The CREST Cleaner Rivers through Effective Stakeholderled TMDLs Approach

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WORKSHOPApril 19, 2006 Los Angeles River
Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

• The CREST (Cleaner Rivers through Effective
  Stakeholder-led TMDLs) Approach

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Overview

• Background
• TMDLs
• CREST
• Purpose of Presentation
• About TMDLs
• CREST Bacteria TMDL for LA River
• Development Elements
• Monitoring
• Next Steps
• Opportunities for your involvement

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Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)

• HISTORY
• Federal Clean Water Act requires states to
  prioritize water bodies and to develop and
  implement TMDLs for those water bodies
• TMDL Responsibilities in California and Los
  Angeles
• U.S. EPA
• State Water Resources Board
• L A Regional Water Quality Control Board
  (LARWQCB)
• 1998 Consent Decree between environmental
  groups and U.S. EPA requires all TMDLs for the
  Los Angeles region to be adopted within 13 years

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Draft Strategy for TMDL Development

• December 2002
• EPA, State and Regional Board released Draft
  Strategy for Developing TMDLs and Attaining Water
  Quality Standards in the Los Angeles Region

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Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)

• There are more than 60 TMDLs impacting Los
  Angeles area municipalities that must be
  developed . To date, the following TMDLs been
  released by the Regional Board
• LAR Trash TMDL
• Ballona Creek Trash TMDL
• MdR Bacteria
• SMB Bacteria
• LAR Metals
• BC Metals
• BC Toxics in Sediment
• LA Harbor Bacteria
• MdR Toxics in Sediment

Los Angeles River
Ballona Creek
waterways enhanced
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TMDL Strategy Document (new approach
strategy)Released December 2002

• Invited agencies and organizations to take role
  of lead stakeholder
• Facilitate involvement and collaboration amongst
  community interests to develop TMDLs that would
  be implemented by regulated community in a
  cooperative fashion

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Geographic Focus
Los Angeles River Watershed
Los Angeles RiverWatershed
Santa Monica BayWatershed
BallonaCreekWatershed
Santa Monica Bay

• LA River 51 miles (834 mi2)
• Ballona Creek 10 miles (130 mi2)

DominguezChannelWatershed
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CREST Mission

• To restore and preserve beneficial uses of our
  rivers and creeks using a collaborative
  partnership to develop TMDLs and water quality
  strategies with active and informed involvement
  by the community and stakeholders and by
  facilitating effective, innovative, practical,
  financially feasible, and integrated solutions.

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Why CREST?

• Provides a consolidated forum for developing
  upcoming TMDLS for
• LA River Watershed
• Ballona Creek Watershed
• Is the most cost-effective way to get your issues
  heard BEFORE TMDLs are acted on by RWQCB

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• Last Year Focus on Ballona Creek
• This Year Focus on LA River Bacteria TMDL

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Water Quality Attainment Processes in California

• 303(d) Listing
• Basin Plan Triennial Review
• TMDL Development
• TMDL Implementation

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Stakeholder Involvement

• Regulators
• (US EPA RWQCB)
• Regulated Community
• (LA County, Cities of LA, Burbank, Glendale,
  Downey, BIA, Caltrans, others)
• Non-Governmental
• (Heal the Bay, The River Project, Northeast
  Trees, SMBRC, others)

Regulators
Non-Governmental Organizations
Regulated Community
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Significance to Municipalities

• TMDLs result in an allocation to reduce the load
  of pollutants
• The load is mostly from stormwater and urban
  runoff
• Municipalities are responsible for controlling
  pollutants from these sources through the MS4
  permits
• Municipalities -- both large and small -- will
  ultimately be required to meet the load
  allocations for their municipalities

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Purpose of Presentation

• Update Watershed Council and LA River Watershed
  city officials on stakeholder progress in
  developing TMDLs for LA River through CREST
• Invite greater participation so outcome is
  reflective of watershed interests beyond those of
  the City of Los Angeles.

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TMDLs what are they and why are they so scary?

• They can be very technical
• Understanding implications is challenging
• Implementing them will cost

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Clean Water Act Maze
TMDL
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TMDLs What are they?

• The amount of a specific pollutant that a
• waterbody can receive and still meet water
  quality standards.
• A TMDL is made up of the sum of all the
• point source loads ("wasteload allocation")
• and load associated with nonpoint sources
• and background sources ("load allocation").
  TMDLs must include a margin of safety (explicit
  or implicit) and consider seasonal variations.

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Basic Provisions for TMDLs

• TMDLs are designed to attain and maintain
  applicable water quality standards
• TMDLs apply to both point and nonpoint sources
• TMDLs apply to all pollutants
• TMDLs are pollutant-specific
• A waterbody will often have several TMDLs
• (one for each pollutant of concern)

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TMDLs Needed by Stressor Type
Numbers are for entire country.
Toxics/ Metals/ Inorganics
Over 60,000 TMDLs needed.
Number of TMDLs Needed
Pathogens
Other
Nutrients
Sediment
Fish Consumption Advisories
Dissolved Oxygen
Temperature
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Wasteload Allocation Components
non-stormwater point sources
nonpoint source
background
stormwater point source
irrigated ag return flow ag stormwater
groundwater inflow
atmospheric deposition
diffuse runoff
Load Allocation Components
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Cycle of Regulatory Actions Related to Surface
Water Quality Improvements(adapted from USEPA,
1991)

• 1. Identification of Water
• Quality-Limited Waters
• Review water quality standards
• Evaluate monitoring data
• Determine if adequate controls
• are in place

• 2. Priority Ranking
• and Targeting
• Integrate priority ranking with
• other water quality planning and
• management activities
• Use priority ranking to target
• waterbodies for TMDLs

• 5. Assessment of Water
• Quality-Based Control Actions
• Monitor point/nonpoint sources
• Audit NPS controls for effectiveness
• Evaluate TMDL for attainment of
• water quality standards

• 3. Development of TMDLs
• Apply geographic approach
• where applicable
• Establish schedule for phased
• approach, if necessary
• Complete TMDL development

• 4. Implementation of
• Control Actions
• Update water quality management plan
• Issue water quality-based permits
• Implement nonpoint source controls
• (section 319 management plans)

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303(c)
303(d)
303(e)
Water Quality Standards
Water Quality Controls
TMDLs

• States/Tribes
• establish
• EPA reviews
• approves
• EPA has authority
• to establish

• States/Tribes
• establish
• EPA reviews
• approves
• EPA has authority
• to promulgate

• Point Source NPDES permits
• Nonpoint management practices
• - - -
• - - -

Water quality controls include regulatory as
well as voluntary controls
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TMDL Implementation

• TMDLs are not self-implementing
• Section 303(d) does not create any implementing
  authorities,
• TMDLs are implemented only through other programs
  and
• statutory mechanisms
• TMDLs do set the stage for implementation
• Implementation tools vary
• NPDES permits
• other Federal, state, local laws requirements
• State and local laws and ordinances (enforceable
  voluntary)
• individual, voluntary-based actions

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Dealing with Uncertainty in TMDLs

• Use margin of safety (explicit or implicit) to
  address uncertainties. The larger the
  uncertainty, the larger the margin of safety
  (MOS).
• Use phased TMDL approach

A phased TMDL is designed to achieve
applicable water quality standards and
is based on the best data and information
that is available at the time the TMDL is
established, but is subject to change
as new data and information is
collected. Using the phased TMDL approach
triggers the need to include a monitoring plan
in the TMDL.
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TMDL Review Criteria
Is the TMDL approvable?

• Identification of waterbody/pollutant of concern
• Applicable water quality standards and numeric
  targets
• Technical analysis/supporting documentation
• Margin of safety seasonality
• TMDL/loading capacity
• Wasteload load allocations
• Reasonable assurances nonpoint source controls
  will be implemented if point source WLAs rely on
  those controls
• Public participation
• Monitoring plan (for phased approach)
• Implementation plan (not required)

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Allocation Options for TMDLs
Chap. 7 EPAs Sediment TMDL Protocol

• Maximum allowable loads
• . allocation to source categories, tributaries,
  channel types,
• specific parcels, erosion process categories
• Percentage reduction targets
• . reduction from estimated baseline load
• Performance-based actions or practices
• . for example, allocation of responsibilities of
  BMPs
• distributed throughout watershed

All allocation methods must demonstrate that
water quality standards will be met.
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Allocation Methods Example Performance
Based Actions
West Fork
Grazing BMPs
North Fork
Riparian restoration BMPs
East Fork
Road retirement areas
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Angeles River
Los Angeles River Bacteria TMDL
Shokoufe Marashi RAD TMDL Section May 9, 2003
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Los Angeles River
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Los Angeles River TMDLs

• Trash
• Nitrogen, pH and effects
• Pesticides (Chlyorpyrifos)
• Metals (Se, Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, Al, Zn)
• Bacteria/Coliform
• 1,1-DCE, PCE, TCE
• Oil and grease
• CREST focus is on all steps of Bacteria TMDL

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Elements in TMDL Development
Suggested TMDL Submittal Elements
1. Identify Problem
Problem Statement Numeric Targets Source
Assessment Linkage Analysis Allocations
Implementation Strategy Monitoring/Evaluation
Plan (for phased approach) Implementation
Measures in State Water Quality Management Plan

• 2. Develop Numeric Targets
• Present applicable wq standards
• Identify target values
• Compare existing and target conditions by reach

• 3. Source Assessment
• Identify sources
• Estimate source loadings

• 4. Link Targets and Sources
• Assess linkages
• Estimate total loading capacity

The CREST Focus
General components of TMDL development

• 5. Load Allocation
• Divide loads among sources

6. Develop Implementation Approach
7. Develop Monitoring and Review Plan and
Schedule
Develop Implementation Plan
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LA River Watershed Schedule
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Monitoring Information

• What monitoring has occurred
• What we know from existing monitoring data
• What we dont know

• A plan to collect additional information

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Monitoring Information

• Monitoring by various organizations has been or
  is being conducted
• City of Los Angeles status and trends
• SCCWRP 2001 and 2003 synoptic watershed surveys
• FoLAR 22 sites over one year
• Arroyo Seco Foundation Arroyo Seco
• The River Project Tujunga Wash

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Monitoring Information City of Los Angeles
Status and Trends
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Monitoring Information

• What we know
• In the urbanized reaches where tertiary treated
  effluent is discharged, bacteria counts are
  lowest
• Tributaries do not seem to be the primary cause
  of increased bacteria counts along the mainstem
  of the River
• Reaches 2 and 4 are noted to be heavily impaired
  and more data is needed

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Monitoring Information

• EPA has provided a grant to the City of Los
  Angeles to perform targeted monitoring
• Dry weather monitoring to occur this spring
  (delayed by recent rainfall)
• Both professional field staff and volunteers will
  be utilized
• Ten sites will be monitored over 6 events
• Focus of monitoring is on urban storm drains
• Additional funding can provide monitoring for
  more pollutant constituents and flow rates.

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Monitoring in the TMDL Process
Water Quality Standards
Water Quality Controls
TMDLs

• document extent
• of impairment
• define numeric
• endpoints/targets

• identify sources/
• causes of
• pollutant loads
• support modeling
• in TMDL
• development

• document
• effectiveness of
• controls

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Opportunities for Involvement

• Steering Committee Meetings
• Technical Committee Meetings
• Monitoring Program sampling and lab in-kind
• We want to hear from you!

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Your Help

• Staff for sampling events
• Drivers for sampling events
• Metals analyses

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Upcoming Monitoring Event
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Questions?
CREST Website - http//crestmdl.org/
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Acknowledgements

• Sheila Brice Donna Chen, City of Los Angeles
• Dave Jones, Kathleen Bullard, CH2M HILL
• Catherine Tyrrell, Psomas
• Heather Boyle Hampik Dekermenjian, CDM