WATERSHED STUDIES

Watershed studies services provided by Taylor Associates, Inc. include environmental monitoring program design and implementation, sample collection, data analysis, and report preparation on a drainage basin or subbasin scale. Our expertise and experience covers all aspects of water resource monitoring and analysis including hydrology, water quality, and freshwater or marine biota (for example, habitat surveys, BIBI, and plankton assessments).

At the onset of a project, Taylor Associates, Inc. staff work closely with the client to refine and articulate project objectives then design a study, assessment, or monitoring program to meet these objectives. The planning and design process culminates in the production of a scope of work and quality assurance project plan which lays out project objectives, roles and responsibilities, methods of data collection and analysis, and final products to be delivered to the client.

Program implementation involves installation of flow, water quality, and/or biota monitoring equipment in a variety of natural or constructed conveyance systems. Data management and analysis can include using large digital data sets for flow and rainfall information; reviewing and interpreting data from analytical laboratories; and organizing and manipulating stream flow, physical habitat/channel quality, habitat type, BIBI, and fish population data sets. Data are reduced, summarized, and analyzed with respect to the objectives and protocols set forth in the project scope. This analysis may include comparison of results from multiple data sources or historical data sets to provide ecological assessments, define regulatory implications, and/or identify potential impacts. In the end a final report is produced which presents data in a clear and concise format, discusses the results relative to the program objectives, and provides recommendations for future monitoring activities or other actions as appropriate.

Taylor Associates, Inc. has provided these services for a wide range of projects in Western Washington. Three recent example projects include the East Fork Hylebos study, Kent ambient monitoring program, and Green River water quality assessment.

>> back to Home Page