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Annual Report on Basinwide Water Quality Management

This report provides an overview of the progress in developing and implementing basinwide water quality management plans in North Carolina, along with increasing public involvement and education in the planning process.

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Annual Report on Basinwide Water Quality Management

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  1. November 10, 2016 Department of Environmental Quality

  2. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Management Commission and Water Quality CommitteeDivision of Water Resources Annual report to the General Assembly Environmental Review Commission Basinwide Water Quality Management Planning July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 Ian McMillan Chief, Basin Planning Branch Division of Water ResourcesDepartment of Environmental Quality Department of Environmental Quality

  3. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Management Commission and Water Quality CommitteeDivision of Water Resources § 143-215.8B.  Basinwide water quality management plans (d)       The Commission and the Department shall each report on or before 1 October of each year on an annual basis to the Environmental Review Commission on the progress in developing and implementing basinwide water quality management plans and on increasing public involvement and public education in connection with basinwide water quality management planning. The report to the Environmental Review Commission by the Department shall include a written statement as to all concentrations of heavy metals and other pollutants in the surface waters of the State that are identified in the course of preparing or revising the basinwide water quality management plans.

  4. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Management Commission and Water Quality CommitteeDivision of Water Resources Basin Plan Development Of North Carolina’s 17 river basins, five water resource plans are currently under development: The Cape Fear, Chowan, Pasquotank, White Oak and Watauga River Basin

  5. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Management Commission and Water Quality CommitteeDivision of Water Resources Total and Dissolved Metals in North Carolina Surface Waters: RAMS Data Exploration January 2007 – June 2013 • Overall, 98/120 of RAMS stations DID NOT exceed standards. • 22 had one or more metal exceedances. Of those, • Arsenic: Two stations were over current and proposed (unchanged) total arsenic Human Health standards. • Copper: Seven stations were over the current total copper standard. • Lead: Two stations were over proposed calculated hardness-dependent chronic dissolved lead standards. • Mercury, Selenium and Silver: There are no proposed changes to total mercury and total selenium standards. Results were not available for silver evaluation • Zinc: Seven stations were over the current total zinc standard. Five stations were over proposed calculated hardness-dependent chronic and acute dissolved zinc standards.

  6. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Management Commission and Water Quality CommitteeDivision of Water Resources • Turbidity • Yadkin River Basin – Highest • River Basin Mean 25.2 mg/L • Median Turbidity Concentration 11 NTU mg/L • 0% Change • South Yadkin Subbasin – Highest Subbasin • Subbasin Mean 39.3 mg/L • Median Turbidity Concentration 16 NTU • 14% Increase

  7. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Management Commission and Water Quality CommitteeDivision of Water Resources • Turbidity % Change Largest Subbasin Percentage Increase– Middle Roanoke 41% Largest Subbasin Percentage Decrease – Hiwassee River 23.6%

  8. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Management Commission and Water Quality CommitteeDivision of Water Resources • Total Nitrogen • *No current standard, but as an EPA requirement, DWR is working with a Science Advisory Council (SAC) to develop nitrogen nutrient criteria. • Yadkin River Basin – Highest • River Basin Mean 2.90 mg/L • Median Total Nitrogen (TN) 1.49 mg/L • 13% Increase • Rocky River Subbasin – Highest (in the Yadkin River Basin) • Subbasin Mean 5.91 mg/L • Median Total Nitrogen (TN) 3.97 mg/L

  9. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Management Commission and Water Quality CommitteeDivision of Water Resources • Total Phosphorus • *No current standard, but is being reviewed as part of the nutrient criteria development process • Yadkin River Basin– Highest • River Basin Mean 0.31 mg/L • Median TP Concentrations 0.11 mg/L • 21.4% Decrease • Rocky River Subbasin (in the Yadkin River) – Highest • Subbasin mean 0.67 mg/L • Median TP Concentrations 0.49mg/L • .

  10. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Management Commission and Water Quality CommitteeDivision of Water Resources • Total Phosphorus, cont. • *No current standard, but is being reviewed as part of the nutrient criteria development process • Catawba River Basin • 2nd Highest Basin Mean TP Concentration 0.22 mg/L • Neuse River • 2nd Highest Median TP Concentration 0.10 mg/L • Largest Subbasin Increase and Decrease • Lower Catawba + 60% • Roanoke’s Lower Dan River - 88% • Six of the 17 river basins have basin TP mean concentrations greater than 0.10 mg/L, these include the Cape Fear River Basin (0.15 mg/L), Catawba River Basin (0.22 mg/L), Neuse River Basin (0.13 mg/L), Roanoke River Basin (0.11 mg/L), White Oak (0.15 mg/L) and the Yadkin River Basin (0.31 mg/L).

  11. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Management Commission and Water Quality CommitteeDivision of Water Resources • Total Phosphorus, cont. • *No current standard, but is being reviewed as part of the nutrient criteria development process • Six of the 17 river basins have basin TP mean concentrations greater than 0.10 mg/L • Cape Fear River Basin (0.15 mg/L) • Catawba River Basin (0.22 mg/L) • Neuse River Basin (0.13 mg/L) • Roanoke River Basin (0.11 mg/L) • White Oak (0.15 mg/L) • Yadkin River Basin (0.31 mg/L)

  12. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Management Commission and Water Quality CommitteeDivision of Water Resources • Fecal Coliform Bacteria • Cape Fear River Basin –Highest • River Basin Mean 531 cfu/100ml • White Oak River Basin – Highest • Geomean Concentration 229 cfu/100ml • Basins Exceeding 400 cfu/100ml • Broad River Basin (437 cfu/100ml) • Cape Fear River Basin (531 cfu/100ml) • Catawba River Basin (504 cfu/100ml) • Hiwassee River Basin (482 cfu/100ml) • White Oak River Basin (403 cfu/100mL) • *The White Oak River basin was the only basin to exceed a geometric mean of 200 cfu/100mL.

  13. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Management Commission and Water Quality CommitteeDivision of Water Resources • The Division’s Basin Planning Program’s Stakeholder Input • Hydrologic Modeling Stakeholder Meetings • Basin Plan Public Comment Process • Watershed Associations • Land Trusts • Water Quality Monitoring Coalitions • Soil and Water Conservation Districts • Public Water Systems • Other federal, state and local agencies

  14. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Management Commission and Water Quality CommitteeDivision of Water Resources • Branch Goals • Help facilitate development of a statewide integrated data management system to replace the current, segmented, disjointed, inefficient and severely outdated data management system. • Strive to increase public awareness and participation. • Evaluate statutes specific to basin planning and how to integrate water quality and quantity planning into one report.

  15. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Management Commission and Water Quality CommitteeDivision of Water Resources Questions?

  16. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Management Commission and Water Quality CommitteeDivision of Water Resources Contact Information Ian McMillan Basin Planning Branch Division of Water Resources 919-707-9026 ian.mcmillan@ncdenr.gov

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