Upper Grande Ronde Subbasin WQMP UPPER GRANDE RONDE RIVER SUBBASIN WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN El gin Summer vill e Imbler La Gr ande Cove Union N W E S Prepared by Grande Ronde Water Quality Committee ______________________________________________________________________________ Grande Ronde Water Quality Committee Page 1 April 2000 Upper Grande Ronde Subbasin WQMP TABLE OF CONTENTS Acronyms Used in This Document....................................................................................................................... 4 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................................................... 6 CLEAN WATER ACT, 303(D) LIST, TMDLS, AND WQMPS. ..................................................................................... 6 ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMISSION ACTION ................................................................................................... 6 COMMITTEE & WORKGROUP ORGANIZATION & FUNCTION & MEMBERSHIP ........................................................... 7 Committee Members:........................................................................................................................................... 7 Agency Ad Hoc:................................................................................................................................................... 8 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN GUIDANCE ................................................................................................ 10 ELEMENT 1: CONDITION ASSESSMENT AND PROBLEM DESCRIPTION ............................................ 11 GEOGRAPHIC REGION OF INTEREST ........................................................................................................................ 11 TARGET IDENTIFICATION:....................................................................................................................................... 12 BENEFICIAL USES, WATER QUALITY STANDARDS AND CRITERIA .......................................................................... 12 CURRENT CONDITIONS............................................................................................................................................ 16 General Basin-wide Conditions......................................................................................................................... 16 Upper Watershed Conditions ............................................................................................................................ 17 Grande Ronde Valley downstream to Rondowa................................................................................................ 18 EXISTING SOURCES OF WATER POLLUTION ............................................................................................................ 20 Point Sources..................................................................................................................................................... 20 Nonpoint Sources .............................................................................................................................................. 21 LOADING CAPACITY AND LOAD ALLOCATIONS ...................................................................................................... 22 Temperature ...................................................................................................................................................... 22 Temperature Allocations/Wasteload Allocations .............................................................................................. 24 Surrogate Measures........................................................................................................................................... 25 Dissolved Oxygen, pH, Nutrients and Algae Growth ........................................................................................ 31 Nutrient Load Allocations ................................................................................................................................. 33 Site Potential Scenario Nutrient Load Allocations and Loading Capacities..................................................... 34 PRIORITIES .............................................................................................................................................................. 36 Management Category Priority Areas............................................................................................................... 38 Geographic Priority Areas -- Watershed Scale................................................................................................. 39 Geographic Priority Areas for Action -- Sub-Watershed Scale......................................................................... 40 REFERENCES FOR ELEMENT 1: ................................................................................................................................ 43 ELEMENT 2: GOALS AND OBJECTIVES......................................................................................................... 45 ELEMENT 3: MANAGEMENT MEASURES ..................................................................................................... 49 3.1 POINT SOURCES............................................................................................................................................. 49 3.1.1 Direct Discharges (to be eliminated during season of concern)......................................................... 49 3.1.2 Other Permitted Point Sources ........................................................................................................... 51 3.2 NONPOINT SOURCES...................................................................................................................................... 54 3.2.1 Transportation Sources....................................................................................................................... 56 3.2.2 Municipal Sources............................................................................................................................... 66 3.2.3 Forestry Sources...................................................................................................................................... 75 Federal Forest Lands .......................................................................................................................................................75 Non-Federal Forest Lands ...............................................................................................................................................82 3.2.4 Agriculture Sources................................................................................................................................. 96 REFERENCES FOR ELEMENT 3: MANAGEMENT MEASURES .................................................................................... 98 ELEMENT 4: TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION.................................................................................... 100 ELEMENT 5: IDENTIFICATION OF RESPONSIBLE PARTICIPANTS .................................................... 103 ______________________________________________________________________________ Grande Ronde Water Quality Committee Page 2 April 2000 Upper Grande Ronde Subbasin WQMP ELEMENT 6: REASONABLE ASSURANCE OF IMPLEMENTATION ....................................................... 105 6.1 THE OREGON PLAN .................................................................................................................................. 105 6.2 VOLUNTARY MEASURES........................................................................................................................ 111 6.3 REGULATORY/STRUCTURED PROGRAMS.......................................................................................... 114 ELEMENT 7: MONITORING AND EVALUATION ....................................................................................... 118 7.1 PURPOSE ........................................................................................................................................................ 118 7.2 TRACKING IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WQMP .............................................................................................. 118 7.3 WATER QUALITY AND RELATED PARAMETER IMPROVEMENTS ..................................................................... 119 7.3.1 Temperature ...................................................................................................................................... 119 7.3.2 Dissolved Oxygen, pH, and Nutrients.................................................................................................... 121 7.3.3 Flow....................................................................................................................................................... 122 7.4 QUALITY ASSURANCE/QUALITY CONTROL/DATA MANAGEMENT................................................................. 122 7.5 REPORTING/REVISION .................................................................................................................................... 123 ELEMENT 8: PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT.......................................................................................................... 124 8.1 PLAN DEVELOPMENT ..................................................................................................................................... 124 8.2 PLAN IMPLEMENTATION 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