ARC Services 
- Regulatory Assistance
- Monitoring Program Planning
- Watershed-Scale Project Planning
- Work Group Coordination and Facilitation
- Data Analysis, Management and Reporting
- Mass Loading Modeling/Calculations
- Watershed Assessment and TMDL Analyses
- Atmospheric Deposition Studies
- Water and Sediment Quality Monitoring
- Treatment Control Technology Assessment
Regulatory Assistance
Armand Ruby Consulting assists clients with all aspects of regulatory compliance, including:
- tracking of developing regulations
- participation at public hearings
- presentation of oral comments
- development of written comments
- permit and TMDL negotiations
- interpretation/analysis of regulatory requirements, including permits, Basin Plan amendments, TMDLs, and statewide regulations
AB 982 PAG: Armand serves as the alternate representative for municipal stormwater agencies as a member of the Public Advisory Group to the State Water Resources Control Board for implementation of AB 982, involving recommendations for development of the Statewide Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) and the state's policies for implementation of Clean Water Act Section 303(d). Visit AB 982 Website
Monitoring Program Planning
Armand Ruby has planned monitoring programs for stormwater and wastewater discharges, freshwater and saltwater surface waters, groundwater, and treatment technology effectiveness studies. Some examples include:
- Calleguas Creek Characterization Study
- Ventura Countywide Stormwater Monitoring Program
- San Bernardino Countywide Stormwater Monitoring Program
- Sacramento Stormwater Discharge Characterization Monitoring
- Massachusetts Acid Rain Monitoring Project
Armand also was the consultant project manager and a principal author of the Caltrans Guidance Manual: Stormwater Monitoring Protocols, which establishes uniform policies and procedures for the stormwater monitoring functions of Caltrans. The manuals present guidance for Caltrans and contractors to use in the planning and implementation of stormwater monitoring programs. View Manual (10MB PDF)
Watershed-Scale Project Planning
Armand has contributed to a number of watershed-scale planning projects, including leading roles in the following recent efforts:
- Clean Estuary Partnership (CEP) Urban Creeks Monitoring Plan
Working with the Clean Estuary Partnership's Diazinon/Toxicity Work Group, Armand developed a regional urban creeks monitoring plan to support implementation of the Water Quality Attainment Strategy for Diazinon and Pesticide-Related Toxicity in Bay Area Urban Creeks, and oversaw implementation of same in 2005. View Plan (273K PDF) - San Francisquito Creek Long Term Monitoring and Assessment Plan
Working with a group of local stakeholders, Armand co-authored (with Geoff Brosseau) a comprehensive plan to monitor and assess the physical, hydrological, chemical, biological and social attributes of the SF Creek watershed. View Plan (12.7MB PDF) - Yolo Bypass Water Quality Monitoring Plan
Under a CalFed grant to develop a comprehensive plan for water quality management in the Yolo Bypass, Armand oversaw the design and implementation of a watershed-wide monitoring program and QAPP, including chemistry and toxicity monitoring in surface waters and sediment. View QAPP (1.6MB PDF)
Work Group Coordination and Facilitation
Armand Ruby Consulting provides coordination and facilitation services for working groups and professional meetings. Armand's experience in this area includes:
- Clean Estuary Partnership, Diazinon/Toxicity Work Group
Armand coordinated and facilitated the CEP's Diazinon/Toxicity Work Group, supporting implementation of the Water Quality Attainment Strategy for Diazinon and Pesticide-Related Toxicity in Bay Area Urban Creeks. Visit CEP Website; View Publications - Yolo Bypass Water Quality Management Plan
Armand organized, facilitated and coordinated a stakeholder advisory group (SAG) for a CalFed grant-funded project to develop a comprehensive water quality management plan for the Yolo Bypass. View Plan - Acid Rain Monitoring Project – Statewide Coordinator
As Statewide Coordinator and Co-principal Investigator, Armand managed a statewide, multi-year surface water quality research project in Massachusetts. This project involved coordinating a statewide network of over 1000 monitoring volunteers and 75 local laboratories. View Report (3.8MB PDF)
Data Analysis, Management and Reporting
Armand Ruby Consulting consistently produces insightful analyses of monitoring data, and packages the results into clear, readable reports. The goal is to help clients make beneficial use of their investments in water quality monitoring. Recent examples include the following projects:
- Analysis of Bay Area Urban Creeks Monitoring
Armand developed a regional urban creeks monitoring plan for the Clean Estuary Partnership's Diazinon/Toxicity Work Group, and oversaw its implementation in 2005. Armand analyzed the monitoring data, including water and sediment chemistry and toxicity testing results, and produced a comprehensive report with interpretive analysis and recommendations for future monitoring. View Report (2.3MB PDF) - Caltrans Discharge Characterization Study
Armand directed a comprehensive analysis of the Caltrans statewide discharge characterization data set. The report includes an overview of Caltrans stormwater characterization activities, descriptions of the methods used to produce and evaluate the data, summaries of the results of the characterization monitoring and data analysis, and discussion of findings pertinent to management of stormwater runoff from transportation facilities. View Report (18.3MB PDF) - Caltrans Data Management Process
Armand oversaw the development of the Caltrans data management process, including the creation of a statewide, GIS-based water quality database for Caltrans stormwater runoff monitoring data, with user-friendly interface and interactive data query screen. Visit Caltrans Website
Mass Loading Modeling/Calculations
Armand Ruby is an innovator in statistical analysis of monitoring data, including the difficult task of estimating mass loadings from stormwater runoff discharges, which are both intermittent and highly variable. The following project is a recent example of these capabilities:
- Sacramento Urban Runoff Discharge Characterization
Armand developed a detailed statistical characterization of runoff discharges, including regression equations to relate runoff quality to hydrological factors, coupled with continuous simulation modeling to produce mass loadings from urban runoff discharges. Results are separated by wet and dry weather, urban drainage area, and major receiving water destination. View Report (4MB PDF)
Watershed Assessment and TMDL Analyses
In recent years Armand has been active in conducting watershed-wide assessments and analyses related to development and implementation of TMDLs. Examples include:
- Calleguas Creek Watershed TMDLs
While with Larry Walker Associates, Armand played a key role in the development of TMDLs in the Calleguas Creek watershed (Ventura County). As manager of LWA's Technical Tools team, Armand was responsible for data management, data analysis, water quality modeling, and development of a graphical user interface for an empirically-based water quality model. Visit Calleguas Creek Website - San Francisquito Creek LTMAP Data Analysis
Armand compiled, organized and analyzed all water quality data produced under the Long Term Monitoring and Assessment Plan from 2001-2006 from four creek monitoring stations in the San Francisquito Creek watershed. Armand presented the analysis and interpretation of the results to the LTMAP work group and recommended modifications to the monitoring program. View Report (581K PDF) - Yolo Bypass Water Quality Data Analysis
Armand oversaw the compilation and analysis of the extensive water and sediment quality data set generated by the Yolo Bypass monitoring program, including chemistry and toxicity testing data collected from numerous surface water monitoring sites monthly over a one year period. Armand presented the results at the 2005 California Non-Point Source Conference. View Presentation (1.4MB PDF)
Atmospheric Deposition Studies
Over the years Armand has been active in studies related to atmospheric deposition of pollutants, investigating the interface between air and water quality. Examples include:
- Massachusetts Acid Rain Monitoring (ARM) Project
As Statewide Coordinator and Co-principal Investigator, Armand managed a statewide, multi-year surface water quality research project designed to assess the impact of acid deposition upon surface waters in Massachusetts. View Summary (3.8MB PDF) - Caltrans Precipitation Monitoring – Lake Tahoe
For the Caltrans Stormwater Program, Armand investigated precipitation monitoring equipment and methods, and assisted in developing plans for wet deposition monitoring near highway runoff monitoring sites in the Tahoe Basin. - Sacramento Stormwater Monitoring Program
Armand managed an investigation of the potential effects of atmospheric deposition on urban runoff quality in the Sacramento metropolitan area, focusing on the potential atmospheric transport of pollutants from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Central Valley.
Water and Sediment Quality Monitoring
Armand Ruby is a recognized expert in environmental monitoring and assessment. Projects have involved analysis of water and sediment chemistry, aquatic and sediment toxicity testing, bioassessment (freshwater benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages), precipitation chemistry, groundwater chemistry, and various other physical and biological parameters. Armand has been a leading proponent of clean sampling techniques in California since the early 1990's. Recent monitoring projects include work in the following areas:
- Stormwater Runoff Monitoring
- Surface Water Monitoring and Assessment
- Wastewater Treatment Monitoring/Assessment
Treatment Control Technology Assessment
Armand Ruby has performed numerous studies assessing the effectiveness of stormwater and wastewater quality treatment control technologies. In recent years, he completed several stormwater BMP effectiveness studies for individual treatment control devices, as well as a comparative study of BMP effectiveness for the Sacramento Stormwater Program. Early in his career, he evaluated industrial wastewater treatment controls for USEPA's Effluent Guidelines Development Program.
