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Lake Granbury Watershed Protection Plan

Tim Osting, RPS-EspeyTiffany Morgan, Brazos River Authority

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Purpose• Restore and maintain the

environmental integrity of Lake Granbury and its canals

• Reduce bacterial concentrations that do not meet State water quality standards or stakeholder goals– developed by local

stakeholders – voluntary, non-regulatory

water resource management

– local regulations and ordinances

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Status of WPP

• TCEQ approved on August 10, 2010• EPA accepted WPP on May 3, 2011

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Nine Elements of a WPP1. Identification of Causes and Sources of Impairment

2. Expected Load Reductions from Management Measures

3. Proposed Management Measures

4. Technical and Financial Assistance Needs

5. Information, Education and Public Participation Component

6. Schedule for Implementing Management Measures

7. Interim Milestones for Implementation

8. Criteria for Determining Load Reductions and Water Quality Improvement

9. Load Reduction and Water Quality Monitoring Component

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Water Quality Goal• State E. coli Standard –126 MPN/100mL

– Geometric mean of data for site– 8 gastroenteritis illnesses per 1000 swimmers

• Stakeholder E. coli Goal - 53 MPN/100mL – Geometric mean of each canal

– Reduces the acceptable gastroenteritis rate between 4-5 illnesses per 1000 swimmers

– 75th percentile of all E. coli data collected on compliant Lake Granbury coves from 2002 through 2007

– More protective than the state standards

– Ensure protective conditions in the future

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Source Identification Methods

• Water quality monitoring

• Land-use analysis– Aerial Photography– Soil Suitability Rating for

Septic Absorption Fields – Age of Subdivisions – Population and Livestock

Counts

• Bacterial Source Tracking

• Waterfowl Counts

• Water Quality Modeling– Watershed Modeling– Lake and Cove Modeling

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Land Use Analysis – Identify Potential Sources

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SELECT – Watershed-based approach to identifying most likely

sources of bacteria

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Circulation in constructed canals

Port Ridglea East - Dye released on 02/21/2008

3 hours after releasing 22 hours after releasing 30 hours after releasing

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Source Identification Results by Area

Area Most likely sources

Rolling Hills Shores 62% Septic, 38% Cattle, <1% Pets,<1%Deer

Arrowhead Shores 99% Septic, <1% Pets, <1% Deer

Oak Trail Shores 54% Septic, 46% Pets

Sky Harbor 82% Cattle, 13% Septic, 4% Pets, 2% Feral Hog

Nassau Bay II 98% Septic, 2% Pets

Waters Edge Very low potential; Pets

Ports O’ Call >99% Septic, <1% Pets

Indian Harbor Cove 99% Septic, 1% Pets

Indian Harbor Canal 98% Septic, 2% Pets

Port Ridglea East >99% Septic, <1% Pets

Blue Water Shores Pets

Long Creek - Watershed 98% Cattle, 2% Feral Hog, <1% Pets, <1% Deer

Long Creek - Cove >99% Septic, <1% Pets

Walnut Creek 96% Cattle, 2% Feral Pets, <1% Pets, <1% Deer

McCarthy Branch 94% Cattle, 3.5% Pets, 2% Feral Hog, <1% Septic

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E. Coli Reductions Needed to Meet Stakeholder Goal

Area % E. coli Reduction

Port Ridglea East 27

Oak Trail Shores 24

Sky Harbour 16

Indian Harbor 24

Walnut Creek 57

Long Creek 66

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Management Measure Alternatives

Area BMP Alternative

% Reduction Bacteria

Time to Implement

Equivalent Annual Cost

index

Cost/Reduction

Ratio

Regional Wastewater Treatment (include neighboring areas) 99% 10-15 yrs 0.54 0.54Regional Wastewater Treatment 99% 10-15 yrs 0.65 0.65

Septic System Replacement 75% <1 yr 1.00 1.34Cove Circulation Systems (Fountains, etc) 30% 1-2 yrs 0.30 1.00 Navigation

Septic Maintenance Pump-out pilot program <1 yrSeptic Maintenance and Education <1 yrPet Waste Education <1 yrUrban Education on Fertilizer Application 1-2 yrsWaterfowl and Wildlife Feeding Ordinances 1-2 yrsArea Conservation Plan and Education for small acreage land owners 2-5 yrs

Po

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36 u

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Priority Management Measures

1. Watershed Coordinator

2. Regional wastewater collection and treatment

A. Supports regional wastewater treatment options over on-site sewage facilities (septic systems)

B. Implementation of the Port Ridglea East collection system is a particular priority

3. Pursue funding for all management measure alternatives

4. Implementation of Community Education and Management

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Priority Management Measures

5. Support record keeping activities to assist Hood County Health Department (HCHD) ensure compliance with health codes

6. Support development of HOA rules requiring new development and expansion projects to consult with HCHD

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Priority Management Measures7. Implement regional wastewater collection and

treatment –priority areas, in order of importanceA. Improvements in Progress - Port Ridglea East

B. Existing Infrastructure Nearby1. Oak Trail Shores

2. Sky Harbor

3. Areas surrounding Port Ridglea East, including Port Ridglea West, Nassau Bay II, Sandy Beach, Holiday Estates

C. No Existing Infrastructure Nearby1. Indian Harbor and surrounding areas

2. Rolling Hills Shores and surrounding areas

D. Existing Infrastructure in need of improvement1. Blue Water Shores

2. DeCordova Estates near Lusk Branch

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Priority Management Measures

8. Improve cove circulation

A. Indian Harbor

B. Oak Trail Shores

C. Sky Harbor

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Hypothetical E. coli Loading and Reductions Due to Management

Measure Implementation

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Funding• Successful

implementation is dependent on funding

• Some measures will require significant funding – Implementation

– Sustainability

• Others measures need minor adjustments to current activities.

• Traditionally, funding is available at the federal, state and local levels of government

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Hypothetical Funding Needs and Firm Stakeholder Commitments for

Implementation of Management Measures

*additional stakeholder commitments have been made but are dependent on receipt of grants and/or low-interest loans, on bond issuance and are not reflected in this chart

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Education and Outreach Plan• Public awareness

regarding water quality

• Natural resource literacy

• Identify groups conducting environmental education programs.

• Contaminant sources

• Best management practices

• Pursue sources of funding for water quality education and outreach

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E. coli Concentrations in a Granbury Canal

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Schedule for Implementation

• Implementation schedule dependent on securing appropriate resources

• 20+ years

• Implementation began in late 2011

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E. coli targets at selected intervals through implementation

Year

Oak Trail Shores

Sky Harbor

Port Ridglea

East

Indian Harbor

Long Creek

Walnut Creek

2011 70 63 73 71 156 1242015 65 55 65 60 100 1002020 60 53 60 55 75 752025 53 53 53 53 53 53

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Implementation to Date• Brazos River Authority

– NPS 319 Grant– Watershed Coordinator – AgriLife Research– Education and Outreach Program in progress– Monthly meetings with WPP Executive Committee

• Acton Municipal Utility District– Extending sewer service in phases to Port Ridglea East– TWDB CWSRF

• More Information on Implementation– Clint Wolfe of Texas AgriLife Research and Extension

Center - Dallas– c-wolfe@tamu.edu

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Final Report• Available at:

– http://www.brazos.org/gbWPP_Reports.asp