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Transcript of Bill Carter Nonpoint Source Program Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Trade Fair and...
Watershed-Based Plans:Successful Elements
Bill CarterNonpoint Source Program
Texas Commission on Environmental QualityTrade Fair and Conference, May 2015
Texas Watershed Plans Accepted by EPABuck Creekhttp://buckcreek.tamu.edu/wpp/
Colorado River Below E.V. Spence Reservoirhttps://www.tceq.texas.gov/waterquality/tmdl/nav/32-colorado/32-colorado.html
Geronimo Creek http://www.gbra.org/documents/crp/meetings/2014/GeronimoAlligatorCreeksWPP.pdf
Lake Granburyhttp://www.brazos.org/gbWPP.asp
Lampasas Riverhttp://www.lampasasriver.org/
Plum Creekhttp://plumcreek.tamu.edu/wpp/
Upper Cibolo Creekhttp://www.ci.boerne.tx.us/DocumentCenter/View/3690
Upper San Antonio River (Update)www.bexarfloodfacts.org/watershed_protection_plan/FinalWPP_7242014.pdf
Road map to preserve or restore water quality
Problem: Sources Effect: Impairment of uses Potential Solutions: Management Measures Starting Point: What are stakeholders
already doing and interested in doing to address the problem?
End Point: Water body meeting water quality standards
Begin with the End in Mind
Nine Key Elements
ScheduleForAction
Load Reductions
Measureable Milestones
Criteria forSuccess
Best Management Practices
Engagement & Education
Resources Needed
Monitoring Progress
Pollutant Load & Sources
Nine Key Elements
Can be summarized in a “Nine Key Element Table”
(Upper San Antonio River WPP Update)
Treat the plan as a set of distinct, manageable tasks.
Get a stakeholder work group to work on each task.
Focus on the first 3 elements as the core: pollutant loads and how they will be reduced.
The other elements show how the needed reductions will be achieved and verified.
Break Plan Down Into Parts
Source and Implementation Categories• Urban Stormwater• Agriculture
Key Elements• Public Education and Involvement• Monitoring / Water Quality
Special Concerns• Habitat• Ground/Surface Water Interactions
Stakeholder Work Groups
In-stream Pollutant loads• Measured in the field• Combined pollutant load from all sources
Watershed Source loads• Where is pollution coming from?• Determine:
Type of source Number of sources Location of sources Pollutant loading per source
ABC. Pollutant Loads/Reduction
Animals
Septic Systems
Wastewater
SELECT Analysis and Load Duration Curves• Plum Creek, Upper Cibolo Creek, Buck Creek,
Geronimo and Alligator Creek, and Colorado River Below E.V. Spence Reservoir WBPs
• Estimated POTENTIAL loading and actual water quality data
Watershed Modeling• Upper San Antonio River and Lake Granbury WBPs• Analytical models simulate effects of source loads
on water quality
A. Two Approaches
Load Chart (Watershed Model)
(Upper San Antonio River WPP)
(Upper San Antonio River WPP Update)
Water Quality Maps Identify monitoring
locations in watershed
Use color to represent pollutant concentrations
Helps identify critical areas for implementation
Actions that reduce pollution Chosen from tested
practices with quantifiable results
Can include point and nonpoint source BMPs
C. Best Management Practices
B
M
P
OSSF Strategies
Scope:
Guidance document and training for inspections and database development
Determine hot spots of human bacteria sources through geo-location and bacteria source tracking
Prioritize areas for inspection
Conduct inspections
Report OSSF failures & prioritize repairs
Acquire funding and prioritize projects
Replace failing OSSFs or connect to sewer system
Public awareness of OSSF failures and prevention activities
Location: all subwatersheds
Critical Areas: households within 150’ of creeks and close to central sanitary collection systems.
Goal: Identify and replace or repair failing OSSF annually from 2014 through 2023 to protect and restore water quality. System repair or replacement will be based on individual evaluations and proximity to waterways or sanitary sewer collection system infrastructure.
Description: This strategy seeks to develop criteria to determine the inspection frequency rate necessary to ascertain if OSSFs are failing, conducting reconnaissance to identify areas of chronic OSSF failure, train OSSF inspectors/investigators on how to conduct visual inspections of OSSF, through public outreach notify homeowners in areas of chronic OSSF failure of assistance provided to address failing OSSF, and conduct visual inspections of OSSF. Based on a prioritized list of failing OSSFs, financial assistance should be provided to pump solids from primary septic tanks, replace failing OSSF, or connect a select subset of OSSF to the City of Boerne centralized system.
Implementation
Participation Projects Period Costs Kendall County and COB will help identify problems, facilitate repair, seek financial assistance programs, property owner financed
1) Investigate, locate, document and map failing or noncompliant OSSFs 2) Connect OSSFs to a centralized wastewater collection system where possible or provide cost share for replacement 3) Work to improve the database that tracks system type, installation date, maintenance records, and documentation of seepage or failure
2014 -202 3, 10 Y ears
$1.5 Million
Load Reduction
Reductions are low because OSSFs only contribute a small portion to the total bacteria load. However, as this wastewater is untreated it is important to eliminate the potential for discharges as it is dangerous to human health and any discharge is unauthorized.
Effectiveness: High: Targeting replacement or removal of failing systems near riparian corridors
can significantly reduce bacteria and nutrient loading to receiving waters.
Difficulty: High: Costs may add value to household, but finding households could be difficult
(Upper Cibolo Creek WPP)
BMP Summary Chart Reference for key facts
about each BMP Scope/components Extent and critical areas Goal Implementation facts Load reduction Effectiveness Difficulty
Basic timeline Realistic timeframes Take into account when resources will be
available
F. Schedule for Implementation
(Upper Cibolo Creek WPP)
Implementation Schedule Management
Measures Responsible
Parties Unit Costs Numbers
Implemented (by time increments)
Total Costs
Ambient conditions (concentrations at index sites)
BMP performance can be estimated in plan In some cases, consider BMP effectiveness
monitoring
I. Monitoring Progress
Establish detailed monitoring schedule Set schedule with targets for progress
Monitoring Schedules
(Plum Creek WPP)
Full-time watershed coordinators meeting frequently with stakeholders and based in the watershed (e.g., Plum Creek, Upper Cibolo Creek WPPs)
Creek or lake clean-up events to mobilize public awareness and involvement (e.g., Geronimo Creek WPP)
Websites providing clearinghouse for water quality, planning and implementation info(e.g., Lake Granbury WPP)
Successful Implementation
Short and Simple: technical material in appendices
Center the plan around elements A to C — pollutants, load reductions, and BMPs
Build the plan as a set of manageable parts Highlight stakeholder priorities
to increase buy-in Adapt
Final Thoughts