Fish Seining in Salt Lick Creek, Marion County
Standard operating procedure (SOP) manuals are very important tools used at the Division of Water (DOW) to describe specific methods employed in all aspects of water quality monitoring.
Please note that these procedures were developed for use in state monitoring programs. The use of these SOPs by outside agencies or organizations should be coordinated with a DOW biologist to ensure that the correct application of these protocols and templates is performed.
The DOW is in the process of revising most of its SOPs for monitoring surface water and biological monitoring. The most current SOPs are listed in the table below, with links provided to the document. Documents listed but not linked are in review. If a procedure is not listed in the table, then it is found in one of the historic SOPs listed after the table.
Contact Lisa Hicks at lisa.hicks@ky.gov to identify the most current document to use for the procedure you are performing.
The following table lists the most current SOPs used in biological, chemical and habitat monitoring.
If a procedure or method is not found in the table of current SOPs, then the use of the historic SOPs listed below may be appropriate.
2008 Methods for Assessing Biological Integrity of Surface Waters in Kentucky -- This file includes the main document and the appendices.
2002 Methods for Assessing Biological Integrity of Surface Waters in Kentucky
The Kentucky Index of Biotic Integrity (KIBI) -- This document outlines a multimetric index that uses fish as the bioindicator for assessing stream health. Following the sampling protocol outlined in the fish monitoring SOPs, the KIBI provides a numerical value and corresponding narrative classification for headwater and wadeable streams. An Excel KIBI template has been developed to simplify the calculation process. An overview of the KIBI document and template is also available in a Microsoft Word format.
The Kentucky Macroinvertebrate Bioassessment Index (MBI) -- This is the document referenced in the water quality standards regulations and is used to make macroinvertebrate assessments statewide. The four MBI templates are multimetric indices that use macroinvetebrates as a bioindicator for stream health. Each template includes a description of how to use the metric included on the spreadsheet.
A Macroinvertebrate Bioassessment Index (MBI) for Headwater Streams of the Eastern Coalfield Region, Kentucky -- This document delineates the methods DOW uses to assess streams for macroinvertebrates in the Eastern Kentucky coalfield region.
Kentucky Ambient/Watershed Water Quality Monitoring Standard Operating Procedure Manual -- This manual describes how water samples are collected, preserved and delivered to a laboratory for analysis.
For More Information Contact:
Lisa Hicks
Division of Water
200 Fair Oaks Lane
Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone: 502-564-3410 ext. 4946
Fax: 502-564-9636
E-mail: lisa.hicks@ky.gov
