Project Specifics

The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) awarded Geosyntec a multi-year contract to collect surface water samples at six urban stream and eight large river ambient water quality monitoring stations to characterize baseflow and wet weather water quality conditions. As part of MSD’s compliance monitoring and combined sewer overflow (CSO) remediation programs, Geosyntec collects monthly samples per station that includes both baseflow and storm flow conditions. In addition to the ongoing water quality monitoring effort, Geosyntec has developed a water quality database to store new and existing water quality data that will allow analyzing these data for trends and to identify any potential regulatory issues.

Geosyntec Scope of Services

As part of ongoing CSO control efforts, Geosyntec is sampling urban stream and Missouri and Mississippi River locations within the MSD jurisdictional area using equal width increment and depth-integrated sampling procedures. The Missouri and Mississippi Rivers are sampled using Geosyntec’s 24-foot Sea Ark boat equipped with a boom and winch to safely sample under sometimes rigorous field conditions. Both dry and wet weather sampling is performed to help characterize the influence of St. Louis discharges and stormwater on receiving water quality. River/stream discharge measurements are recorded from nearby USGS gauging stations or in the case of some of the large river sites, measured directly using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP). Due to the very low metals detection limits required for this project, we are using “Clean Sampling” techniques for trace elements according to U.S. EPA Method 1669 procedures.

As part of our data management services, Geosyntec has created a water quality database designed to maximize the quality and value of new plus historical water quality data. Our database conforms to practices developed by the Methods and Data Comparability Board of the National Water Quality Monitoring Council (NWQMC), which promote informed decision making.

Notable Accomplishments

Using our database and extensive regulatory experience, Geosyntec’s water quality monitoring services continue to provide MSD with data analysis and regulatory support services. Geosyntec’s use of effective data management combined with our water quality expertise allows us to identify any trends or potential current and future regulatory issues.

What is a Quick Qual?