By: Carrie Turner Prepared for: New Jersey Association of Environmental Authorities Annual Conference March 12, 2013 Watershed Management Planning Provides the Primary Support for Selecting Water Quality Improvement Projects

2 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Outline Why Water Quality? Watershed Assessment Process Implementation and Regulatory Considerations

3 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Executive Summary Historically, wet weather discharges are controlled based upon programmatic silo requirements Watershed and water quality data allow comparison of controls across silos – includes modeling of controls Watershed and water quality data allow comparisons that will provide basis for choosing controls with greatest environmental benefit

4 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Why Use Water Quality? Water quality improvement is the driving force behind the Clean Water Act –Ultimately success and need for controls will be defined by waterway conditions (“fishable and swimmable”) Water quality spans all of the elements in the EPA’s Integrated Planning Framework Water quality provides a common interest for regulatory, utility and stakeholders to reference

5 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Traditional Management Approach

6 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Integrated Management Approach

7 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Watershed Assessment Approach 1.Characterize watershed –Monitoring –Develop analysis tools/models 2.Set factors to prioritize evaluation of controls 3.Use tools to evaluate controls –Public and other stakeholders have an important role in identifying and prioritizing controls 4.Develop the Integrated Plan –Incorporate affordability into planning and scheduling

8 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Watershed Characterization Objective –Identify impairments in local waterways Not meeting designated uses Exceedances of water quality standards Adverse impacts –Identify impairments (responses), their causes (stressors or pollutants) and sources in the watershed

9 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Conceptual Examples of Source-Stressor-Response Approach in Watershed Characterization

10 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Watershed Characterization Steps 1.Identify impairments and/or other adverse impacts in the waterways Answer the Question: Why is the waterway not meeting WQS? i.e., bacteria levels are too high, metals are toxic to biota, etc. 2.Identify pollution parameters of concern and other stressors to the watershed system; Answer the Question: What pollutants in the waterway don’t meet WQS or threshold criteria? 3.Identify all potential pollutant sources and quantify their impact on the waterway Answer the Question: What does the waterway’s pollutant pie chart look like? 4.Identify critical conditions affecting waterway and watershed sources. Answer the Question: What conditions is the waterway most sensitive to and what are the associated sources? Percent of Time Meeting WQS

11 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Tools to Conduct Watershed Characterization Data and Monitoring –Data Types –Monitoring Considerations GIS/Spatial Data Models –Infrastructure –Watershed –Waterway Other Analysis Tools –Watershed Health Index

12 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Setting Prioritization Factors Important to gauge success Reflect community priorities Examples of Water Quality factors –Increase in WQ Standard compliance –Stream miles improved –Load reduction Other factors to consider –Public health risk –Flooding –Protection of drinking water supply

13 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Using Water Quality to Identify Mix of Controls

14 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Identifying Control Opportunities

15 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Evaluating an Integrated Control Plan CSO area: Int. Plan has better WQ than Traditional Plan with lower level of CSO control Blue = 2030 Baseline Green = 2030 Traditional Plan Yellow = 2030 Integrated Plan SSO area: Difference between blue and green is elimination of SSOs. Difference between green and yellow is added benefit of example Watershed Control Program. Headwaters: Only Int. Plan improves WQ Recreation Season Geometric Mean Density (cfu/100 ml)

16 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Developing a Watershed-Based Cost-Performance Analysis

17 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Planning with Multiple Stressors Strategies: 1.Use ranking system 2.Aggregate pollutants 3.Address most disruptive stressor first

18 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Putting It All Together: Watershed-Based Permitting

Additional Information: Carrie Turner LimnoTech (734) The End: Questions and Discussion