Imperial River: Water Quality Status and Basin Management Action

Plan

Imperial River

• WBID 3258EA: Freshwater Imperial River Watershed

• City of Bonita Springs boundary

• Everglades West Coast Basin

April 21, 2014

Importance of Good Water Quality

• Supports productive freshwater and coastal ecosystems

• Economics– Tourism– Recreational activities– Marine Industries– Fisheries

• Health• Standard of living

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Impaired Waters

• Sampling coordination• Existing data to develop planning list• Additional data collection and assessment• Verified List• Categorized as Impaired (5) = needs TMDL• 5 year cycle

April 21, 2014

TMDL and BMAP Process

Phase 1 Preliminary

Basin Evaluation

Phase 2 Targeted

Monitoring

Phase 3 TMDL

Development

Phase 4BMAP

Development

Phase 5 TMDL

Implementation

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What Does TMDL stand for?

TotalMaximum

DailyLoad

• Establishes the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can assimilate and still meet water quality standards

Essentially a “restoration target”

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Imperial River ImpairmentsImperial River

(Marine Segment) Impaired for:

Fecal Coliform Iron DO (Natural

Conditions)

Imperial River TMDL (low DO)

Total Nitrogen reduction 24.87%

TN = 0.74 mg/L

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Basin Management Action Plan

• The Department’s method for restoring water quality of an impaired water body. Implementing the restoration target (TMDL)

• BMAPs are adopted by FDEP through a Secretarial Order

• Includes a plan with a set of strategies• BMAPs are enforceable• 15 year process

April 21, 2014 8

BMAP Process

• Developed collaboratively with local stakeholders

• Open meetings with public involvement

• Joint decision making with local partners

• Counties, Cities, ag interests, environmental interests, community interests and others

April 21, 2014 9

April 21, 2014

Key BMAP Components

• Identify TMDL(s) being addressed

• Defines area addressed• Details efforts to

implement TMDL• Timeline, commitment,

and benefit

• Includes process to assess progress toward achieving the TMDL• Monitoring, reporting,

follow-up meetings

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Everglades West Coast BMAP

• Adopted December 2012 (TMDL-2008)

• Includes Hendry Creek and Imperial River• Addresses total nitrogen from freshwater

Imperial River watershed• First Phase – 5 years• Stakeholders identify projects that will

reduce TN loading• DEP collecting additional data regarding

nutrient sources

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Multi-agency Effort

• Agriculture• City of Bonita Springs• Lee County• FDOT District 1• FDACS• SFWMD• FDEP

April 21, 2014

City of Bonita Springs BMAP projects

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Annual Progress Report

• First annual report now available• Activities and projects that occurred Dec 2012 –

Nov 2013• Water quality monitoring:

• Lee County-14 stations• City of Bonita Springs-7 stations

April 21, 2014

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Questions

April 21, 2014

Julie NeurohrJulie.Neurohr@dep.state.fl.us

Jennifer CarpenterJennifer.Carpenter@dep.state.fl.us

New Dissolved Oxygen Criteria

• Previous criteria based on concentration– Freshwater: never < 5.0 mg/L– Marine Water: avg >5.0 mg/L and never < 4.0

mg/L

• New Criteria based on saturation– Freshwater

• No more than 10% of the daily avg percent DO saturation shall be below 38% in the Peninsula or Everglades bioregions

– Marine Waters• No more than 10% of the daily avg percent DO

saturation shall be below 42%

EWC BMAP: Imperial River

23.1 mi2 watershed

Major tributary to Estero Bay

Urban land uses are within City of Bonita Springs

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