Water Quality Issues, Fees and Management Options

1. Water Quality Issues, Fees and Management Options Mr. L Sizemore and Dr. W. Anderson Middle Tennessee State University for the Mid-State Iris Association June 3, 2008

2. Why a Storm Water Fee? City of Murfreesboro July, 2007

3. Why a storm water user fee? • EPA • Maintain and replace infrastructure • Improve stream water quality

4. State and EPA requirements • Murfreesboro • Designated urban area • EPA requires • MS4 program • Ensure water quality in local bodies of water • Requires milestones to met-need equipment, training, staffing

5. Maintain & replace infrastructure • Infrastructure • In place some time • Pipers clog • Impede storm water flow • Open ditches gradually fill • Vacuum and water jet trucks • Replace with BMP

6. Improve stream water quality • Murfreesboro streams impaired • Streams may not be suitable for certain aquatic life/human recreation • Monitoring/research useful-aid in stream quality • BMP • Bio retention area, debris catchments, bank restoration • Improve water quality

7. Public outreach & education • Public out reach • Ensure water quality • School education program • Workshops • Low impact development

8. BMP improvement • Restoration • Habitat

9. What is an impervious surface? • Rainwater cannot infiltrate • More water volume-runoff into storm drain • Storm water fee • Median impervious area of single family residential [SFU] propertied-3,470 sq ft

10. What is an impervious surface? • Review of 20,000 + properties • $3.25 per month • Commercial property- how many equivalent SFUs • Commercial – 34,700 sq ft = 10* $3.25= $32.50

11. How fee billed? • SFU-added to bill • Apartment-bill property owner • Commercial- bill property owner

12. What is goal of storm water fee? • Maintain water quality • Allow city to comply – federal-state regulations-unfunded mandate • Flood damage reduction/drainage • Long term maintenance

13. What is goal of storm water fee? • Protect water supply • Stream restoration • BMP-road construction • Education for schools • Workshops for better water quality

14. What can you do for clean water? • Conserve water • Keep grass clipping out of stream • Keep restaurant and business waste away from rain

15. What can you do for clean water? • Use min herbicides/fertilizers & keep off paved surfaces • Pick up pet waste • Report water pollution

16. More information • And other slide shows • http://www.murfreesboro.gov/government/water_sewer/stormwater.htm

17. What really goes down there?

18. Rain Garden Rain Water Management Option At Middle Tennessee State University

19. History • This power point is the result of work completed by MTSU students in ABAS 3370 and 4370 at MTSU. Mr. L. Sizemore and Dr. W. Anderson have worked with MTSU students since Fall 2005.

20. What is currently used to manage rain water at MTSU? • Gutters for roof runoff • Surface drainage ditches and an underground drainage system. • Ditches or tiles direct water to a central basin next to Rutherford Blvd.

21. What are some of the problems caused by these methods? • Petrochemicals and metals are washed off with storm runoff water. • Rain water and runoff water can dissolve the limestone bedrock.

22. MTSU Campus Map

23. Blowup of MTSU campus map and drainage ditch (blue)

24. Location of Rain Gardens One, Two and Three • Rain Garden One (2005) is near the MTSU campus greenhouse (GH) • Rain Garden Two (2006) is near the Horticulture Center (HC) • Rain Garden Three was completed in Fall 2007 in drainage ditch.

25. Surface Drain system being retrofitted with Rain Gardens (RG) Greenhouse Commons-underground drain line RG 1&2 RG3 Basin

26. Runoff from curb cut into Rain Garden Three (lot # 66)

27. Surface drainage ditch on campus parking lot #66 • The photo looks North toward the campus greenhouse and Rain Gardens One and Two. • Rain Garden Three (F-2007) has been constructed in drainage ditch

28. Alternative ways of dealing with runoff? • Direct water to a naturalized setting. • Minimize runoff of average rain by 90%, allowing rain garden (plants and soil) • Filter pollutants-sediments, dissolved ions- before percolates into groundwater.

29. What is a decentralized runoff management system? • Runoff water directed into rain gardens • Plant canopy and soil can store excess water. • Rain Garden, shallow basin allows runoff water to percolate through the soil and transpire through the plants.

30. How does a decentralized system work? Two ways: 1) Plant canopy (trees, shrubs, un-mowed grasses) A) increase evapo-transpiration B) reduce water percolation. 2) Rain garden soil is a sponge for runoff water

31. MTSU Agribusiness and Agriscience (ABAS) courses-time line • ABAS 3370: Soil Analysis class began Rain Garden One the Fall 2005. • ABAS 4370: Soil & Water Conservation class completed Rain Garden One the Spring 2006.

32. MTSU Agribusiness and Agriscience (ABAS) courses-time frame • ABAS 3370 class began and finished Rain Garden Two the Fall 2006 • Rain gardens One & Two collect runoff from gravel parking lots West and North of the Horticulture Center • Runoff water contains lime dust

33. Decentralizing the pre-existing drainage system at MTSU • ABAS 3370 in Fall 2007 built Rain Garden Three in the drainage ditch • Planted in F 2007 and Sp 2008 • Horticultural Center to the drainage basin by Rutherford Blvd (approximately ½ mile). • Additional Gardens will be built in drainage ditch

34. Surface Drain system being retrofitted with Rain Gardens (RG) Greenhouse Commons-underground drain line RG 1&2 RG3 Basin

35. Looking North toward Rain Garden One

36. Before Rain Garden One, Fall 2005

37. Survey in Rain Garden one (Fall 05)

38. Checking land elevation after excavation F 2005

39. Digging out Rain Garden One (F 05)

40. Rain Garden One excavation completed in October 2005

41. Water in excavated Rain Garden One-spoil piles in trees Sp 2006

42. Spoil piles in background-gravel at entrance Rain Garden One-Sp 06

43. Water in excavated area for Rain Garden One Feb 06

44. Rain Garden One, Water filled after a rain storm Feb 06

45. Mar 06 adding and leveling prepared mix to Rain Garden One

46. Mar 06 leveling pooling area of Rain Garden One

47. Completing initial work on berm for Rain Garden One (Sp 06)

48. Rain Garden One, Spring 2006

49. Rain Garden One • Deeper and longer than needed in a residential landscape • Why? • It had to fit in an existing drainage ditch surrounded by parking lots.

50. How to Plan a Rain Garden • Garden is down slope from the area it is draining. • Small rain gardens are easier to maintain than one large rain garden. • Garden should be greater than 10 feet from building foundation.