Use Attainability Analysis City of Conrad

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Use Attainability Analysis City of Conrad

• Ann Harrie and Bob Bukantis
• WQS Section, MT DEQ
• June 28, 2007

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The Situation

• Conrad WWTP discharges into unnamed tributary
• Tributary flows into Dry Fork of Marias River
  (DFMR)
• Both are classified as B-2, part of Marias
  Watershed
• Suggested reclassification of receiving waters
  (unnamed tributary) from B-2 to E-2
• Community looking to reduce cost of WWTP upgrade
  by avoiding unnecessarily stringent effluent
  limits

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Changing Classifications

• DFMR changes from B-2 to B-3 less than ½ mile
  from confluence (1981)
• Must show the tributary and receiving waters were
  originally misclassified (75-5-302,MCA)
• Significant differences between B-2 and E-2

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Designated Uses for B-2, B-3 and E-2
Indicates marginal use
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Preliminary Site Visit April 2006
Source "The Inland Fishes of New York State" by
C. Lavett Smith, published by the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation, 1985.
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The Study

• Objectives
• Determine whether tributary was ephemeral or
  perennial
• Determine existing potential use support
• Provide quality data

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Site 1 Above confluence, DFMR
Site 2 Downstream of confluence, DFMR


Site 5 Discharge pipe

Site 3 Unnamed tributary


Site 4 Unnamed tributary below discharge

Site 6 Above lagoons
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Data Collection

• Flow
• Fish
• Temperature
• Photos
• Water Quality Sampling
• Study period June-October, 2006

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Site 6

• Flow
• Temperature logger
• Macroinvertebrates
• Water samples

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Around the Lagoons
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Site 5

• Flow (supplied by Conrad)
• Water samples

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After the Pipe
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Conrad Sand Gravel
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Site 4

• Flow
• Temperature logger
• Macroinvertebrates
• Fish
• Water samples

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Site 3

• Flow
• Temperature logger
• Macroinvertebrates
• Fish
• Water samples

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The Confluence
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Confluence Continued
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Site 1

• Flow
• Temperature logger
• Macroinvertebrates
• Fish
• Water samples

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Site 2

• Flow
• Temperature logger
• Macroinvertebrates
• Fish
• Water samples

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Fish and Aquatic Life

• Fish and aquatic life were found throughout the
  DFMR and the unnamed tributary
• Fishes found
• fathead minnow spottail shiner
• brook stickleback brassy minnow
• longnose dace lake chub
• white sucker
• NO salmonids

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Other Uses

• Industry
• Agriculture
• Recreation potentially
• Drinking water - potentially

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Overview of Findings

• Original classification suggestion was E-2
• Flow conductivity data suggest perennial flow
• E-2 classification not appropriate
• Tolerant fish other aquatic life
• Water temperatures too high for marginal
  propagation growth of salmonids
• Suggest reclassifying tributary to B-3
• Suggest that cutoff for B-3 be moved upstream to
  Hwy 91

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Options

• Reclassify the waterbody to a B-3 to reflect
  existing conditions
• - Data supports this (temperature, fish)
• - Conrad supports this
• Retain current B-2 classification

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Thoughts/Suggestions?
References Bear, E.A. May 2005. Effects of
temperature on survival and growth of westslope
cutthroat trout and rainbow trout implications
for conservation and restoration. Thesis for
degree in Fish and Wildlife Management, Montana
State University. Raleigh, R. F., L. D.
Zuckerman, and P. C. Nelson. 1986. Habitat
suitability index models and instream flow
suitability curves Brown trout, revised. U.S.
Fish Wildl. Serv. Biol. Rep. 82(10.124). 65 pp.
First printed as FWS/OBS-82/10.71, September
1984-J.