MDFW Hatchery NPDES Program Ken Simmons Chief of HatcheriesTrout Project Leader

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MDFW Hatchery NPDES ProgramKen SimmonsChief
of Hatcheries/Trout Project Leader
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MDFW HATCHERIES

• Sandwich Hatchery (1912) -Trout
• Sunderland Hatchery (1913) - Trout
• Palmer Hatchery (1914) - Atlantic salmon
• Montague Hatchery (1917) - Trout
• McLaughlin Hatchery (1969) - Trout

NPDES permit required
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NPDESFour MDFW Trout Hatchery Permits Renewed in
Past Year

• Observations on the process
• Formalin

Discuss Today
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Impact on Hatchery Operations

• Discharge limits were not substantially changed
• Frequency of effluent sampling was reduced
• Effluent sampling quarterly and only during major
  cleaning operations

continued
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Impact on Hatchery Operations

• Increased use of settling pools at 3 older DFW
  facilities
• Reduced production at 3 older facilities
• Greatly altered operations at 3 older facilities
• Formalin use all but eliminated at 3 older
  facilities

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Impact on Pounds of Trout Produced
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Effluent Monitoring

• Flow
• BOD
• TSS
• pH
• Dissolved oxygen
• Total ammonia nitrogen, as N

• Residual chlorine
• Total phosphorous
• Formaldehyde
• Whole Effluent Toxicity - chronic
• Whole Effluent Toxicity - acute

Not at all facilities New to current permit
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Effluent Sampling

• Quarterly (except pH, formalin chlorine)
• Three of the quarterly samples must be taken when
  conducting pool breakdown and/or settling pool or
  quiescent zone cleaning
• One quarterly sample must be taken during annual
  pool breakdown/cleaning
• Composite samples -- 1 per hour for 8 hours

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Formalin Use

• Discharge limit of 0.74 mg/l (formaldehyde) at
  all facilities
• Developed formalin use plan for each hatchery as
  part of B.M. P.
• Do not know if it will work except at McLaughlin
  Hatchery

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Formalin Use Problems

• 0.74 mg/l limit effectively eliminates use at 3
  of 4 facilities due to flow patterns and dilution
  factors
• Difficult to retain a certified lab that can
  analyze formaldehyde with E.P.A. methods on short
  notice
• W.E.T. tests - labs to conduct work on short
  notice
• Cost of tests

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Whole Effluent Toxicity () Acute (invertebrates
only)
If formalin is used
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Whole Effluent Toxicity () Chronic
(invertebrates only)
If formalin is used
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My Thoughts

• Agency must play an active role in the process
• Develop maintain a professional working
  relationship with the regulators
• Be honest and forthcoming with information

• Do not hesitate to ask questions or seek
  clarification of issues
• Exercise your right to seek change and/or
  clarification of pre-public draft permits
• Tremendous amount of work involved

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Summary

• We do not yet know if we will be able to meet new
  effluent limits at all stations but have
  developed BMPs with that goal
• Formalin use at 3 of 4 hatcheries is all but
  impossible
• Formalin use at McLaughlin Hatchery is feasible
  but with constraints

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FLOW (MGD)
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BOD (mg/l)
During cleaning operations
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TSS (mg/l)
During cleaning operations
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Total Phosphorous (mg/l)
During cleaning operations No limit issued
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Total Ammonia Nitrogen, as N (mg/l)
During cleaning operations No limit issued
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Total Residual Chlorine (ug/l)