1 / 30

Draft 2018 Water Quality Assessment Integrated Report

February 13, 2019 Sandra Mueller Water Monitoring and Assessment Program. Draft 2018 Water Quality Assessment Integrated Report. Purpose of today’s webinar.

alfredod
Download Presentation

Draft 2018 Water Quality Assessment Integrated Report

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. February 13, 2019 Sandra Mueller Water Monitoring and Assessment Program Draft 2018 Water Quality AssessmentIntegrated Report

  2. Purpose of today’s webinar • Provide general information and highlights from the draft 2018 Integrated Report (IR), including status of restored and impaired waters • Increase public awareness of water quality in the Commonwealth • Announce opportunity for public review and comment • comment period ends on February 21, 2019

  3. Background – 2018 IR • Required by the Clean Water Act and Virginia Water Quality Monitoring, Information and Restoration Act to assess and report on the quality of state waters every even-numbered year • Six Year Assessment Period: Jan. 2011 – Dec. 2016 • Assessments are conducted in reference to Virginia Water Quality Standards as of June 2017 • Report the results of statewide water quality monitoring • Identify and prioritize waters needing TMDLs and Implementation plan

  4. Continuing Planning Process Water Quality Standards

  5. Water Quality Standards - Designated Uses

  6. Water Quality Standards - Designated Uses - cont.

  7. Ches. Bay & Tidal Tributaries Refined Designated Uses

  8. Water Quality Monitoring – 2018 IR • Water quality data was evaluated for multiple parameters collected by DEQ at 3,747 stations • Data from nearly 600 non-agency stations and nearly 2,000 citizen monitoring stations were submitted for use in the assessment

  9. Citizen Monitoring Spotlight 2018 IR again marks the highest ever number of total citizen stations sampled, as well as the highest number of Level III citizen volunteer stations included in a formal assessment https://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/WaterQualityMonitoring/CitizenMonitoring.aspx • 2018 Citizen/Non-agency Monitoring Activity Report • Citizen Nominations for DEQ monitoring – due April 2019 • Citizen Monitoring Grant Opportunity (RFP to be released July 2019)

  10. Water Quality Assessment http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/WaterQualityAssessments/2018WQAGuidanceManual.aspx • Determine the extent to which Virginia’s waters are supporting the Designated Uses • Analyze water quality data and compare the results to Water Quality Standards and other appropriate criteria and guidelines http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/WaterQualityStandards/Criteria.aspx • Follow the assessment procedures and methods outlined in Virginia’s Water Quality Assessment Guidance Manual

  11. Assessment Categories • EPA’s Integrated Reporting Guidance identifies the following assessment categories: 1 = Water Quality Fully Supports All Designated Uses 2 = Water Quality Fully Supports All Uses Assessed 3 = Insufficient Data to make Assessment 4 = Impaired (No TMDL Needed) 5 = Impaired (TMDL May Be Needed) • Virginia added additional Subcategories in 2006 to help track TMDL implementation

  12. 2018 IR - Assessment Overview

  13. 2018 IR - Water Quality Restoration

  14. 2018 IR - Water Quality Restoration • The Deep Channel sub-use remains fully attained in segment CB5MH • Two mainstem Bay Segments (CB5MH and CB6MH) and the oligohaline portion of the Potomac embayments (POTOH) are now meeting the 30-day mean criterion (for the Open Water subuse) • The Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River is now attaining the 30-Day Mean criterion for the Deep Water sub-use • The 2018IR will be the first time we can report over half (55%) of the overall sum of segment-specific SAV acreage goals was achieved • The chlorophyll standards were fully attained in each James River segment during the spring months

  15. Chesapeake Bay and Tidal Tributaries - Highlights • Improvements seen in the several Bay segments, James and Rappahannock • Hypoxia continues to be an issue in portions of the Bay

  16. Chesapeake Bay and Tidal Tributaries - Highlights • Numeric Chlorophyll criteria only apply to the James River • Spring season: Criteria were attainedin all James River segments • Summer season: Criteria attained in three segments

  17. Chesapeake Bay and Tidal Tributaries - Highlights • 55% of SAV restoration goal met (target is 77,463 acres) • Full attainment of SAV use found in parts of each major tidal tributary, except Eastern Shore

  18. 2018 IR - Summary of Impaired Rivers

  19. Summary of Impaired Lakes

  20. Summary of Impaired Estuaries

  21. Summary of fish consumption impairments b. Lakes c. Estuaries a. Rivers

  22. Total Maximum Daily Loads • When waters are assessed to be impaired for one or more reasons, Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) and Implementation Plans are developed by DEQ • TMDLs determine the total amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive without exceeding water quality standards • Implementation Plans identify the management practices that will result in water quality improvements • http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/TMDL.aspx

  23. The TMDL Process • Place Impaired Waters on 303(d) List due to Water Quality Standards violations • Develop TMDL for Impaired Waters: • 943 developed through 2018 • 44% of all impairments still need a TMDL • Develop TMDL Implementation Plan: • 87 projects completed through 2018, addressing 460 impairments • 6 more in progress • As required by the TMDL, update Permit requirements, special conditions, effluent limitations, and/or monitoring requirements • Remove Waters from 303(d) List when Water Quality Standards achieved

  24. Local TMDL Watersheds

  25. Bacteria TMDL Watersheds

  26. Nutrient and Sediment TMDL Watersheds

  27. Toxics TMDL Watersheds

  28. TMDL Implementation Watersheds

  29. 2018 IR: Additional highlights • Chapter 4.7 - 20-year trend analysis to quantify changes in water quality that have occurred from 1997 – 2016 • Chapter 4.3 - Shenandoah River Basin, updates on filamentous algae monitoring and assessment

  30. 2018 IR Public Comment • Public comment period: January 22 – February 21, 2019 • Download Integrated Report via DEQ website: http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/WaterQualityAssessments/2018305b303dIntegratedReport.aspx • Mapping application: http://www.deq.virginia.gov/ConnectWithDEQ/VEGIS.aspx • Send comments to: Sandra Mueller DEQ-Water Monitoring and Assessment Program P.O. Box 1105 Richmond, VA 23218-1105 sandra.mueller@deq.virginia.gov

More Related