Big Raccoon CreekWatershed TMDL

Stakeholder Meeting

June 26, 2013

Agenda

• Watershed Overview

• Listing Information

• Allowable Loads

• TMDL Allocations

• Implementation

• TMDL Process

Watershed Overview

Big Raccoon Creek Watershed•Located above Cecil M. Harden Lake•Drains 215 square miles•Counties

-Boone-Hendricks -Montgomery-Putnam-Parke

•Municipalities- Advance-New Ross-Ladoga-Roachdale

Land Use

Listing Information

Historic Sampling

• Fixed Station Data 1999-2013• Probabilistic Sampling 1999, 2004, 2009• Second Year Study in 2005• Lake Data in 1991, 1997, 1999• Cyanobacteria and Microcystin Beach Sampling in

2011 and 2012

Draft 2012 303(d) Listings• Approximately 81 stream miles impaired:

62 stream miles Impaired Biotic Community (IBC)

36 stream miles E. coli

Cecil M. Harden Lake for Mercury and PCBs

Assessment of Water Quality• Fish Community and Water Chemistry Sampling in 2005

28 sites for fish community

28 sites sampled for water chemistry

Data used for IBCTMDL development

Biological Data

• 20% (6/28) sites had Impaired Biological Communities

Scoring Indices

IBI QHEIExcellent 53-60 ≥ 70

Good 45-52 55-69Fair 35-44 43-54Poor 23-34 30-42

Very Poor 0-22 < 30

Chemistry DataNo obvious

chemical impairments

DO=13.3

DO=3.5TP=0.68

DO=2.1

DO=3.5

DO=2.5TP=0.33TSS=74

Assessment of Water Quality• E. coli sampling performed by IDEM in 2010

15 sites for E. coli Sampled 5 consecutive

weeks Data used for E. coli

TMDL development

E. coli Data• Geometric mean calculated for each site

– All 15 sites reported as not meeting the standard in 2010

• Highest geometric mean = 2214.3– Site WLV160-0038

• Lowest geometric mean = 543.13– Site WLV160-0035

• Highest single sample = 2419.6– Every site

• Lowest single sample = 191.8– Site WLV160-0015

• IBI - Index of Biotic Integrity ≥ 36 (WQS)

• Dissolved Oxygen - ≥ 4.0 mg/L (WQS)

• Total Phosphorus - ≤ 0.30 mg/L (U.S. EPA)

• Total Suspended Solids - ≤ 30.0 mg/L (IN NPDES permitting)

Impaired Biological Communities (IBC) Results

Allowable Loads

The Definition of a TMDL

• The sum of allowable loads from point sources, waste load allocations (WLA) and nonpoint sources, load allocations (LA) plus a margin of safety (MOS)

TMDL = ∑WLA + ∑LA + MOS

Allocations

• Waste load Allocation (WLA)– WLAs are the contributions from point sources– Point sources are easier to identify since they have

a discharge point or direct outlet to the stream– Point sources have some type of monitoring or

information and are therefore easier to assign loadings

Allocations• Load Allocation (LA)

– LAs are the pollutant contributions from nonpoint sources, which are not directly regulated

– "Diffuse" pollution, generated from large areas with no particular point of pollutant origin, but rather from many individual places

– Pollution that cannot be traced to a regulated direct outlet or discharge point

Big Raccoon Creek Point Sources

Big Raccoon Creek Nonpoint Sources

TMDL Allocation Development

TMDL Allocations

• Clean Water Act requires that TMDL be allocated as follows:– TMDL = WLA + LA + MOS– Waste load allocations (WLA) for “point sources”

(regulated under NPDES)– Load allocations (LA) for nonpoint sources – MOS for margin of safety

Big Raccoon Creek TMDL Allocations

• Waste load Allocations– 4 NPDES facilities with sanitary component– 1 CFO

• Demaree Farms Partnership: WLA= 0

– Illicitly connected on-site systems (i.e., straight pipe dischargers) are zero

Big Raccoon Creek TMDL Allocations

Waste Load Allocations for E. coli– Advance WWTP: 0.14 (Billion/Day)– New Ross WWTP: 1.23 (Billion/Day)– Roachdale WWTP: 0.59 (Billion/Day)– Ladoga WWTP: 0.93 (Billion/Day)

Big Raccoon Creek TMDL Allocations

Load Allocations– Agricultural Run-off– Failing Septic Systems– Livestock– Stream Bank Erosion– Urban Run-off– Wildlife

Allocation Development• Data used to develop allocation

– Precipitation• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

weather station

– Flow• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Flow Gage

– Modeling Using IDEM Data• Spreadsheet modeling tool• Traditional modeling

Precipitation

• Many sources of pollution are impacted by precipitation

• A path for pollutants to enter a waterbody is through rain and snow melt

• Information on precipitation used with the Load Duration Curve (LDC) will give a better overall sense of flow conditions in stream

Flow

• The long history of flow gages provides a valuable tool in evaluating water quality data

• USGS flow gages provide a consistent high quality source of flow information

• The large network of flow gages means that finding a representative flow gage is possible

Load Duration Curve

IDEM Data & USGS Gage 03340800 Flow DataUpstream Drainage Area is 27.38 Square Miles

Moist Conditions

Dry Conditons

Mid-Range Flows

Low Flows

High Flows

E. coli Load Reductions Needed

HUC 12 RankingMaximum

[CFU/100mL]

E. coli Load Reduction Needed(Billion organisms/

Day)

% Load Reduction to meet WQS

Little Raccoon Creek

1 2419.6 10,000 97.50

Byrd Branch 2 2419.6 9,810 98.91

Town of New Ross

3 2419.6 4,030 97.39

Headwaters of Big Raccoon

Creek4 2419.6 2,400 93.98

Cornstalk Creek 5 2419.6 1,750 93.9

North Ramp Creek

6 2419.6 1,670 90.04

Haw Creek 7 2419.6 964 86.04

Phosphorus and TSS Load Reductions Needed

HUC 12 RankingMaximum

[mg/L]

TP Load Reduction Needed

(lbs/ Day)

% Load Reduction to meet WQS

Headwaters Big Raccoon Creek

1 0.68 0.88 55.88

Little Raccoon Creek

2 0.33 0.24 9.09

HUC 12Maximum

[mg/L]

TSS Load Reduction Needed

(lbs/ Day)

% Load Reduction to meet WQS

Little Raccoon Creek

74 90 59.46

Implementation

Implementation• Implementation of TMDL expected to occur

via current and future activities such as:– Vegetated filter strips– Stream fencing (animal exclusion)– Control of failing septic systems– Conservation tillage– Urban conservation practices– Additional agricultural conservation practices

Current & Past ProjectsConservation Funding

• Clean Water Indiana (CWI)• Environmental Quality Incentives Program

(EQIP)• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)• Wildlife Habitat Cost-share Program (WHCP)• Section 319 Nonpoint Source Water Quality

Funding • Game Bird Habitat Development Program

(GHDP)• Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP)• Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)• Wetland Reserve Program (WRP)

LARE Grants• Critical Area Plantings• Grade Stabilization Structures• Livestock Watering Facilities• Grassed Waterways• Tree Plantings• Pasture and Hay Planting

Potential Priority Implementation AreasSubwatershed PPIA

RankPotential Implementation Actions

Little Raccoon Creek 1 Filter Strips, Inspection and Maintenance of WWTPs, Conservation Farming Practices

Byrd Branch 2 Septic System Replacement, Riparian Buffers, Critical Area Planting

Town of New Ross 3 Grassed Waterways, Filter Strips, Conservation Farming Practices

Headwaters of Big Raccoon Creek

4 Manure Handling, Storage, Treatment, and Disposal; Stream Fencing, Inspection and Maintenance of WWTPs

Cornstalk Creek 5 Septic System Replacement, Grassed Waterways, Conservation Farming Practices

North Ramp Creek 6 Filter Strips, Grassed Waterways, Conservation Farming Practices

Haw Creek 7 Septic System Replacement, Conservation Farming Practices, Filter Strips

BMP Implementation Areas

Grazing Land ManagementAlternative Watering Systems

Increase Riparian BuffersLivestock Exclusion Fencing

Grassed WaterwaysReduce Sediment Loads

BMP Implementation Areas

TMDL Process

Big Raccoon CreekWatershed TMDL Schedule

• Monitoring: Spring 2010

• Draft TMDL Meeting: Summer 2013

• 30-day Comment Period: Summer 2013 (www.idem.IN.gov/nps/2652.htm)

• Final TMDL Report Submittal to U.S. EPA: Fall 2013

Who Fixes It?

• You!

• But there is help…

TMDL Project ManagerAli MeilsTMDL Project ManagerOffice of Water QualityIndiana Department of Environmental Management100 N. Senate Ave.Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2251

Phone: (317) 308-3204Fax: (317) 308-3219E-mail: ameils@idem.IN.govhttp://www.idem.IN.gov/nps/2652.htm