Appendix D:

QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY FOR EXISTING BIOSURVEY DATA AND BIOASSESSMENT INFORMATION

Ecological expertise and knowledge of the aquatic ecosystems of a state can reside in agencies and academic institutions other than the water resource agency. This expertise and historical knowledge can be valuable in problem screening, identifying sensitive areas, and prioritizing watershed-based investigations. Much of this expertise is derived from biological survey data bases that are generally available for specific surface waters in a state. A systematic method to compile and summarize this information is valuable to a state water resource agency.

The questionnaire survey approach presented here is modified from the methods outlined in the original RBP IV (Plafkin et al. 1989) and is applicable to various types of biological data. The purpose of this questionnaire survey is to compile and document historical/existing knowledge of stream physical habitat characteristics and information on the periphyton, macroinvertebrate, and fish assemblages.

The template questionnaire is divided into 2 major sections: the first portion is modeled after RBP IV and serves as a screening assessment; the second portion is designed to query state program managers, technical experts, and researchers regarding existing biosurvey and/or bioassessment data. This approach can provide a low cost qualitative screening assessment (Section 1) of a large number of waterbodies in a relative short period. The questionnaire can also prevent a duplication of effort (e.g., investigating a waterbody that has already been adequately characterized) by polling the applicable experts for available existing information (Section 2).

The quality of the information obtained from this approach depends on survey design (e.g., number and location of waterbodies), the questions presented, and the knowledge and cooperation of the respondents. The potential respondent (e.g., agency chief, program manager, professor) should be contacted initially by telephone to specifically identify appropriate respondents. To ensure maximum response, the questionnaire should be sent at times other than the peak of the field season and/or the beginning or end of the fiscal year. The inclusion of a self-addressed, stamped envelope should also increase the response rate. A personalized cover letter (including official stationary, titles, and signatures) should accompany each questionnaire. As a follow-up to mailings, telephone contact may be necessary.

Historical data may be limited in coverage and varied in content on a statewide basis, but be more comprehensive in coverage and content for specific watersheds. A clearly stated purpose of the survey will greatly facilitate evaluation of data from reaches that are dissimilar in characteristics. The identification of data gaps will be critical in either case. Regardless of the purpose, minimally impaired reference reaches may be selected to serve as benchmarks for comparison. The definition of minimal impairment varies from region to region. However, it includes those waters that are generally free of point source discharges, channel modifications, and/or diversions, and have diverse habitats, complex substrates, considerable instream cover and a wide buffer of riparian vegetation. Selection of specific reaches for consideration (e.g., range and extent) in the questionnaire survey is ultimately dependent on program objectives and is at the discretion of the surveyor. The questionnaire approach and the following template form allows considerable flexibility. Results can be reported as histograms, pie graphs, or box plots.

Questionnaire design and responses should address, when possible, the:

• extent of waterbody or watershed surveyed
• condition of the periphyton, macroinvertebrate and/or fish assemblage
• quality of available physical habitat
• frequency of occurrence of particular factors/causes limiting the biological condition
• effect of waterbody type and size on the spatial and temporal trends, if known
• likelihood of improvement or degradation based on known land use patterns or mitigation efforts

Forms:

Section 1. Screening Assessment

Bioassessment/Biosurvey Questionnaire

Physicochemical

Biology/Habitat (a)

Biology/Habitat (b)

Summary and Section 2. Availability of Data