Place Based Monitoring in Environmental Protection

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Under the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act, compliance monitoring is the means through which water quality information is collected. Such data informs billion dollar decisions regarding infrastructure improvement and replacement. This research investigates place-based monitoring in the specific context of nineteen Iowa surface water-influenced public water systems (PWS). By screening historical water quality data and identifying significant historical contaminants and their occurrence patterns, a place-based monitoring approach (PBA) and event-based temporal sampling strategies were developed and their performance compared to current SDWA requirements. Particularly when few contaminants are of concern in a given PWS, the PBA was found to be significantly more efficient and cost-effective than current SDWA monitoring. Event-based temporal sampling strategies outperformed unbiased temporal strategies in that fewer samples were necessary to accurately estimate worst-case scenario nitrate concentrations. Resources conserved by more cost effective monitoring could be devoted to other existing or emerging issues and contribute to more targeted water system and treatment designs.