Measure Twice, Act Correctly: The Components and Benefits of a Comprehensive Watershed-Wide Monitoring Strategy

Sanitation District No. 1 (SD1) is responsible for the collection and treatment of Northern Kentucky's wastewater as well as regional stormwater management. SD1's service area includes over 30 communities and unincorporated portions of Campbell, Kenton and Boone counties. SD1 has entered into a Consent Decree with state and federal environmental regulators to address water quality in local watersheds. In response to the Consent Decree, SD1 has developed adaptive Watershed Plans that consider watershed characteristics, including assessments of water quality, biological, physical habitat and hydrologic conditions in and around local streams, in the identification of impaired watersheds and prioritization of locations for control alternatives. This paper describes the comprehensive monitoring program SD1 implemented to inform the Watershed Plans and describes the benefits of investment in a robust data collection effort.