Union River Fecal Coliform TMDL Submittal Report
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Union River Fecal Coliform Total Maximum Daily Load Submittal Report June 2002 Publication No. 02-10-022 printed on recycled paper Union River Fecal Coliform Total Maximum Daily Load Submittal Report by Suzanne Sweet William J. Ward Steve Butkus William Ehinger Water Quality Program Bellevue, Washington 98008 June 2002 Waterbody Number WA-15-2010 Publication No. 02-10-022 printed on recycled paper This report is available on the Department of Ecology home page on the World Wide Web at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0210022.html For additional copies of this publication, please contact: Department of Ecology Publications Distributions Office Address: PO Box 47600, Olympia WA 98504-7600 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: (360) 407-7472 Refer to Publication Number 02-10-022 The Department of Ecology is an equal opportunity agency and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, disability, age, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, disabled veteran's status, Vietnam era veteran's status, or sexual orientation. If you have special accommodation needs or require this document in alternative format, please contact Michelle Ideker, Environmental Assessment Program, at (360)-407-6677 (voice). Ecology's telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) number at Ecology Headquarters is (360) 407-6006. Table of Contents Page List of Figures and Tables............................................................................................................... ii Introduction......................................................................................................................................1 Components of the TMDL...............................................................................................................3 Background......................................................................................................................................4 Applicable Water Quality Standards ...............................................................................................7 Water Quality and Resource Impairments.......................................................................................9 Seasonal Variation .........................................................................................................................12 Loading Capacity Analysis............................................................................................................13 Modeling Approach .................................................................................................................13 Loading Capacity.....................................................................................................................14 Load Allocations......................................................................................................................18 Margin of Safety ......................................................................................................................18 Summary Implementation Strategy ...............................................................................................19 Introduction..............................................................................................................................19 Overview..................................................................................................................................19 Implementation Plan Development & Activities.....................................................................20 Reasonable Assurance ...................................................................................................................30 Adaptive Management...................................................................................................................32 Summary of Public Involvement ...................................................................................................33 Monitoring Strategy.......................................................................................................................34 Potential Funding Sources .............................................................................................................34 Abbreviations Index.......................................................................................................................35 References......................................................................................................................................37 Appendix A. Responsiveness Summary B. Technical Report Union River Fecal Coliform TMDL Page i List of Figures and Tables Page Figure 1. Union River Watershed............................................................................................... 5 Table 1. Union River Fecal Coliform 303(d) List .................................................................... 9 Table 2. Load reductions needed to meet fecal coliform standards at Union River mile 0.4 (UR1Hwy300)........................................................................ 14 Table 3. Load reductions needed to meet fecal coliform standards at Union River mile 1.3 (UR2Tmbr). ........................................................................... 15 Table 4. Load reductions needed to meet fecal coliform standards at Union River mile 1.8 (UR3River). ........................................................................... 15 Table 5. Load reductions needed to meet fecal coliform standards at Union River mile 4.5 (UR4Arch). ............................................................................ 16 Table 6. Load reductions needed to meet fecal coliform standards at Bear Creek (UR5Bear).............................................................................................. 16 Table 7. Loading capacity for fecal coliform in the Union River and Bear Creek................. 17 Table 8. TMDL surrogate measures in the Union River and Bear Creek............................... 17 Page ii Union River Fecal Coliform TMDL Introduction The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) is establishing a total maximum daily load (TMDL) for fecal coliform bacteria in the Union River watershed. This TMDL (or Water Cleanup Plan) will address impairments of the beneficial uses of the Union River and its tributaries. Monitoring efforts by Ecology, the Washington State Department of Health, Mason County Department of Health Services, and Bremerton-Kitsap County Health District indicate that Union River has violated the Washington State Class AA standard for fecal coliform since 1990. A TMDL study was initiated to determine the loading capacity of the stream, identify nonpoint pollution sources of fecal coliform, and set load reductions along the stream corridor. The Union River Fecal Coliform Total Maximum Daily Load Study (Ward, et al., 2001 (Appendix B)) was completed in October 2001 and is available at Ecology's Northwest Regional Office and on the internet at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0103038.html. This submittal report outlines the on-going and planned activities that will reduce fecal coliform pollution in the Union River. Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act mandates that the state of Washington establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for surface waters that do not meet state water quality standards. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 130) and developed guidance for setting TMDLs (U.S. EPA, 1991). Under the Clean Water Act, every state has its own water quality standards designed to protect, restore, and preserve water quality. Water quality standards consist of designated uses, such as cold water biota and drinking water supply, and numeric standards, to achieve those uses. When a waterbody fails to meet water quality standards after application of required technology-based controls, the Clean Water Act requires that the state place the waterbody on a list of “impaired” waterbodies and to prepare an analysis called a TMDL. The goal of a TMDL is to ensure that the impaired waterbody will attain water quality standards within a reasonable period. A TMDL includes a written, quantitative assessment of water quality problem and of the pollutant sources that cause the problem. The TMDL determines the amount of a given pollutant, called the loading capacity, which can be discharged to the waterbody and still meet water quality standards and, subsequently, allocates that load among the various sources (if possible). If the pollutant comes from a discrete source (referred to as a point source) such as an industrial facility’s discharge pipe, that facility’s share of the loading capacity is a wasteload allocation. If the pollution comes from a diffuse source (referred to as a nonpoint source) such as a farm, that facility’s share is a load allocation. The TMDL must also consider seasonal variations and include a margin of safety that takes into account any lack of knowledge about the causes of the water quality problem or its loading capacity. The sum of the individual allocations and the margin of safety must be equal to or less than the loading capacity. The general purposes of this submittal document are to: • Provide an analysis of fecal coliform data of the Union River watershed from historical sampling and monthly sampling performed by Ecology during 1999; Union River Fecal Coliform TMDL Page 1 • Identify potential nonpoint sources of fecal coliform (there are no point sources in the Union River basin); • Summarize ongoing and planned