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projects > greater everglades hydrology: integrating eden with real-time hydrology and biological responses
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Project Statement of Work
CERP Monitoring and Assessment Plan Components MAP Activity Title: South Florida Surface Water Monitoring Network for the Support of MAP Projects MAP Activity Number: 3.5.4.1 Surface Water (stages) Monitoring Network A. Introduction/Background The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2000 authorized the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) as a framework for modifications and operational changes to the Central and Southern Florida Project needed to restore the south Florida ecosystem. Provisions within WRDA 2000 provide for specific authorization for an adaptive assessment and monitoring program. A Monitoring and Assessment Plan (MAP) has been developed as the primary tool to assess the system-wide performance of the CERP by the REstoration, COordination and VERification (RECOVER) program. The MAP presents the monitoring and supporting research needed to measure the responses of the South Florida ecosystem to the CERP. Investigators are encouraged to refer to this document for details on the methods and procedures outlined below. The MAP also presents the system-wide performance measures representative of the natural and human systems found in South Florida that will be evaluated to help determine the success of CERP. These system-wide performance measures address the responses of the South Florida ecosystem that the CERP is explicitly designed to improve, correct, or otherwise directly affect. A separate Performance Measure Documentation Report being prepared by RECOVER provides the scientific, technical, and legal basis for the performance measures. Generally, the statement of work described below is intended to support four broad objectives of this monitoring program:
The statement of work described below is intended to support the South Florida Monitoring Network module of the MAP and is directly linked to the monitoring or research component identified in that module as number 3.5.4.1. The statement of work includes the objectives of the work effort to be performed, a general description of the scope, a detailed listing of tasks to be undertaken and associated deliverables, and timeframes citing the methodologies to be used by the contractor or partnering agency to perform assigned work efforts. This scope of work describes continuation of the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) effort funded by RECOVER MAP in 2005 through 2007 (partial funding in 2007). EDEN is an integrated network of real-time water-level monitoring, ground-elevation modeling, and water-surface modeling that provides scientists and managers with current (1999-present), on-line water-depth information for the greater Everglades. The target users are biologists and ecologists examining trophic level responses to hydrodynamic changes in the Everglades. The deliverables of the EDEN effort ending in March 2007 are:
This current scope of work will continue operation and maintenance of the 25 gaging stations and will implement the hydrologic tools to support biological and ecological assessments of the impacts of the restoration plan for the greater Everglades. The USGS has provided significant support in the development of the EDEN products. The USGS Priority Ecosystem Sciences (PES) funded Dr. John Jones in development of the ground surface digital elevation model and EDEN grid, Roy Sonenshein and Heather Henkel for support with the real-time website development and gage network data management, Paul Conrads for his neural network and hindcasting analyses, Aaron Higer for technical oversight of EDEN and integration of EDEN in the Joint Ecological Models lab at University of Florida, and Arturo Torres for compilation of principle investigators' water depth data. Continued USGS PES funding support is expected in 2007 (level unknown) and is possible in future years. Future PES funding will fund enhancements to EDEN performance and ensure that EDEN supports greater Everglades scientists. B. Objectives The objective of this scope of work is to provide hydrologic data for the freshwater and tidal areas of the greater Everglades that can be used to assess biotic responses to hydrologic change. Because the hydrology is foundational to the function of the Everglades, scientists need consistent, documentable hydrologic data on which to base their assessments. EDEN not only integrates, for the first time, all existing water level gages in the greater Everglades but uses modeling and GIS techniques to computer essential hydrologic parameters; water depth, days since last drydown, slope and recession rates; to support biological and ecological restoration assessments for the annual Assessment Team System Status Reports and the 5-year Reports to Congress. C. Scope of Work a. Operation and maintenance of real-time water-level gages Stage data for 25 gages located in the Everglades freshwater marsh areas will be collected and processed using USGS-established protocols. Water-level gages are routinely visited twice a year when water-level sensors are calibrated for quality assurance. These routine visits are conducted over a 3-4 day period via helicopter or airboat. Emergency visits by helicopter or airboat are conducted as needed throughout the year when equipment failures occur. Data collection consists of 15-minute interval measurements of water level at each gaging station. Data will be transmitted every 4 hours via the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) office in Fort Lauderdale. The real-time data will be available through a webpage for public access. Final and fully reviewed data for each water year (October – September) will be published and available by April of the following year. b. Maintenance of data management system and management of EDENweb The real-time water-level website completed and delivered in September 2006 will require maintenance to serve MAP scientists and others. The pre-arranged ftp transfer of daily gage data from the 3 agencies (BCNP, ENP and SFWMD) to the USGS will be monitored daily. Occasionally, data files are missing or agency changes require changes to the ftp script. Although much of the data transfer and entry to the NWIS database is automated, monitoring and quality assuring the data are necessary to ensure no breaks in the data stream. Over time, gages are added to the real-time network and, less often, gages are removed. Reprogramming of the automated data transfer is necessary to account for these changes. Additionally, as revised datum corrections are computed or surveyed, these corrections will be added to the NWIS database. The EDENweb is a website that provides MAP PIs with stations information, water-level data and access to other hydrologic data for use in biological assessments. The EDENweb points to the NWISweb where the real-time and past water-level data are displayed from the NWIS database. c. Support to MAP Principal Investigators for Annual AT System Status Reports (SSRs) Development of Annual AT SSRs for a given year is conducted in the spring-summer of the following year. Because most of the biological models are based on some aspect of the hydrology, PIs will require hydrologic data to make their assessments for the annual SSRs. EDEN staff will work directly with PIs to ensure that data are formatted and adequate for their assessments. The EDEN application (EDENapps) for retrieving, viewing, and outputting hydrologic data for the greater Everglades will be made available to Greater Everglades Wetlands Module principal investigators and others via the EDENweb. As with any new user application, EDENapps Version 1 (delivered 9/30/06) will require a period of testing and support during its initial use by PIs and others. This support may include workshops to instruct PIs, hands-on support with individual PIs and other communication to resolve possible incompatibilities with a new computer application. Once EDENapps is tested with users, the tested and potentially modified version of EDENapps will be available on the EDENweb. d. Improving performance of EDEN Understanding the relation between ground elevation and vegetation is key to refining EDEN's estimates of water depth. EDENapps V1 uses a ground elevation model that could be improved if elevation variation within each grid cell is taken into account. Patterns of land cover may be the best available representation of this local elevation variation. Integrating these ground elevation differences to the ground elevation model and water depth analysis in 2007 will be used to refine estimate of water depth. Once the automated process of water surface generation is possible, geostatistical analyses will be conducted to reparameterize the water surface model and make improvements. This level of model analysis was not possible in 2006 but is critical to the testing and improvement of a model that will be used for SSR development in 2007 When EDEN's real-time data approach is coupled with biological models, such as Across Trophic Level System Simulations (ATLSS), Habitat Suitability Indices (HSIs) and others, scientists will be able to evaluate how well simulated relations drive both biotic and abiotic models and how these models reflect and anticipate real-world events. EDEN staff will work with individual PIs to integrate EDEN with their biological models and examine trophic-level responses to hydrodynamic change. D. Work Breakdown Structure
E. Reporting guidelines Delivery of Reports All quarterly reports must be written and delivered via e-mail using the attached template (See Attachment 1). All annual and final reports (including data) must be submitted both in electronic (via e-mail) and hardcopy format (see description of Annual Report and Final report requirements below). All annual and final reports should be mailed to the following address: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Quarterly Status Report Three quarterly status reports will be submitted to the project manager in each year of the contract in December, March, June or September, depending on the schedule listed in the Task Description and Work Order. Status reports are not required in the quarter in which the annual report is submitted. Status reports will be written (verbal reports are not acceptable) using the attached form (See Attachment 1). Annual Reports Annual reports will be submitted each year of the contract, with the date of submittal listed in the Task Description and Work Order. The principle investigator will provide 3 copies of the annual report that will include at minimum the following: methods, results and statistical analyses of sampling efforts; 3 CD-Rom copies of raw data, discussion, conclusions, and lessons learned. Interpretation of results as they relate to the overall effort of CERP implementation and the adaptive management process will be key features of the annual report. The principal investigator or designee will give an oral presentation to the Assessment Team (AT) if requested. Annual reports will initially be given to the project manager in Microsoft Word format; the final version will be converted to a .pdf file after approval and acceptance by the project manager. Final Report A final report will be submitted at the end of the contract and contain information covering the entire period of the contract, including submittal of a CD containing all data from the project. The principal investigator will provide 3 copies of a final report that will include at minimum the following: methods, results and statistical analyses of sampling efforts; conclusions and lessons learned (3 CD-Rom copies of raw data will also be included). Interpretation of results as they relate to CERP hypotheses from the MAP, the overall effort of CERP implementation and the adaptive management process will be key features of the final report. Additional information may be requested of the PI on a project-specific basis. Informal reports such as those addressing the status of permits needed for the project, timely progress of field work, or those that describe the completion of specific tasks may be transmitted via email or fax. Reports that include any type of data analysis and/or datasets, and formal quarterly status, annual, and final reports will be submitted in both electronic and hard copy format; signed hard copies with data attached in the appropriate format must be mailed to the project manager in addition to submittal of both the written report and data via e-mail. PI Contributions to the AT System Status Report The results of the work performed under this scope of work will be used to develop the cumulative findings outlined in the AT System Status Report, which will be developed biennially. The AT System Status Report will be used by the AT to develop a RECOVER Technical Report at five year intervals, as pursuant to the regulations [Section 385.31(b)(4)]. The AT System Status Report will provide an assessment of whether the goals and purposes of the Plan are being achieved. It will also include an assessment of whether the Interim Goals and Interim Targets are being achieved or likely to be achieved and evaluate whether corrective actions should be considered based on scientific findings of system-wide or regional ecological needs. The annual reports produced by the PIs will feed into the AT System Status Report development process as outlined in the MAP, Part 2 – 2006 Assessment Strategy for the MAP. In order to ensure the content and format of the annual reports is consistent with AT/MAP Module Lead and AT System Status Report requirements, PIs will coordinate with the Project Manager and the MAP Module Lead(s) in preparation of these deliverables. Although the annual reports produced by the PIs may be sufficient input to the AT System Status Report, PIs may be asked by the MAP Module Lead(s) to provide additional information if supplementary data or analysis is needed. As of November 2006, the content and format of the AT System Status Report has not been finalized; as a result, content and format requirements for annual reports are therefore subject to change during this finalization process. The PI(s) will be required to work with the MAP Module Leads to assist in the development of the AT System Status Report and are asked to include their participation as a task in this work breakdown structure. Principal Investigators are to incorporate, as a separate deliverable in the work breakdown structure, up to 12 days of their time to participate in the development of the AT System Status Report. The following reporting guidelines are also offered by the AT to the PIs. These issues must be addressed in the Annual Reports. EVALUATE ABILITY TO DETECT CHANGE - PI LEVEL
ESTABLISH REFERENCE CONDITION - PI LEVEL
MEASURE CHANGE FROM REFERENCE CONDITION – PI LEVEL
F. Project Management Statement of Work Change Control: Changes in the statement of work must be requested of the project manager in writing, with supporting justification. Any requested changes in the statement of work will require, on part of the contractor or partnering agency, submission of an updated project workplan with supporting detail, updated scheduling and budget information. No changes in the statement of work will occur without the appropriate approvals from the funding agency. Any delays or changes in the project scheduling and budget will require consultation with the Assessment Team (AT) of RECOVER. If the original statement of work requires any approved changes, the contractor or partnering agency must include documentation of these scope changes in the "lessons learned" section of the final project report. Data Management: Any data derived from the project will be provided to the AT with each annual report. The raw data for each year will be provided on a CD with the submission of the annual report including a summary indexing the data contained on the CD. The data CD will be archived and will not be publicly posted. A data management system is under development and will be used once the system is fully operational. In the interim, PIs are to submit their annual data on a CD or DVD with their annual report. Submission of all data is required for contract or interagency agreement closeout. At the end of the contract the complete data set will be delivered to the AT on a CD with the submission of the final report. All data formatting, analysis, and delivery will be required to meet the CERP data standards developed by the project managers, data requestors, or data stewards as outlined in the CERP Master Program Management Plan (MPMP) and the CGMs. These data standards will be identified and assembled through the CERP Data Management Program and will be available upon request. All data and results derived from this project must be made available to the AT at the end of the project. Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC): The project workplan shall include elements of a quality assurance project plan (QAPP) in order to define which QA/QC procedures are appropriate for each project (e.g., QASR, FDEP standards). Methods used for each project shall be selected based upon the following criteria (if appropriate): cost-benefit analysis, flowchart diagram of the system process, project data quality objectives (DQOs), and determination of the best statistical experimental design. The burden of proof of compliance with standardized QA/QC procedures is the responsibility of the PI. In the case where the QASR defines methods that would meet the DQOs but the MAP PI proposes an alternative method, the PI shall submit the alternative method to the CERP Quality Assurance Oversight Team (QAOT) for approval. If there are no standardized methods or QA/QC defined for the proposed project, the PI shall then detail the alternative method in the QAPP. The PI shall prove the alternative method is rigorous by defining the QA/QC procedures that will demonstrate accuracy and precision including acceptance criteria for these quality objectives. Citation of peer-reviewed and published methods may be used to support this documentation. Lessons Learned: The causes of variances in the scope of work, project scheduling and budgeting, the reasoning behind any corrective action, as well as any other lessons learned will be documented in the final project report. These lessons learned will become part of the historical database for this project and other RECOVER projects. GENERAL PROJECT WORKPLAN
Attachment 1 Status Report Period Covered: ___________ through ____________ MAP
Activity Title: Title
PROGRESS ACCOMPLISHED THIS PERIOD In bulleted form:
WORK PLANNED FOR NEXT 30-60 DAYS In bulleted form:
ANTICIPATED NEEDS OR ISSUES In bulleted form:
FUNDING STATUS
Attachment 2 Sample Workplan The following workplan sections are recommended for all RECOVER-MAP projects. For non-field projects, Sec. III may be modified accordingly.
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U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
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Last updated: 15 January, 2013 @ 12:43 PM(KP)