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Final Fenholloway Nutrient TMDL 021909

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Final Fenholloway Nutrient TMDL 021909 TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD (TMDL) For Nutrients In Fenholloway River, Econfina River Basin (WBIDs 3473A and 3473B) Taylor and LaFayette Counties, Florida Prepared by: US EPA Region 4 61 Forsyth Street SW Atlanta, Georgia 30303 January 2009 In compliance with the provisions of the Federal Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C §1251 et. seq., as amended by the Water Quality Act of 1987, P.L. 400-4, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is hereby establishing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for nutrients in the Fenholloway River (WBIDs 3473A and 3473B). Subsequent actions must be consistent with this TMDL. ____________________/s/______________________ _______2/19/09____ James D. Giattina, Director Date Water Protection Division ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ 1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................................1 2 PROBLEM DEFINITION...............................................................................................................................1 3 WATERSHED DESCRIPTION .....................................................................................................................2 4 WATER QUALITY STANDARD AND TARGET IDENTIFICATION.............................................................5 4.1 Nutrient Water Quality Standards.........................................................................................................5 5 WATER QUALITY TARGET IDENTIFICATION ..........................................................................................6 5.1 Basis and Rationale For Nutrient Target ..............................................................................................6 5.2 Nutrient Target ......................................................................................................................................7 6 WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT ..............................................................................................................7 6.1 Source Assessment..............................................................................................................................8 6.1.1 Point Sources...............................................................................................................................9 6.1.2 Nonpoint Sources.........................................................................................................................9 6.2 Analytical Approach..............................................................................................................................9 6.2.1 Description of Coupled Hydrodynamic/Water Quality Model .....................................................10 6.2.2 Model Water Quality Calibration Data........................................................................................11 6.2.3 Point and Nonpoint Source Nutrient Loads................................................................................12 6.2.4 Model Calibration .......................................................................................................................12 7 DEVELOPMENT OF TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOADS..........................................................................15 7.1 Established Nutrient TMDLs...............................................................................................................15 7.2 Margin of Safety .................................................................................................................................18 7.3 Seasonal Variation .............................................................................................................................18 7.4 Alternative Wastewater Discharge Location.......................................................................................18 8. REFERENCES................................................................................................................................................19 LIST OF TABLES ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ Table 1. TMDLs Developed By EPA in Econfina River Basin ..............................................................................2 Table 2. 1995 Land Cover Distribution (acres).....................................................................................................5 Table 3. Calibration Period point source and NPS TN Loads (lb/day) ................................................................13 Table 4. Calibration Period point source and NPS TP Loads (lb/day) ...............................................................13 Table 5. Model Calibration Comparison for Chlorophyll-a .................................................................................15 Table 6. TMDL for Total Nitrogen (lb/day)..........................................................................................................16 Table 7. TMDL for Total Phosphorus (lb/day) ....................................................................................................17 Table 8. Summary of TMDL Components for Fenholloway River......................................................................17 Table 9. Chlorophyll-a Levels for TMDL Conditions (µg/L) .................................................................................18 LIST OF FIGURES ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ Figure 1: Location of Fenholloway Watershed.....................................................................................................4 Figure 2: Water Quality Sampling Stations ..........................................................................................................8 Figure 3: Water Quality Model Phytoplankton Kinetics .......................................................................................11 iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ______________________________________________________________________________ BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand (5-day test) Chl-a Chlorophyll-a DMR Discharge Monitoring Report DO Dissolved Oxygen EPA Environmental Protection Agency FAC Florida Administrative Code FDEP Florida Department of Environmental Protection HUC Hydrologic Unit Code LA Load Allocation MGD Million Gallons per Day MOS Margin of Safety MS4 Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems NLCD National Land Cover Data NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System NPS Nonpoint Source SCI Stream Condition Index SRWMD Suwannee River Water Management District TMDL Total Maximum Daily Load TN Total Nitrogen TP Total Phosphorus UAA Use Attainability Analysis USGS United States Geological Survey WBID Water Body Identification WLA Waste Load Allocation WQS Water Quality Standard WWTF Wastewater Treatment Facility iv SUMMARY SHEET Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) 1. 303(d) Listed Waterbody Information State: Florida County: Taylor and Lafayette Counties Major River Basin: Econfina River Basin (HUC 03110102) Listed Waterbodies (1998 303(d) List): WBID Segment Name Constituent(s) 3473A Fenholloway River at Mouth Nutrients 3473B Fenholloway River below Pulp Mill Nutrients 2. TMDL Endpoints (i.e., Targets) The State of Florida’s water quality standard (WQS) for nutrients states that the “discharge of nutrients shall continue to be limited as needed to prevent violations of other standards contained in this chapter” [Section 62.302 FAC] and “[i]n no case shall nutrient concentrations of a body of water be altered so as to cause an imbalance in natural populations of aquatic flora and fauna” [Section 62.302.530 FAC]. Because the State of Florida does not have specific numeric nutrient criteria, an annual average Chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration of 5 ug/l was determined to appropriately represent a numeric interpretation of the State’s narrative WQS for the Fenholloway River. The target chl-a concentration is based on the near shore reference area of the Econfina Estuary. The TMDL prescribes allocations for Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP) that achieve the chl-a target, which meets the State’s WQS for nutrients. 3. TMDL Nutrient Components to Achieve Chl-a Endpoint in Fenholloway Estuary Percent WLA 1 LA1 TMDL1 Reduction2 Stream Name Parameter (lb/day) (lb/day) (lb/day) Fenholloway TN 2698 6222 8920 24% River Fenholloway TP 600 821 1421 19% River Note1: The TMDLs are expressed as annual average Note2: The percent reductions apply only to the WLA, as no reductions are required from nonpoint sources (LA). 4. Public Notice Date: October 2008 5. TMDL Considers Point Source, Nonpoint Source, or both: Both 6. Major NPDES Discharges to surface waters Facility Name NPDES No. Facility Type Receiving Stream Buckeye Florida Pulp FL0000876 Industrial Wastewater Fenholloway River Mill1 City of Perry (no discharge – land FL0026387 Domestic WWTP Spring Branch application) Note1: The proposed discharge point located 1.7 miles upstream from the mouth of the Fenholloway River is being evaluated. The same nutrient TMDL is applicable to the existing or proposed discharge location. v Nutrient TMDL for Fenholloway River (WBIDs 3473A and 3473B) Econfina River Basin January 2009 TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD (TMDL) FENHOLLOWAY RIVER (WBIDS 3473A AND 3473B) 1 INTRODUCTION Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act requires each state to list those waters within its boundaries for which technology based effluent limitations are not stringent enough to attain water quality standards applicable to the water’s designated use(s). Listed waters are prioritized with respect to designated use classifications and the severity of pollution. In accordance
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