Santa Ana Watershed TMDLs

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Santa Ana Watershed TMDLs

• Presentation to Urban Water Research Council
• Gerard Thibeault, Executive Director
• Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board
• Mark Norton, Water Resources Planning Mgr.
• Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority
• January 19, 2005

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Santa Ana Watershed
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Newport Bay Watershed

• Watershed
• 154 sq miles
• Climate
• mediterranean
• Hydrology
• Modified channels
• San Diego Creek (perennial stream)
• High nitrate groundwater area
• Upper/Lower Newport Bay
• Wildlife area
• Boating and recreation areas

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Newport Bay Nutrient TMDL Issues

• Excessive nutrient input
• - urban
• commercial nurseries
• agriculture
• - open space

• Impacts to Newport Bay
• Algal Blooms macrophytes
• Impacts to boats/recreation
• Occasional fish kills

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Newport Bay Nutrient TMDL Why Adaptive
Management Necessary

• Lack of data to identify and quantify all
  nutrient sources in watershed
• Lack of data/information on responses of algae
  growth in Newport Bay to incoming nutrient levels
• Uncertainty on appropriateness of nutrient
  targets to improve water quality
• Uncertainty if allocations specified could be
  achieved by specified TMDL target dates
• Identification of other nutrient reduction
  strategies (e.g. wetlands)

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Newport Bay Nutrient TMDL Adaptive Management
Approach Lessons Learned Applied to Future
TMDLs

• Most watersheds data on which to base TMDLs
  likely insufficient
• Adaptive management acknowledges TMDL
  limitations sets up program for filling
  data/info gaps
• Stakeholders more likely to buy into TMDL
  strategy if adaptive management approach taken
• Very much stakeholder driven encourages
  stakeholders to assist in process to refine TMDL
  in the future

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Newport Bay Nutrient TMDL Approach

• Nutrient TMDL adopted 1998
• Implementation on-going focus on adaptive
• management
• Collection of additional data to refine TMDL
• Evaluate cause/response relationships via
  modeling
• Permits issued to commercial nurseries
• Permits issues for groundwater clean-up
  activities
• Review of TMDL Effectiveness
• Conducted by Regional Board in 2004
• Interim nutrient reduction targets have been met
• Extent of algae blooms have decreased
• ID of additional studies/activities needed to
  further reduce algae blooms

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Chino Basin

• Watershed
• 235 sq miles
• Largest concentration of dairy cattle in U.S.
• Hydrology
• Modified channels
• Cucamonga Cr.,
• Chino Cr.
• Natural channels
• Santa Ana River, Chino Cr., Mill Cr.
• Pathogen Sources
• Urban, agriculture, dairy, open space

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Chino Basin TMDL Issues
Excessive pathogen input - dairy - urban -
open space Impacts to Recreation
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Proposed Chino Basin Pathogen TMDL Approach

• Schedule Regional Board adoption June 05
• Issues
• Protection of recreation in modified channels gt
  is it needed?
• Protection of recreation during storms gt is it
  needed?
• Appropriate bacterial indicator fecal coliform
  vs. e. coli
• Adaptive TMDL Approach (draft)
• Continue monitoring to ID specific sources,
  evaluate wet vs. dry season contributions
• Evaluate year-around use of waterbodies for
  recreation
• Triennially review/revise TMDL based on
  additional studies and data

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San Jacinto Watershed
Watershed - 782 sq mi area
Climate - Mediterranean or Desert
Hydrology San Jacinto River Intermittent
stream. Tributary Streams - Ephemeral. Lake
Elsinore Natural lake, terminus of the San
Jacinto River, eutrophic. Canyon Lake Manmade
reservoir upstream of Lake Elsinore, drains 90
of the watershed.
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San Jacinto Nutrient TMDL Issues
Excessive nutrient input at Lake Elsinore Algal
Blooms - mostly blue-green Depressed Oxygen
Levels Fish Kills
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TMDL Timetable
1994 Regional Board lists Lake Elsinore as an
impaired water body 1998 Newport Beach
Nutrient TMDL adopted Canyon Lake
added to the list of impaired waters 2000
Regional Board initiates TMDL development process
for Lake Elsinore and Canyon
Lake April Lake Elsinore and San Jacinto
Watersheds Authority formed September San
Jacinto TMDL Workgroup formed 2004 Regional
Board establishes Lake Elsinore and Canyon Lake
nutrient TMDLs
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TMDL Challenges / Concerns Data
Nutrient Source Loading Historical perspective
(pre-development and post-agri/dairy storm
loading to lakes) Storm Runoff Better
understanding needed of nutrient build-up and
wash-off In-Lake Water Quality Better
understanding needed of in-lake water quality
processes and storm event response to drought
conditions
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TMDL Challenges / Concerns Costs
BMP Implementation/Treatment Options Capital
OM a. At-Source Billions -
stormwater capture - treatment
wetlands Annual BMP OM
5 M b. In-Lake 40M -
membrane / granular filtration -
treatment wetlands Annual OM
0.5M Annual TMDL
Monitoring 0.5M
- watershed runoff - in-lakes
Assumes 10 years of continuous operation
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TMDL Challenges / Concerns Achievability
Will compliance achieve Designated Benefits -
Improved beneficial use - lake water
quality - aquatic habitat - lake recreational
opportunities Benefit Measures - User
Surveys perception of impairment -
relationship between water quality and
habitat Lake Response - lag time for lake to
respond to treatment measures Pollutant
Trading institutional barriers, cooperation
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TMDL Challenges / Concerns Regulatory Issues

• Data collection, management
• TMDL End Point uncertainty
• Point of Compliance where, under what
  conditions
• Permit Compliance how to monitor for
  compliance,
• non-compliance
• Participation stakeholder Task Force
• Public Support financial
• Enforcement resources

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San Jacinto TMDL Approach

• Adaptive approach which includes
• Review Revise Waste Discharge Requirement
• Comprehensive TMDL Nutrient Monitoring Program
• Watershed Management Plans for
• Agriculture/Dairy
• Urban Discharges
• Forest Area
• On-site Disposal/Septic System
• Lake Sediment Nutrient Reduction
• Pollutant Trading
• Tri-annual Model Updates
• Review Revise WQ Objectives (December 2009)
• Tri-annually Review Revise TMDL
• Funding Opportunities (Proposition 13 50)

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Discussion Questions
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Contact Information

• Jerry Thibeault
• Executive Officer
• Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board
• gthibeault_at_waterboards.ca.gov
• Mark Norton
• Water Resources Planning Manager
• Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority
• mnorton_at_sawpa.org