Christopher C' Obropta, Ph'D', P'E' Water Resources Extension Specialist Rutgers Cooperative Extensi

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Christopher C. Obropta, Ph.D., P.E.Water
Resources Extension SpecialistRutgers
Cooperative ExtensionPhone 732-932-4917E-mail
obropta_at_envsci.rutgers.edu
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New Jersey Surface Water Quality Standards for
Phosphorus (N.J.A.C. 79B-1.14(c)) Numeric
Criteria

• Lakes Phosphorus as total P shall not exceed
  0.05 mg/l in any lake, pond or reservoir, or in a
  tributary at the point where it enters such
  bodies of water, except where watershed or
  site-specific criteria are developed pursuant to
  N.J.A.C. 79B-1.5(g)3.
• Streams Phosphorus as total P shall not exceed
  0.1 mg/l in any stream, unless it can be
  demonstrated that total P is not the limiting
  nutrient and will not otherwise render the waters
  unsuitable for the designated uses.

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New Jersey Surface Water Quality Standards for
Phosphorus (N.J.A.C. 79B-1.5(g)2) Narrative
Criteria

• Except as due to natural conditions, nutrients
  shall not be allowed in concentrations that cause
  objectionable algal densities, nuisance aquatic
  vegetation, abnormal diurnal fluctuations in
  dissolve oxygen or pH, changes to the composition
  of aquatic ecosystems, or otherwise render the
  waters for the designated uses.
• The Department shall establish water quality
  based effluent limits for nutrients, in addition
  to or more stringent that, the effluent standard
  is N.J.A.C. 79-5.7, as necessary to meet water
  quality criteria.
• Activities resulting in the nonpoint discharge of
  nutrients shall implement the best management
  practices determined by the Department to be
  necessary to protect the existing or designated
  uses.

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Nuisance Aquatic Vegetation?
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Lets Start with the Clean Water Act
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Clean Water Act Objective

• It is a national goal that the discharge of
  pollutants into the navigable waters be
  eliminated by 1985.
• TMDL focused on protection of surface water
  resources
• streams
• reservoirs
• estuaries
• The ultimate goal of the TMDL process is to meet
  the water quality standards and ultimately
  improve habitat in a watershed.

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Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)
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• What is a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)?
• A TMDL is a quantitative assessment of water
  quality problems, contributing sources, and load
  reductions or control actions needed to restore
  and protect individual water bodies.
• What is the Process?
• 1. Identify Quality Limited Waters (303d List)
• 2. Establish Priority Waters/Watersheds
• 3. Develop TMDLs
• 4. Implement the water quality improvement for
  each segment
• 5. Assess water quality improvement for each
  segment

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TMDL Components

• Problem Statement A description of the water
  body/watershed setting, beneficial use
  impairments of concern, and pollutants or
  stressors causing the impairment
• Numeric Target(s) For each stressor addressed
  in the TMDL, appropriate measurable indicators
  and associated numeric target(s) based on numeric
  or narrative water quality standards which
  express the target or desired condition for
  designated beneficial uses of water.
• Source Analysis An assessment of relative
  contributions of pollutant or stressor sources or
  causes to the use impairment and extent of needed
  discharge reductions/controls.
• Loading Capacity Estimate An estimate of the
  assimilative capacity of the water body for the
  pollutant(s) of concern.

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More TMDL Components

• Allocations Allocation of allowable loads or
  load reductions among different sources of
  concern, providing an adequate margin of safety.
  These allocations are usually expressed as
  wasteload allocations to point sources and load
  allocations to nonpoint sources. Allocations can
  be expressed in terms of mass loads or other
  appropriate measures. The TMDL equals the sum of
  allocations and cannot exceed the loading
  capacity.
• Monitoring Plan (for Phased Approach) Plan to
  monitor effectiveness of TMDL and schedule for
  reviewing and (if necessary) revising TMDL and
  associated implementation elements.
• Implementation Elements Description of best
  management practices, point source controls or
  other actions necessary to implement TMDL.
  Usually a plan describing how and when necessary
  controls/ restoration actions will be
  accomplished, and who is responsible for
  implementation.

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EPA TMDL Equation
State water quality standard for the pollutant
given the streams designated beneficial use
TMDL development phase
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Loading Capacity Analysis

• Typically, a model is used to determine the load
  capacity of the waterway based upon the physical
  conditions of the waterway and the numerical
  target of the surface water quality standard.
• Reckhow for lakes an empirical model that
  relates annual phosphorus load and steady-state
  in-lake concentration of total phosphorus a
  function of area of lake and inflow to the lake.
• QUAL2E, WASP, BASINS for rivers
• Result is pounds or kilograms of phosphorus per
  year (e.g., Total Phosphorus TMDL for Davidsons
  Mill Lake 690 kg/yr)

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Source Analysis Potential Sources

• Point Sources - Wastewater Treatment Plants
• Nonpoint Sources
• Stormwater Runoff from Various Land Uses
• Failing Septic Systems
• Wildlife/Pet Waste
• Atmospheric Deposition
• Sediment Recycling

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Assessing Existing NPS Loads

• Measure pollutant loads of stormwater runoff
  costly and time consuming
• Calculate loads using literature values for
  pollutant loading export coefficients how do
  you know these coefficients are appropriate for
  your watersheds land use?

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Typical Model Values
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NPS Sources of Phosphorus Loads
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TMDL Allocations
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Implementation Elements
Best Management Practices BMPs Vegetative
Buffers
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Implementation Elements
Best Management Practices BMPs Bioretention
Systems
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Implementation Elements
Best Management Practices BMPs Treatment
Wetlands
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Here are the Issues with TMDLs
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Some Issues with Loading Capacity Analysis

• Are there sufficient data to calibrate and
• verify these models ?
• Are the models appropriate for use to
• evaluate New Jerseys waterways?

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Some Issues with Source Assessment

• Are the literature values for pollutant
• loading export coefficients from various
• land uses appropriate for NJ ?
• Should there be different coefficients for
• North and South Jersey ?
• Should agriculture land use be further
• divided into different types of agriculture ?
• Do other sources need to further
• evaluated such as wildlife, groundwater
• sources, and failing septic systems ?

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Some Issues with Implementation

• Best Management Practices BMPs
• How effective are they at removing pollutants?
• Does this effectiveness decrease with time?
• Is the one size fits all approach
  appropriate?
• What is the cost benefit of these BMPs?

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Other Thoughts on TMDL

• Are there opportunities for pollutant trading
  between point and nonpoint sources?
• Does the farmers Comprehensive Nutrient
  Management Plan (CNMP) protect the farmer from
  being regulated under the TMDL process?
• Point Sources are easy, they have permits, but
  how do we get nonpoint sources to comply with the
  required TMDL reductions?

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What role can Rutgers play in the TMDL Process?

• Education
• Research
• Outreach
• Providing solutions to these complex problems
  based upon good science and disseminating these
  solutions to the stakeholders of New Jersey

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Christopher C. Obropta, Ph.D., P.E.Water
Resources Extension SpecialistRutgers
Cooperative ExtensionPhone 732-932-4917E-mail
obropta_at_envsci.rutgers.edu
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Components of an Environmental Soil P Test
Ref http//www.soil.ncsu.edu/sera17/
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Phosphorus Index

• P indexing procedure that could identify soils,
  landforms, and management practices with the
  potential for unfavorable impacts on water bodies
  because of P losses from agricultural soils.
• Based upon five risk factors
• Soil Erosion
• Soil Runoff Class
• Distance from Surface Water
• Phosphorus Soil Test
• Method of Application

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Phosphorus Index

• P indexing procedure that could identify soils,
  landforms, and management practices with the
  potential for unfavorable impacts on water bodies
  because of P losses from agricultural soils.
• Based upon five risk factors
• Soil Erosion
• Soil Runoff Class
• Distance from Surface Water
• Phosphorus Soil Test
• Method of Application