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A Total Maximum December 2000 Daily Load Analysis to Achieve Water Quality Standards for Dissolved Oxygen in Long Island Sound Prepared in Conformance with Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act and the Long Island Sound Study Prepared by: Connecticut Department of New York State Department Environmental Protection of Environmental 79 Elm Street Conservation Hartford, CT 06106-5127 50 Wolf Road (860) 424-3020 Albany, NY 12233-0001 (518) 457-5400 Table of Contents List of Tables ............................................................. -iii- List of Figures ............................................................ -iii- I. Introduction ...........................................................1 A. Long Island Sound Study ..........................................1 B. Hypoxia .......................................................1 C. Requirements of Section 303(d) .....................................2 D. Fulfillment of Section 303(d) .......................................2 II. Waterbody Location and Description ....................................4 III. Applicable Water Quality Standards ....................................5 A. Nutrient Enrichment ..............................................5 B. New York .....................................................5 C. Connecticut ....................................................6 D. EPA Marine Dissolved Oxygen Criteria ...............................8 IV. CWA Section 303(d) Listing ..........................................9 A. Use Impairment .................................................9 B. Pollutants of Concern .............................................9 C. Pollutant Sources ...............................................10 V. TMDL Development ..................................................11 A. Available Ambient Data ..........................................11 B. Nutrient Loading Data ...........................................11 1. In-Basin Point Sources ........................................13 2. In-Basin Nonpoint Sources .....................................14 3. Tributary Import .............................................16 4. CSO and Stormwater Loads ....................................17 5. Boundary Loads .............................................18 6. Summary of Nutrient Loads and Uncertainties .......................18 C. Water Quality Model ............................................19 1. Water Quality Model Projections .................................20 2. Development of Nitrogen Reduction Plans ..........................22 VI. TMDL/WLA/LA for Nitrogen .........................................25 A. In-Basin Sources ...............................................26 1. Allocation of the In-Basin TMDL .................................26 2. Reasonable Assurance for Load Allocation ..........................30 B. Out-of-basin Sources ............................................33 1. Allocation of the Out-of-Basin TMDL .............................33 2. Reasonable Assurance for Load Allocation ..........................33 -i- C. Non-treatment Alternatives ........................................34 1. Background .................................................34 2. Preliminary Assessment of Alternatives .............................35 3. Evaluation Steps and Schedule ...................................37 D. Margin of Safety ................................................38 E. Seasonal Variations .............................................38 F. Total Maximum Annual versus Daily Loads ...........................39 G. Summary .....................................................39 VII. Implementation ....................................................41 A. Phase I .......................................................41 B. Phase II ......................................................42 C. Phase III ......................................................42 D. Phase IV ......................................................43 E. Phase V ......................................................46 F. Reassessment ..................................................46 VIII. Public Participation .................................................49 A. Phase III Implementation .........................................49 B. Draft TMDL Review ............................................50 C. Review of the Marine Waters DO Criteria ............................51 D. 2004 Revised TMDL Analysis .....................................51 IX. References ..........................................................52 X. Glossary .............................................................55 Appendix A. Estimation of In-Basin Nonpoint Nitrogen Load and Load Allocation ........A-1 Appendix B. Analysis of WLA and TMDL reduction effects through reallocation using equivalency factors. ..................................................B-1 Appendix C. Wasteload Allocation for Point Source Dischargers in Connecticut and New York by Management Zone .................................................C-1 -ii- List of Tables Table 1. Summary of in-basin total nitrogen loading (tons/yr), as delivered to Long Island Sound (attenuation considered) from all source types ....................14 Table 2. Summary of in-basin total organic carbon loading (tons/yr), as delivered to Long Island Sound (attenuation considered) from all source types ...............15 Table 3. Summary of total nitrogen loading (tons/yr), as delivered to Long Island Sound (attenuation considered) from tributary sources ........................16 Table 4. Summary of total organic carbon loading (tons/yr), as delivered to Long Island Sound (attenuation considered) from tributary sources ...................17 Table 5. Comparison of model scenarios for minimum hourly DO concentrations in Connecticut and New York, relative improvement in DO, and maximum area (mi2) with DO below 3.5 mg/l ..........................................22 Table 6. In-basin Phase III nitrogen TMDL/WLA/LA by management zone ..........27 Table 7. River delivery factors, Long Island Sound transport factors, and calculated equivalency factors that combine river and Long Island Sound effects for in-basin management zones and tiers .......................................29 Table 8. Comparison minimum hourly DO concentrations (in mg/l) in Connecticut and New York, relative improvement in DO, and maximum area (mi2)with DO below 3.5 mg/l for baseline, Phase III, Phase IV, and Phase V .....................30 Table 9. Alternative strategies for hypoxia management .........................36 Table 10. Changes in in-basin nitrogen loads to Long Island Sound with Phases of implementation .................................................41 Table 11. Implementation schedule for the Phase III actions .......................43 Table 12. Phase IV actions and schedule .....................................45 Table 13. Phase V actions and schedule ......................................47 Table 14. Reassessment tasks and schedule for the Long Island Sound TMDL .........48 List of Figures Figure 1. Timing and duration of hypoxia in Long Island Sound, 1987-1999. ...........1 Figure 2. Maps of (a) major drainage basins and tributaries of Long Island Sound; (b) the Long Island Sound Study area; (c) basins within Long Island Sound ..........4 Figure 3. Geographic segments (zones and tiers) and response regions for Long Island Sound. .......................................................13 Figure 4. Sources of nitrogen to Long Island Sound ............................18 Figure 5. Sources of carbon to Long Island Sound .............................19 -iii- I. Introduction A. Long Island Sound Study The Long Island Sound Study (LISS) began in 1985 when Congress appropriated funds for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to carry out a program to research, monitor, and assess the water quality of Long Island Sound in concert with the states of Connecticut and New York through the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (CTDEP) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), respectively. Pursuant to the Clean Water Act (CWA) Amendments in 1987, Section 320 of the Act established the National Estuary Program. At the request of the states of Connecticut and New York, Long Island Sound was officially designated an “Estuary of National Significance” under this program1. A Management Conference, consisting of federal, state, interstate and local agencies, universities, environmental groups, industry, and the public, was convened in March 1988 and charged with developing a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) to protect and improve the environmental quality of Long Island Sound while ensuring compatible human uses. The CCMP2, approved in 1994, focused on seven topics: (1) low dissolved oxygen (hypoxia), (2) toxic contamination, (3) pathogen contamination, (4) floatable debris, (5) the impact of these water quality problems, and habitat degradation and loss, on the health of living resources, (6) land use and development resulting in habitat loss and degradation of water quality, and (7) public involvement and education. The Management Conference has focused its efforts and resources on the most pressing problem among these, hypoxia (generally defined as levels of dissolved oxygen (DO) of 3 mg/l or less), which affects a substantial portion of Long Island Sound in late summer. B. Hypoxia Hypoxia is a common occurrence in Long Island Sound bottom waters during the late summer-usually from July through September3
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