The Value of Monitoring
Wanda Lawson, PE
Stantec Consulting Services, Inc.
Louisville, KY
Monitoring of mitigation projects has been performed for decades, but the data collected may not show what you are expecting. You may spend significant time and resources for a low return on investment. Over the years, many of us have experienced difficulty in determining the best parameters or density to measure the performance of a mitigation site and represent the true value of the restoration. The difficulty in translating chosen measurements to project success or value include many possibilities such as: 1. lack of history or understanding of project/design constraints, 2. potential collection bias/observer preferences, 3. equipment limitations or accuracy, 4. percentage differences amplified on smaller features, and 5. regulatory interpretation.
We continue to add more monitoring parameters, try measuring new parameters, and even adjust methods or parameters for data collection to try to accurately represent the performance or success. However, some of the results still seem difficult to interpret or align with what is actually on the ground. In the past, data collection was often led by project designers with a crew that used elementary survey methods. Over time, the trend has been to rely more on technicians or junior staff with sophisticated GPS survey equipment and even drone imagery or videos obtained from a third party unrelated to the design. While these changes add a level of efficiency, they also come with disadvantages that include potential loss of data quality, disconnection of designers from post-construction site data, and lost opportunities for lessons learned and mentoring.
An alternative approach that shifts the focus from heavy data collection to more comparative observation, identifying patterns, and learning/training can elevate monitoring to a more valuable role in the review and design of natural systems. By observing the functions, patterns, and habitat on-site, instead of a heavy quantitative approach, practitioners can shift their focus from data acquisition to studying the forms and processes of the restoration site. By shifting the focus to observation and learning, the true value of monitoring can be realized, which is improving restoration projects and transferring knowledge and skills to develop the next generation of ecosystem designers.
About Wanda Lawson, PE
Wanda Lawson, PE is a principal and Technical Lead in Kentucky for Restoration Design with Stantec Consulting and specializes in stream and river restoration. Wanda has over twenty years of experience in assessment, design, construction, and monitoring of streams, rivers and wetlands associated with restoration, mitigation, and remediation projects.