Watershed-Based Planning

1. Watershed-Based Planning A Framework for Action!

4. A watershed approach helps to... 1. Encourage Sound Science 2. Facilitate Communication and Partnerships 3. Provide Means of Cost-Effective Management 4. Focus on Environmental Results

5. Your Basic Creek

6. Creek Through a Golf Course

7. Creek Through a Pasture

8. Context for planning & management • We have problems • Polluted waters • Cultural disconnects • Limited authority • Few resources • We have solutions • Interested people • Improving science & technology • Excellent relationships among public/private sectors

9. Watershed Mgmt. Plans TMDLs & Implementation Plans Source Water Protection Plans Water Resource Dev./Supply Plans Animal Feeding Operations Erosion & Sediment Control Channel & Lake Restoration Plans Coastal Mgmt / Nat’l Estuary Program Ag/Range Management Plans Forest/Fisheries Management Plans Floodplain, Parks, Planning & Zoning POTW & CSO/SSO Plans Stormwater Permit Activities Nonpoint Source Issues Point Source Issues

10. Watershed PlanningHandbook http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/watershed_handbook/

13. Watershed Planning Steps The Process: STEP 1 BUILD PARTNERSHIPS • ID stakeholders • ID issues of concern • ID scope of effort & planning area • Set preliminary goals • Conduct outreach

14. NPS Awareness Survey http://www.scdhec.gov/water/ms4/pubs/ npssurvey.pdf

15. What is a stakeholder? • A group or individual who: • has the responsibility for implementing the decision. • is affected by the decision. • has the ability to impede or assist in implementing the decision.

16. Why are stakeholders important to the process? • Ensures that concerns are factored into the decisions made • Shares the responsibility of the decision • Enables partnerships to be formed to combine financial resources • Shares implementation of the decision • Establishes a framework for planning and conducting management activities

17. Why Teams Fail • Past failures • No commitment • Worry about lost independence • Lack of credit for contributions • Personality conflicts • Power struggles • No agreement on roles and responsibilities • Differences in cultural and personal values Building Local Partnerships, CTIC

18. Keys to Team Success • Broad-based stakeholder involvement • Credibility, fairness, & openness • Overcoming mistrust and skepticism • Strong leadership • Commitment and involvement of high-level visible leaders

19. For best results, coordinate the watershed planning effort with other federal, state, and local activities

20. How large a planning area? Subwatershed (14-digit HUC or small urban drainage) Watershed (11-digit HUC; may vary) 04 01 02 03 06 05 07 River Basin

21. Identifying planning units • Statewide mgmt unit designations • Requires support for coordination; may be laborious • Likely to require technical & other support • Local/regional voluntary cooperatives • Depends on local collaborative efforts • Lots of local energy & commitment required • Hybrid approach • State provides incentives for cooperation • Tech & other support available to interested groups

22. Watershed Planning Steps STEP 2 CHARACTERIZE WATERSHED • Gather existing data • Create data inventory • ID data gaps • Collect additional data, if needed • Analyze data • ID causes and sources • Estimate pollutant loads STEP 1 BUILD PARTNERSHIPS • ID stakeholders • ID issues of concern • ID scope of effort & planning area • Set preliminary goals • Conduct outreach

23. Natural Factors Affecting Water Quality Vegetation Effects Precipitation Chemistry Sedimentation and Soil Effects Mineral Weathering Ground Water/Subsurface Biochemistry Effects

24. Human Factors Wetland Habitat Degradation Urban Development, Storm Water, CSO, and Wastewater Discharge Contaminated Air Deposition Runoff/Infiltration from Animal Operations and Crop Farming Acid Mine Drainage Sedimentation from Deforestation Contamination of Drinking Water Recharge Zone Aquifer Confining Bed

25. Watershed Planning Steps STEP 1 BUILD PARTNERSHIPS • ID stakeholders • ID issues of concern • Set preliminary goals • Develop indicators • Conduct outreach STEP 3 FINALIZE GOALS AND IDENTIFY SOLUTIONS • Set goals and management objectives • Develop indicators/targets • Determine load reductions needed • ID critical areas • ID management measures needed STEP 2 CHARACTERIZE WATERSHED • Gather existing data • Create data inventory • ID data gaps • Collect additional data, if needed • Analyze data • ID causes and sources • Estimate pollutant loads

26. Statutory and regulatory context • Clean Water Act • Water quality standards • KPDES discharge permits • Stream & wetland “filling” • Safe Drinking Water Act • Source water protection • Public health codes • Residential wastewater • Local Codes • Planning/zoning, subdivision, etc.

27. Clean Water Act

28. NPDES Program: Coverage • Industrial and municipal wastewater • Industrial, urban, and construction-related storm water runoff • Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) • Active, inactive, and some abandoned mines • Discharges from RCRA remedial action activity meeting point source definition

29. Effluent (discharge) limits • “Technology-based” end-of-pipe performance standards (concentration/mass) • BAT, NSPS, PSES, secondary treatment, etc. • Spelled out in EPA regulation packages (effluent guidelines) • Use best professional judgment (BPJ) if no EPA regulations • Water quality-based (linked to TMDLs) • Only where tech-based controls are insufficient to meet WQS • Back-calculated from numeric WQC: pollutant concentrations in discharge • Derived from narrative criteria: whole effluent toxicity testing

30. Water Quality Standards • State’s yardstick to measure health of waters • Three key elements of WQSs: • Designated uses • Water quality criteria • Antidegradation provisions

31. Example Use Designations • Aquatic life support – warmwater & coldwater aquatic habitat • Primary contact recreation – swimming • Secondary contact recreation – boating and fishing • Fish consumption – eating fish • Drinking water – domestic water supply

32. Water Quality Criteria • Consistent scientifically with protecting all designated uses (DUs) • Basic types of criteria • Narrative/numeric • Water column/sediment/ fish tissue • Categories of criteria • Aquatic life • Pollutant-specific/aquatic community indices • Human health (drinking/fish consumption) • Wildlife (semiaquatic/food chain effects)

33. SECOND FISH FAMILY CHORDATA SALMONID PLANKTONIC CRUSTACEAN BENTHIC CRUSTACEAN OTHER INSECT OR MOLLUSCA ROTIFERA, ANNELIDA, MOLLUSCA INSECT MINIMUM DATASET FOR FRESHWATER WATER QUALITY CRITERIA DERIVATION

34. Egg Larva Most Sensitive Adult DATA FROM THE MOST SENSITIVE LIFE STAGES SHOULD BE USED

35. Acute Toxicity Data 96-hour LC50 Concentration: 0.0 μg/L 25 μg/L 50 μg/L 100 μg/L 200 μg/L 500 μg/L Control 1 2 3 4 5 96-hr LC50 = 100 μg/L

36. WQS: antidegradation provisions • Purpose: Prevent deterioration of existing levels of good water quality • Generally applies parameter-by-parameter • Three tiers of protection • Tiers 1 – must maintain minimum WQ criteria • Tier 2 – must prevent degradation of “good” WQ unless you demonstrate ”important” economic or social development in the watershed • Tier 3 – degradation for ONRWs

38. k Watershed Planning Steps STEP 1 BUILD PARTNERSHIPS • ID stakeholders • ID issues of concern • Set preliminary goals • Develop indicators • Conduct outreach STEP 4 DESIGN IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM • Develop Implementation schedule • Set Interim milestones • Determine how you will measure success • Develop monitoring component • Develop evaluation process • ID technical and financial assistance needed • Assign responsibility STEP 3 FINALIZE GOALS AND ID SOLUTIONS • Set goals and management objectives • Develop indicators/targets • Determine load reductions needed • ID critical areas • ID management measures needed STEP 2 CHARACTERIZE WATERSHED • Gather existing data • Create data inventory • ID data gaps • Collect additional data, if needed • Analyze data • ID causes and sources • Estimate pollutant loads

39. k Watershed Planning Steps STEP 1 BUILD PARTNERSHIPS • ID stakeholders • ID issues of concern • Set preliminary goals • Develop indicators • Conduct outreach STEP 5 IMPLEMENT WATERSHED PLAN • Implement management strategies • Conduct monitoring • Conduct outreach activities STEP 4 DESIGN IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM • Develop Implementation schedule • Set Interim milestones • Determine how you will measure success • Develop monitoring component • Develop evaluation process • ID technical and financial assistance needed • Assign responsibility STEP 3 FINALIZE GOALS AND ID SOLUTIONS • Set goals and management objectives • Develop indicators/targets • Determine load reductions needed • ID critical areas • ID management measures needed STEP 2 CHARACTERIZE WATERSHED • Gather existing data • Create data inventory • ID data gaps • Collect additional data, if needed • Analyze data • ID causes and sources • Estimate pollutant loads

40. k Watershed Planning Steps STEP 1 BUILD PARTNERSHIPS • ID stakeholders • ID issues of concern • Set preliminary goals • Develop indicators • Conduct outreach STEP 6 MEASURE PROGRESS AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS • Review and evaluate • Share results • Prepare annual plans • Make adjustments STEP 5 IMPLEMENT WATERSHED PLAN • Implement management strategies • Conduct monitoring • Conduct outreach activities STEP 4 DESIGN IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM • Develop Implementation schedule • Set Interim milestones • Determine how you will measure success • Develop monitoring component • Develop evaluation process • ID technical and financial assistance needed • Assign responsibility STEP 3 FINALIZE GOALS AND ID SOLUTIONS • Set goals and management objectives • Develop indicators/targets • Determine load reductions needed • ID critical areas • ID management measures needed STEP 2 CHARACTERIZE WATERSHED • Gather existing data • Create data inventory • ID data gaps • Collect additional data, if needed • Analyze data • ID causes and sources • Estimate pollutant loads

41. EPA’s Nonpoint Source Guidelines • Watershed plans needed to restore impaired waters & protect other waters • Plans are required for projects funded with 319 incremental funds • If TMDL exists, plan must incorporate TMDL load reductions • If TMDL developed after plan, it must be amended to reflect TMDL load limits • Plans should be designed to meet WQS • Plans must include nine elements (“a-i”)

42. EPA’s Nine Elements for Plans a. Identify causes & sources of pollution b. Estimate load reductions expected c. Describe mgmt measures & targeted critical areas d. Estimate technical and financial assistance needed e. Develop education component f. Develop project schedule g. Describe interim, measurable milestones h. Identify indicators to measure progress i. Develop a monitoring component Source: US EPA, 2004 319 Supplemental Guidelines

43. Steps in the Watershed Planning and Implementation Process

44. Incorporation of the nine minimum elements

45. 319 Work Plans • Can be designed to develop a watershed-based plan & produce load/BMP analyses • Must ID watershed, include plan development schedule, estimate of funds needed to develop plan • Or to implement portions of the plan • Specific structural or non-structural BMPs • Watershed plans do not need to be submitted to EPA for approval • States must ID plans to be implemented, provide schedule, and estimate 319 funding needed

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