Vermont Enhanced Implementation Plan for the Long Island Sound TMDL
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Vermont Enhanced Implementation Plan for the Long Island Sound TMDL Nonpoint Source Section Final report section submitted to the LIS TMDL Workgroup – April, 2013 Vermont NPS Enhanced Implementation Plan – April 2013 Vermont Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Vermont nitrogen export to LIS ................................................................................................................ 2 Status and Trends of Nitrogen Drivers................................................................................................ 3 Population changes ........................................................................................................................... 4 Land use and impervious cover changes ....................................................................................... 6 Agricultural Lands ............................................................................................................................... 6 Water quality assessment in Vermont .......................................................................................... 12 Nonpoint Sources Management ............................................................................................................ 12 Regulated Stormwater and Other Permitted Programs (MS4) ..................................................... 12 Developed Lands ................................................................................................................................. 12 State Stormwater Permits ............................................................................................................... 13 Illicit Discharge and Detection Elimination Program ................................................................... 15 Stormwater Impairments and Water Quality Remediation Plans.............................................. 17 Transportation ................................................................................................................................... 18 Agricultural Lands................................................................................................................................. 23 Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) ....................................................... 23 Local Government Programs.......................................................................................................... 25 Federal Programs ............................................................................................................................. 25 Additional Programs ......................................................................................................................... 29 Agricultural BMPs ............................................................................................................................. 29 Permitted Agricultural Activities...................................................................................................... 32 Forestry Practices ................................................................................................................................ 32 Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation ...................... 32 Other ...................................................................................................................................................... 33 Conservation Easements ................................................................................................................ 33 Turf Fertilizer Law ............................................................................................................................. 34 Projects .................................................................................................................................................. 34 319-Funded ....................................................................................................................................... 34 Ecosystem Restoration Program ................................................................................................... 36 Relative change in scope and effectiveness of programs from 1990 to present........................ 38 Basin Planning as a Framework for Implementation .......................................................................... 38 i Vermont NPS Enhanced Implementation Plan – April 2013 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 38 Tactical Basin Plans ............................................................................................................................. 39 Process for Developing Tactical Basin Plans .................................................................................. 39 Structure of the Tactical Basin Plans ................................................................................................ 41 Funding .................................................................................................................................................. 42 Data Gaps and Recommended Improvements ................................................................................... 42 Agricultural lands .................................................................................................................................. 42 Developed lands ................................................................................................................................... 43 Qualitative Assessment Summary ......................................................................................................... 43 Agricultural lands .................................................................................................................................. 43 Developed lands ................................................................................................................................... 44 Other Nitrogen Reduction Efforts ....................................................................................................... 45 References ................................................................................................................................................ 47 Appendix A: Table 7. Water quality management programs and associated timelines. ii Vermont NPS Enhanced Implementation Plan – April 2013 Vermont Introduction The primary focus of the Vermont portion of this report is to address the agreements set forth in the nonpoint source (NPS) section of Long Island Sound Enhanced Implementation Plan which in part states: “…all states will complete a preliminary evaluation of current stormwater and nonpoint source control efforts with a goal of qualitatively assessing whether they are adequate for meeting the 2000 TMDL LAs.” And more specifically to: “Qualitatively assess the scope and effectiveness of MS4 stormwater and urban, agricultural and other NPS control programs being implemented” In recent decades in Vermont there has been no concerted effort to focus specifically on nitrogen control because of its perceived minor impact to local water bodies. Nor has there been any impetus to track its sources or the effectiveness of applied BMPs that may have an impact on nonpoint source nitrogen and its control. However, for several decades there has been a focus on controlling sediment and phosphorus runoff because of their measurable impact on local waters. Because of this known impact, many programs and associated projects focus heavily on controlling or preventing sediment and phosphorus to improve or maintain local water quality. With the implementation of these management programs it’s believed that significant improvement in nitrogen control is an ancillary benefit since many of the drivers of sediment/phosphorus control are also sources of nitrogen. After an initial assessment, it was determined that there was little or no quantitative information collected on nonpoint source nitrogen control across numerous management program and associated BMP implementation across the CT River basin. Therefore, there was no attempt here to quantitatively assess the amount of nitrogen reduced or prevented from entering the Connecticut River. There simply is not enough compiled information to make that assessment currently. However, if in moving forward nitrogen reduction quantification becomes the primary focus of TMDL compliance, a considered program of best management practices (BMPs) tracking and accounting will need to be built from the ground up with agreed upon measures of success. With the basic underlying premise outlined above, this report looks to: First, identify the VT sources of nitrogen as they are currently understood, across broad land use sectors, such as developed, agricultural and forested; Second, identify the current status and trends of important drivers of nitrogen export such as the intensity of agricultural and development activities and investigate how these might have changed since the TMDL baseline time period of 1990; Third, identify the management programs that address these drivers of nitrogen loading that have a significant effect on reducing or preventing nitrogen export. As part of this, identify a timeline as to when programs were initiated or enhanced; and 1 Vermont NPS Enhanced Implementation Plan – April 2013 Forth, using a weight-of-evidence