FAST PROGRAM

ORCA’s Map-A-Mile Project
Using ORCA’s proven technology to identify polluted areas of our waters, we are embarking on a ground-breaking initiative to make pollution visible by mapping areas of pollution in an easy to understand, color gradient map, similar to a weather map.  ORCA’s pollution gradient map is a unique, visual conservation tool that will transform our ability to inform and educate communities about the condition of their local aquatic ecosystems and help the public, community leaders and elected officials make informed decisions on protecting and restoring critical water habitats. 

This past summer, ORCA Research Scientists and Field Technicians worked closely with interns to collect and process sediment and water samples in the Central Vero Beach portion of the Indian River Lagoon.  Sediment samples were analyzed with ORCA’s Fast Assessment of Sediment Toxicity (FAST) procedures, an analysis of total toxicity and sediment particle size, and included additional analysis for nitrogen, phosphorus and total organic carbon.  Tissue samples from Eastern Oysters, Crassostrea virginica, were also collected at many of the sites and analyzed for total toxicity as well as a number of individual pollutants. Results of the sediment and tissue analyses bring us closer to visualizing the effects of non point source pollution on the lagoon. This pilot project was partially funded by Indian River Impact 100 and an anonymous donor.

Fast Assessment of Sediment Toxicity Program™
ORCA is the nation’s first nonprofit marine conservation organization dedicated to developing “in-the-water” technologies that will provide the data resolution required for science-based conservation to succeed. No other marine conservation organization is working to improve marine habitat by focusing on developing technologies and conservation strategies to identify and eliminate problems in the water.

Sediment toxins remain a significant and unmeasured component of the health of the ecosystem. In response, ORCA has developed the Fast Assessment of Sediment Toxicity (FAST) program. FAST is a “canary in a coal mine” method to assess relative toxicity of sediment samples using broad-spectrum toxicity tests. In essence, FAST quickly identifies pollution sinks in aquatic environments. On its own this information will identify regions of high toxicity, but will not indicate the source of the pollution. To meet that challenge, ORCA has developed a low-cost marine ecosystem monitoring network called the ORCA Kilroy, which uses state-of-the-art sensors to continuously measure an array of water quality parameters- speed, direction, temperature, salinity, depth, turbidity and prevalence of key micro-organisms- streaming that data via cellular signals and web-based interfaces twenty-four hours per day. Kilroy uses 21st century technology to provide instantaneous data, enabling conservation and enforcement managers with the critical information they need to achieve their mission of healthy coastal environments.

Combined, FAST identifies sinks and Kilroy identifies sources. ORCA’s goal with FAST and Kilroy is to create a web-based pollution gradient map that uses data provided by FAST to provide a color illustration of toxic sediments along the coastal and freshwater habitats (similar to satellite images of sea surface temperature) and overlay that information with Kilroy data to indicate pollution sources. We believe this level of information, displayed on an easy-to-understand web-based map will empower local stakeholders to resolve the pollution issues in their backyard. Similar to an Adopt-A-Highway program, ORCA’s FAST sampling sites and Kilroy networks can be set up along an entire watershed to collect data on every input source and, for the first time, provide the information needed for each community to enforce the Clean Water Act, provide a real-time measure of pollution, and measure the effectiveness of pollution mitigation.

Initial development of the FAST program was funded through a grant from the Springbank Foundation. With these funds ORCA was able to hire Dr. Beth Falls to direct the FAST Program. Springbank’s vision and support has attracted additional program sponsors. St. Lucie County Mosquito Control District funded a proof of concept grant, the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties awarded ORCA a two year grant to develop a pollution gradient map of the Indian River Lagoon, and Strategic Diagnostics, the maker of one of the toxicity assays used in the FAST program, provided an in-kind donation of supplies to complete standardization and collection protocols.

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