STATE OF CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Bureau of Water Management 79 Elm Street Hartford, CT 06106-5127 Gina McCarthy, Commissioner 2006 INTEGRATED WATER QUALITY REPORT TO CONGRESS Prepared Pursuant to Federal Clean Water Act Sections 305(b) and 303(d) December 2006 For further information contact: Planning & Standards Division Bureau of Water Management Department of Environmental Protection 79 Elm Street Hartford, CT 06106-5127 Phone: 860-424-3020 Fax: 860-424-4055 The Department of Environmental Protection is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, offering its services without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, or disability. In conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the DEO makes every effort to provide equally effective services for persons with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities needing auxiliary aids or services should call 860-424-3333. Printed on recycled paper. ii Table of Contents Chapter Page Table of Contents iii List of Tables and Figures iv Acronyms Used in this Report v Chapter 1. Executive Summary 1-1 Chapter 2. Connecticut Surface Water Resources and Management 2-1 Chapter 3. Economic and Community Costs and Benefits of Clean Water 3-1 Chapter 4. Assessment Methodology of Surface Waters 4-1 Chapter 5. Water Quality (Use Support) Summaries 5-1 Chapter 6. Wetlands Assessments 6-1 Chapter 7. Ground Water Protection 7-1 Chapter 8. Public Health and Aquatic Life Concerns 8-1 Chapter 9. References 9-1 Appendix A. Waterbody Segment Locations and Categories Appendix B-1. Category 1 Waters, All Uses Supported Appendix B-2. Category 2 Waters, One or More Uses Supported Appendix B-3. Category 3 Waters, One or More Uses Not Assessed Appendix C. 2006 List of Waterbodies Not Meeting Water Quality Standards C-1. Category 4a Waters – TMDL has been developed and approved C-2. Category 4b Waters – Other pollution control will address impairment C-3. Category 4c Waters – Impairment is caused by pollution not a pollutant C-4. Category 5 - Waters impaired per CWA Section 303(d), TMDL may be needed C-5. Reconciliation of the 2004 and 2006 Impaired Waters Lists C-6. List of Acronyms C-7. References Appendix D-1. River Segment Reconciliation 2004-2006 Appendix D-2. Lake Segment Reconciliation 2004-2006 Appendix D-3. Estuary Segment Reconciliation 2004-2006 Appendix E-1. River bioassessment type and confidence Appendix E-2. Special and Targeted River Monitoring for the 2006 Reporting Cycle Appendix E-3. Probabilistic Monitoring Sites and Use Attainment Appendix F. Lake Trophic Status and Trend iii Tables and Figures Tables Page Table 2-1. Connecticut Water Resources Atlas 2-1 Table 4-1. Designated uses for surface waters as described in Connecticut Water Quality Standards and 305(b)/303(d) Reports. 4-2 Table 4-2. 2006 Assessment confidence for data types for rivers, lakes and estuaries. 4-5 Table 4-3. Aquatic life use support and contributing decision criteria for wadeable streams. 4-9 Table 4-4. Aquatic life use support in estuaries as determined by hypoxic events. 4-11 Table 4-5. Fish consumption use support and criteria. 4-11 Table 4-6. Shellfishing use support as determined by shellfish bed classifications. 4-12 Table 4-7. Decision criteria for various categories of primary contact use support. 4-13 Table 5-1. Number and size of waterbody segments in each EPA category. 5-1 Table 5-2a. Use support summaries for rivers, lakes and estuaries 2006. 5-13 Table 5-2b. Use support summaries for rivers, lakes and estuaries 2004 for comparison 5-14 Table 5-3. Summary of potential and confirmed causes affecting rivers. 5-15 Table 5-4. Summary of potential and confirmed sources affecting rivers. 5-16 Table 5-5. Summary of potential and confirmed causes affecting lakes. 5-17 Table 5-6. Summary of potential and confirmed sources affecting lakes. 5-18 Table 5-7. Summary of potential and confirmed causes affecting estuaries. 5-19 Table 5-8. Summary of potential and confirmed sources affecting estuaries. 5-20 Table 6-1. Present and historical wetland and watercourse acreage in Connecticut. 6-1 Table 6-2. Tidal wetlands and submerged aquatic vegetation. 6-3 Table 8-1. Fish Consumption Advisories for Connecticut Waters 2006. 8-3 Table 8-2. Fish kills reported in Connecticut during 2004 and 2005. 8-4 Table 8-3. Bathing beach closures reported in Connecticut for 2004. 8-7 Figures Figure 2-1. Connecticut’s perennial streams, lakes and major basins. 2-2 Figure 5-1. Waterbodies tracked for the 2006 reporting cycle. 5-3 Figure 5-2. Fifty-nine sampling locations for statewide probabilistic monitoring project 5-4 Figure 5-3. Assessment results from probabilistic sampling of wadeable streams 5-5 Figure 5-4. Aquatic life use support in Connecticut river, lake and estuary segments. 5-7 Figure 5-5. Pie charts representing river miles tracked and assessed for aquatic life support 5-7 Figure 5-6. Primary contact use support in Connecticut river, lake and estuary segments. 5-8 Figure 5-7. Pie charts representing river miles tracked and assessed for recreational use 5-7 Figure 7-1. Major aquifers in Connecticut (from USGS, Melvin et al. 1986). 7-1 Figure 8-1: Connecticut public drinking water supply watersheds. 8-2 iv Acronyms Used in the 2006 Integrated Water Quality Report to Congress 303(d) Section 303(d) of the Federal Clean Water Act requiring a list of waters not meeting water quality standards every two years 305(b) Section 305(b) of the Federal Clean Water Act requiring a water quality report every two years 319 Section 319 of the Federal Clean Water Act addressing nonpoint source pollution ADB Assessment Database - tracks 305(b) water quality assessments ALUS Aquatic Life Use Support APA Aquifer Protection Area BMP Best Management Plan CALM Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology (for 305(b) and 303(d) reporting) CFU Colony Forming Units CMA (Connecticut) Coastal Management Act CSO Combined Sewage Overflow CT DEP or DEP Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection CT DPH or DPH Connecticut Department of Public Health CWA (Federal) Clean Water Act CWF Clean Water Fund DA-BA (Connecticut) Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Aquaculture DECD (Connecticut) Department of Economic and Community Development DWSRF Drinking Water Supply Revolving Fund GIS Geographic Information System IPM Integrated Pest Management IWL Impaired Waters List LISS Long Island Sound Study MCL Maximum Contaminant Level NEMO Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials NHD National Hydrography Dataset NPS Nonpoint Source (pollution) NRCS Natural Resource Conservation Service OLISP Office of Long Island Sound Program (at CT DEP) PWS Public Water Supply QRWA Quinnipiac River Watershed Association QSHC Quinebaug-Shetucket Heritage Corridor QWP Quinnipiac Watershed Partnership RBP Rapid Bioassessment Protocols SDWA (Federal) Safe Drinking Water Act SECCOG Southeast Connecticut Council of Governments SET Sediment Erosion Table STORET (US EPA's) data STORage and RETrieval system TMDL Total Maximum Daily Load TWA (Connecticut) Tidal Wetlands Act US EPA or EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency USDA United States Department of Agriculture USGS United States Geological Survey UST Underground Storage Tank WPC Water Planning Council WQS Water Quality Standards v This page is intentionally left blank. vi Chapter 1 . Executive Summary Section 305(b) Federal Clean Water Act (CWA) requires each State to monitor, assess and report on the quality of its waters relative to designated uses established by the State’s Water Quality Standards (CT WQS 2002a). Section 303(d) of the CWA requires each State to list waters not meeting water quality standards and prioritize those waters for Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) development or other management. These reports are submitted to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) every two years. Prior to 2002, the Connecticut Water Quality Report to Congress (305(b) Report) and List of Waters Not Meeting Water Quality Standards (303(d) List) were developed as independent documents, with limited overlap in assessments. Following guidance issued by US EPA in 2001, CT DEP developed a Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology (CT CALM, CT DEP 2006b), which effectively unified and documented protocols for the assessment of waters for both Sections of the CWA. Starting in 2002, the list of impaired water was generated as a subset of all waters assessed under Section 305(b) using the CT CALM. However, the 305(b) Report and the (303(d) List were still submitted as separate documents. For the first time, this “Integrated Report” satisfies reporting requirements pursuant to both Sections 305(b) and 303(d) of the CWA. Also for the first time and in order to generate much of the information for this report, assessment information was stored in a new EPA-provided database, the Assessment Database Version Two (ADB V2). The overall format of this report is similar to previous 305(b) Reports, however there are a number of changes in the way assessment units and assessments are reported: ♦ Only designated uses specifically identified in the CT WQS are assessed. This resulted in the loss of some formerly assessed uses (e.g., secondary contact), and the gain of others (direct harvest and commercial shellfishing); ♦ Each waterbody segment is listed in one or more EPA Category by designated use attainment. These categories are: 1) All designated uses are supported (i.e., attaining standards) 2) One or more uses are attaining standards 3) One or more uses are unassessed 4) One or more uses are not attaining standards, but a TMDL is not required because: a. A TMDL for the non-attaining use has been developed by the State and subsequentially approved by US EPA b. A management plan is being implemented for the non-attaining use that will bring that use into attainment c.