Final Pathogen TMDL for the Islands Watershed April 2020 (Control Number: CN 254.1) Island Watersheds Prepared as a cooperative effort by: Massachusetts DEP EPA New England Region 1 1 Winter Street 5 Post Office Square Boston, Massachusetts 02108 Boston, Massachusetts 02109 NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY Limited copies of this report are available at no cost by written request to: Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Division of Watershed Management 8 New Bond Street Worcester, Massachusetts 01606 This report is also available on MassDEP’s web page https://www.mass.gov/total-maximum-daily-loads- tmdls. DISCLAIMER References to trade names, commercial products, manufacturers, or distributors in this report constituted neither endorsement nor recommendations by the Division of Watershed Management for use. Acknowledgement This report was developed by ENSR (now AECOM) through a partnership with the Resource Triangle Institute (RTI) contracting with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and MassDEP under the National Watershed Protection Program. The report follows the same format and methodology for previously approved bacteria TMDLs (Boston Harbor, Weymouth, Weir and Mystic Rivers, Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod, Charles, North Coastal, and South Coastal Watersheds). ii Total Maximum Daily Loads for Pathogens within the Islands Watershed Island Watersheds Key Features: Pathogen TMDL for the Islands Watershed Location: EPA Region 1 Land Type: New England Coastal 303(d) Listings: Pathogens Nantucket1: Nantucket Harbor (MA97-01) Polpis Harbor (MA97-26) Sesachacha Pond (MA97-02) Martha’s Vineyard1,2: Chilmark Pond (MA97-05) Edgartown Harbor (MA97-15) Oak Bluffs Harbor (MA97-07) Sengekontacket Pond MA97-10, Tisbury Great Pond (MA97-18) Vineyard Haven Harbor (MA97-09) Elizabeth Islands: Cuttyhunk Pond (MA97-21) 1- Pathogen Impaired segments identified after the public comment period for this TMDL will be included in a future TMDL as an Addendum to this report. The following segments are listed as impaired for pathogens in the 2016 Integrated report and will be included in a future TMDL: Long Pond (MA97-29) and Katama Bay (MA97-16). 2- Islands segments delisted for pathogens after the draft TMDL public notice: Edgartown Great Pond (MA97-17), Menemsha Pond (MA97-06), Oyster Pond (MA97-13), and Westend Pond (MA97-20). iii Data Sources: MassDEP 2003. Islands Watershed 2000 Water Quality Assessment Report; and unpublished data. Division of Marine Fisheries Office, SE Region, Fall River, MA. Data Mechanism: Massachusetts Surface Water Quality Standards for Fecal Coliform; The Federal BEACH Act; Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bathing Beaches; Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Shellfish Sanitation and Management; Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Monitoring Plan: Division of Marine Fisheries, Local Volunteer Groups Control Measures: Watershed Management; Storm Water Management (e.g., illicit discharge removals, public education/behavior modification); SSO Abatement; BMPs; By- laws; Ordinances; No Discharge Areas; Septic System Maintenance/Upgrades iv ACRONYM LIST § Section 7Q10 Seven Day Ten Year Low Flow ACEC Area of Critical Environmental Concern BEACH Act Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000 BMP Best Management Practice BOH Board(s) of Health BST Bacteria source tracking CALM Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology CCC Cape Cod Commission CFR Code of Federal Regulations CFU colony forming units CIHA Cape and Islands Harbormasters Association CMR Code of Massachusetts Regulations CSO Combined Sewer Overflow CWA Clean Water Act, Federal CWA § 303(d) The CWA and implementing regulations at 40 CFR 130.7 require states to identify those waterbodies that are not expected to meet surface water quality standards after the implementation of technology-based controls and to prioritize and schedule them for the development of a total maximum daily load (TMDL). CZM Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management DCR Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation DFG or MA DFG Massachusetts Division of Fish and Game DMF or MA DMF Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries DWM Massachusetts Division of Watershed Management E. coli Escherichia coli EEA Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs EMC Event Mean Concentration EPA or US EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency EQIP Environmental Quality Incentive Program FOS Friends of Sengekontacket, Inc. GIS Geographic Information System gpd gallons per day GPF Great Pond Foundation IDDE Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination System ILOW Integrated List of Waters LA Load Allocation v LID Low Impact Development LPA Lagoon Pond Association, Inc. LTCP Long Term Control Plan MassBays Massachusetts Bays Estuary Program MADPH or DPH Massachusetts Department of Public Health MassDEP Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection MEP Maximum Extent Practicable MEPA Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act MG Million Gallons mg/L Milligrams per liter MHD Massachusetts Highway Department mi2 Square mile ml milliliter MOS Margin of Safety MPN Most Probable Number MSD Marine Sanitation Device MS4 Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems MVC Martha’s Vineyard Commission MVDC Martha’s Vineyard Donors Collaborative NDZ No Discharge Zone NEAR Northeast Aquatic Research NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System NRCS Natural Resource Conservation Service ORW Outstanding Resource Water POTW Publicly Owned Treatment Works RTI Research Triangle Institute SRF State Revolving Fund SSO Sanitary Sewer Overflows SWMP Stormwater Management Plan SWPP Stormwater Program Plan TMDL Total Maximum Daily Load TSS Total Suspended Solids TN Total Nitrogen TWI Tisbury Waterways, Inc. USACOE United States Army Corps of Engineers VCS Vineyard Conservation Society WHOI Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute WLA Waste Load Allocation vi WPP Watershed Planning Program WQA Water Quality Assessment WQS Water Quality Standards WWTP Wastewater Treatment Plant vii Executive Summary Purpose and Intended Audience This document provides a framework to address bacterial pathogens and other fecal-related pollution in the surface waters of Massachusetts. The term “Pathogens” refers to the set of indicator bacterial organisms that includes fecal coliform, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and enterococci, which represent a threat to human health and the environment. Although not all bacteria are pathogenic, the words “pathogens” and “bacteria” are used interchangeably in this TMDL. Pathogen contamination of our surface waters is most often a direct result of the improper management of human wastes, excrement from barnyard animals, pet feces and agricultural applications of manure. It can also result from large congregations of birds such as geese and gulls. Discharges of inadequately treated boat waste are of particular concern in urban coastal areas. Inappropriate disposal of human and animal wastes can degrade aquatic ecosystems and negatively affect public health. Pathogen contamination can also result in closures of shellfish beds, bathing beaches, swimming areas and drinking water supplies. The closure of such important public resources can erode quality of life and diminish property values. Coastal communities rely on clean, productive, aesthetically pleasing marine and estuarine waters for swimming, boating, fishing and tourism. Failure to reduce and control bacterial contamination results in illness in humans, closures of shellfishing areas and bathing beaches, fish kills, unpleasant odors and visible scum. Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for pathogens have been established for waterbody segments within the Islands Watershed. This TMDL will be used to provide stakeholders with the means to identify bacterial sources and the actions to take to reduce their effects. Who should read this document? The following groups and individuals can benefit from the information in this report: a) Although town and municipalities in the TMDL study area are not covered under the 2018 Municipal Separate Stormwater Systems (MS4) permit (US EPA 2018g), towns and municipalities will find information to help manage their natural resources, particularly water resources.; b) Watershed groups that wish to pursue funding to identify and/or mitigate sources of pathogens in their watersheds; c) Harbormasters, public health officials and/or municipalities that are responsible for monitoring, enforcing or otherwise mitigating contamination that results in beach and/or shellfish closures or results in the failure of other surface waters to meet Massachusetts standards for pathogens; d) Citizens who wish to become more aware of pollution issues and who may be interested in helping build local support for implementation of remediation measures; and ES-1 e) Government agencies that provide groups with planning, technical assistance, and funding to remediate pollution, including pathogens. Islands Watershed The Islands Watershed (or coastal drainage area) includes Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. Nantucket is a 49 square mile (mi2) island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The Town of Nantucket, which is a county as well, encompasses the entire island. It is a combination of moraines and outwash plain resulting primarily from the last episode of glaciation that affected the Northeastern United States about 15,000 years ago, with elevations up to approximately 100 feet above sea level and 94 miles of shoreline. Martha’s Vineyard