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North Dakota’s Alternative Plans

Learn about North Dakota's alternative plans for water quality management, including the use of Section 319 Project Implementation Plans (PIP) and the integration of stakeholder input. These plans complement the existing TMDL/Surface Water Programs and provide a way to prioritize restoration efforts for impaired waters. Discover why alternative plans are important, their goals, and how they contribute to the overall water quality program. Contact Heather Husband, Regional Basin Coordinator, for more information.

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North Dakota’s Alternative Plans

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  1. North Dakota’s Alternative Plans Heather Husband North Dakota Department of Health Watershed Management Program

  2. Big Picture OverviewHow Alternative Plans Fit into the Overall Water Quality Program • TMDL/Surface Water Programs Today • Staff same size or smaller • Workload greatly increased • Budget/staff cuts

  3. Four new concurrent additions to workload • Nutrient Criteria Development/Strategy • Water Quality Basin Management Framework • TMDL Vision/Prioritization • Changing Environmental Health Section of the ND Dept of Health into Department of Environmental Quality

  4. North Dakota Basin Water Quality Management Framework • Each Basin Will: • Have a 5 year plan setting priorities and integrating DEQ water quality programs • Have a Basin Stakeholder Advisory Group to help set priorities and review plan, possibly hire watershed coordinators • Work with all DEQ Watershed Management staff

  5. Alternative Plans in the TMDL Vision • TMDL Vision/Priorities • Vision instead of Pace • BSAGs will help us set priorities, but still severely time/staff limited • Recognized we are data poor for many waterbodies • TMDL staff to work on completion of TMDLs where data available

  6. Why Alternative Plans? • Not a replacement to TMDLs • Not required • Who is going to do them?

  7. Alternate Plans Most Important Goal of Watershed Management Program

  8. North Dakota’sAlternative Plans • Uses Section 319 Project Implementation Plans (PIP) • Nonpoint Source Pollution only

  9. North Dakota’sAlternative Plans • EPA’s listed Alternate Plan Considerations

  10. North Dakota’sAlternative Plans • Crosswalk between EPA’s listed Considerations and PIP

  11. The How of Alternative Plans • Section 319 PIP Guidance Document as been rewritten. • Alternate Plans not submitted instead of TMDLs, review of progress may still lead to TMDL. • PIP has a monitoring component, so data collected can be used later to complete a TMDL if one is needed. • Another benefit of PIP as Alternate Plan, mostly created by 319 Project Sponsor. This allows us to not duplicate costs associated with monitoring, allocate our staff resources where entire TMDLs need to be written from beginning, and still move towards that ultimate goal of restoring impaired waters.

  12. Alternative Plans as Recognition • Alternate Plans will be identified in any presentation or discussion of TMDLs • The Stakeholders like the recognition of the time and work they are putting into water quality improvements. • PIPs as Alt Plans are recognized in both TMDL and 319 NPS programs • Will be identified on our webpage • Looking into producing PSA’s for the radio and newspapers • The more stakeholders feel appreciated and valued, the more they are likely to spread the word about conservation programs. We hope this will lead to more conservation practices being established.

  13. Alternative Plans To Date • EPA has been generally supportive of our approach. • Two alternate plans have been “accepted” by EPA, three more will be submitted this week, and four more are in the works for 2018. • Changes made to 319 PIP grant submission guidelines to include necessary components by the next round of grant submissions, summer 2018.

  14. Alternative Plans – To Summarize • Using slightly modified Section 319 PIP’s as Alt Plans for listed waters (Alt Plans for Nonpoint sources only) • Allows TMDL staff to prioritize writing TMDLs for other impaired reaches where implementation has not yet taken place or where point sources are involved • A way of showing progress towards restoration of impaired waters (ultimate goal of TMDLs) to both EPA and National Legislators • A way of showing recognition for stakeholders that have put time and money into watershed improvements • Allows us to bring together components of our Nutrient Management Strategy, Basin Management Framework and TMDL Vision process.

  15. Questions? Heather Husband NDDoH, WQ Div. Regional Basin Coordinator (701) 537-2043 hduchsch@nd.gov

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