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Middle Ohio North Watershed TMDL Development

Middle Ohio North Watershed TMDL Development. May 27, 2008. WV DEP James Laine. Agenda. Background information on Water Quality Standards, impaired waters and TMDLs Brief history of TMDL development in WV Overview of WVDEP’s TMDL process

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Middle Ohio North Watershed TMDL Development

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  1. Middle Ohio North Watershed TMDL Development May 27, 2008 WV DEP James Laine

  2. Agenda • Background information on Water Quality Standards, impaired waters and TMDLs • Brief history of TMDL development in WV • Overview of WVDEP’s TMDL process • Discussion of local impaired waters and their TMDL timeline • Pre-TMDL Monitoring Plan for local waters • Discussion – Free form questions and answers

  3. What’s a TMDL? • “Total Maximum Daily Load” – How much pollutant a stream can receive and remain healthy • TMDL development required by Clean Water Act for all impaired streams • TMDL is a pollution budget – prescribes reduction of pollutants that result in the restoration of an impaired stream

  4. What’s an impaired stream? • Stream that doesn’t meet water quality standards • West Virginia Water Quality Standards are codified at 47 CSR 2 • Standards include designated uses for WV waters and water quality criteria to protect those uses • Criteria can be numeric or narrative • Impaired streams (streams that are not meeting criteria) are on the 303(d) List

  5. Criteria Examples • Human Health Protection • Fecal Coliform bacteria (Water Contact) • 200 counts/100ml as a monthly geometric mean • no more than 10% of samples in a month exceed 400 counts/100ml • Human Health/Aquatic Life Protection • Total Iron • 1.5 mg/l as a 4 day average concentration • Not to be exceeded more than once every 3 years

  6. Criteria Examples • Narrative Criterion – Biological Impairment • Conditions Not Allowable in State Waters • (47 CSR 2-3.2i) “.....no significant adverse impact to the chemical, physical, hydrologic or biological components of aquatic ecosystems shall be allowed.”

  7. West Virginia TMDL History • TMDL development required by Clean Water Act for all impaired streams • If State doesn’t develop TMDLs, EPA must • WV couldn’t (resources), EPA didn’t • EPA was sued in 1995, settled suit by entering into consent decree with plaintiffs, and began developing WV TMDLs

  8. WVDEP TMDL Improvements • 48 month process vs. 9 month EPA process • Multiple opportunities for stakeholder input • New water quality data vs. existing data • Improved source id and characterization • Synchronized with Watershed Management Framework

  9. Watershed Management Framework • 32 watersheds (8-digit HUC) • 5 Hydrologic Groups (A – E) • Geographical way to organize water resource management – Within DEP, watershed assessment, NPDES Permit reissuance and nonpoint source project funding synchronized • WVDEP TMDL development synchronized

  10. TMDL/WMF Synchronization • Pre-TMDL monitoring occurs concurrently with WMF assessment year • TMDL completion six months prior to start of WMF implementation year • 5yr WMF cycle/15 year plan 3 bites at each HG apple

  11. WVDEP TMDL Process • Stream Selection • Pre-TMDL monitoring, source identification and characterization • Contract to model water quality and hydrology • Allocation Philosophy Development • Report development • Finalization

  12. WVDEP TMDL Process HGA (2004 TMDLs) EPA approved January 2005 HGB (2005 TMDLs)HGC (2006 TMDLs) HGD (2007 TMDLs)HGE (2008 TMDLs) HGA2 (2009 TMDLs) Cheat and Lower Blackwater watersheds HGB2 (2010 TMDLs) Lower Kanawha River, Lower Elk River, and New and Patterson Creeks) HGC2 (2011 TMDLs) Middle Ohio North and Middle Ohio South)

  13. HG C2 TMDL Timeline • Stream selection 4/08 – 5/08 • Monitoring plan development 3/08-6/08 • Outreach (TMDL process + monitoring plan specifics) 5/08 • Monitoring 7/08 – 6/09 • Modeling 10/09 – 6/10

  14. HG C2 TMDL Timeline • Outreach (Allocation scenarios) 7/10 - 9/10 • Draft TMDLs (Internal Review) 3/11 • Outreach (PN/PC on Drafts) 4/11 – 6/11 • Finalization (including EPA approval) 12/11

  15. TMDL Stream Selection Process • Evaluate list of impaired waters • Consider WMF • Spread development over State • Maximize efficiency • focus geographically • address all known or suspected impairments

  16. TMDL Development Stream Selection Process Watershed Management Framework Consideration TMDL Development Hydrologic Group C2 • Within HG C2, candidate watersheds = Gauley, Lower Guyandotte, Middle Ohio North, Middle Ohio South, Potomac Direct Drains and Tug Fork

  17. TMDL Development Stream Selection Process • Statewide Coverage Considerations • Gauley (2008), Potomac Direct Drains (2007) have already had recent TMDL development • Lower Guyandotte and Tug Fork (Previous TMDLs development by EPA)

  18. TMDL Development Stream Selection Process • Evaluated options, resources and constraints • DEP proposed TMDLs for known or potential impairments in Middle Ohio North and Middle Ohio South (* exclusive of Ohio mainstem) • DEP advertised list, and provided opportunity for comment (April 7 – May 6, 2008) • No Comments received • Draft List = Final List

  19. TMDL Development Stream Selection Process • Budget allows us to address a limited number of streams • For efficiency, want to stay within major watersheds

  20. Impaired Waters in the Middle Ohio North Watersheds • See brochure for listing of streams scheduled for sampling • Impairments include • Biological Impairment (cause uncertain) • Possible fecal coliform impairment • Total Iron

  21. Pre-TMDL Monitoring Plan Goal – to generate robust/ recent data to: • Make accurate impairment assessments • Calibrate watershed models • Quantify the impacts of significant pollutant sources Today’s presentation is a preliminary plan; to be refined over next month via WVDEP field recon and stakeholder input

  22. Pre-TMDL Monitoring Plan Parameters to be sampled include: • BIO = Benthic Macroinvertebrate Station • FECAL = Fecal Coliform Bacteria • Fe = Total Iron • Additional parameters vary by stream but could include iron, TSS, D.O., pH, etc • A detailed GIS coverage is available upon request

  23. Pre-TMDL Monitoring Plan • Monitoring period = July 08 – June 09 • Sampling frequency • BIO once during index period (Apr – Oct) • 1/Month for fecal coliform, TSS, T. Fe, etc • Sampling will include flow measurement

  24. Stakeholder Input • General comment regarding plan’s adequacy in addressing goals • Does the plan provide for monitoring of particularly bad or good streams that you know about? • Does the plan provide monitoring sufficient to characterize significant pollutant sources? • Do you have water quality data to contribute?

  25. Future Input Opportunities Public meeting to present allocation scenarios – Summer 2010 Public Meeting to present Draft TMDL and formal Public Notice/Public Comment – Spring 2011

  26. WVDEP Contact Information • Contact: Steve Young – syoung@wvdep.org • Tele: (304) 926-0499 Ext 1042; • FAX: (304) 926-0496 • 601 57th Street SE, Charleston WV 25304 • www.wvdep.org • Under “Offices”, select Division of Water and Waste Management • On right, under Watershed Management, click on “ Total Maximum Daily Load”

  27. Questions???

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