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EPA Watershed Initiative Quarterly Project Progress

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EPA Watershed Initiative Quarterly Project Progress EPA Targeted Watersheds Grant Final Report BEAR RIVER WATERSHED DRAFT Project Title: EPA Targeted Watersheds Grant DRAFT Final Report Project Start Date: November 1, 2004 Project End Date: October 31, 2007 (extended to October 31, 2008) Project Contact: Jack Barnett, Bear River Commission 106 West 500 South Bountiful, UT 84010 Phone: (801) 292-4662 E-mail: [email protected] EPA Grant: WS-97807301 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………… 2.0 PROJECT PARTNERS……………………………………………………………… 3.0 PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES……………………………………………. 3.1 PLANNED AND ACTUAL DELIVERABLES, PRODUCTS, AND OUTCOMES………………………………………………………………. 3.2 REFERENCE LIST………………………………………………………….. 4.0 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT………………………………………………………….. 5.0 LONG TERM RESULTS……………………………………………………………. 6.0 ASPECTS OF THE PROJECT THAT DID NOT WORK WELL………………….. 7.0 FUTURE ACTIVITY AND RECOMMENDATIONS……………………………... 8.0 APPENDICES Annotated list of appendices………………………………………………………… 8.1 The Bear River Watershed Information System…………………………….. 8.2 Technical Memo: Integration of the Water Quality Modeling Results Into the Watershed Information System…………………………………………. 8.3 Watershed Modeling for Water Quality Trading…………………………... 8.4 Assessing the Potential for Water Quality Trading in the Bear River watershed 8.4A Assessing the Potential for Water Quality Trading in the Bear River watershed by Jason R. Whitehead……………………………………….. 8.4B Survey of Effluent Managers………………………………………. 8.5 Estimates of Phosphorus Abatement Costs………………………………… 8.6 Cooperative Surplus Sharing……………………………………………….. 8.7 Examples of Pollutant Trading……………………………………………... 8.8 Trading Strategies………………………………………………………….. 8.9 Steps to Trading……………………………………………………………. 8.10 Technical Memo: Specific Requirements of and Objectives for the Water Quality Model to Support Water Quality Trading in the Bear River Basin……………... 8.11 Technical Memo: Review and Summary of Water Quality Modeling Approach to Support Water Quality Trading in the Bear River Basin………………………... 8.12 Technical Memo: Flow Chart of Water Quality Trading Modeling Structure………………………………………………….……………………… 8.13 Technical Memo: Scalability of the Selected Modeling Approach…….….. 8.14 Bear River Watershed Outreach Presentation…………..……………….… 8.15 Other Outreach materials produced….…………………………………….. 8.16 Bear River WIS Newsletter, August 2007…………………………………. 8.17 Bear River Water Quality Trading Workshop Summary, August 2007…… 8.18 Bear River Symposium, September 2007 8.18 A Symposium Agenda……………………………..………………. 8.18 B Symposium Abstracts…………………………...…….…………. 8.18 C Symposium photographs………………………………………… 1.0 INTRODUCTION This report presents the results of a four year project, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, to provide essential tools to better manage the Bear River and its watershed. Following a general description of the project itself and the project partners, the report presents the findings for each of the tasks associated with the project objectives. More detailed documents, such as academic reports and model outputs produced as part of this project appear in the appendices of the report. The report also includes a brief discussion of important lessons learned and future recommendations. The first objective of the project was to develop a Watershed Information System (WIS) for the entire basin. The watershed spans three states, two EPA regions, several National Forests and multiple other jurisdictional entities. Providing spatial and temporal data that crossed these boundaries seamlessly was a significant challenge. The final WIS provides a large array of fully integrated capabilities, including unprecedented access to data and data manipulation, modeling and visualization, and education and outreach to the stakeholders in the watershed and region. It is expected that the watershed information system will promote greater cooperation across state lines and among the different regulatory agencies and stakeholder groups in the basin. Integrated systems such as the Bear River WIS are needed in many watersheds nationwide. For this reason the structure and format of this information system was designed to allow it to be exported to other watersheds. The second and third objectives of this project were to conduct a detailed feasibility study of the potential for pollutant trading in this watershed. Of particular interest was the possibility of trading across state boundaries and the potential for nonpoint to nonpoint trading. In particular, the study built upon the water quality credit trading frameworks outlined in the EPA’s Water Quality Trading Policy issued in January 2003. Water quality trading can be a cost-effective solution to local pollution discharge problems, and in the case of the Bear River, the credit trading approach is seen to be a tool for lower-cost management for the implementation of the TMDL’s that have been written for the Middle and Lower Bear River reaches. Detailed information about BMP effectiveness, costs, and land uses were compiled. A calibrated, process-based watershed modeling framework was developed and utilized to populate an extensive table of delivered loads to TMDL endpoints (i.e., receptor points) from specific farm fields. Stakeholders within the watershed were educated on the process and specific potential trades were identified, but not yet implemented. Outreach and public involvement was identified as a fourth objective, but in reality was integrated into all aspects of this project. The public involvement efforts began with a campaign to introduce the project to the stakeholders of the watershed and to identify datasets and other resources with which to populate the WIS. Once the WIS was developed, outreach efforts shifted focus to introducing the functioning WIS to stakeholders and others in the region. This team also populated the WIS with outreach materials and information on pollutant trading specific to the Bear River watershed. The outreach team also provided original educational materials about the watershed and reviewed all materials posted on the WIS to assure that the information system was usable, readable and appropriately targeted for our audience. 2.0 PROJECT PARTNERS The different components of this project were led by separate teams of researchers. Coordination and oversight was provided by a steering committee. The following individuals led the different major elements of this project: Project Management: Jack Barnett Watershed Information System Development: Jeff Horsburgh and David Stevens Water Quality Trading Program Development: Terry Glover, Arthur Caplan, and Jason Whitehead Water Quality Modeling: Bethany Neilson Education and Outreach: Nancy Mesner and Susan Anderson A Steering Committee established at the beginning of this project included: Jeff Horsburgh, Terry Glover, Mitch Poulsen, Mike Allred, Lynn Van Every, Jack Smith, Jack Barnett, David Stevens, and Nancy Mesner. Table 1. All the individuals involved in the project, affiliations and contact information. Name Affiliation Address Email Gary Kleeman U.S. Environmental Protection 999 18th Street, Suite [email protected] Agency, Region 8 300 Denver, CO 80202 Jeff Horsburgh Utah Water Research Laboratory, 8200 Old Main Hill [email protected] USU Logan, UT 84322-8200 David Stevens Utah Water Research Laboratory, 8200 Old Main Hill [email protected] USU Logan, UT 84322-8200 Terry Glover College of Business – Department 3530 Old Main Hill [email protected] of Economics, USU Logan, UT 84322-3530 Arthur Caplan College of Business – Department 3530 Old Main Hill [email protected] of Economics, USU Logan, UT 84322-3530 Jason Whitehead College of Business – Department 3530 Old Main Hill of Economics, USU Logan, UT 84322-3530 Nancy Mesner College of Natural Resources – 5210 Old Main Hill [email protected] Department of Watershed Logan, UT 84322-5210 Sciences, USU Susan Anderson College of Natural Resources – 5210 Old Main Hill [email protected] Department of Watershed Logan, UT 84322-5210 Sciences, USU Bethany Neilson Utah Water Research Laboratory, 8200 Old Main Hill [email protected] USU Logan, UT 84322-8200 Jack Barnett Bear River Commission 106 West 500 South [email protected] Bountiful, UT 84010 m Mitch Poulsen Bear Lake Regional Commission [email protected] Mike Allred Utah Division of Water Quality 288 North 1460 West [email protected] PO Box 144870 Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4870 Lynn Van Every Idaho Department of 444 Hospital Way #300 [email protected] Environmental Quality Pocatello, Idaho 83201 Jack Smith Wyoming Department of [email protected] Environmental Quality Don Newton Wyoming Department of [email protected] Environmental Quality 3.0 PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Specific project objectives are listed below. Each objective was divided into a set of tasks with specific activities and products, which are discussed in Section 3.1. Objective 1: Develop a dynamic web page (the Bear River Watershed Information System) to include opportunities watershed wide coordination, a comprehensive data and document warehouse, mapping, data visualization and statistical tools, model results, real time monitoring data, and outreach and education components. Objective 2: Investigate the value and feasibility of a phosphorus trading program for the Bear River Watershed. Objective 3: Develop a dynamic watershed model to provide important input data for a trading scheme in the watershed and to help predict the effectiveness and value of a given trade. Objective 4: Include partners throughout
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