Www.straughanenvironmental.com creating a sustainable world The Chesapeake Bay TMDL A Policy Model for Nutrient Pollution Reductions James Noonan October.

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creating a sustainable world

The Chesapeake Bay TMDL

A Policy Model for Nutrient Pollution

Reductions

James NoonanOctober 15, 2012

MACO Administrators Meeting



• MDE’s Draft Phase II Watershed Implementation Plan Development Process

• Revised Waste Load Reductions allocated geographically and by source sector– waste water treatment plants (point sources),– agricultural sources, – stormwater and – septic systems

The Phase II WIP Process



TMDL sets Bay watershed limits on an annual basis at

– 185.9 million pounds of nitrogen (25 percent reduction)

– 12.5 million pounds of phosphorus (24 percent reduction) and

– 6.45 billion pounds of sediment (20 percent reduction)

Aggressive Milestones– 60% Reduction by 2017– 100% Reduction by 2025

Chesapeake Bay TMDL



• Pollution Reductions allocated– By Jurisdiction

• Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, the District of Columbia

– By Major River Basin

Chesapeake Bay TMDL



• Phase I Plans Developed by States in Fall of 2010 used to inform the final TMDL

• December 29, 2010 EPA established the Final TMDL

Draft Phase I Watershed Implementation Plans

http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/news/news-archive/soc_0035.html



• States demonstrate:– How the reductions will be achieved; i.e.,

which sectors; municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants, septic systems, urban stormwater, and agricultural discharges will provide the nutrient and sediment load reductions necessary to achieve the waste load allocations of the Bay TMDL.

– Address existing as well as any future nutrient and sediment sources associated with planned future development.

Phase I Watershed Implementation Plans



• For point source, stormwater, and septic components of the plan MDE organized local teams that developed:– What can be implemented to achieve the

targeted reductions– How the implementation actions will be

achieved (new local ordinances and revenue sources)

– Two-year milestones that reflect near-term implementation actions and steps to be taken between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2013

Phase II WIP Process in Maryland



• For Agriculture MDE formed agricultural work groups, organized for each soil conservation district

• Where local team strategies were not submitted, or fell short of the Final Target, the State supplemented the plans.

Phase II WIP Process



• To achieve the 2017 Interim Reductions– Point Source Sector - Major (> .5MGD)

wastewater treatment plant upgrades to ENR– Agriculture Sector – Significant reduction from

cropland , some reduction from AFOs, nurseries and pasture land

– Stormwater Sector – Significant reduction from MS4 permittees retrofitting developed land with stormwater BMPs, also controlling fertilizer application and requiring forested stream buffers

– Septic Sector - 60% in Critical Area upgrade or connection to an advanced waste water treatment plant.

Phase II WIP Strategies



Private Industry has been working with Local Government providing environmental, civil, structural and mechanical engineering design services to implement ENR at major wastewater treatment plants.

Strategies and ToolsPoint Sources

Source: DC Water



• Private Industry has been working with Local Government providing environmental planning, civil engineering design and construction services to:

Strategies and ToolsStormwater MS4

– Conduct watershed assessments.

– Use GIS to calculate treated and untreated impervious cover, identify where retrofit BMPs/ESD are needed and where they can be installed.





– Use software based models to calculate runoff volumes and estimate BMPs/ESD sizes.

– Use software based models to evaluate treatment scenarios and perform cost benefit analysis





– Use software design tools to design

• BMPs/ ESD stormwater retrofits • stream restoration

– Construct BMPs/ESD stormwater retrofits and stream restoration

– Monitor retrofit performance



• Chesapeake Bay Watershed one of several across the U.S. that have multiple impairments.

• The Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, San Francisco Bay, and many others.

• Watershed based approach, addressing all source sectors.

Watershed Based Approach



• Take a holistic approach to the issue– Understand all of the changes made to

State law and regulations and incorporate the impacts of those programs into your reporting

• Changes to Septic system regulations• Focused Growth

– Use GIS tools to think about nutrient reductions from a watershed based perspective

• Locate opportunities for off site nutrient reductions

• Prioritize improvements to targeted watersheds

How can Local Governments Meet WIP goals without breaking their budgets??



• Make reduction strategies Standard Practice– Incorporate ESD and low impact

strategies into all construction programs– Incorporate funding for those strategies

into budgets for capital projects

• Examine the full range of strategies available to determine which mix of approaches maximize reductions more efficiently

How can Local Governments Meet WIP goals without breaking their budgets??



Questions?

Www.straughanenvironmental.com creating a sustainable world The Chesapeake Bay TMDL A Policy Model for Nutrient Pollution Reductions James Noonan October.

Documents

sustainable world phase

sustainable world source

sustainable world tmdl

sustainable world sediment

sustainable world states

maryland slide

problem slide

wip process slide