Exhibit B 02.02.028.pdf

Fisheries Division - Policy & Procedure Manual Page 1 of 4 R8100 (Rev. 09/01/2006)

Fisheries Division

Policy & Procedure

Program Field Operation

Chapter 02 Resources Management Date Drafted:

Responsible Program Field Operations

08/10/2021

Title Stream Thermal Reclassification Policy and Procedure

Number 02.02.028

REFERENCES

Dunham, J., G. Chandler, R., B. Rieman, and D. Martin. 2005. Measuring stream temperatures with digital data loggers: a user’s guide. Gen.Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-150WWW. Fort Collins, CO: U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources. 2016. Quality Assurance Document for Temperature Monitoring. Version 1.5. Available:

http://dnr.maryland.gov/streams/Publications/QA_TemperatureMonitoring.pdf. (August 2021)

Schneider, J. C., G. R. Alexander and J. W. Merna. 2000. Modules for Lake and Stream Surveys.

Chapter 2 in Schneider, James C. (ed.) 2000. Manual of fisheries survey methods II: with periodic updates. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Special Report 25, Ann Arbor.

USEPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 2014. Best Practices for Continuous Monitoring of Temperature and Flow in Wadeable Streams. Global Change Research Program, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Washington DC; EPA/600/R-13/170F.

Wilde, F. D. 2006. Temperature (ver. 2.0): U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 9, chap. A6., sec. 6.1. https://doi.org/10.3133/twri09A6.1 (August 2021)

Wills, T. C., T. G. Zorn, and A. J. Nuhfer. 2006. Stream Status and Trends Program sampling protocols. Chapter 26 in Schnedier, James C. (ed.) 2000. Manual of fisheries survey methods II: with periodic updates. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Special Report 25, Ann Arbor.

POLICY

Fisheries Division staff shall follow a defined procedure when collecting stream water temperature data for the purpose of stream thermal classification or reclassification, including monitoring for a minimum of 3 consecutive years. Fisheries Division temperature monitoring efforts will follow the measures outlined in this document to ensure the accuracy of stream temperature data including:

calibration checks, deployment protocols, QA/QC procedures, and data storage. The resulting information on stream temperature will be used to inform evaluations of proposed redesignation of stream or river thermal classifications (cold, cold-transitional, cool, or warm) as defined in Part 327, Great Lakes Preservation, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, as amended (NREPA). This procedure will be shared with entities outside of Fisheries Division who intend to collect stream temperature data for use in the review of existing stream thermal classifications.

EXPLANATION

Stream water temperature is an important variable in predicting fish community composition, system metabolism, and energy use. Water temperature also influences the availability of suitable fisheries habitat during extreme hot and cold periods of the year (Schneider et al. 2000). Continuous monitoring is required to understand how water temperature changes over time in particular stream reaches, especially during extreme weather conditions.

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Title Stream Thermal Reclassification Policy and Procedure

Number 02.02.028

Stream water temperature is routinely measured by Fisheries Division staff as part of the Stream Status and Trends Program protocols (Wills et al. 2006) and during discretionary surveys. This information helps inform fisheries management decisions on matters such as stocking, harvest regulations, and where additional data collection is needed.

Information on stream water temperature is also used, along with information on fish community, to designate a given stream as cold, cold-transitional, cool, or warm. These classifications, in turn, inform which stream segments will be affected by proposed water withdrawals authorized under Part 327, Great Lakes Preservation, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. Information collected using this procedure can be imported into the StreamCheck tool (see Fisheries Division Stream Classification and Redesignation Policy & Procedure for details) to evaluate whether redesignation of current stream classification is necessary on a case-by-case basis. Through the use of StreamCheck, Fisheries Division may recommend redesignation of a stream’s thermal classification to the Director of the Department of Natural Resources. Redesignation could be either to a less restrictive category, which would allow additional allocation of water where it is unlikely to lead to adverse resource effects, or to a more restrictive category if evidence suggests a stream is cooler than predicted. The StreamCheck tool and procedure provides a defensible methodology for stream thermal classification or redesignation.

PROCEDURE

Fisheries Division will follow procedures largely based on existing continuous stream temperature monitoring protocols, including those of the U.S. Forest Service (Dunham et al. 2005), U.S. Geological Survey (Wilde 2006), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA 2014). Fisheries Division shall monitor sites for a minimum of 3 consecutive years when measuring stream temperature for the purpose of stream thermal classification or redesignation of stream thermal classification.

Prior to Deployment:

Accuracy of field thermometers or temperature loggers must be tested prior to field-use following procedures used by the U.S. Geological Survey and described in Chapter 6 Section 1 of the National Field Manual for Collection of Water-Quality Data (Wilde 2006). The “ice bucket” method is a simple, effective, and commonly accepted practice for determining whether temperature loggers are accurately recording water temperature, and involves placing loggers in an ice bath and checking readings against the readings from a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) certified thermometer. Temperature loggers must read within ±0.2°C of the calibration thermometer (or ±0.5°C for liquid filled thermometers) to be considered accurate. For each logger, calibration check results should be recorded and maintained for the useful life of the logger.

Calibration instructions specific to the individual temperature logger must also be followed, and this is especially important for multi-probe instruments as accurate measurement of temperature is critical for the successful calibration of other parameters such as DO, pH, and specific conductance.

Deployment:

Ideally, at least one air and water temperature logger will be placed at each location to allow for adequate quality control. Air temperature loggers not only help determine if water temperature loggers are dewatered, but also provide information on the relationship between air and water temperature, including vulnerabilities of streams to thermal change. If resources do not allow for air temperature loggers, information on air temperature daily summaries for air temperature and precipitation may be obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information (https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/datatools/findstation). Air temperature data should also be recorded or obtained for 3 consecutive years, and match the time period during which water temperature loggers were placed.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources (2016) recommends deploying air temperature loggers in a structure adjacent to the stream that provides shade and protection to the logger (e.g., north side of

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Stream Thermal Reclassification Policy and Procedure

Number 02.02.028 a tree or shrub). Air temperature loggers should not be placed where there is direct exposure to sunlight.

The deployment interval and monitoring frequency for all stream water temperature measurements conducted for thermal reclassification shall include a minimum of 3 years of continuous hourly temperature measurements. Fisheries Division’s Stream Status and Trends Program TEMPERATURE LOGGER DEPLOYMENT form shall be used to track the deployment and recovery of temperature loggers (Wills et al. 2006).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA 2014) recommends that water temperature loggers be deployed in locations with as many of the following prioritized characteristics as possible:

• Representative of the characteristics of the reach from which the biological data were collected (e.g., not downstream of warm or cold water sources)

• Well-mixed horizontally and vertically (e.g., in a run at a depth two-thirds of the distance from the water surface to the stream bottom)

• Of sufficient depth to keep the sensor submerged year-round

• Stable, accessible, and easy to relocate

• Protected from physical impacts associated with high flow events (e.g., the downstream side of a large landmark rock or log)

• Low human activity to reduce vandalism and accidental snagging

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA 2014) does not recommend deploying water temperature loggers in locations that have the following characteristics:

• Are areas of high use, visibility, or fishing access

• Have heavy beaver activity

• Have backwater pools, eddies, or standing water that might stratify during low flow conditions.

• Are influenced by localized warm or cool water sources, such as:

o a tributary confluence o an impoundment (including beaver ponds) o a lake outlet o point-source discharges o streamside wetland areas o hot springs o groundwater seeps

Inspection and Retrieval:

Logger inspection, calibration checks, and data download should happen as frequently as feasible, as recommended in equipment instructions, and at a minimum once per year. In addition to checking accuracy prior to deployment, temperature loggers should be checked annually during the 3-year period and at the time of retrieval using a calibrated independent temperature logger or thermometer.

Temperature loggers with readings outside of the allowed tolerance described in Wilde (2006) should be replaced. Data downloads should be noted in the TEMPERATURE LOGGER DEPLOYMENT form found in Wills et al. (2006), along with the results of periodic calibration checks.

At time of retrieval, a post-deployment calibration check should be conducted. Water temperature should be recorded upon retrieval to compare to logger data. As with deployment, calibration check results should be recorded and maintained for the useful life of each logger.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control:

After retrieval, if data have not been downloaded on-site, loggers should be returned to the appropriate office and data should be downloaded to spreadsheet files. These files should be documented and stored to facilitate later use and sharing with appropriate databases, taking all steps

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Number 02.02.028 to preserve metadata and maintain data integrity. Following data download, unit calibrations should be checked to note any differences in the pre- and post-calibration factors. Loggers should then be either prepped for storage or redeployed.

Data must be visually checked for errors caused by dewatering during low flow conditions, movement during high flow conditions, sediment burial, vandalism, or equipment malfunction. Water temperature data must be graphically checked against air temperature. If air and water temperatures appear to be nearly identical, this indicates that the water temperature logger was dewatered. If the graph shows daily fluctuations with flat tops, the logger might have been buried in sediment. If discrepancies occur, use the graph to specify the time and duration of errors in the raw data files. All data should be retained by the appropriate Fisheries Division office and catalogued for future use after each continuous monitoring period. In addition, data should be shared with EGLE who may enter data into EPA’s Water Quality Exchange/STORET database or elsewhere. Only temperature data that pass the visual check will be used; all other questionable data records will be removed from further analysis. In cases where large quantities of data are discarded, the logger calibration status shall be reviewed.

9/07/2021

James Dexter, Chief Date