Weather Tracking. This sub-task involves all work related to providing weather updates to the Partnership with daily written forecasts during the business week and unlimited 24-hour, 7-day per week phone consultation, on request. A specialized weather forecasting consulting firm will be contracted to provide primary forecasting services. Consulting Team will provide forecast information in the form of daily weekday written forecasts and business hour phone communication or pre-arranged after-hour support. As candidate storm events are identified, Consulting Team will notify field crews and consult the Partnership as necessary. Study Coordination Consulting Team will maintain contact with all key field staff for each study including the CMP river monitoring crew and the Citrus Heights LID Proposition 84 Grant Study. Field crews will be updated, as necessary, according to the Partnership “storm action levels” which specify readiness and mobilization status. Consulting Team will present monitoring options to the Partnership with regard to storm selection and event timing as forecasts develop. The Partnership “storm contact” will provide feedback on whether to mobilize for a storm event or in scheduling dry weather events. Consulting Team will assist in the activities of the CMP to provide support for collection of American and Sacramento River samples during up to three wet weather monitoring events and one dry weather event. Consulting Team will confirm that sample analysis includes Table B of the Monitoring and Reporting Program (MRP). CMP staff will collect river samples. If requested, Consulting Team will make all necessary arrangements to ensure that such samples are collected by CMP staff, including labeling and delivering sample bottles, preparing chain of custody forms, and ensuring sample delivery to the analytical laboratories. CMP analytical costs are not included in this agreement, and will be billed directly to the Partnership by the CMP. Urban tributary and river sampling will be coordinated to the extent possible.
Weather Tracking. Each of the selected receiving water will be monitored during dry and wet periods. Dry periods are defined as at least two weeks without 0.25” (0.6cm) of rain, and wet period samples will be taken within 24 hours of a 0.25” (0.6cm) rainfall. Each receiving water monitoring site will be monitored during different flow periods, focusing on at least one dry event and one wet event. The TAC will assist 5 Gyres staff and project partners with definitions and developing different flow regimen categories. During wet period sampling, sampling throughout at least one small storm event will be carried out at each site. The purpose of sampling throughout an entire storm event is to understand how trash works in general in river/creek systems. Details specific to each water body included in the project will also be described and such sampling will assist with better understanding how trash flows through specific watersheds. This data will be used to understand which time periods in a storm may be most important for trash mobilization. If these details are determined, subsamples of additional storm events will be carried out. This sampling will not only help better understand first flush during storms, specifically smaller events, but how trash moves throughout a storm system. Weather forecast information, available on NOAA’s National Weather Service website will be used to predict weather patterns throughout the project. The National Doppler Radar and Mesonet data generated by environmental monitoring stations will specifically provide precipitation data.
