Paraprofessional Training Session 3

Components of a Watershed Restoration Plan

January 23, 2013 Hillsborough Municipal Complex

Christopher C. Obropta, Ph.D., P.E.

Extension Specialist in Water Resources

Associate Professor in Environmental Sciences

obropta@envsci.rutgers.edu

www.water.rutgers.edu

Goal of Watershed Plans

Watershed Restoration Plans are designed to reduce the NPS pollutant loading that is contributing to the surface water quality or designated use impairments.

Watershed Protection Plans for Category One designated waters are designed to ensure protection from any negative measurable changes in water quality characteristics and, where feasible, to enhance surface water quality.

Watershed-based plans are plans that:

1. Are regional/areawide in scope (i.e. not a study of one location);

2. detail specific projects or management measures to be implemented in order to achieve the goals of the plan; and

3. set forth a prioritization of the projects or management measures identified in the plan.

Nine Minimum Components of a plan:

1. Identification of the causes and sources that will need to be controlled to achieve the load reductions estimated in this watershed based plan:

a)X number of dairy cattle feedlots needing upgrading, including a rough estimate of the number of cattle per facility;

b)Y acres of row crops needing improved nutrient management or sediment control; or

c)Z linear miles of eroded streambank needing remediation.

2. Estimate of the load reductions expected to be achieved by the management measures outlined in the plan.

a)the total load reduction expected for dairy cattle feedlots,

b)the total load reduction expected for row crops, or

c) the total load reduction expected for eroded streambanks.

3. Description of the NPS management measures that will need to be implemented to achieve the load reductions estimated in this plan, and an identification (using a map and description) of the critical areas in which those measures will be needed to implement this plan.

4. An estimate of the amounts of technical and financial assistance needed, associated costs, and/or the sources and authorities that will be relied upon to implement this plan.

5. An information/education component that will be used to enhance public understanding of the project and encourage the public’s early and continued participation in selecting, designing, and implementing the NPS management measures.

6. A reasonably expeditious schedule for implementing the NPS management measures identified in this plan.

7. A description of interim, measurable milestones for determining whether NPS management measures or other control actions are being implemented.

8. A set of criteria that can be used to determine whether loading reductions are being achieved over time and substantial progress is being made towards attaining water quality standards.

9. A monitoring component to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation efforts over time, measured against the criteria established under item (8) immediately above.

Paraprofessional Training Session 3

Paraprofessional Contributions and the Royce Brook Watershed Restoration Plan

January 23, 2013

Hillsborough Municipal Complex

Christopher C. Obropta, Ph.D., P.E.

Extension Specialist in Water Resources

Associate Professor in Environmental Sciences

obropta@envsci.rutgers.edu

www.water.rutgers.edu

How do we do it?

• Form a Watershed Planning Advisory Committee of local stakeholders

• Assemble and review available chemical, biological, and physical data of waterway and watershed

• Prepare a Quality Assurance Project Plan to collected data to fill gaps

• Collect new data

• Identify potential pollutant sources and best management practices needed to reduce or eliminate these sources

• Quantify load reductions of management practices

• Write and implement plan

Royce Brook Watershed Restoration Plan

Hillsborough

Manville

Form a Watershed Planning Advisory Committee

• Manville and Hillsborough’s Township Committee

• Manville and Hillsborough’s Green Team or Environmental Commission

• Somerset-Union County Soil Conservation District

• NJ Department of Transportation (Route 206)

• Local Business Organizations

• Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County

• Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association

• Duke Farms or other large NGOs

• Rotary Club members

• Garden Club members

• Manville and Hillsborough School Boards

• NJDEP and Americorp Watershed Ambassador Program

Assemble and review available data

• National Data Monitoring Web Site (Water Quality Portal – USGS & EPA): http://www.waterqualitydata.us/

• NJ Water Quality Assessment Report (USEPA) - http://ofmpub.epa.gov/waters10/attains_state.control?p_state=NJ

• NJDEP Biological Monitoring Data (AMNET) - http://www.state.nj.us/dep/wms/bfbm/amnet.html - links to individual reports and summary tables of Rounds 1-4 of monitoring

• NJDEP Ambient Water Quality (Data Miner) - http://datamine2.state.nj.us/DEP_OPRA/OpraMain/categories?category=Ambient+Water+Quality

• Local Watershed Groups (Stony Brook-Millstone)

• Local Health Department

• County Health Department

Data and what do they tell us?

• No chemical data are available from any of these sources

• NJDEP has three AMNET Sites that indicate the Royce Brook is moderately to severely impaired

• Physical data indicates eroded stream banks and some down cutting as well as nutrient enrichment

What about the TMDLs?

• Royce Brook is part of Raritan TMDLs for phosphorus

• TMDL will most likely require a 50 to 60% reduction in phosphorus from nonpoint sources

What about other pollutants?

• Since there is no chemical data, it is hard to know if other pollutants are a problem.

• Most likely pathogens are an issue in the watershed – septic, geese, cows, horses, and wildlife are most likely the cause.

• Could also calculate NPS loads using aerial loading coefficients

Prepare Quality Assurance Project Plan to collect data to fill gaps

• What data do you need: chemical, physical, biological?

• Where are you going to collect it?

• How often are you going to collect it?

• Who will collect it and do they have the skill set or equipment?

• Who will analyze it? Does it need to be a NJ Certified Laboratory? How about the local wastewater treatment plant?

• Who will pay for it?

Identification of pollutant sources and BMPs to reduce or eliminate these sources

• Become a Paraprofessional in Watershed Restoration Planning by taking the Rutgers Training Class

• Review aerials of the watershed to identify potential pollution sources (sites with lots of imperviousness or agricultural lands or lots of open grassed areas next to waterbodies)

• Conduct field visits of these sites – take photos and measurement and notes

• Prepare a brief description of each site – why it is a potential pollutant source and what can be done to reduce or eliminate the source

• Pick several representative sites and develop detailed BMP information sheets and concept plans for these sites.

R1

R2

R3

R5

R4

Quantify Load Reductions of Proposed BMPs?

• Based upon land use of your site, determine pollutant loads from site and amount of runoff.

• Based upon ability of recommended BMP to reduce pollutants, determine amount of pollutant load to be reduced by recommended BMPs.

• Put it in an easy to read table – DEP likes that.

Pollutant Load Reductions for Royce Brook Project

Aerial Loads Loads Reductions in Loads

Site Area TP TN TSS TP TN TSS TP TN TSS

(acres) (lbs/ac/yr) (lbs/ac/yr) (lbs/ac/yr) (lbs/yr) (lbs/yr) (lbs/yr) (lbs/yr) (lbs/yr) (lbs/yr)

R5

0.28

2.1

22

200

0.59

6.21

56.4

0.53

5.59

50.8

Stormwater Treated and Infiltrated by BMP:

12,300 square feet * 44 inches * ft/12in * 0.90 = 40,590 cu.ft.

40,590 cu.ft. * 7.48 gallons per cubic foot = 303,613 gallons

Write the Plan

• Outline of a plan is attached.

• And don’t forget to implement it!

DON’T FREAK OUT

There is a format and you can work on the

pieces that are in your comfort zone.

RCE Water Resources Program Technical Support

www.water.rutgers.edu

• GIS questions – contact Dr. Steve Yergeau at syergeau@envsci.rutgers.edu

• Water Quality Assessment questions – contact Ms. Lisa Galloway Evrard at evrard@rci.rutgers.edu

• Design Calculations or BMP Site Selection questions – contact Ms. Jess Brown at jess@envsci.rutgers.edu

• Assistance with site visits – contact Dr. Chris Obropta at obropta@envsci.rutgers.edu