Resource Challenge

Contaminants/Water Quality

National Wildlife Refuge System Friends AcademyOctober 27, 2009

George Noguchi

USFWS - Division of Environmental Quality

Arlington, VA

Bon Secour NWR

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Explain why contaminants and water quality are prominent threats to wildlife conservation on refuges

Explain what is causing degraded water quality on refuges

Explain some of the challenges to addressing improved water quality on refuges

Learning Objectives

History of partnership between Refuges and the Environmental Contaminants Program

Types of contaminants / water pollutants Sources Types of effects Water quality (Clean Water Act) basics

Understanding Contaminant and Water QualityUnderstanding Contaminant and Water Quality Threats to Wildlife Conservation on Refuges Threats to Wildlife Conservation on Refuges

Early contaminant issues on NWRs: Wheeler NWR, AL; Great Swamp NWR, NJ; Kesterson NWR, CA

Emerging Federal laws

Clean Water Act 1977

CERCLA* (Superfund) 1980

TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act) 1982 Environmental Contaminants Program ~ 1982 * Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensations and Liability Act

Environmental Contaminants – Refuges Partnership

Contaminant Assessment Process (CAP) On-Refuge Contaminant Investigations Contaminant Cleanup on Refuges Pre-Acquisition Contaminant Surveys Oil and Hazardous Material Response Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Pesticide Use Proposal (PUP) Review Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Environmental Compliance Audits Amphibian Surveys

Environmental Contaminants – RefugesActivities

Legacy Pollutants (PCBs, DDT, Dieldrin, etc) Heavy Metals (mercury, lead, copper, etc) Trace Elements (selenium) Current Use Pesticides (atrazine, diazinon, etc) Oil and Gas related “Conventional” water pollutants (ammonia, dissolved

oxygen, temperature, coliform bacteria) Emerging Contaminants

Other Industrial (flame retardants - PBDEs)Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products

(PPCPs)Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs)

Types of Contaminants/Water Pollutants that have affected or may affect NWRs

Industrial; direct and indirect discharges Municipal; direct discharge, biosolids Landfills Agricultural; runoff, irrigation return waters, pesticide spray

drift, leaching, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO), biosolids

Mining; runoff, valley fill Oil and gas Urban runoff Changes in land use practices Atmospheric deposition (Clean Air Act)

Sources of Contamination

Oil and gas operations at Delta NWR(Billy Umsted, FWS)

Acute Effects: Occur rapidly (within

hours or days) Poisonings, spills, high

concentration exposures Death (fish kill) or rapid

onset of sublethal impairments

Biological Effects Acute and Chronic

Effects occur later in time (weeks, months, years)Long term exposure to low concentrationsShort term exposure during early development, buteffects occur later

Types of effects Reproductive Neurological (behavioral) Immunological (disease resistance) Cancer Wasting

Chronic Effects

Abnormal Redhead Duck embryo (middle) caused by Se, Ouray NWR, UT

Effects on ReproductionSelenium (Se) – Joe Skorupa, FWS

Black-neck stilts; left 14-d old from Se-normal egg, right 13-d old from Se contaminated egg; retarded growth from embryonic exposure, Tulare Basin, CA

Normal and deformed mosquito fish fry from San Luis Drain, a source of water for the Kesterson NWR, CA. Effects later shown to be due to Se.

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Carbaryl (insecticide) used to control burrowing/ghost shrimp on oyster beds in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor, WA

Summer rearing habitat for anadromous salmonids Laboratory tests showed: Cutthroat unable to “smell” carbaryl (no avoidance) Reduced acetylcholinesterase activity in brain and muscle Reduced swimming performance Reduced predator avoidance

Behavioral EffectsJay Davis, Western Washington FO, WA

Endocrine Disruption: Potomac R. & TributariesChris Guy and Fred Pinkney, Chesapeake Bay FO, MD

Testes with numerous oocytes (arrows)

Intersex

Normal testes with mature sperm (a)

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Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Implemented by EPA, States, and TribesMajor Elements

Water Quality Standards

Pollution Discharge Permits

Monitoring and Reporting

Clean Water Act Basics

Designated Uses (“fishable/swimmable”, drinking water, etc)

Numeric and narrative standards (to protect uses) Antidegradation Other (i.e. mixing zones, variances)

Water Quality Standards

Regulate pollution discharges from point sources Stormwater (industrial, construction, municipal) Non-point sources do not require permits Federal Permits issued by EPA – NPDES

(National Pollution Discharge Elimination System)

State-issued permits (most states)

Pollution Discharge Permits

Monitoring surface waters

Biennial reporting (305b reports)

Identification of impaired waters (303d list)

Develop TMDL (total maximum daily load) for impaired waters

Monitoring and Reporting

National Water Quality Inventory: Report to Congress - 2004 Reporting Cycle, USEPA

http://www.epa.gov/owow/305b/2004report/2004_305Breport.pdf

Conduct additional analyses and research on specific issues involving impaired waters and FWS properties that can further inform, guide, and accelerate restoration planning for impaired waters.

Impaired Waters ProjectFWS/EPA/USGS

Identify impaired waters and TMDLs within and adjacent to National Wildlife Refuges and National Fish Hatcheries

Use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze and summarize patterns in the spatial relationships of refuges and hatcheries relative to impaired waters, pollutants, and TMDLs.

Exceedence of water quality standards Impaired waters (303d) TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) Fish Consumption Advisories

Other Threats to Wildlife Conservation on Refuges

1. Identifying and mitigating biological/ecological impacts of contaminants on NWRs:

> Understanding water quality requirements of Refuge resources (i.e. how sensitive are species to water pollutants)

> Understanding how contaminants of emerging concern may affect Refuge resources

> Ability to effectively reduce pollutant loadings and/or sources

Challenges to Addressing Improved

Water Quality on Refuges

2. Managing regulatory requirements (CWA) associated with maintaining/improving water quality on Refuges and associated waters:

> Understanding the mass balance of water pollutants on NWRs

> Identifying land/water management practices that achieve Refuge mission/goals while fulfilling water quality requirements

> Need for systematic approach for assessing WQ on NWRs and impacts to fish & wildlife (i.e. WQ monitoring program for NWRs)

Challenges to Addressing Improved

Water Quality on Refuges

3. Climate Change - Identify Refuges where water quality/quantity is key climate vulnerability

> Anticipated climatic changes:Increase/decrease precipitationRising water tablesIncreasing temperatures

> Implications for water quality:Increase/decrease in non-point source pollution (runoff)Exposure to new sources (new pathways)Temperature-related changes in pollutant toxicity and

species sensitivity

Challenges to Addressing Improved

Water Quality on Refuges

New PoliciesFish Consumption Advisories

Directors Order 190(4/26/07)

New Partnerships