NASA Langley Research Center

1. NASA Langley Research Center Chesapeake Bay TMDL Program POC: Peter Van Dyke 4-7517

2. CONTENTS • What is a TMDL? What Does This Mean For The Chesapeake Bay? • Source Loads- What do the Numbers Actually Look Like? • What is LaRC Doing to Meet TMDL Goals?

3. What is a TMDL? What Does This Mean For The Chesapeake Bay? • Source Loads- What do the Numbers Actually Look Like? • What is LaRC Doing to Meet TMDL Goals?

4. Total Maximum Daily Load • TMDL is the “diet” of the Chesapeake Bay • Sets pollution reduction goals that are necessary to improve the quality of impaired waters. • Describes the maximum amount of pollutants that the Chesapeake Bay can receive while still meeting water quality standards • Takes a watershed approach in determining the pollutant load that can be allowed in a given water body • This approach considers all potential sources of pollutants, both point and non-point sources. It also takes into account a margin of safety, which reflects scientific uncertainty and future growth. The effects of seasonal variation are also included.

5. Pollutants of Concern Bay TMDL sets pollutant load limits for: Phosphorus Nitrogen Sediment Sediment enters the Bay when land, stream banks, and shorelines erode. Erosion increases when land is cleared for agriculture and development. In general, phosphorus and nitrogen reach the Bay through three sources: wastewater treatment plants; urban, suburban and agricultural runoff; and air pollution.

6. What’s So Bad About Phosphorus, Nitrogen, and Sediment? Excess of these pollutants are some of the leading causes of the Chesapeake Bay’s poor health. Phosphorus Nitrogen Sediment When nitrogen and phosphorus enter rivers, streams, and the Bay, they fuel the growth of algae blooms that lead to low-oxygen “dead zones” that are harmful to fish, shellfish, and other aquatic life. While loose particles of sand, silt, and clay are natural parts of the environment, too much sediment can cloud the waters of the Bay and its tributaries. This harms underwater grasses, fish, and shellfish.

7. How Does LaRC Fit In? • Because LaRC is within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, we are responsible for reducing the pollutants (the “load”) entering the Bay from our property. • LaRC’s Stormwater Permit has assigned load limits specific to our Center for phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment. • We have three permit cycles to reduce our pollutants and meet the load limits. • Loads are based on June, 2009 land-use statistics. • Compliance for LaRC equates to the following percentages: • Must meet 5% of these by 2018, 40% by 2023, and 100% by 2028.

8. Our Outfalls and Waterways • 16 outfalls convey stormwater. • LaRC is considered to be in the York River drainage basin (MobjackBay segmentshed). • Brick Kiln Creek runs along the western boundary of LaRC, joining the Northwest Branch of the Back River. • Tabbs Creek flows in a northerly direction to join the Back River near the confluence of its northwest and southwest branches. • A small portion of the Center drains to Tides Mill Creek.

9. 2009 Land Use Statistics (acres) MS4refers to a general permit for Municipal Separate Stormwater System. This is the system of conveyances (including roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels, and storm drains). This permit requires that NASA LaRC develop, implement and enforce a storm water management program to reduce the discharge of pollutants from the Center to the maximum extent practicable.  To learn more about LaRC’s MS4 Permit, visithttp://environmental.larc.nasa.gov/water/ms4/

10. Excluded Areas Map The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) allows for some land uses to be excluded from a permittee’s load allocation. For us, those include wetland and forested areas.

11. What is a TMDL? What Does This Mean For The Chesapeake Bay? • Source Loads- What do the Numbers Actually Look Like? • What is LaRC Doing to Meet TMDL Goals?

12. LaRC’s Existing Source Loads (Base Loads)

13. Required Load Reductions by 2018

14. Full TMDL Compliance by 2028

15. What is a TMDL? What Does This Mean For The Chesapeake Bay? • Source Loads- What do the Numbers Actually Look Like? • What is LaRC Doing to Meet TMDL Goals?

16. So, How Do We Get Compliant? • Chesapeake Bay TMDL Action Plan – This is the Center’s plan that tracks progress (2009 -2015) and plans for future projects (2016 – 2018). • Dynamic plan meant to evolve with the programand be updated. • Required submittal to DEQ via the permit. • LaRC submitted our plan on 1 Oct 2015and it was approved. • LaRC will be utilizing street sweeping, impervious surface reductions, forest/riparian buffers, land use changes (reforestation), and stormwater retrofits to comply.

17. Example - Street Sweeping Practice • LaRC has chosen to use the “Mass Loading Approach” for an annual average credit from this practice. • To earn reductions from this practice, LaRC averaged the data from the last six permit years. The average volume of debris collected has been 95.10 cubic yards. Each cubic yard of debris has been conservatively estimated to weigh 1,000 pounds. • 95.10 cubic yard/year * 1000 pounds = 95,100 pounds/year • 95,100 pounds *.7 lbs dry/weight = 66,570 pounds (dry weight) • Multiple the pounds collected by practice’s efficiency rates (set by the state).

18. Example - Impervious to Grass Condition Practice • Impervious surfaces transitioned to a grass condition is a great way to achieve load reductions. • Must stay grass forever if you take credit for it. Grass can have no nutrients applied. • 51 demolition projects since 2009 have yielded 11.25 acres converted to a grass condition. New grass growing at the ALDF Demolition site

19. Example - Grass to Forest Condition • Helps achieve load reduction on the pervious load allocations. • Must plant at least 400 seedlings per acre. • Low cost! One acre transition to forest is about 5k. Traditional retrofits can be expensive (30k plus). • Great load reductions achieved. • Provides other natural resource benefits such as increased habitats, food sources, and improved air quality. The next slide shows potential areas for reforestation.

20. 1.0 acres 2.0 acres 0.3 acres 3.0 acres 6.9 acres 0.7 acres

21. Why Such a Focus on Reforestation? Remember full TMDL compliance for pervious load reductions is 115.10 lbs for TN, 9.27 lbs for TP and 1596.97 lbs for TSS. Reforestation is a great low cost practice that can help get us to compliance. Note – The 13.9 acres will not be achieved by 2018. This is the long-term example (2028). The exact sites and total acreage could change.

22. 2016 Project: 1 Acre Reforestation Test Plot • Total cost will be a little over 5k. • Done with in-house contract staff. • Planting 466 trees with protective tree guards to combat deer, etc. • Alternating row style planting to achieve a nice look.

23. Retrofits - Tree Box Filters • Installed 4 “tree box filters” to treat stormwater runoff. • Functioning well, but DEQ’s allowable load reductions for these systems is fairly low. • Likely will not pursue more of these systems as retrofits. Some are planned for new construction areas.

24. What Our Planned Load Reductions Looks Like By 2018

25. Want to Learn More? • We are constantly posting more opportunities for learning or participating on our environmental blog: http://environmental.larc.nasa.gov/blog/ • Keep an eye out for frequent @LaRC articles! • Contact Peter Van Dyke • Phone: 4-7517 • Email: peter.vandyke@nasa.gov