technical Teams’ Purpose
• Technical Team Authority
• Team Composition

Team Purpose

The Water Monitoring Team is a cross-program team comprised of staff from the Bureaus of Drinking Water/Groundwater, Fisheries & Management, Watershed Management, and Science Services. The Water Monitoring Team oversees the implementation of the Water Division Monitoring Strategy (the Strategy), with the following responsibilities:

• Provide clearly stated program goals and objectives for the water monitoring program;
• Work closely with affected bureaus to ensure that monitoring data directly answers necessary management questions and addresses relevant problems within available funding and staff resources;
• Provide fiscal, programmatic, and workplanning guidance to Technical Teams and associated monitoring staff;
• Ensure efficient allocation of both staff and fiscal resources for water monitoring activities throughout the state;
• Review and approve budget and workplans submitted by Technical Teams;
• Review and approve recommendations by Technical Teams for revisions to the Strategy;
• Evaluate effectiveness of the Strategy at achieving monitoring program goals and objectives and coordinate revisions as needed;
• Prepare an annual report that summarizes data collected that characterize the status of the environment. To the extent possible this annual report should provide a major contribution to any required federal or state reporting;
• Coordinate the development and implementation of training programs associated with data analysis and field operations to ensure consistency in the implementation of the Strategy;
• Communicate approved workplans and Strategy modifications in a timely manner.

Team Authority

The Water Monitoring Team has been delegated the lead role in coordinating the implementation of the Water Division Monitoring Strategy. The Water Monitoring Team reports to the Team Sponsors and makes recommendations as needed to facilitate consistent implementation of the Strategy throughout the state. The Water Monitoring Team works closely with the Technical Teams in an oversight role to ensure that consistency and sound scientific practices are deployed to meet the goals of the Strategy. Proposals for technical improvements to the Strategy are developed and recommended by Technical Teams to the Water Monitoring Team for approval.

The Water Monitoring Team has primary responsibility for seeing that all Tier I activities of the Strategy are conducted in accordance with the goals and objectives of the monitoring program. All Tier II and Tier III activities identified in the Strategy are managed by the work unit most closely aligned with those activities, but those staff are required to submit workplans and summary reports to the Water Monitoring Team to ensure statewide coordination of program expenditures and data gathering.

Technical Teams’ Purpose

The Water Monitoring Team coordinates with several Technical Teams, each with a specific focus on an area of expertise necessary for successful implementation of the Strategy. These Technical Teams meet as needed to deliberate the technical details of issues related to their area of focus and make recommendations directly to the Water Monitoring Team for issues such as staffing, funding, field techniques, etc. that the Team believes will lead to scientifically defensible data gathering in support of the Strategy. Each Technical Team is tasked with the following responsibilities:

• Prepare clear documentation of metrics to be used by field staff in the collection and storage of water quality and/or fishery data in support of the Strategy;
• Recommend budget and workplans for deployment of staff and financial support needed to implement the Strategy;
• Provide the Water Monitoring Team with Issue Briefs that evaluate and recommend any appropriate science-based technical improvements to the Strategy;
• Provide the Water Monitoring Team with an annual report that summarizes data gathered in support of the Sub-Team’s oversight including tentative conclusions characterizing the status of ecological condition where appropriate;
• Provide the Water Monitoring Team with an annual report that documents the expenditure of effort (i.e., staff hours and all other costs) in support of program oversight and implementation of the Technical Team’s workplan.

Technical Team Authority

Each Technical Team is delegated the responsibility of identifying issues as well as evaluating methods and procedures associated their specific area of oversight in order to make formal recommendations to the Water Monitoring Team that will lead to successful implementation of the Strategy. The Water Monitoring Team works with each Technical Team to help guide their efforts by providing information as requested – including information about Strategy Goals & Objectives, budget, and staff.

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Contact

For more information contact:

Kristi Minahan
Watershed Management