Program Resources

With nearly a million miles of streams and rivers in Alaska, the lack of baseline water quality information—especially in populated regions such as Southcentral Alaska, home to the vast majority of Alaskans—may result in an inability to provide adequate oversight on future development. In response to this gap in knowledge, Cook Inletkeeper’s volunteer water quality monitoring began in 1996 with the formation of the Citizens’ Environmental Monitoring Program, known to many by its acronym—CEMP. The Citizens’ Environmental Monitoring Program, the first of its kind in Alaska, is designed to meet the need for baseline water quality data for local watersheds around South central Alaska. Baseline data collection is the primary aim of the CEMP model.

On this page you will find more background on the details of our CEMP, as well as important documents that we use to guide us in our efforts.  For more details on Inletkeeper's citizen-based monitoring efforts, please contact Rachel at rachel@inletkeeper.org or 907.235.4068 x29.

Baseline Water Quality

As we complete baseline data collection for a given stream, we create a baseline water quality report to compile watershed-specific information. Within these pages you will find background on the CEMP methods and quality assurance measures, GIS analyses of the individual watershed, and the water quality data we’ve collected through the years. Finally, each report provides suggestions for future monitoring efforts. It is our intention that these reports will become a comprehensive baseline water quality library which will provide landowners, city councils, developers, and communities with valuable information for responsible decision-making.

What are Baseline Data?

A baseline is defined as historical or reference information from which new data can be measured or compared. The Citizens’ Environmental Monitoring Program collects baseline water quality data to better understand our current environment in a changing world. Population growth, increased development, and climate change are some of the catalysts for change which can alter the quality of our waterbodies. By collecting baseline data, we can track those changes and make better decisions to protect water quality for future generations. We use the following as guidelines for defining a baseline dataset:

• 5+ years of data with at least 80 site visits
• At least 40 site visits during summer months
• At least 5 site visits during every month of the year that the site was monitored
• 3 years of continuous temperature monitoring (at select sites)
• 6 bioassessment sampling events over at least 3 years (at select sites)

These guidelines for a baseline dataset come from a statistical analysis report on the CEMP, released in 2003.  This report found that CEMP is meeting the goals and standards set for state-wide and national monitoring programs, and that there is enough citizen-collected data to provide information to help understand and protect water quality.  You can read the 2003 effectiveness report here.

Quality Assurance

To ensure adequate quality assurance oversight and consistency of volunteer-collected data, Inletkeeper staff follow the Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for its CEMP.  The QAPP has been reviewed and approved by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the project's Technical Advisory Committee.  We use a Field Procedure Manual and Standard Operating Procedures for all field and lab methods and for data management.

In accordance with the Quality Assurance Project Plan, many quality assurance and quality control measures were taken to confirm the volunteer collected data (CIK 2002).  These measures include:

• Training: Volunteers are required to complete Phase I through III of training to be eligible to collect data for CEMP. Phase I is an introduction to the watershed concept and monitoring procedures.  Phase II is designed to teach the volunteers to use the monitoring kits and equipment.  This phase involves both laboratory and field training.  Phase III is an on-site training at stream sites.  Volunteers may begin monitoring on their own after successful completion of Phases I-III.  Volunteer monitors must also attend an annual re-certification (Phase IV) training where they analyze blind performance evaluation standards and review monitoring procedures.  Volunteers must complete a separate training in order to participate in biological monitoring.  Trainings are offered once a year by the Outreach and Monitoring Coordinator, who has been trained by University of Alaska Anchorage Environmental and Natural Resources Institute certified trainers.

• Data Quality Objectives: Volunteer monitors performed analysis on duplicate samples during each site visit.  Replicate measurements are also taken for samples analyzed in the lab.  Measurements must meet predetermined data quality objectives for sensitivity, precision, and accuracy.  The Outreach & Monitoring Coordinator heads into the field for side-by-side samplings at 10-20% of the sites every year.  Split samples are also collected at 10-20% of the active sites per year - these are sent to a state-certified lab for analysis to compare to volunteer-collected results.  Data quality objectives for Inletkeeper's CEMP conform with those of the CEMP Partnership, and can be found here.

CEMP Documents

Volunteer Training Manual, 2009

Inletkeeper Training Presentation, 2010

Volunteer Field Procedures Manual, 2011

Water Quality Data Collection Datasheet, 2011

CEMP Effectiveness Report, 2003

All Annual CEMP Reports, Baseline Reports, and other CEMP publications can be found here.