Final Report Metals and pH TMDLs for the Elk River Watershed, West Virginia United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 3 1650 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA September 2001 Metals and pH TMDLs for the Elk River Watershed Acknowledgments This study was developed and prepared by Tetra Tech, Inc., in Fairfax, Virginia , under EPA Contract Number 68-C-99-24, Work Assignment 1-93. The EPA Regional Coordinator was Mr. Thomas Henry of EPA Region 3. The EPA Work Assignment Manager was Mr. Leo Essenthier of EPA Region 3. EPA Region 3 support was provided by Ms. Mary Beck and Ms. Carol Ann Davis. Completion of this study depended upon the generous informational and data support of various groups. The following people are especially acknowledged: Mary Beck U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3 Pat Campbell West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Water Resources Carol Ann Davis U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3 Angela Dorsey West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Mining and Reclamation Thomas Henry U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3 J.R. Hodel West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Mining and Reclamation James Laine West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Water Resources Ken Politan West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Mining and Reclamation Steve Stutler West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Water Resources David Vande West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Mining and Linde Reclamation Jerry Tephabock West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Oil and Gas Dave Montali West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Water Resources September 2001 i Metals and pH TMDLs for the Elk River Watershed Contents Figures ...................................................................... iv Tables ...................................................................... iv 1.0 Problem Understanding .....................................................1-1 2.0 Water Quality Standards ....................................................2-1 3.0 Source Assessment ........................................................3-1 3.1 Data Inventory ........................................................3-1 3.2 Stream Flow Data .....................................................3-2 3.3 Point Sources .........................................................3-2 3.3.1 Permitted Nonmining Point Sources ...................................3-3 3.3.2 Permitted Mining Point Sources ......................................3-3 3.4 Nonpoint Sources ......................................................3-4 3.4.1 Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) ......................................3-5 3.4.2 Sediment Sources ................................................3-6 3.4.3 Other Nonpoint Sources ...........................................3-7 4.0 Technical Approach ........................................................4-1 4.1 Model Framework Selection ..............................................4-1 4.2 Mining Data Analysis System (MDAS) Overview ..............................4-2 4.3 Model Configuration ....................................................4-3 4.3.1 Watershed Subdivision .............................................4-3 4.3.2 Meteorological Data ...............................................4-4 4.3.3 Nonpoint Source Representation .....................................4-7 4.3.4 Point Source Representation .........................................4-9 4.3.5 Stream Representation ............................................4-12 4.3.6 Hydrologic Representation .........................................4-12 4.3.7 Pollutant Representation ...........................................4-12 4.4 Model Calibration .....................................................4-12 4.4.1 Hydrology Calibration ............................................4-13 4.4.2 Sediment Calibration for Nonpoint Sources ............................4-15 4.4.3 Water Quality Calibration ..........................................4-15 5.0 Allocation Analysis .........................................................5-1 5.1 TMDL Endpoints .....................................................5-1 5.1.1 Aluminum, Iron, Manganese, and Lead ................................5-1 5.1.2 pH ...........................................................5-2 5.1.3 Margin of Safety .................................................5-2 5.2 Baseline Conditions ....................................................5-2 5.3 Source Loading Alternatives .............................................5-3 5.4 TMDLs and Source Allocations ...........................................5-3 5.4.1 Wasteload Allocations (WLAs) ......................................5-4 5.4.2 Load Allocations (LAs) ............................................5-5 5.4.3 pH Modeling Results ..............................................5-5 5.4.4 Seasonal Variation ................................................5-6 ii September 2001 Metals and pH TMDLs for the Elk River Watershed 5.4.5 Future Growth ...................................................5-7 5.4.6 Remining and Water Quality Trading ...................................5-7 6.0 Reasonable Assurance ......................................................6-1 6.1 Reclamation ......................................................6-1 6.1.1 Office of Abandoned Mine Lands and Reclamation ........................6-1 6.1.2 Special Reclamation Group .........................................6-3 6.2 Permitting ............................................................6-4 7.0 Monitoring Plan ...........................................................7-1 8.0 Public Participation .........................................................8-1 References ..................................................................R-1 Appendix A-1. Elk River Watershed Data and TMDLs - Region 1 .....................A-1-1 Appendix A-2. Elk River Watershed Data and TMDLs - Region 2 .....................A-2-1 Appendix A-3. Elk River Watershed Data and TMDLs - Region 3 .....................A-3-1 Appendix B. Mining Permits in the Elk River Watershed ...............................B-1 Appendix C. Water Quality Data Analysis: Sediment/Metals Relationships ................ C-1 Appendix D. Hydrology and Water Quality Calibration and Validation Results .............. D-1 Appendix E. Modeling pH for TMDL Development ...................................E-1 Appendix F. Dissolved Zinc Impairments in the Elk River Watershed ......................F-1 September 2001 iii Metals and pH TMDLs for the Elk River Watershed Figures Figure 1-1 Location of the Elk River watershed ......................................1-2 Figure 1-2 Elk River watershed and its Three regions .................................1-4 Figure 3-1 Potential sources contributing to impairments in the Elk River watershed ...........3-8 Figure 3-2 Land use distribution in the Elk River watershed .............................3-9 Figure 4-1 Elk River subwatersheds ...............................................4-5 Figure 4-2 Weather stations used in modeling .......................................4-6 Figure 4-3 Calibration locations used in modeling ....................................4-14 Tables Table 1-1 Section 303(d) listed waterbodies and corresponding impairments ................1-3 Table 2-1 Applicable West Virginia water quality criteria ...............................2-2 Table 3-1 Inventory of data and information used to develop the Elk River watershed TMDLs ...................................................3-1 Table 3-2 Flow analysis for the Elk River watershed ..................................3-2 Table 3-3 Nonmining point source facilities discharging to the Elk River watershed ............3-3 Table 3-4 Classification of mining permit type and status ...............................3-4 Table 3-5 Sediment source characterization .........................................3-7 Table 4-1 Modules from HSPF converted to HSPC ..................................4-3 Table 4-2 Model land use grouping ...............................................4-7 Table 4-3 Model nonpoint source representation of different permitted mines ................4-9 Table 4-4 Modeled land use distribution in acres for subwatersheds 1 through 12 ............4-10 Table 4-5 Modeled land use distribution in acres for subwatersheds 13 through 24 ...........4-10 Table 5-1 Metals concentrations used in representing permitted conditions for mines ...........5-3 Table 5-2 Load and waste load allocations for aluminum ...............................5-6 Table 5-3 Load and waste load allocations for iron ...................................5-6 Table 5-4 Load and waste load allocations for manganese ..............................5-6 Table 5-4 Load and waste load allocations for zinc ...................................5-6 iv September 2001 Metals and pH TMDLs for the Elk River Watershed 1.0 Problem Understanding The Elk River in central West Virginia originates near Slaty Fork, West Virginia, and flows westward for approximately 190 miles before it empties into the Kanawha River near Charleston, West Virginia (Figure 1-1). The Elk River watershed drains approximately 1,530 square miles (979,724 acres) and covers parts of nine counties in West Virginia: Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, Kanawha, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Randolph, Roane, and Webster. Major tributaries of the Elk River include