West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection

Patrick Campbell - March 17, 2009

Clean Water Act:

•Passed by Congress – 1972•Objective - To restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biologic integrity of the Nation’s waters.

The CWA ingredients...

Water Quality Standards forwaterbodies

Impaired waterbodies on

303(d) list

Implement through Watershed Approach

TMDLs- define and allocate control

responsibility

NPDESPERMITS

MonitoringNPS Restoration

Categories of Waters

• Category 1- Meeting all uses• Category 2 – Meeting some, others unknown• Category 3 – All uses unknown (unmonitored)• Category 4 –Impaired for a use; TMDL complete• Category 5 – Impaired for a use - TMDL needed

(the 303(d) list)

2008 Integrated Report Summary

Category 116%

Category 211%

Category 340%

Category 413%

Category 520%

Designated Use Support

Biological Impairment Sources (based on 2002-2006 probabilistically sampled sites with WVSCI < 60.6)

26.3

20.0

7.3

4.4 3.9

1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.5

32.7

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Min

ing

Unspe

cifie

d La

nd D

istur

banc

e

Agricu

lture

Untre

ated

Dom

estic

Was

te

Unkno

wn

Urban

Run

off

Silvicu

lture

Oil a

nd G

as

Mun

icipa

l Poi

nt S

ourc

e

Hydro

mod

ificat

ion

Atmos

pher

ic Acid

Dep

ositio

n

Land

fill

% im

pa

ire

d s

ite

s

N ~ 200

(Some of the)Current Water Issues in WV

• Selenium

• Nutrients/Chesapeake Bay

• TMDLs

• Frac. Water from O&G operations

• Antidegradation Tier 3

Selenium

• Expect comment on revised national recommended criteria this summer– Continued movement to a tissue standard

• Several companies testing differing treatment technologies

• Material handling plans at new mines w/selenium potential

Nutrients•Chesapeake Bay TMDL Development Underway

•Greenbrier River Algae Assessment Completed

•Lake Water Quality TP and Chlorophyll criteria approval pending at EPA

•Stream criteria still to come

TMDLs

In Public Notice:• Dunkard

• Upper Ohio South

• Camp Ck/12Pole

• Youghiogheny

Coming Next:• Cheat – 1/10• Lower Elk & Lower

Kanawha tribs 1/11• Mid Ohio North &

South 1/12• Mon/Little Kanawha

Tribs monitoring 7/09

All available at www.wvdep.org/tmdl

The Marcellus Play/TDS/Monongahela River

Guidance comment imminent

Antidegradation

• Tier 3 process awaiting EPA approval

• Guidance for implementation under construction

Aldrich

Branch

Hanging

Rock

Branch

Lick

Branch

Birch

log

Ru

n

Armstrong Run

Bear Run

Jakeman

Run

Little

Barrenshe

Run

Cranberry River

Back to stream list

Public land

Private land

Tier 3 stream segments on public land

Wilderness Area (see slide 42)

And Finally...

• Expect a Water Quality Standards open meeting in late May/Early June– Nutrients– Mercury– Total Dissolved Solids– Iron– Others?

Thank you for your data and interest!