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Mike Moulds, Local Team Coordinator October 4, 2011

Dorchester County Government Officials Presentation Watershed Implementation Planning Phase II Status. Mike Moulds, Local Team Coordinator October 4, 2011. Background. 1972 Federal Clean Water Act Requires: Water Quality Standards Assessment (monitoring) of Waters

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Mike Moulds, Local Team Coordinator October 4, 2011

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  1. Dorchester County Government Officials Presentation Watershed Implementation Planning Phase II Status Mike Moulds, Local Team Coordinator October 4, 2011

  2. Background • 1972 Federal Clean Water Act Requires: Water Quality Standards Assessment (monitoring) of Waters Identification of Waters that Violate Standards • 303(d) List of Impaired Waters • Identify Pollutant(s) Causing Impaired Waters Set Limits on Pollutants: Total Maximum Daily Load • Court Settlement: Required Chesapeake Bay TMDLs to be completed by December 2010. • Federal “Accountability Framework” Clean Water Act: Bay TMDLs • Watershed Implementation Plans • 2-Year Implementation Milestones • Tracking & Evaluating Progress • Federal “Consequences”

  3. Total Maximum Daily Load • Main Concepts of a TMDL: • TMDL: Maximum amount of pollutant that can be received by a water body and still meet standards. • TMDL Allocates loads among sources and geographic areas. • TMDL = WLA + LA + MOS • WLA: Sources with Permits (point sources) • LA: Sources without Permits (nonpoint sources) • MOS: Margin of Safety, protective of environment. • TMDL is usually determined by a scientific study of the water body, often using computer models.

  4. Watershed Implementation Plans • Three-Phased Planning Process: • Phase I Plans - 2010 • Nutrient and sediment target loads by sector and impaired segment • Statewide strategies for reducing loads in each source sector • Starting Point for Phase II Plans • Phase II Plans – 2011/12 • Refined EPA Watershed Model Results • Divide loads by smaller geographic areas • More detailed strategy to meet 2017 Interim Target - 70% reduction • 2-Year Milestone actions for 2012-2013 • Phase III Plans – 2017 • Modification of TMDL and allocations, if necessary • Identify changes needed to meet Final Target loads

  5. County Phase II WIP Local Team Members Keith Lackie                                Maryland Department of Planning Mike Moulds                                Dorchester County DPW Mike Bonsteel                              Dorchester County Planning and Zoning Greg LeBlanc                               City of Cambridge Jim Newcomb                              Dorchester Soil Conservation District Bill Giese                                     Blackwater Refuge William Layton/Bill Edwards        Dorchester County Farm Bureau Beth Lynch                                  Dorchester Citizens for Planned Growth Bill Forlifer                                   Dorchester County Dept of Health Jennifer Dindinger                        Choptank Tributary Team Russ Brinsfield/John Avery           Town of Vienna/Town of Hurlock

  6. Step One: Set a Diet (Note - pollution loads not to scale.)

  7. Dorchester County Land Use Acres Percent Agricultural* 114,88632.4 Urban Developed 23, 154 6.5 Forest 126,705 35.7 Wetland 90,267 25.4 * An estimated 90,000 acres is actively farmed.

  8. Dorchester County TN Targets Final September 2011 Based on 5.3.2 Bay Model 2009 Baseline delivered loads to bay. Wastewater target does not include growth allocation.

  9. Dorchester County P Targets Final September 2011 Based on 5.3.2 Bay Model 2009 Baseline delivered loads to bay. Wastewater target does not include growth allocation.

  10. Dorchester County Phase II WIP • Established Target Sources State-wide • Major/minor point sources • Urban & Agricultural Land • Forests • Septic Systems • Atmospheric Deposition • Target Sources for Dorchester County • Agricultural land • Septic Systems • Wastewater Point Sources • Developed Urban Land

  11. Issues • The County has no direct regulatory authority over our three major pollutant sectors (Agriculture, Wastewater, Septic Systems). • The majority of Urban Developed Land is in the incorporated City and Towns. • No county-wide system in place to track, monitor and report activities across sectors

  12. Agricultural BMP Development Agricultural Best Management Practices (BMP) are being developed and managed by the Department of Agriculture working with the Agricultural Community and Soil Conservation Districts to meet goals for nutrient reduction. A total of 33 BMP’s have initially been developed.

  13. Examples of Agricultural BMP”s No Till Farming Cover Crops Stream Protection Buffers Decision /Precision Agriculture Water Irrigation Management Nutrient Management Plans Vegetated Open Channels Heavy Use Pads Livestock/Poultry Waste Structures Manure Transport Manure Incorporation Runoff Control Systems Animal Mortality Composter

  14. Septic System BMP’s 2,947 Septic Systems in the Critical Area 1,522 Systems within 1,000 feet of a perennial stream 2,269 Systems outside of the Critical Area and not within 1,000 feet of a perennial stream A Total of 6,738 Systems

  15. Septic BMP Development BMP options: • Connect to sewer with ENR treatment. • Convert septic to provide denitrification. • Scheduled septic pump outs. Issues and Needs: • Identify future connection • projects. • Enable planning and • inter-municipal cooperation. • Develop funding mechanisms.

  16. Wastewater BMP Development • 2 major plants Cambridge, Hurlock • 2 minor plants - Vienna, Twin Cities • 28 Minor Industrial Plants • Cambridge plant will be credited with load reduction from upgrade to ENR in 2011-12. • Hurlock Plant is already a ENR plant • Cambridge Combined Sewer Elimination Credit. • Industrial discharger load reductions are being addressed by MDE • No ENR funding is available for minor plant upgrades • ENR – Enhanced Nutrient Removal Advanced Wastewater Treatment

  17. Urban BMP’s Stormwater facility retrofits Street Sweeping Urban Grass Filters and Buffers Urban Tree Planting Impervious Surface Reduction Permeable pavement Urban Growth Reduction • Urban Areas are primarily in the City of Cambridge and Towns. • Stormwater facilities in Dorchester County are not regulated by EPA as a point source. • Rural areas of the County do not have piped public stormwater facilities

  18. Wetland Restoration and Shoreline Stabilization • Both Agricultural and Urban Land BMP’s include the restoration of wetlands as a method of reducing nutrient loading. • Wetland Restoration provides for the reduction of 28.72 pounds of Nitrogen and 1.94 pounds of Phosphorus per acre. • EPA and MDE are also developing BMP credits for Structural and Vegetative (Living Shoreline) shore erosion protection.

  19. Draft 2013 Milestones – Implementation Actions • Complete city WWTP upgrade • Complete city CSO elimination • Complete conversion of 45 septic systems to sewer in Christ Rock area. • Complete 300 septic system upgrades in the Critical Area. • Complete construction of 12.6 acres of wetlands (Elliott Island Road project). • Complete Woolford-Madison project with conversion of 350 septic systems to sewer • Complete 4.5 acres of riparian shoreline buffers • Complete 4 acres of forest area restoration • Increase cover crop by 30% • Increase HUA pads by 15% • Increase streamside grass buffers by 7% • Increase Industrial pretreatment enforcement at Hurlock WWTP.

  20. Draft 2013 Milestones – Program Development • Investigate funding for Oak Hill septic system connection (70 systems) • Develop methods to track • precision/decision agriculture • poultry manure incorporation • irrigation management • Investigate development of a septic system management district. • mandatory pump-outs • funding and administration • Evaluate future growth and capacity of city WWTP. • Evaluate possible connection of Twin Cities to Hurlock. • Develop agreements to enable additional expansion of septic connection program. • Update County water/sewer plan to address septic system. conversions/connections.

  21. Draft 2013 Milestones – Program Development • Investigate options and funding for upgrade of Vienna WWTP to ENR. • Review forest replacement program to accelerate vegetated buffer creation • Develop septic system GIS mapping capability • Evaluate expansion of urban tree canopy program. • Evaluate existing City and Town of Hurlock street sweeping program for potential improvements. • Investigate funding for all of the above.

  22. Schedule September 15 Final County Targets from MDE September 28 Local Team Meeting to review revised allocations. October 4 Government Officials Update October 14 Submission of Draft 2012-13 Milestones to MDE October 26 Local Team completes draft WIP November 1 WIP Presentation to Government Officials for Comment November 9 Local Team Meeting to address comments and finalize WIP November 15 Submission for Approval by County November 23 Delivery to MDE Note: MDE has notified Local Team that the deadline is being extended to July 2, 2012 for a final local WIP and public comment. A more detailed schedule is being developed.

  23. Challenges Ahead • Funding! Funding! Funding! • Development of Regulations and Standards • Staffing • Tracking and Accountability • Sustaining Progress

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