Basin Management Action Plan Phase 2 for the Implementation of Tmdls Adopted by the FDEP in the Orange Creek Basin
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
BASIN MANAGEMENT ACTION PLAN PHASE 2 for the Implementation of Total Maximum Daily Loads adopted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in the Orange Creek Basin for Newnans Lake, Orange Lake, Lake Wauberg, Hogtown Creek, Sweetwater Branch, Tumblin Creek, and Alachua Sink prepared by the Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration Water Quality Restoration Program Florida Department of Environmental Protection Tallahassee, FL 32399 in cooperation with the Orange Creek Basin Working Group June 2014 Final Orange Creek Basin Management Action Plan Phase 2 – June 2014 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Florida Department of Environmental Protection adopted the Orange Creek Basin Management Action Plan by Secretarial Order as part of its statewide watershed management approach to restore and protect Florida’s water quality. The plan was developed in cooperation with the Orange Creek Basin Working Group (BWG), identified below, with participation from affected local, regional, and state governmental interests; elected officials and citizens; and private interests. FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Herschel T. Vinyard Jr., Secretary Drew Bartlett, Deputy Secretary for Water Policy and Ecosystem Restoration Tom Frick, Director of the Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration Trina Vielhauer, Deputy Director of the Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration Beth Alvi, Program Administrator for the Water Quality Restoration Program Charles Gauthier, Environmental Administrator for the Watershed Planning and Coordination Section ORANGE CREEK BASIN WORKING GROUP PARTICIPANTS - = Empty cell/no data OTHER INTERESTED LOCAL GOVERNMENTS REGIONAL AND STATE AGENCIES STAKEHOLDERS Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Alachua County Environmental Alachua County Public Works Services (including the Florida Forest Service Protection Advisory Committee and Office of Agriculture Water Policy) Alachua County Environmental Florida Department of Environmental Protection Florida Forestry Association Protection Department Northeast District Office Gainesville Water Management City of Gainesville Public Works Florida Department of Health in Alachua County Committee Gainesville Regional Utilities Florida Department of Transportation Plum Creek Timber Company Marion County Office of the County Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Private Sector Engineer, Stormwater Section Commission Town of McIntosh St. Johns River Water Management District Rayonier Town of Micanopy Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Sierra Club - - University of Florida For additional information on Total Maximum Daily Loads and the watershed management approach in the Orange Creek Basin contact: Mary Paulic, Basin Coordinator Florida Department of Environmental Protection Water Quality Restoration Program, Watershed Planning and Coordination Section 2600 Blair Stone Road, Mail Station 3565 Tallahassee, FL 32399-2400 Email: [email protected] Phone: (850) 245–8560 Page i of xvi Final Orange Creek Basin Management Action Plan Phase 2 – June 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................................................................... I LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................. VI SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... VII CHAPTER 1 : CONTEXT, PURPOSE, AND SCOPE OF THE PLAN ............................................ 1 1.2 Regional Setting of the Orange Creek Basin......................................................... 5 1.3 BMAP Development Process .................................................................................. 8 1.4 Pollutant Reduction Allocations ............................................................................. 9 CHAPTER 2 : CONSIDERATIONS AND FUTURE GROWTH .................................................... 10 2.1 BMAP Assumptions and Considerations ............................................................ 10 2.2 Additional Verified Impaired Waterbodies ........................................................ 11 2.3 Managing Pollutant Loads from Future Growth ............................................... 12 CHAPTER 3 : REGULATORY LINKS AND OVERALL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ..... 18 3.1 Regulatory Links to BMAP Enforcement ........................................................... 18 3.1.1 Environmental Resource Permitting ....................................................................... 18 3.1.2 NPDES Stormwater Program .................................................................................. 18 3.1.3 Urban Nonpoint Sources ......................................................................................... 19 3.2 Local Government Natural Resource Protection ............................................... 20 3.2.1 Alachua County ....................................................................................................... 20 3.2.2 City of Hawthorne ................................................................................................... 21 3.2.3 City of Gainesville ................................................................................................... 21 3.2.4 Marion County ......................................................................................................... 22 3.3 Overview of Management Strategies ................................................................... 22 3.4 FWC Activities ....................................................................................................... 29 3.5 Agricultural BMP Implementation ...................................................................... 30 3.5.1 Agricultural BMPs ................................................................................................... 33 3.5.2 BMP Enrollment ...................................................................................................... 33 3.5.3 FDACS OAWP Role in BMP Implementation and Follow-Up ............................... 38 3.5.4 Florida Forest Service Role in BMP Implementation and Monitoring ................... 38 CHAPTER 4 : HOGTOWN CREEK, TUMBLIN CREEK, AND SWEETWATER BRANCH ... 40 4.1 Water Quality and Pollutant Sources .................................................................. 40 4.2 Management Strategies ......................................................................................... 42 CHAPTER 5 : ALACHUA SINK ......................................................................................................... 47 5.1 Water Quality and Pollutant Sources .................................................................. 47 5.2 Management Strategies ......................................................................................... 48 CHAPTER 6 : LAKE WAUBERG ...................................................................................................... 50 6.1 Water Quality and Pollutant Sources .................................................................. 50 6.2 Management Strategies ......................................................................................... 52 Page ii of xvi Final Orange Creek Basin Management Action Plan Phase 2 – June 2014 CHAPTER 7 : NEWNANS LAKE ....................................................................................................... 55 7.1 Water Quality and Pollutant Sources .................................................................. 55 7.2 Recent Studies ........................................................................................................ 58 7.3 Management Strategies ......................................................................................... 59 CHAPTER 8 : ORANGE LAKE .......................................................................................................... 63 8.1 Water Quality and Pollutant Sources .................................................................. 63 8.2 Management Strategies ......................................................................................... 64 CHAPTER 9 : LOCHLOOSA LAKE ................................................................................................. 66 9.1 Water Quality and Pollutant Sources .................................................................. 66 9.2 Management Strategies ......................................................................................... 67 CHAPTER 10 : ASSESSING PROGRESS AND MAKING CHANGES ........................................ 68 10.1 Monitoring Water Quality and Pollutant Loads ................................................ 68 10.1.1 Monitoring Objectives and Anticipated Benefits .................................................. 68 10.1.2 Water Quality Indicators and Resource Responses.............................................. 68 10.1.3 Monitoring Network.............................................................................................. 70 10.1.4 Quality Assurance/Quality Control Mechanisms ................................................. 80 10.1.5 Data Management Mechanisms for Data Storage and Retrieval ......................... 80 10.1.6 Bacteria Source Tracking Protocol ...................................................................... 81 10.2 Tracking and Follow-up Actions .......................................................................... 81 10.3 Commitment to Plan Implementation