The Susquehanna River Needs a Strong WIP

Heal the Susquehanna and

We Heal the Chesapeake

Resolution of the PA Fish and Boat Commission

January 10, 2010

Now Therefore Be It Resolved, the Board of Commissioners of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission asserts… there is evidence showing that the water quality of the Susquehanna River has become impaired to the level that it is seriously impacting… its nationally-reputed smallmouth bass fishery.

Aquatic life in the Susquehanna River and its tributaries

are showing signs of severe stress related to

poor water quality conditions.

Conestoga River – August 2010

Aughwick Creek

May 2010

July 2010

Shermans Creek

May 2010

May 2010

Normal Smallmouth Bass YOY Progression

(Schuylkill River – 2010)

June

July

May

June

July

July

May

Abnormal Smallmouth Bass YOY Progression(Swatara Creek – 2010)

U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report

2007-1372 By

Michael J. Langland, Douglas L. Moyer, and

Joel Blomquist

DIP and DO

• Phosphorus is a major plant nutrient, and is often considered the most limiting nutrient in freshwater systems.

• DIP is the dissolved inorganic phosphorus available for plant growth.

• Excessive aquatic vegetation consumes oxygen at night causing dangerously low DO, particularly in river margins, the nurseries for Smallmouth and other YOY.

Susquehanna River- Cladophora Blooms

Dalmatia – Sept 2007 New Market– July 2010

The Cladophora blooms documented on the lower Susquehanna River

are not normal and are a clear indication of excess nutrients.

Biological Evidence vs Modeling

• Aquatic life, be it plants, invertebrates or fish do not have any concept of water quality criteria, standards, modeling or statistics.

• Aquatic life must deal with existing water quality 24/7/365; their health is a direct reflection on the reality of existing conditions.

• Even the most intensive water quality sampling efforts, if based on grab samples, will not tell the whole story.

What is the Difference?

• The Susquehanna shows consistently lower Dissolved Oxygen than the Delaware and Allegheny Rivers.

• What are the differences in land use?

• Intense Agriculture exists, particularly south of the confluence of the North and West Branches of the Susquehanna.

Winter Manure Application

• Winter manure application causes excess nutrient runoff

• Illegal in Maryland (except a few waivers)

• This is a manure storage issue that needs to be remedied

Pinnacle Road Farm

• This small farm of approximately 20 acres drains to one pipe that flows to Fishing Creek in Lancaster.

• Rapid Temp increases in March, from below freezing to upper 60’s caused melt-off of the entire field which had been covered in manure earlier in the winter.

• Brown-yellow flow and foam are indicative of agricultural run-off

Liquid Manure Applied on top of frozen ground

with 3 inches of new snow cover.

Next Day Clear and Sunny, Temp 55 F.

Harnish Run

Liquid manure applied to frozen ground

Manure runoff entering Harnish Run as a point source

Manure pollution in Harnish Run

Sediment

• Sediment from agriculture and construction companies continues

• Little to no patrolling during storm events• Upon citizen complaint PADEP may

impose a fine, but rarely does• Sediment runoff has been reduced, but

numbers of needed reductions will expand at least threefold as Conowingo Pool approaches steady state

Sediment Deposition

Sedimentation & Erosion BMP’s that are rarely followed

• 1. Follow exact plans as submitted

• 2. Keep as much existing vegetation as possible

• 3. Minimize grading

Pre-development conditions

Predevelopment-no ditches

Zoned “Open Space”

“Minimize grading”

Minimize grading

Stormwater entering Harnish Run

Stormwater flowing into Harnish Run

New Stormwater Flow onto Neighboring Property

Stormwater flowing into Harnish Run

Karst Geology and Nitrogen

• 50% of Lancaster County has porous Karst Geology

• Several large CAFO’s apply manure over Karst geology

• Water and Nitrates go to groundwater• Groundwater is the source water for

surface waters such as Lititz Run• Reduction of application rates is required

to reduce Nitrogen in Karst areas

Kreider Farms

Karst Drainage Depression

Lititz Run Source

Sampling Done Directly from Spring

Nitrate Tests suggest Levels above 10 ppm color suggests much greater

USGS Data confirms levels above 15 ppm

Manure Incorporation

• The Penn State Agronomy Guide shows that incorporation of manure within 24 hours greatly increases the availability of Nitrogen for crop uptake

• This reduces excess Nitrogen that would be available for pollution; in some cases (chicken manure) by 94%.

Stormwater, MS4’s

• Stormwater nearly absent from draft WIP

Sources of Phosphorus from within PA

0%

1%

43%

10%

30%

16%

Agriculture

Urban Runoff

Point Source

Septic

Forest

Non-Tidal Water Deposition

Source: Chesapeake Bay Program P5.3 Watershed Modelftp://ftp.chesapeakebay.net/Modeling/phase5/Phase53_Loads-Acres-BMPs/P5.3_Loads-Acres_07302010.xls

• Source: Chesapeake Bay Program P5.3 Watershed Model• ftp://ftp.chesapeakebay.net/Modeling/phase5/Phase53_Loads-Acres-BMPs/P5.3_Loads-Acres_07302010.xls

Sources of Sediment from within PA

1%

0%

0%

70%

10%

19%

Agriculture

Urban Runoff

Point Source

Septic

Forest

Non-Tidal Water Deposition

Southcentral PA Watershed Assessments

A Joint Initiative between US EPA Region III and the Lancaster County Conservation

District

Lancaster County has…

• The highest number of impacted drinking water systems with:– one of the two areas in EPA Region 3 with the

highest nitrate pollution levels – multiple systems with nitrate MCL violations

and on treatment

• The highest number of agriculturally impaired stream reaches in PA’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed

Overview of Sites

• 24 farms visited– 20 Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs)

• 2 Concentrated Animal Operations (CAOs)• 18 dairies; 1 pullet farm; 1 dairy/swine farm

– 20 with cropland; 4 lease out all cropland– 23 Plain Sect; 1 English– 19 Sampled Drinking Water

Watson Run Hydrologic Connectivity

Positive Observations

• All crop farmers use cover crops to some degree

• Most farms use No-Till/ Low-Till• Most farms get regular soil tests• Farms that are required to have NMPs

have them (i.e. CAOs)• No milkhouse wastewater discharged

directly to Watson Run

Animals in Watson Run

• 796 milk cows• 96 dry cows• 669 heifers/calves• 96 horses• 103 mules• 46,000 pullets• 20 sheep• 550 pigs

Watershed Animal Density =

1.5 AEUs/acre

Total N produced

• 796 milk cows 137,483.5 lb N/year• 96 dry cows 16,808.4 lb N/year• 669 heifers/calves 44,279.2 lb N/year• 96 horses 10,564.8 lb N/year• 103 mules 12,688.8 lb N/year• 46,000 pullets 24,604.6 lb N/year• 20 sheep 503.7 lb N/year• 550 pigs 16,009.8 lb N/year

Total 262,942.5 lb N/year=~131.5 ton N/year

Total P2O5 produced

• 796 milk cows 63,831.6 lb P2O5/year• 96 dry cows 5,602.8 lb P2O5/year• 669 heifers/calves 12,651.2 lb P2O5/year• 96 horses 4,402 lb P2O5/year• 103 mules 5,287 lb P2O5/year• 46,000 pullets 26,321.2 lb P2O5/year• 20 sheep 175.2 lb P2O5/year• 550 pigs 17,610.8 lb P 2O 5/year

Total 135,881.8 lb P2O5/year=~67.9 ton P2O5/year

Chesapeake Bay BMPs

1

1

20

4

3 1

1

10

9

15

17

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Proper Agronomic Use of Manure

Manure Storage >4 months

Cover Crops

Stream Fencing

Riparian Buffers

Percentage

# with

# with some

# without

PA “Core Four” BMPs

18

20

3

1

2

17

10

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

No-till/Low-till

Cover Crops

Nutrient ManagementPlanning

Buffers

Percentage

# with

# without

*Based on Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law, Title 25, Chapter 91.36, Chapter 102 and related guidance including PADEP’s Manure Management Manual and PA Technical Guide

Needs additional analysis

8

3

3

16

17

21

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Properly Designed,Constructed, Operated, andMaintained Manure System

No Discharges to Surface orGround Water per Chapter

91.36

Manure Management forEnvironmental Protection

PA Chapter 102 ConservationPlan

Percentage

# with

Met w/ NMP

# without

Needs additional analysis

State of PA Regulatory Compliance*

What Were the Drinking Water Sampling Results?

• Sampled 19 out of 24 farm wells

• 9 out of 19 contained Total coliform

bacteria

• 6 out of 19 contained E. coli bacteria

• 16 out of 19 exceeded the MCL for nitrate

Drinking Water Contamination Concerns

• Human Health Issues – Children, infirmed and elderly are most

susceptible to upset stomach, flu-like symptoms, serious illness and possibly death

• Bovine Health Issues– Retarded growth, lowered milk production,

vitamin A deficiency, abortions and fetotoxicity, and increased susceptibility to infection

EPA Watson Run Conclusions

• Watson Run is impaired due to nutrients.• All drinking water sources sampled without

treatment had unacceptably high levels of nitrate contamination.

• Approximately, fifty percent of the drinking water sources also sampled positive for pathogens.

• Agriculture is either a significant cause or contributor to these environmental and health problems.

• PA relies heavily upon its requirements that farmers have E & S Plans and Manure Management Plans in place and are implementing them to protect PA waters.

• 85% of the farms visited had not developed a plan and, therefore, had no BMP requirements established.

• With the exception of two farms, any water quality beneficial BMPs were largely absent, except for no/low till and cover crops.

• PA has maintained that once these planning requirements are met, water quality protective BMPs or their equivalent will be in place.