1. Middle Ohio North Watershed
TMDL Development
May 27, 2008
WV DEP
James Laine

2. Agenda
Background information on Water Quality Standards, impaired waters and TMDLs
Brief history of TMDL development in WV
Overview of WVDEP’s TMDL process
Discussion of local impaired waters and their TMDL timeline
Pre-TMDL Monitoring Plan for local waters
Discussion – Free form questions and answers

3. What’s a TMDL?
“Total Maximum Daily Load” – How much pollutant a stream can receive and remain healthy
TMDL development required by Clean Water Act for all impaired streams
TMDL is a pollution budget – prescribes reduction of pollutants that result in the restoration of an impaired stream

4. What’s an impaired stream?
Stream that doesn’t meet water quality standards
West Virginia Water Quality Standards are codified at 47 CSR 2
Standards include designated uses for WV waters and water quality criteria to protect those uses
Criteria can be numeric or narrative
Impaired streams (streams that are not meeting criteria) are on the 303(d) List

5. Criteria Examples Human Health Protection
Fecal Coliform bacteria (Water Contact)
200 counts/100ml as a monthly geometric mean
no more than 10% of samples in a month exceed 400 counts/100ml
Human Health/Aquatic Life Protection
Total Iron
1.5 mg/l as a 4 day average concentration
Not to be exceeded more than once every 3 years

6. Criteria Examples Narrative Criterion – Biological Impairment
Conditions Not Allowable in State Waters
(47 CSR 2-3.2i) “.....no significant adverse impact to the chemical, physical, hydrologic or biological components of aquatic ecosystems shall be allowed.”

7. West Virginia TMDL History
TMDL development required by Clean Water Act for all impaired streams
If State doesn’t develop TMDLs, EPA must
WV couldn’t (resources), EPA didn’t
EPA was sued in 1995, settled suit by entering into consent decree with plaintiffs, and began developing WV TMDLs

8. West Virginia TMDL Program
Transitioned from EPA to WVDEP TMDLs
Last EPA TMDLs - Guyandotte 2004
WVDEP 15 year plan – work began Jan. 2001

9. WVDEP TMDL Improvements
48 month process vs. 9 month EPA process
Multiple opportunities for stakeholder input
New water quality data vs. existing data
Improved source id and characterization
Synchronized with Watershed Management Framework

10. Watershed Management Framework
32 watersheds (8-digit HUC)
5 Hydrologic Groups (A – E)
Geographical way to organize water resource management – Within DEP, watershed assessment, NPDES Permit reissuance and nonpoint source project funding synchronized
WVDEP TMDL development synchronized

11. TMDL/WMF Synchronization
Pre-TMDL monitoring occurs concurrently with WMF assessment year
TMDL completion six months prior to start of WMF implementation year
5yr WMF cycle/15 year plan
3 bites at each HG apple

12. HG C2 – WMF Considerations
Monitoring year = FY09
(7/1/08 – 6/30/09)
Implementation start year = FY2013
(7/1/ )

13. WVDEP TMDL Process Stream Selection
Pre-TMDL monitoring, source identification and characterization
Contract to model water quality and hydrology
Allocation Philosophy Development
Report development
Finalization

14. WVDEP TMDL Process HGA (2004 TMDLs) EPA approved January 2005
HGB (2005 TMDLs) HGC (2006 TMDLs)
HGD (2007 TMDLs) HGE (2008 TMDLs)
HGA2 (2009 TMDLs) Cheat and Lower Blackwater watersheds
HGB2 (2010 TMDLs) Lower Kanawha River, Lower Elk River, and New and Patterson Creeks)
HGC2 (2011 TMDLs) Middle Ohio North and Middle Ohio South)

15. HG C2 TMDL Timeline Stream selection 4/08 – 5/08
Monitoring plan development
3/08-6/08
Outreach (TMDL process + monitoring plan specifics)
5/08
Monitoring 7/08 – 6/09
Modeling 10/09 – 6/10

16. HG C2 TMDL Timeline Outreach (Allocation scenarios) 7/10 - 9/10
Draft TMDLs (Internal Review)
3/11
Outreach (PN/PC on Drafts)
4/11 – 6/11
Finalization (including EPA approval)
12/11

17. TMDL Stream Selection Process
Evaluate list of impaired waters
Consider WMF
Spread development over State
Maximize efficiency
focus geographically
address all known or suspected impairments

18. TMDL Development Stream Selection Process
Watershed Management Framework Consideration
TMDL Development Hydrologic Group C2
Within HG C2, candidate watersheds = Gauley, Lower Guyandotte, Middle Ohio North, Middle Ohio South, Potomac Direct Drains and Tug Fork

19. TMDL Development Stream Selection Process
Statewide Coverage Considerations
Gauley (2008), Potomac Direct Drains (2007) have already had recent TMDL development
Lower Guyandotte and Tug Fork (Previous TMDLs development by EPA)

20. TMDL Development Stream Selection Process
Evaluated options, resources and constraints
DEP proposed TMDLs for known or potential impairments in Middle Ohio North and Middle Ohio South (* exclusive of Ohio mainstem)
DEP advertised list, and provided opportunity for comment (April 7 – May 6, 2008)
No Comments received
Draft List = Final List

21. TMDL Development Stream Selection Process
Budget allows us to address a limited number of streams
For efficiency, want to stay within major watersheds
Major Watershed
Number of Impaired Streams
Number of Streams Sampled
Number of Sample Sites
Middle Ohio North 18
109
163
Middle Ohio South 22 87
135
Total 40
196
298

22. Impaired Waters in the Middle Ohio North Watersheds
See brochure for listing of streams
scheduled for sampling
Impairments include
Biological Impairment (cause uncertain)
Possible fecal coliform impairment
Total Iron

24. Pre-TMDL Monitoring Plan
Goal – to generate robust/ recent data to:
Make accurate impairment assessments
Calibrate watershed models
Quantify the impacts of significant pollutant sources
Today’s presentation is a preliminary plan; to be refined over next month via WVDEP field recon and stakeholder input

25. Pre-TMDL Monitoring Plan
Parameters to be sampled include:
BIO = Benthic Macroinvertebrate Station
FECAL = Fecal Coliform Bacteria
Fe = Total Iron
Additional parameters vary by stream but could include iron, TSS, D.O., pH, etc
A detailed GIS coverage is available upon request

26. Pre-TMDL Monitoring Plan
Monitoring period = July 08 – June 09
Sampling frequency
BIO once during index period (Apr – Oct)
1/Month for fecal coliform, TSS, T. Fe, etc
Sampling will include flow measurement

27. Stakeholder Input
General comment regarding plan’s adequacy in addressing goals
Does the plan provide for monitoring of particularly bad or good streams that you know about?
Does the plan provide monitoring sufficient to characterize significant pollutant sources?
Do you have water quality data to contribute?

28. Future Input Opportunities
Public meeting to present allocation scenarios
– Summer 2010
Public Meeting to present Draft TMDL and formal Public Notice/Public Comment
– Spring 2011

29. WVDEP Contact Information
Contact: Steve Young –
Tele: (304) Ext 1042;
FAX: (304)
601 57th Street SE, Charleston WV 25304
Under “Offices”, select Division of Water and Waste Management
On right, under Watershed Management, click on “ Total Maximum Daily Load”

30. Questions???