San Diego Creek Natural Treatment System

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San Diego CreekNatural Treatment System
A Regional Approach toWater Quality
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San Diego Creek WatershedNatural Treatment System

• List of Topics
• IRWD at a Glance
• San Diego Creek Watershed
• San Joaquin Marsh
• Natural Treatment System Overview
• Selenium
• Financial Considerations
• Research Opportunities

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Irvine Ranch Water DistrictAt A Glance

• California Water District
• 20 of Orange County population 330,000
• Multiple Water Systems
• Potable Water (71 of delivered water)
• Irrigation/Recycled Water (29 of delivered
  water)
• Sewage Collection and Treatment
• Urban Runoff Treatment

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Why is IRWD Involvedin Urban Runoff?

• Environmental stewardship
• General and specific experience/expertise
• Gap of responsibility
• Total water resource management policy
• Significant portion of urban runoff is from over
  watering
• Boundaries coterminous with watershed
• Avoidance of diversion to sanitary sewer and
  ultimately recycled water

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San Diego Creek WatershedAt A Glance

• Primary freshwater source for Newport Bay
• 118 square miles
• City of Irvine and portions of
• City of Lake Forest
• City of Newport Beach
• City of Orange
• City of Tustin
• Unincorporated County
• 4 TMDLs
• Nutrients (Nitrogen/Phosphorus)
• Sediment
• Pathogens (Fecal Coliform)
• Toxics (Pesticides, Metals,
• Selenium)

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Newport Harbor
Pacific Ocean
Upper Newport Bay
UC Irvine
UC Natural Reserve
Natural Treatment SystemPonds
San Diego Creek
CarlsonMarsh
Restored wetlands/uplands
IRWD Plant(MWRP)
San Joaquin Marsh
N
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San Joaquin Marsh Year 10 NTS Ponds/Marsh Pump
Station -- 2007 (Looking south from pump station)
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The Success of San Joaquin Marsh

• 320 acres owned and operated by IRWD
• Removes about 65,000 pounds of nitrogen from San
  Diego Creek per year
• Removal of 50,000 tons of sediment and 10,000
  pounds of phosphorus per year from desilting
  basins

N
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Expanding SJM Success to System Approach --
Objectives of NTS

• Regional solution to urban runoff
• Treat pollutants from existing urban and natural
  sources - and new development
• Dry weather (349 days) and first flush
  treatment
• Strategically located facilities to optimize
  pollutant removal
• Efficient joint use of public facilities(flood
  control channels and basins)
• Incremental habitat and open space benefits for
  Natural Communities Conservation Plan

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Wetland Pollutant Removal

• Pathogens (UV and Time)
• Nitrogen (NO3 to N2)
• Phosphorus (Sequestered)

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Types of Wetlands
Type II -- Inline

• Type I -- Offline
• Type II -- Inline
• Type III -- Co-located Within Detention Basins

Type I -- Offline
Type III -- Co-located
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TYPE I(Offline)
Planning Area 17 West (Quail Springs) (Sand
Canyon Ave. and I-405)
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Quail Springs Type I (Shady Canyon Drive, south
of I405, near Quail Hill) Visible on Google Earth
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Type II (In-Line) Woodbridge In-line Basins
(Under Construction)
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Woodbridge In-Line Basins
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TYPE II -Woodbridge In-Line Basins
Photo 1 2
- San Diego Creek, looking downstream at grade
control structure between E Yale Loop and Creek
Road.
Photo 3
San Diego Creek, looking upstream from
Photo 4
San Diego Creek looking downstream from
grade control structure toward East Yale Loop
overpass.
grade control structure at energy dissipaters.
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Type III(Co-located)Trabuco Retarding Basin
(Future)(Trabuco and Jeffrey Rd.)
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Trabuco Retarding Basin (Future)
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Type IIITrabuco Retarding Basin (Future)
north at channel and adacent Jeffrey Road (left of
- Trabuco Basin, north corner inlet, looking
channel).
Photo 2
Photo 1
- Trabuco Basin, looking west at outlet to
Central-Irvine channel.
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Predicted Pollutant RemovalDry Weather Flow
Levels without NTS
126,000 poundsremoved annually
21,000 poundsremoved annually
26 reductionannually
Pounds of Phosphorus (x1,000)
Concentration -- MPN/100 ml
Pounds of Nitrogen (x1,000)
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Expected Effectiveness of the NTS Plan
Flow regimes for which the pollutants of concern
have been modeled
Dry season
Wet season
Storm
Constituent

low flow

low flow

Events

Sediment



X

Total Nitrogen

X

X


Total Phosphorous

X

Pathogens

X

X

X




X

Metals
X



Selenium
X



Pesticides and Toxics



X TMDL set and modeled

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Nitrogen Reduction - Model Estimates
TMDL Goals
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Sediment Reduction - Approach Estimates

• Estimated loads are rainfall dependent
• NTS facilities are estimated to remove on average
  30 of the sediment loads from urban and open
  space sources
• Does not include instream sources of sediments

Tons of Sediment (TN) per Year
Average Annual Load to Newport Bay from Urban and
Open Space Sources
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Fecal Coliform - 30-day Geometric Mean
Concentration in dry season low flows
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Selenium Sources - Swamp of the Frogs
(Cienega de las Ranas)

• Swamp formed by prehistoric braiding of Santa Ana
  River and deposition of fine sediments
• Natural Se Sources
• Seepage from shallow groundwater/dewatering
• Continued flow from foothills
• Prehistoric Natural Se Treatment
• Reduced by soil bacteria
• Sequestered
• in sediment

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Site 67 - Cienega Site (Selenium treatment)
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SubterraneanBiofilter

• Cross flow 0.75 inch granite rock filter
• Treatment mimics historic natural processes
  anoxic sorption to inorganic substrate
• Bench Scale and Mesocosm studies done

Turfgrass
Coarse
Bed media 50X200X10 composed of 0.75 granite
rock
Water depth
Slotted pipe
gravel
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Mesocosm Testing
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Selenium Removal Mesocosm Results
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Other Issues

• Treatment in waters of the US
• Bioaccumulation of pollutants
• What is really natural in an urban setting?
• Maintaining flood control capacity while
  increasing vegetation
• Monitor, monitor, monitor

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Laguna Canyon Road Wetland Type I (Old Laguna
Canyon Road, north of I405, near Quail
Hill) Visible on Google Earth
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Quail Hill Central Wetland Type I (Shady Canyon
Drive, north of I405, near Quail Hill, behind
Albertsons) Visible on Google Earth
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PA 27 NATURAL TREATMENT FACILITY
Turtle Ridge Wetland Type I (Shady Canyon
Drive, east of Culver Drive) Visible on Google
Earth
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Cost Recovery Model (2005)

• Construction Costs (41 Million)
• Developer-donated facilities 19.7
  million (48)
• State/federal grants 15.2 million (37)
• (State 4.9 m, Fed 10.3 m)
• IRWD bond financing 6.1 million (15)
• Operation and Maintenance Costs
• IRWD water bills 2.5 million/year (100)

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Federal Funding Summary

• Public Law 108-233 Irvine Basin Ground and
  Surface Water Improvement Act
• US Bureau of Reclamation Title XVI
• Authorizes Federal Government participation of
  25 - up to 10.3 million for NTS
• Approved May 2004

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Potential Research Opportunities for Urban
Wetlands

• Aerial Deposition of Metals e.g. Copper, Zinc,
  Mercury
• Urban Runoff Nutrient Removal
• Urban Runoff Bacteria/Pathogen Removal
• Pesticide/Herbicide Sequesteration/Destruction
• Heavy Metal Sequesteration Pathways
• Urban Runoff Flow Rate Evaluation
• Determination of Optimum First Flush Treatment
  Capacity
• Seasonal Removal Efficiencies Determination
• Identification of Self-Sustaining Habitats
• Identification of Low Maintenance Habitats
• Vector Identification and Control Measures
• Management of Flotsam and Jetsam in Wetlands

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Grant Funding Sources

• US Environmental Protection Agency
• www.epa.gov/owow/funding
• Water Environment Research Foundation
• www.werf.org
• American Water Works Association Research
  Foundation
• www.awwarf.org

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More Information
www.naturaltreatmentsystem.org
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Irvine Ranch Water District San Diego Creek
Natural Treatment System
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Irvine Ranch Water DistrictLong Term 2 Enhanced
Surface Water Treatment Rule

• Activities Completed
• Applied to EPA for certification for E. Coli and
  Cryptosporidium Analysis
• Submitted source water monitoring plan to EPA
  for approval
• Completed On-site EPA Audit for Cryptosporidium,
  not required for E. coli

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IRWD LT2SWTR

• Activities Underway
• Maintaining EPA certification by analysis of
  Performance Testing Samples
• Waiting for rain seasonal plant operation will
  require amending approved monitoring plan

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IRWD LT2SWTR

• Future Activities
• Submit bin classification
• Comply with additional treatment technique
  requirements
• Second round of source water monitoring six years
  after bin classification