Resource Challenge Contaminants/Water Quality National Wildlife Refuge System Friends Academy October 27, 2009 George Noguchi USFWS - Division of Environmental Quality Arlington, VA Bon Secour NWR Pete Tuttle, USFWS Bon Secour NWR Pete Tuttle, USFWS
Jan 13, 2016
Resource Challenge
Contaminants/Water Quality
National Wildlife Refuge System Friends AcademyOctober 27, 2009
George Noguchi
USFWS - Division of Environmental Quality
Arlington, VA
Bon Secour NWR
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Bon Secour NWR
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Explain why contaminants and water quality are prominent threats to wildlife conservation on refuges
Explain what is causing degraded water quality on refuges
Explain some of the challenges to addressing improved water quality on refuges
Learning Objectives
History of partnership between Refuges and the Environmental Contaminants Program
Types of contaminants / water pollutants Sources Types of effects Water quality (Clean Water Act) basics
Understanding Contaminant and Water QualityUnderstanding Contaminant and Water Quality Threats to Wildlife Conservation on Refuges Threats to Wildlife Conservation on Refuges
Early contaminant issues on NWRs: Wheeler NWR, AL; Great Swamp NWR, NJ; Kesterson NWR, CA
Emerging Federal laws
Clean Water Act 1977
CERCLA* (Superfund) 1980
TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act) 1982 Environmental Contaminants Program ~ 1982 * Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensations and Liability Act
Environmental Contaminants – Refuges Partnership
Contaminant Assessment Process (CAP) On-Refuge Contaminant Investigations Contaminant Cleanup on Refuges Pre-Acquisition Contaminant Surveys Oil and Hazardous Material Response Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Pesticide Use Proposal (PUP) Review Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Environmental Compliance Audits Amphibian Surveys
Environmental Contaminants – RefugesActivities
Legacy Pollutants (PCBs, DDT, Dieldrin, etc) Heavy Metals (mercury, lead, copper, etc) Trace Elements (selenium) Current Use Pesticides (atrazine, diazinon, etc) Oil and Gas related “Conventional” water pollutants (ammonia, dissolved
oxygen, temperature, coliform bacteria) Emerging Contaminants
Other Industrial (flame retardants - PBDEs)Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products
(PPCPs)Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs)
Types of Contaminants/Water Pollutants that have affected or may affect NWRs
Industrial; direct and indirect discharges Municipal; direct discharge, biosolids Landfills Agricultural; runoff, irrigation return waters, pesticide spray
drift, leaching, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO), biosolids
Mining; runoff, valley fill Oil and gas Urban runoff Changes in land use practices Atmospheric deposition (Clean Air Act)
Sources of Contamination
Oil and gas operations at Delta NWR(Billy Umsted, FWS)
Acute Effects: Occur rapidly (within
hours or days) Poisonings, spills, high
concentration exposures Death (fish kill) or rapid
onset of sublethal impairments
Biological Effects Acute and Chronic
Effects occur later in time (weeks, months, years)Long term exposure to low concentrationsShort term exposure during early development, buteffects occur later
Types of effects Reproductive Neurological (behavioral) Immunological (disease resistance) Cancer Wasting
Chronic Effects
Abnormal Redhead Duck embryo (middle) caused by Se, Ouray NWR, UT
Effects on ReproductionSelenium (Se) – Joe Skorupa, FWS
Black-neck stilts; left 14-d old from Se-normal egg, right 13-d old from Se contaminated egg; retarded growth from embryonic exposure, Tulare Basin, CA
Normal and deformed mosquito fish fry from San Luis Drain, a source of water for the Kesterson NWR, CA. Effects later shown to be due to Se.
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Carbaryl (insecticide) used to control burrowing/ghost shrimp on oyster beds in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor, WA
Summer rearing habitat for anadromous salmonids Laboratory tests showed: Cutthroat unable to “smell” carbaryl (no avoidance) Reduced acetylcholinesterase activity in brain and muscle Reduced swimming performance Reduced predator avoidance
Behavioral EffectsJay Davis, Western Washington FO, WA
Endocrine Disruption: Potomac R. & TributariesChris Guy and Fred Pinkney, Chesapeake Bay FO, MD
Testes with numerous oocytes (arrows)
Intersex
Normal testes with mature sperm (a)
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Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Implemented by EPA, States, and TribesMajor Elements
Water Quality Standards
Pollution Discharge Permits
Monitoring and Reporting
Clean Water Act Basics
Designated Uses (“fishable/swimmable”, drinking water, etc)
Numeric and narrative standards (to protect uses) Antidegradation Other (i.e. mixing zones, variances)
Water Quality Standards
Regulate pollution discharges from point sources Stormwater (industrial, construction, municipal) Non-point sources do not require permits Federal Permits issued by EPA – NPDES
(National Pollution Discharge Elimination System)
State-issued permits (most states)
Pollution Discharge Permits
Monitoring surface waters
Biennial reporting (305b reports)
Identification of impaired waters (303d list)
Develop TMDL (total maximum daily load) for impaired waters
Monitoring and Reporting
National Water Quality Inventory: Report to Congress - 2004 Reporting Cycle, USEPA
http://www.epa.gov/owow/305b/2004report/2004_305Breport.pdf
Conduct additional analyses and research on specific issues involving impaired waters and FWS properties that can further inform, guide, and accelerate restoration planning for impaired waters.
Impaired Waters ProjectFWS/EPA/USGS
Identify impaired waters and TMDLs within and adjacent to National Wildlife Refuges and National Fish Hatcheries
Use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze and summarize patterns in the spatial relationships of refuges and hatcheries relative to impaired waters, pollutants, and TMDLs.
Exceedence of water quality standards Impaired waters (303d) TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) Fish Consumption Advisories
Other Threats to Wildlife Conservation on Refuges
1. Identifying and mitigating biological/ecological impacts of contaminants on NWRs:
> Understanding water quality requirements of Refuge resources (i.e. how sensitive are species to water pollutants)
> Understanding how contaminants of emerging concern may affect Refuge resources
> Ability to effectively reduce pollutant loadings and/or sources
Challenges to Addressing Improved
Water Quality on Refuges
2. Managing regulatory requirements (CWA) associated with maintaining/improving water quality on Refuges and associated waters:
> Understanding the mass balance of water pollutants on NWRs
> Identifying land/water management practices that achieve Refuge mission/goals while fulfilling water quality requirements
> Need for systematic approach for assessing WQ on NWRs and impacts to fish & wildlife (i.e. WQ monitoring program for NWRs)
Challenges to Addressing Improved
Water Quality on Refuges
3. Climate Change - Identify Refuges where water quality/quantity is key climate vulnerability
> Anticipated climatic changes:Increase/decrease precipitationRising water tablesIncreasing temperatures
> Implications for water quality:Increase/decrease in non-point source pollution (runoff)Exposure to new sources (new pathways)Temperature-related changes in pollutant toxicity and
species sensitivity
Challenges to Addressing Improved
Water Quality on Refuges
New PoliciesFish Consumption Advisories
Directors Order 190(4/26/07)
New Partnerships