Diagnostic Feasibility Study for Onota Lake, Pittsfield
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r *-~" n7"! INTERNATIONAL I 1I H TECHNOLOGY r LJU CORPORATION L r ~ RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 1 DIAGNOSTIC/FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR ONOTA LAKE, PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS i] u L r r I I I I I • DIAGNOSTIC/FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR ONOTA LAKE, PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS PREPARED FOR: THE MASSACHUSETTS DEP DIVISION OF WATER POLLUTION CONTROL PREPARED BY: I IT CORPORATION ™ 165 FIELDCREST AVENUE EDISON, NEW JERSEY 08837 NOVEMBER 1991 . ENV/L22-frt I I ABSTRACT I A Diagnostic/Feasibility Study of Onota Lake was conducted by IT Corporation I for the City of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The purpose of the study was to identify factors which have contributed to the degradation of the lake, quantify their impact, and recommend strategies for their mitigation. Field I sampling took place from March, 1986 through March 1987. I Problems identified during the course of the study included: I 1) Excessive growth of aquatic macrophytes 2) Severe dissolved oxygen depletion in the hypolimnetic waters 3) Sediment accumulation I 4) Impacted fishery resulting from dissolved oxygen limitations. I These problems were attributed to urbanization of the watershed, faulty I agricultural practices and stormwater runoff. The management and restoration plan devised for Onota Lake incorporated both I long-term and short-term measures. Long-term watershed management measures were recommended to address the source of the problems in the lake. Included I in the recommendations were sewering, the implementation of more stringent zoning ordinances, and enforcement of soil erosion control ordinances. I In order to realize an immediate tangible improvement, short-term, in-lake procedures were also recommended. These included weed harvesting, public I education, hypolimnetic aeration, dredging, and modification of the lake's I flow pattern. I I I I ENV/L22-rpt3 I I TABLE OF CONTENTS I 1,0 GENERAL DESCRIPTION 1-1 2,0 PRESENT AND HISTORICAL USES 2-1 • 3,0 SOILS AND GEOLOGY 3-1 4,0 MORPHOMETRIC DATA 4-1 • 5,0 LIMNOLOGICAL SURVEY 5-1 ™ 5.1 WATER QUALITY 5-1 5.1.1 Temperature 5-1 1 5.1.2 Dissolved Oxygen 5-2 5.1.3 Nitrogen 5-4 I 5.1.4 Phosphorus 5-5 5.1.5 pH 5-7 • 5.1.6 Alkalinity 5-7 5.1.7 SeccM Disc Transparency • 5-8 • 5.1.8 Chlorophyll 5-8 ™ 5.1.9 Total and Fecal CoHform Bacteria 5-9 5.2 WATER QUALITY - TRIBUTARY SAMPLING 5-10 I 5.2.1 Churchill Brook and Daniels Brook 5-11 5.2.2 Parker Brook 5-12 || 5.2.3, Blythewood Drive - Unnamed Stream 5-13 5.2.4 Storm Sampling 5-14 • 5.3 FLORA AND FAUNA " 5-15 5.3.1 Phytoplankton 5-15 • 5.3.2 Benthic Colonization 5-25 ~ 5.4 FISHERY 5-26 6.0 MACROPHYTE SURVEY 6-1 • 7.0 SEDIMENT CHARACTERISTICS 7-1 8.0 WASTEWATER DISPOSAL PRACTICES 8-1 | 9.0 ANNUAL HYDROLOGIC BUDGET 9-1 9.1 PRECIPITATION/EVAPORATION 9-1 • 9.2 TRIBUTARY INFLOW 9-2 9*3 OUTFLOW 9-3 • 9.4 GROUND WATER 9-4 • 9.5 HYDROLOGIC BUDGET 9-5 ENV/L22-frt I I TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd) I PAGE 10.0 NUTRIENT LOADING AND LAKE TROPHIC STATE ANALYSIS 10-1 •^^^v 10.1 NUTRIENT/SEDIMENT BUDGET 10-1 10.2 CALCULATION OF THE NON-POINT SOURCE LOADS 10-1 1^^^v 10.3 CALCULATION OF THE SEPTIC LOAD 10-3 10.4 INTERNAL REGENERATION OF PHOSPHORUS 10-4 _ 10.5 ATMOSPHERIC CONTRIBUTIONS 10-6 10.6 CALCULATION OF THE ANNUAL NUTRIENT AND SEDIMENT BUDGETS 10-6 1 10.7 LIMITING NUTRIENTS 10-7 10.8 TROPHIC STATE ANALYSIS 10-8 I 10.8.1 Phosphorus Retention/Critical Loading 10-9 10.8.2 Nitrogen Retention/Critical Loading 10-9 I 10.9 ONOTA LAKE, TWO LAKES IN ONE 10-12 •• 10.10 TROPHIC STATE CRITICAL LOADING BOUNDARIES 10-15 11.0 RESTORATION/MANAGEMENT PLAN 11-1 _ 11.1 INTRODUCTION 11-1 11.2 DEVELOPMENT OF THE FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS 11-1 1 11.3 MANAGEMENT PLAN 11-2 11.3.1 Watershed Management 11-3 I 11.3.1.1 Stormwater Retention/Detention 11-6 11.3.1.2 Erosion Control 11-7 11.3.1.3 Land Use Ordinances 11-9 I^H 11.3.1.4 Stormwater Management 11-10 11.3.1.5 Product Modification 11-10 11.3.1.6 Sewering and Infrastructure Improvements 11-10 I 11.3.1.7 Diversion and Pretreatment 11-12 11.3.2 In-Lake Restoration 11-12 11.3.2.1 Short Circuiting of Flow 11-13 11.3.2.2 Weed Harvesting 11-18 / 11.3.2.3 Spot Dredging 11-21 11.3.2.4 Aeration 11-22 I 11.3.2.5 Macrophyte Barriers 11-24 ENV/L22-frt 11 I I 11.3.2.6 Algacide/Herbicide Application 11-24 11.3.2.7 Lake Lowering 11-24 I 11.3.2.8 Power Boat Limitations 11-29 11.3.2.9 Low Priority Options 11-30 11.3.3 Recommended Plan 11-30 I 11.3.4 Public Education and Involvement Program 11-32 11.3.5 Institutional Arrangements 11-33 I 11.3.6 Permit Requirements 11-34 11.3.7 Monitoring Program 11-35 I 11.4 ANTICIPATED IMPROVEMENTS 11-38 11.5 SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES 11-40 I 11.6 BUDGET 11-40 11.7 ADMINISTRATION OF FUNDING 11-47 I 11.8 ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION 11-48 12.0 LITERATURE CITED - 12-1 I APPENDIX A - LABORATORY DATA APPENDIX B - TRIBUTARY SUMMARY DATA I APPENDIX C - STORM EVENT DATA I I I I I I I I I ENV/L22-frt 111 LIST OF TABLES 2.1 SUMMARY OF RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES ON ONOTA LAKE 3.1 LIMITATIONS OF SOILS FOR DEVELOPMENT 4.1 MORPHOMETRIC DATA OF ONOTA LAKE 4.2 AREA OF ONOTA LAKE SUB-WATERSHED BASINS 4.3 LAND USE PER SUB-BASIN FOR ONOTA LAKE 5.1 WHOLE PLANKTON % COMPOSITION BASIN 1A 5.2 WHOLE PLANKTON % COMPOSITION BASIN IB 5.3 NET PLANKTON % COMPOSITION BASIN 1A 5.4 NET PLANKTON % COMPOSITION BASIN IB 5.5 FISHERY SURVEY RESULTS - 1986 6.1 SPECIES LIST AND RELATIVE ABUNDANCES OF AQUATIC MACROPHYTES COLLECTED FROM ONOTA LAKE 6.2 TOTAL HARVESTABLE BIOMASS AND CHEMICAL CONTENT OF MACROPHYTON IN ONOTA LAKE 7.1 SURFACE AREA AND VOLUME OF MATERIAL TO BE DREDGED FROM ONOTA LAKE 7.2 ONOTA LAKE SEDIMENT SAMPLE ANALYSES 8.1 RESULTS OF SEPTIC SNOOPER SAMPLES 8.2 SUMMARY OF RESPONSES TO ONSITE WASTEWATER DISPOSAL SYSTEM 9.1 NOAA AVERAGE AND MEASURED PRECIPITATION RECORDED FOR ONOTA LAKE 9.2 TRIBUTARY-INFLOW CONTRIBUTION 9.3 VOLUME OF PRECIPITATION AND VOLUME OF LOSS FROM THE SURFACE OF ONOTA LAKE 9.4 FLOW/STAFF GAGE RELATIONSHIP FOR THE OUTFALL (SPILLWAY) OF LAKE 9.5 RESULT OF LINEAR REGRESSION CONDUCTED ON FLOW/STAFF GAGE DATA RECORDED ONOTA LAKE 9.6 GROUND WATER RECHARGE TO TRIBUTARIES OF ONOTA LAKE 9.7 HYDROLOGIC BUDGET OF ONOTA LAKE 10.1 LOADING COEFFICIENTS FOR VARIOUS LAND USE ACTIVITIES IN THE ONOTA LAKE WATERSHED 10.2 SUMMARY OF NON-POINT SOURCE NUTRIENT AND SEDIMENT LOADING TO ONOTA LAKE ANNUAL LOAD PER SUB-BASIN 10.3 RELATIVE ATMOSPHERIC CONTRIBUTIONS OF NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS TO QNOTA LAKE 10.4 NUTRIENT/SEDIMENT BUDGET OF ONOTA LAKE 10.5 PHOSPHORUS RETENTION ONOTA LAKE 10.6 TROPHIC STATE ANALYSIS OF ONOTA LAKE USING THE CRITERIA OF DILLON (1974) ENV/L22-frt 1v I I LIST OF TABLES (Continued) I 10.7 NITROGEN RETENTION ONOTA LAKE 10.8 TROPHIC STATE ANALYSIS OF ONOTA LAKE USING THE TN CRITERIA OF BAKER, ET AL. (1985). • 10.9 PERTINENT HYDROLOGIC AND MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF ONOTA LAKE'S NORTH AND SOUTH BASINS • 10.10 ANNUAL TOTAL PHOSPHORUS LOADING TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH BASINS OF ™ ONOTA LAKE . 10.11 PHOSPHORUS RETENTION AS CALCULATED INDEPENDENTLY FOR ONOTA LAKE'S | NORTH AND SOUTH BASINS 10.12 LAKE TROPHIC STATE AS PER DILLON (1974) CRITERIA CALCULATED INDEPENDENTLY FOR ONOTA LAKE'S NORTH AND SOUTH BASINS. • 10.13 CALCULATION OF CRITICAL LOADING BOUNDARIES BETWEEN OLIGO-EUTROPHIC CONDITIONS • 11.1 WATERSHED MANAGEMENT FEASIBILITY MATRIX 11.2 IN-LAKE RESTORATION FEASIBILITY MATRIX 11.3 PREDICTED POST-RESTORATION TROPHIC STATE FOR THE NORTH AND SOUTH BASINS 1 OF ONOTA LAKE 11.4 ANTICIPATED COSTS OF THE ONOTA LAKE RESTORATION PROGRAM _ ENV/L22-frt I I LIST OF FIGURES I 1.1 SITE LOCATION MAP 3.1 SOIL ASSOCIATION MAP 4.1 WATERSHED AND SUB-BASINS OF ONOTA LAKE 4.2 BATHYMETRY MAP • 5.1 LOCATION OF IN-LAKE SAMPLING STATIONS 5.2 TEMPERATURE ISOPLETH FOR IN-LAKE #1 MAIN BASIN • ™ 5.3 TEMPERATURE PROFILE WINTER IN-LAKE #1 MAIN BASIN 5.4 TEMPERATURE PROFILE SPRING IN-LAKE #1 MAIN BASIN • 5.5 TEMPERATURE PROFILE SUMMER IN-LAKE #1 MAIN BASIN 5.6 TEMPERATURE PROFILE FALL IN-LAKE II MAIN BASIN j| 5.7 TEMPERATURE PROFILE WINTER IN-LAKE #2 SHALLOW BASIN 5.8 TEMPERATURE PROFILE SPRING IN-LAKE #2 SHALLOW' BASIN • 5.9 TEMPERATURE PROFILE SUMMER IN-LAKE #2 SHALLOW BASIN 5.10 TEMPERATURE PROFILE FALL IN-LAKE #2 SHALLOW BASIN • 5.11 DISSOLVED OXYGEN PROFILE IN-LAKE #1 WINTER ™ 5.12 DISSOLVED OXYGEN PROFILE IN-LAKE #1 SPRING 5.13 DISSOLVED OXYGEN PROFILE IN-LAKE #1 SUMMER • 5.14 DISSOLVED--OXYGEN PROFILE IN-LAKE #1 FALL "5.15 DISSOLVED OXYGEN PROFILE IN-LAKE #2 WINTER | 5.16 DISSOLVED OXYGEN PROFILE IN-LAKE #2 SPRING 5.17 DISSOLVED OXYGEN PROFILE IN-LAKE #2 SUMMER • 5.18 DISSOLVED OXYGEN PROFILE IN-LAKE 12 FALL 5.19 AMMONIA VS.