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Water: Beaches

National Beach Conference Training

March 15-17, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency, Miami, FL

On Monday, March 14, EPA and its partners presented four training sessions providing
topic-specific training. Training presentations for the first three sessions are listed below.

You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.

Beach Monitoring 101

This is an introductory session on monitoring beaches. This information is useful for new staff or anyone interested in an overview of how the local, state, and federal beach monitoring programs work together. Topics covered include provisions of the BEACH Act, proposed amendments to the Act, and a brief overview of water quality criteria for bacteria, methods for informing the public about beach water quality, and tools available to beach managers, and basic beach monitoring techniques most commonly used. Data management topics will also be covered including how beach monitoring data are used at the local and state level for various water quality programs and an overview of the Data User Corner and Beach Workspace. There will be time for questions throughout the session.

Agenda (PDF) (1 pp, 142K)

Topics

Introduction to Rapid Methods

This is a two part session with a lecture in the morning and a hands-on wet lab in the afternoon. The lecture will introduce concepts of rapid methods such as QPCR and IMS-ATP. The lecture session will provide information in general terms that all conference participants can understand. There will be time for questions during the session.

Agenda (PDF) (1 pp, 10K)

Topics

  • Quantification Using Molecular Methods: Case Studies
    Presenter: Julie Kinzelman
    Presentation (PDF) (54 pp., 1.4MB)
  • QPCR as a Tool for Improved Management of Water Resources
    Presenter: Rachel Noble
    Presentation (PDF) (23 pp., 1.0MB)
  • Overview—Molecular Diagnostics of Water Pollution
    Presenter: Joan Rose
    Presentation (PDF) (40 pp., 9.5MB)

Predictive Tools Forum

This four-hour session on the use of predictive tools at beaches will focus on statistical models and approaches, techniques, advantages, and limitations of their implementation for predicting water quality at beaches. The session will be moderated by Richard Zepp (EPA-ORD) and John Wathen (EPA-OW). The session will include practical aspects of model development targeted at beach managers, challenges and new developments in predictive tools featuring academics and agency workers in the field of predictive tool development and application, Virtual Beach, and other current approaches. There will also be a hands-on presentation of Virtual Beach and other approaches to predictive modeling by USGS and others.

Agenda (PDF) (1 pp, 285K)

Topics

  • Periodic Patterns and Aliasing
    Presenter: Stanley Grant
    Presentation (PDF) (1 pp., 191K)
  • Search for Bias Reduction in MLR
    Presenter: Walter Frick
    Presentation (PDF) (6 pp., 623K)
  • Selection of Independent Variables
    Presenter: Richard Whitman
    Presentation (PDF) (6 pp., 414K)
  • Quantitative Evaluation of Fecal Indicator Bacteria (FIB) Shed by Bathers
    Presenter: Samir Elmir
    Presentation (PDF) (7 pp., 451K)
  • Automatic Data Collection for Beach Applications: Advantages and Challenges
    Presenters: Steven Corsi and Richard Zepp
    Presentation (PDF) (6 pp., 695K)
  • Automated Instrumentation for Obtaining Independent Variables for MLR Models
    Presenter: Richard Zepp
    Presentation (PDF) (4 pp., 464K)
  • Predictive Modeling for Non-point/Complex Sources of Contamination
    Presenter: Zhongfu Ge
    Presentation (PDF) (6 pp., 5.9MB)
  • Modeling for Identifiable vs. Non-point Sources, Complex: Example of Spatially-based Regression Models
    Presenter: Michele Cutrofello
    Presentation (PDF) (8 pp., 1.4MB)
  • Automated Data Retrieval and Processing in Support of Integrated Environmental Modeling
    Presenter: David Rockwell
    Presentation (PDF) (11 pp., 1.6MB)
  • Alternative Predictive Techniques
    Presenter: Stanley Grant
    Presentation (PDF) (6 pp., 362K)
  • Beach Forecasting and Process Model Developments at the NOAA Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health
    Presenter: David Schwab
    Presentation (PDF) (6 pp., 564K)
  • Development of an Integrated Decision Support Tool for Beach Water Quality for Atlantic Coastal Waters
    Presenter: Eric Vowinkel
    Presentation (PDF) (12 pp., 6.3MB)
  • Temporal Synchronization Analysis
    Presenter: Mike Cyterski
    Presentation (PDF) (5 pp., 187K)
  • Lagrangean Coherent Structures (LCSs)
    Presenters: Maria Josefina Olascoaga and Laura Fiorentino
    Presentation (PDF) (7 pp., 4.1K)
  • Challenges and New Developments in Predictive Modeling
    Presenters: Gene Whelan and Marirosa Molina
    Presentation (PDF) (9 pp., 2.8MB)
  • Modeling: qPCR vs. Culturable Cells
    Presenters: Julie Kinzelman and Richard Whitman
    Presentation (PDF) (12 pp., 939K)
  • Model Results from Selected Freshwater and Marine Beaches
    Presenter: Richard Zepp
    Presentation (PDF) (1 pp., 94K)
  • Source Functions and Models Developed through University of Miami OH
    Presenters: Helena Solo-Gabriele, Matthew Phillips, and Zhixuan Feng
    Presentation (PDF) (38 pp., 16.5MB)
  • Sediment Resuspension Potential and Turbidity
    Presenter: Zhongfu Ge
    Presentation (PDF) (5 pp., 772K)
  • Virtual Beach 2 Primary Features
    Presenter: Mike Cyterski
    Presentation (PDF) (12 pp., 468K)
  • Virtual Beach and Other Current Approaches: Statistical Tools for Model Development
    Presenter: Julie Kinzelman
    Presentation (PDF) (9 pp., 485K)
  • Anthropogenic Currents and Shoreline Water Quality in Avalon Bay, California
    Presenter: Stanley Grant
    Presentation (PDF)( (4 pp., 596K)
    (Note: This presentation was prepared but not given at the conference)

Rapid Methods "Hands-on" Lab

This session is aimed for laboratory technicians and beach managers that want a “hands-on” experience working with several different rapid method systems. There will be time for questions during the session.

Agenda (PDF) (1 pp, 141K)

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