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Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study Documents, Data and Maps

Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study Documents, Data and Maps

Latest reports

Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study: Final Study Report (6,781 Kb File)
This final study report summarizes freshwater (groundwater and surface water) inputs to Quartermaster Harbor, marine water quality and sources of nitrogen. It also provides recommendations for future studies to address management challenges.

Quartermaster Harbor Marine Water Quality Data Report 2007-2011 (17,502 Kb File)
This report presents the marine water quality monitoring data collected as part of the Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study and provides an overview of the findings. Quartermaster Harbor is a biologically-driven system with phytoplankton dynamics having a considerable influence on nutrient and DO levels.

Vashon-Maury Island Water Resources - A Retrospective of Contributions & Highlights (9,101 Kb File)
This report summarizes precipitation, stream flow and groundwater monitoring results and activities on the Island since the 1980‘s. In addition, a section is dedicated to summarizing key challenges in moving forward with maintaining the water resources on the Island.

Documents

Hydrodynamic Model Report: Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study (4,757 Kb File)
This report describes the development of a hydrodynamic model. The model predicts instantaneous flushing times for the inner harbor that vary from 20 to over 100 days.

Nearshore Freshwater Inflows Assessment (1187 Kb Acrobat File)
The Nearshore Freshwater Inputs Assessment was conducted to identify small previously unmonitored streams and pipes discharging to Quartermaster Harbor that might have relatively high nitrate concentrations.

Quartermaster Harbor Benthic Flux Study (3210 Kb File)
The report documents the results of an in situ study of nutrient fluxes from the sediments in Quartermaster Harbor.

Mileta Creek Nitrogen Source Tracking Study (1001 Kb Acrobat File)
This report was conducted to identify locations on Mileta Creek where nitrate concentration become elevated in winter.

Nutrient Loading to Quartermaster Harbor (1011 Kb Acrobat File)
This report documents available data sources and methods that were used to develop initial estimates of nutrient loading to Quartermaster Harbor from the atmosphere, tributary streams, nearshore septic systems, submarine groundwater, and harbor sediments.

Nearshore Freshwater Assessment QAPP (1,066 Kb Acrobat File)
This Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) overall goal is to assess the nitrogen concentrations of surface inflows of freshwater into Quartermaster Harbor.

Benthic flux QAPP (4,322 Kb Acrobat File)
This Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) overall goal is to measure benthic fluxes of dissolved oxygen and nutrients in situ in Quartermaster Harbor during critical conditions for dissolved oxygen in Quartermaster Harbor for use in water quality model calibration and testing.

Mileta Creek QAPP (1,155 Kb Acrobat File)
This study is designed to identify locations on Mileta Creek where nitrate concentrations become elevated in winter. The expected outcome of the Mileta Creek nitrogen source tracing study is a better understanding of the location and potential causes of elevated winter nitrate concentrations.

Modeling QAPP (448 Kb Acrobat File)
The Modeling Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) overall goal is to determine how nitrogen from a variety of sources affects dissolved oxygen levels in Quartermaster Harbor. This Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study report outlines the general approach to this modeling effort and the model selection process.

Marine Hydrodynamic Study QAPP (1348 Kb Acrobat File)
The Quartermaster Harbor Marine Hydrodynamic Study Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) outlines how this study will collect profiles of current velocity and direction in Quartermaster Harbor over a complete lunar tidal cycle during critical conditions in Quartermaster Harbor for hydrodynamic model calibration and testing.

QMH Nitrogen Management Study 2009 QAPP (1748 Kb Acrobat File)
The Quartermaster Harbor (QMH) Nitrogen Management Study Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) provides an overall of all project activities 2009-2012. This study will be monitoring precipitation, stream gauging, water quality and water quantity data within the Quartermaster Harbor drainage area to assess potential impacts to the harbor. Approved by US EPA in May 2009.

Data

Marine Water

King County is actively monitoring several marine moorings within Quartermaster Harbor.
This data can now be viewed and downloaded. Quick view 24-hour and 7-day charts are also available for each mooring.

University of Washington-Tacoma Researchers are sampling numerous stations within Quartermaster Harbor for this study. This work builds upon data collected over the last few years by this team.

Washington State Department of Ecology conduct marine water quality monitoring at a number of stations in Puget Sound, including Quartermaster Harbor.

Surface Water

King County collects surface water data around Vashon-Maury Island. Judd and Fisher Creeks are two surface water sites that are monitored continuously for flow.

Groundwater

King County collects groundwater data around Vashon-Maury Island.

Maps

Study Area of the Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study

Presentations and Posters

2011

2011 Salish Sea Conference QMH Presentation (2,550 Kb file) of the Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study given at the Salish Sea Conference on October 25, 2011.

2011 Salish Sea Conference QMH Presentation (2,465 Kb file) of Water Properties in Quartermaster Harbor Focus on Nitrogen, Oxygen & Phytoplankton. Talk given at the Salish Sea Conference in October 2011.

QMH Phytoplankton Poster done by University of Washington - Tacoma staff of Spatial and Temporal Trends in Quartermaster Harbor Phytoplankton presented at the Salish Sea Conference in October 2011.

Vashon 2011 HS Presentation (7,790 Kb file) of the Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study given at the Vashon High School on October 12, 2011.

2010

Vashon 2010 HS Presentation - part 1 (4,357 Kb file) of the Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study given at the Vashon High School on October 6, 2010.

Vashon 2010 HS Presentation - part 2 (5,086 Kb file) University of Washington-Tacoma Researchers portion of the presentation

Animations from the 2010 presentations:
Underwater video of Benthic flux chamber (74,727 Kb file)
Model simulations of flow in Quartermaster Harbor (2,633 Kb file).

Care to join us?

Project updates and documents are presented regularly at the VMI GW Protection committee meetings. Groundwater Protection Committee meetings are open to the public and held quarterly on the 4th Wednesday of the month (Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct).

» Return to Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study page

This page is produced by the King County Groundwater Protection Program. To learn more about this group and its responsibilities, please read about the Groundwater Protection Program.

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