CT DEP LONG ISLAND SOUNDMONITORING PROGRAM

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

160000

Lb

s T

N/d

ay

NY Point CT Point MA, NH,VT Point

Atmos.Dep.

Forest Urban Agric

On LIS

MA, NH, VT

CT & NY

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

160000

Lb

s T

N/d

ay

NY Point CT Point MA, NH,VT Point

Atmos.Dep.

Forest Urban Agric

On LIS

MA, NH, VT

CT & NY

TOTAL NITROGEN LOAD DELIVERED TO LONG ISLAND SOUND (Lbs TN/Day)

Total Load from all Sources = 366K Lbs TN/day

54K Lbs/day

230K Lbs/day159K Lbs/day

Good Science =Good Management?

• Reduction Goals

• Sources of Nitrogen

• Nitrogen Enrichment Degrades Estuaries

• Nitrogen Budgets & Transport

• Effective Management Tools

LAW AND POLICY

FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENTS

Water Quality Classifications

Water Quality Standards

Water Quality Criteria

• Identify “Water Quality Limited” Waters

• Specify Allowable Pollutant Loading– Point Sources, Nonpoint Sources,

Margin of Safety• Implement through:

– standards, criteria, classification– regulations, permits

CWA Requirements for TMDLs

TMDL*(*Total Maximum Daily Load)

• Enforceable Schedule• Meet Water Quality Standards• Nitrogen Reduction Goal

– 58.5% by 2014• 10% - Urban and Agricultural Runoff• 64% - Point Source Controls

• Allows “Trading”• Future Actions

– Out of State Sources– Atmospheric Deposition

WHY REVISE DO CRITERIA?

- Not Scientifically Defensible

- Not Environmentally Supportable

- Not Geographically Relevant

- Not Reflective of the System

Existing Standards Were:

 

Table 1. DO incremental ranges and duration (exposure) data to be applied to LIS in the area affected to ensure protection of larval recruitment.

 

DO Range (mg/l) 

No. of Days Allowed

 

Maximum 

Minimum

 

4.8 

4.3 

21

 

4.3 

3.8 

11

 

3.8 

3.5 

5 

Appendix E.

7 days of 21 allowed (0.33)

3 days of 11 allowed (0.60)

1 day of 5 allowed (0.80)

1 day of 0 allowed

CTDEP’s Conservative Application Example

Violation

CCC = Criterion Continuous Concentration

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

Squa

re K

ilom

eter

s

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Days

Area of Hypoxia Duration of Hypoxia

AREA AND DURATION OF HYPOXIA (<3.0 mg/L) IN LONG ISLAND SOUND 1987-2004

Average Conditions: 530 sq. km. and 57 days

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

Squa

re K

ilom

eter

s

Area of Hypoxia 5 YR AVG 1.0 mg/L

AREA OF HYPOXIA (<3.0 mg/L) IN LONG ISLAND SOUND 1987-2004

Average Conditions: 530 sq. km. and 57 days

Hypoxia Index

0.000

5.000

10.000

15.000

20.000

25.000

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

Year

Ind

ex

< 3.0 mg/L < 2.0 mg/L Sum

Total Nitrogen Loads to LIS

0.00

2.00

4.00

6.00

8.00

10.00

12.00

14.00

O-9

0

O-9

1

O-9

2

O-9

3

O-9

4

O-9

5

O-9

6

O-9

7

O-9

8

O-9

9

O-0

0

O-0

1

O-0

2

O-0

3

Month

Mill

ion

kg

TN

/mo

nth

Fall Line Coastal NPS Coastal STP Total

Annual Nitrogen Load to LIS

0.00

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

50.00

60.00

70.00

80.00

WY

91

WY

92

WY

93

WY

94

WY

95

WY

96

WY

97

WY

98

WY

99

WY

00

WY

01

WY

02

WY

03

WY

04

Water Years

Mill

ion

s o

f kg

/yea

r

Tributaries Coastal NPS Coastal STP Total

LIS TN Frequency - All Data

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

0.05

7

0.1

14

0.1

71

0.2

28

0.2

84

0.3

41

0.39

8

0.4

55

0.5

12

0.5

69

0.6

26

0.6

83

0.74

0

0.7

97

0.8

53

0.9

10

0.9

67

1.0

24

1.0

81

1.1

38

1.1

95

1.2

52

1.3

09

Concentration (mg/L)

Obs

erva

tions

0.233

LIS TN - Clean Surface Water

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0.036 0.075 0.115 0.154 0.194 0.233 0.273 0.312 0.352 0.391 0.431 0.470 0.510

Concentration (mg/L)

Obs

erva

tions

0.278

LIS Chl-a - All Data

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

0.0

2.0

3.9

5.8

7.7

9.6

11.5

13.5

15.4

17.3

19.2

21.1

23.0

Concentration (ug/L)

Ob

se

rva

tio

ns

0.9

LIS Chla-a - Clean Surface Water

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

0.1 0.5 0.8 1.2 1.6 1.9 2.3 2.7 3.0 3.4 3.7 4.1 4.5 4.8 5.2 5.6 5.9

Concentration (ug/L)

Obs

erva

tions

1.7

LIS TN - Station D3 Surface

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Month

Co

nc

entr

ati

on

(m

g/L

)

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

LIS TIN - Station D3 Surface

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

0.35

Jan F eb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Month

Con

cent

ratio

n (m

g/L)

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

LIS Chl-a - Station D3 Surface

0

5

10

15

20

25F

-91

F-9

2

F-9

3

F-9

4

F-9

5

F-9

6

F-9

7

F-9

8

F-9

9

F-0

0

F-0

1

F-0

2

F-0

3

F-0

4

Month-Ye ar

Co

nc

entr

ati

on

(u

g/L

)

Station D3 - TN Load vs. TN Concentration(12-mo moving average/4-mo offset)

y = 0.0459x + 0.1388

R2 = 0.2611

0.200

0.250

0.300

0.350

0.400

0.450

0.500

3.000 3.500 4.000 4.500 5.000 5.500 6.000 6.500

TN Load (kg x 106/yr)

TN

Co

nc

en

tra

tio

n (

mg

/L)

3.08

2002 Drought

1999 - 2000

Streamflow Index to LIS

0.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

30.00

35.00

Oc

t-9

0

Oc

t-9

1

Oc

t-92

Oc

t-93

Oc

t-94

Oct

-95

Oct

-96

Oc

t-97

Oc

t-98

Oct

-99

Oct

-00

Oct

-01

Oc

t-0

2

Oc

t-0

3

Month - Year

Flo

w (

cfs

x 1

06)

Station D3 - TN Load vs. Concentration(12-mo moving average and 4-mo offset)

3.000

3.500

4.000

4.500

5.000

5.500

6.000

6.500

Jan-

92

Jul

-92

Jan

-93

Jul-9

3

Jan

-94

Jul

-94

Jan-

95

Jul

-95

Jan

-96

Jul-9

6

Jan-

97

Jul

-97

Jan-

98

Jul

-98

Jan-

99

Jul-9

9

Jan

-00

Jul-0

0

Jan-

01

Jul

-01

Jan-

02

Jul-0

2

Jan

-03

Jul-0

3

Jan

-04

Month - Year

TN

Lo

ad

(kg

x 1

06/y

r)

0.200

0.250

0.300

0.350

0.400

0.450

0.500

TN

Co

nce

ntr

atio

n

(mg

/L)

TN Load

TN Conc.

CT Nitrogen Credit ExchangeProjected Equalized Loads

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

18000

20000

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Poun

ds T

N/d

ay

Actual Projected Permit Limit

2014 Goal9166 lbs/day

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

18000

20000

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Poun

ds T

N/d

ay

Actual Projected Permit Limit

2014 Goal9166 lbs/day2014 Goal9166 lbs/day

y = 0.8522x

R2 = 0.6832

0

1

2

3

4

5

0 1 2 3 4

Influent (mg TN/L)

Eff

luen

t (m

g T

N/L

)

Data compiled by Winer (2000)

Stormwater Treatment EfficiencyTotal Nitrogen

100

75

50

25

00 10 20 30 40

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

% Impervious

CS

PS

Sc

ore

No buffer

Low buffer

Mod to High buffer

1995 Land Cover 1995 Land Cover

620

640

660

680

700

720

740

760

1985 1990 1995 2002

Acr

es x

100

0

3.05

3.1

3.15

3.2

3.25

3.3

3.35

3.4

3.45

3.5

Mil

lio

ns

of

Peo

ple

11.3%

8.6%

Development vs. Population in CT

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Thames

Connec

ticut

Quin

nipiac

Hou

sato

nic

Sauga

tuck

Norwal

k

Wes

tches

ter

Nassa

u

Suffolk

Management Zone

Mil

lion

s of

Dol

lars

Annual Cost for ImplementingThe Load Allocation

Decline of Seagrass BedsDecline of Seagrass Beds

Pristine First stage of decline Epiphytes on bladesWater column algal blooms

Photo credit R. Howarth.