MARYLAND WATER MONITORING COUNCIL

by Emery T. Cleaves
Chairman, MWMC and Director, Maryland Geological Survey

What are we?

The Maryland Water Monitoring Council (MWMC) fosters collaboration among groups involved in water monitoring activities state agencies, local governments, federal agencies, volunteer monitoring organizations, consultants and industry, academia, and intergovernmental organizations. Our purpose aims at helping achieve effective collection, interpretation and dissemination of environmental data and information related to issues, policies and resource management involving water monitoring. Our domain covers ground and surface waters, freshwater, estuarine and marine environment, and associated watershed resources. We have four goals: (1) provide a forum for effective communication, cooperation and collaboration among organizations involved in monitoring; (2) promote the development of collaborative watershed-based monitoring strategies; (3) document monitoring activities in Maryland; (4) promote the use of quality assured procedures for sample collection analytical methods, assessment and data management.

How do we do this?

The efforts of the Council are directed by a twenty-one member Board of Directors appointed by the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The Board membership comprises representatives from four state agencies, four local governments, two federal agencies, two volunteer environmental groups, two academia, one intergovernmental organization, two consultants and industry, and four at-large members. The Council is set of bylaws sponsored by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and operates under a charter and a set of bylaws. The Council operates through five standing committees: Planning, Monitoring, Methods, Indicators, Data Management, and Assessment and Reporting (Figure 1). As interest dictates, the Board may form ad hoc committees, and two are currently functioning: Small Watershed Studies Work Group and a Stream Gaging Work Group.

Achievements to date

Our annual meetings provide the major mechanism for statewide outreach communication. Attendance aty our four annual meetings to date has varied between 140 to 155 participants. The meetings are built around themes such as "Making Connections" and "Watershed Assessments: New Directions -- Cleaner Water." Technical papers, poster sessions, and committee and work groups' reports spark robust communication which enhances coordination and collaboration among the many attendees and groups.

The committees meet throughout the year and overall have a core participation of 50 to 70 people. Accomplishments include collaboration with Anne Arundel County Office of Planning and Code Enforcement to develop an integrated county-wide monitoring program; a Directory of Monitoring Programs has been completed; a workshop on "Maryland Gaging Station Network" drew 65 attendees and led to the formation of the ad hoc Stream Gaging Work Group. Group. That same workshop resulted in formation of the ad hoc Small Watershed Studies Work. A workshop on "Reference Conditions -- Surface Water Quality" attracted 110 participants and spawned a follow on workshop on "Use of Reference Conditions in Biological Assessments and Stream Channel Classifications/Restorations."

Two workshops are scheduled for calendar yen 1999: Small Watershed Water Quality Sampling Program Design; Habitat Assessment in the Coastal Plain; and three more are in the planning stage.

How did the Council come about?

Our success had a very small beginning. During a meeting of the Intergovernmental Task Force on Water Quality Monitoring (ITFM), Chuck Kanetsky (USEPA Region III), George Harmon (Maryland Department of the Environment) and I met, and over lunch we talked about the need for a state ITFM. Water monitoring activities had been an activity in Maryland for many years. There was some communication between the various water monitoring groups, but there was no structured process of coordination and collaboration. We agreeed to meet again; and did so in January 1995; the key question -- Did the various monitoring organizations perceive a need for a structured process of coordination and collaboration? To answer this question, we brought together 18 people we knew from various state and county monitoring groups; and the consensus was unanimous! From this group, we organized a Steering Committee. And, through a series of meetings in the spring and summer and fall of 1995, formed the outline for a Maryland Water Monitoring Council.

The fundamental questions was, is there really statewide support for such a group? The committee decided the best way to determine the need was to convene a conference. The key goals of the conference were to: (1) establish a consensus on the need for an organization; (2) develop a concept for its structure (boards, committees); (3) obtain comments on a draft purpose and goals statement, and (4) elicit support in the form of volunteered staff time for the committees.

Prior to the organizational conference, the Steering Committee identified a series of key issues. First, for the Council to be successful it seemed necessary to have a home base. The Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources agreed to be the sponsor. This sponsorship carried with it a commitment to provide staff support which was a second major issue of concern to the Steering Committee. Third, non-state members of the Steering Committee insisted that the Council must be truly collaborative and cooperative -- communications should move between all interested parties with no one group dictating to the other. This concept was fully imbedded in the Council's charter!

On November 16, 1995, 153 participants representing a broad spectrum of the Maryland water monitoring community met. They agreed on the need for a Water Monitoring Council. A draft charter defining the organiztional structure, purpose and goals of the Council was accepted by the attendees. Over 50 individuals signed up to work on the Council's committees. The Council was on its way!

Table 1.
Standing Committees and Their Focus

HomeReturn to the Reference Materials Page