Sheboygan River Area of Concern Final Benthos Beneficial Use
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Webster Street Preston D. Cole, Secretary Box 7921 Telephone 608-266-2621 Madison WI 53707-7921 Toll Free 1-888-936-7463 TTY Access via relay - 711 December , 2020 Mr. Chris Korleski, Director Great Lakes National Program Office U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 77 West Jackson Boulevard (G-17J) Chicago IL 60604-3507 Subject: Removal of the Degradation of Benthos Beneficial Use Impairment in the Sheboygan River Area of Concern Dear Mr. Korleski: I am writing to request the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Great Lakes National Program Office V (GLNPO’s) concurrence with the removal of the Degradation of Benthos Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) in the Sheboygan River Area of Concern (AOC). The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has assessed the status of the Degradation of Benthos BUI in accordance with the BUI removal target that was established in 2008. We are pleased to report that all actions associated with this impairment have been completed and the target has been met. The U.S. EPA Technical Review Lead (TRL) has reviewed the BUI removal document and has provided their support for removal of this BUI. Following TRL review, the Sheboygan River AOC Advisory Committee met on September 29th, 2020 and expressed support for the removal. A 30-day public review and comment period for the BUI removal document was held from October 9 through November 6, 2020. DNR did not receive any comments regarding the proposed removal. As a result, we are recommending that the Degradation of Benthos BUI be removed from the list of impairments in the Sheboygan River AOC. Please find the enclosed documentation to support this recommendation, including the Degradation of Benthos BUI Removal document prepared by DNR and letters of support from the City of Sheboygan, Sheboygan County, and Maywood Environmental Park. We value our continuing partnership in the AOC Program and look forward to working closely with U.S. EPA GLNPO in the removal of BUIs and the delisting of Wisconsin’s AOCs. If you need additional information, please contact Brennan Dow, DNR, at 920-366-1371, Rebecca Fedak, DNR, 920-207-8380, or you may contact me. Sincerely, Stephen G. Galarneau, Director Office of Great Waters – Great Lakes and Mississippi River 608-266-1956 [email protected] Page 2 Cc: Kendra Axness, WDNR Brennan Dow, WDNR Rebecca Fedak, WDNR Madeline Magee, WDNR Michelle Soderling, WDNR Todd Nettesheim, USEPA Marc Tuchman, USEPA Amy Pelka, USEPA Leah Medley, USEPA Nick Green, USEPA Enclosures: Removal Recommendation for the Degradation of Benthos Beneficial Use Impairment in the Sheboygan River Area of Concern Removal Recommendation for the Degradation of Benthos Beneficial Use Impairment in the Sheboygan River Area of Concern Submitted to: U.S. EPA-GLNPO 77 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60604 By: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources December 2020 Sheboygan River AOC Degradation of Benthos BUI Removal Recommendation Acknowledgments Prepared by: Michelle Soderling, Water Resources Management Specialist Office of Great Waters Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources With Input and Contributions From: Brennan Dow, WDNR Milwaukee and Sheboygan Area of Concern Coordinator Madeline Magee, WDNR Great Lakes and Mississippi River Monitoring Coordinator Kendra Axness, WDNR AOC and LAMP Policy Coordinator Diane Packett, WDNR Data Manager Mike Miller, WDNR Mike Shupryt, WDNR Stacy Hron, WDNR Lake Michigan LAMP Coordinator The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources would like to acknowledge the support provided by the Sheboygan River Area of Concern stakeholders in the development of the Degradation of Benthos Beneficial Use Impairment Removal Recommendation Document. Your local input and associated efforts were an invaluable part of the process to remove the Degradation of Benthos Beneficial Use Impairment and reflects the incredible ongoing efforts that will enable us to continue forging the path to delisting. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and partners continue to work toward the shared goal of a healthy, self-sustaining Sheboygan River for people as well as for fish and wildlife. Cover photo taken by Debbie Beyer. Disclaimer The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) is a non-regulatory agreement between the United States and Canada, and criteria developed under its auspices are non-regulatory. The actions identified in this document were needed to meet beneficial use impairment removal targets leading to the delisting of the AOC. i Sheboygan River AOC Degradation of Benthos BUI Removal Recommendation Executive Summary The Sheboygan River was designated as an Area of Concern (AOC) in 1987 under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA). The lower 14 miles of the Sheboygan River downstream from the Sheboygan Falls Dam, including the entire harbor and nearshore waters of Lake Michigan, became the Sheboygan River AOC primarily due to contamination from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These contaminants were discharged directly into the river from municipal and industrial sources and settled to the river bottom, leading to many contamination-related beneficial use impairments (BUIs) within the AOC. This document recommends removal of one of those BUIs: the Degradation of Benthos BUI. Benthic invertebrates are organisms that live on or in the bottom sediment of a waterbody. The effects of environmental contaminants to species vary but include adverse impacts to every level of the food chain, beginning with those organisms which live on or in the sediment. Because benthic organisms are in direct contact with the sediment and water, they are sensitive to poor water and sediment quality, including chemical contaminants (such as PCBs and PAHs), low dissolved oxygen, high ammonia, and poor substrate conditions. Final delisting targets for the AOC were developed in 2008 and in 2011 a final list of management actions was developed in order to address the remaining sources of impairment. The target to remove this BUI included three parts: 1) known contamination sources have been identified and control measures have been implemented, 2) all remediation actions for contaminated sediment have been completed and are monitored according to their approved plan, and 3) that the site is evaluated as statistically similar to a reference site with similar habitat and minimal sediment contamination. By July of 2013 all management actions for the Sheboygan AOC had been completed, including the following remediation actions for contaminated sediment, all of which have been or are being monitored according to their approved plans: the Camp Marina Superfund Alternative Remediation; the Sheboygan Harbor Navigational Improvement Dredging; the Sheboygan River and Harbor Superfund Remediation; and the Sheboygan River Great Lakes Legacy Act Project. As such, the first and second portions of the target have been met. The third portion of the target states that the AOC is statistically similar to a non-AOC reference site, and this portion of the target was assessed by using the USGS studies conducted in 2012 and 2014 that compare the benthos of the Sheboygan River AOC to two non-AOC reference sites. USGS studies and additional lines of evidence from WDNR and other studies show that the AOC is similar to the reference site. Therefore, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources proposes to remove the Degradation of Benthos Beneficial Use Impairment in the Sheboygan River Area of Concern. ii Sheboygan River AOC Degradation of Benthos BUI Removal Recommendation Table of Contents Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................. i Disclaimer ............................................................................................................................. i Executive Summary ............................................................................................................