Transcript

Department of the Environment

Overview of Water Quality Data Used by MDE and Water Quality

Parameters

Timothy Fox

MDE, Science Service Administration

Wednesday

January 30th, 2013

2

Presentation Overview

• Describe MDE Water Quality Restoration Process.

• Overview of water quality parameters.

3

Clean Water Act Process

• Water Quality Standards

• Water Quality Monitoring

• Integrated Report

• TMDL

• NPDES permits

• WQ Restoration

4

Water Quality Standards

Designated UseCriteria

(numeric or narrative)Antidegradation

Policy

Water Quality Standards

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Water Quality Standards Examples

• Designated Use

– Aquatic Life

– Fishing

– Swimming

– Secondary Contact

– Drinking water

• Criteria

– Lead concentration limit

– PCB fish tissue limit

– Biological Data

• Antidegradation Policy

– Based on Biological data

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Integrated Report

• Section 130.7(B)(5) of the Clean Water Act requires that states “assemble and evaluate all readily available water quality-related data and information”

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Integrated Report

• Documentation of the water quality status of surface waters in Maryland, compiled biennially.

– Includes a listing (i.e., the 303d list) of those waters not meeting State Water Quality Standards (WQS) as well as those water bodies that meet WQS.

• Documentation of the decision-making process by which water bodies are assessed and listed.

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Classifying Waters according to Status

• Categories of the Integrated Report

• Categories 1 and 2 - waters attaining all standards or some standards

• Category 3 - waters with insufficient information to assess water quality standards. These areas deserve follow-up assessment.

• Category 4 - impaired waters that do NOT need a TMDL.

– 4a – TMDL completed

– 4b – Technological solution should bring water body back into attainment

– 4c – Impairment not caused by a pollutant (eg. Dam, habitat modification, etc)

• Category 5 - impaired waters that require a TMDL (Historically known as the 303(d) List).

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Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

• Category 5 waters – Are Impaired=not supporting the designated use

• Calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still safely meet water quality standards.

• TMDLs influence permiting, water quality monitoring, WIPs, and funding.

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How does MDE use water quality data?

• Determine if surface water bodies are attaining Designated Uses based on water quality and biology data.

• The status of water bodies are published in the “Integrated Report”.

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How is the Integrated Report Compiled?

• Conduct statewide data solicitation

• Review data with respect to QAQC plan, and use publicly reviewed listing methodologies to analyze data

• Define geographic scale of impairment

• Determine appropriate IR listing category

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How is the Integrated Report Compiled?

• Tier 1 data– Used to determine impaired waters (Category 5).

– Should be accompanied by a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) consistent with EPA guidance and Maryland listing methodologies.

• Tier 2 data– Used to assess the general condition of surface

waters.

– Can be used to place water on Category 2 or 3.

– Volunteer data, land use data, visual observations.

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CWA Background –

Unknown

Not Impaired

Integrated Report[303(d)305(b)]

DNRMBSS

Core/TrendEstuarine

MDE - SSAShellfishBeaches

Fish Tissue

MDE TMDLIntensive

Monitoring

TMDL (Category 4a)

Or TMDLReview

StateWater

MonitoringStrategy

& Data Analysis

Water Quality

Standards

Permit Adjustments

Implementation (319 Funding, Watershed Imp. Plan Development, etc.

ImplementationMonitoring

State Implementation Projects

Impaired

Permit Review and Compliance

Local Gov’t, Academia,

Volunteer Groups

MDE – WMA/LMAWWTPNPDES

Drinking WaterMining

Water Monitoring Data Sources

Implementation

Category 1, 2

Category3

Category 5

An Adaptive Management Process

Local ImplementationProjects

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Parameters measured by BTW

• Dissolved Oxygen (numeric criteria)

• Temperature (numeric criteria)

• Nitrates (narrative criteria)

• Orthophosphates (narrative criteria)

• Turbidity (numeric criteria)

• TDS/conductivity (hope to have numeric criteria soon)

• pH (numeric criteria)

• Fecal Coliform (numeric criteria)

• Biochemical Oxygen Demand

• Flow

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Parameters measured by BTW

• Dissolved Oxygen (Numeric Criteria)– Can be measured in mg/l or %

saturation.

– Influenced by temperature, water chemistry water movement.

– Lowered by decomposition.

• Temperature (Numeric Criteria)– Can be effected by loss of stream

buffers, warm discharges.

– Especially important in cold water trout stream.

http://www.hipwader.com/

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Parameters measured by BTW

• Nitrates and Orthophosphates (Narrative criteria)– Excess nitrates can cause

eutrophication

– Natural geology.

– Agriculture, Sewage treatment plant effluent.

• What other parameters are influenced by nutrients?

• Why would it be difficult to write a numeric criteria for nutrients?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071029111047.htm, credit Michele Hogan

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Parameters measured by BTW

• Turbidity (numeric criteria)– Caused by CDOM,

suspended sediment, algae.

– Loss of forest cover and stream buffers.

• TDS/conductivity (hope to have numeric criteria soon)– Primarily caused by salt.

• Road salt, mining activities.

– Can effect osmotic balance in freshwater organisms.

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Parameters measured by BTW• pH (numeric criteria)

– A measure of the acidity or basicity of the water.

– Can be affected by acid mine drainage, atmospheric deposition, or natural geology.

• Fecal Coliform (numeric criteria)– Type of bacteria in poop.

– Leaking septic systems, pet waste

http://www.peterscreek.org/PetersCreekWatershed/pcwaAMD1.html

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Parameters measured by BTW

• Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

– Oxygen consumed by microbial decomposition of organic waste, and is measured by the change in DO in a sealed water sample.

– Increased by organic waste (WWTP, agriculture, fertilizer).

• Flow

– Influenced by impervious surface, dams, forest buffers.

– Can effect physical habitat.

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Any Questions?

Main Mapping page - Links to Tier II and Impairment Maps

http://www.mde.state.md.us/programs/Water/TMDL/Integrated303dReports/Pages/WaterQualityMappingCenter.aspx

Impairment Maps

http://www.mde.state.md.us/programs/Water/TMDL/Integrated303dReports/Pages/ImpairmentMaps.aspx


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