Ohio Nutrients Update
Elizabeth Toot-Levy | May 19, 2017
DISCLAIMER: Opinions of the presenter are not those of Ohio EPA or Geosyntec
Lake Erie Harmful Algal Bloom
• Early Season Forecast
• First Report of 2017
• Severity of harmful algal bloom (HAB) in Western
Lake Erie Basin (WLEB)
• Loading Season
– March 1 through July 31
Total Precipitation(inches)
Max Daily Precipitation(inches)
March 2017 3.62 1.81
April 2017 3.47 0.80
May 2017(as of 5/14/2017)
3.23 1.74
2017 Maumee River Flow @ Waterville
Early Season Projection 1 – May 9
May 8, 2017 May 15, 2017
Early Season Projection 1 – May 9
• Current
projection
• Based on last 15
years of data
• Large
uncertainty in
potential bloom
severity
Early Season Projection 2 – May 16
Early Season Projection 1 – May 9
Early Season Projection 2 – May 16
MODIS – May 8
MODIS – May 13
2016 Ohio Nutrient Mass Balance - Goals
• Required by Ohio law ORC 6111.03 (2015 HB 64)
• First report 2016 and every 2 years moving forward
• Baseline for tracking progress:
– 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
– 2008 Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force Action Plan
• Identification of environmentally beneficial, cost-
effective mechanisms for nutrient reduction???
• Compute annual nitrogen and phosphorus loads in
Ohio watersheds
– Lake Erie
– Ohio River Basin
2016 edition
• Individual Water Years (WY) 2013 & 2014
• 63% of Ohio
– Maumee
– Portage
– Sandusky
– Cuyahoga
– Muskingum
– Great Miami
– Scioto
Point Sources Considered
NPDES Discharges
• Includes CSOs
• Self-monitoring data
• Median of available data
• If no data, median of similar sized WWTPs
• Industry assumed negligible if not required to report
• Assumed no loss through watershed
Home Sewage Treatment
Systems
• GIS analysis to identify
approximate number
• Literature reviews to
determine discharge
concentrations
• ODH data to estimate
effectiveness of HSTS
• Assumed no loss
through watershed
Non-point Sources Considered
• What remains after the point sources are counted
• Assumed a loss of nutrients as the load traveled
downstream
• Calculated upstream of monitoring locations
• Upstream load was used to estimate downstream
load
• Greater area downstream of sampling
point increases uncertainty
Agricultural Sources
Stormwater MS4s
Mining Activities
Natural Sources
Others…
2016 Results
Load = flow * concentration
• Greater precipitation and stream flow result in higher load of total phosphorus, except for Maumee
• In 2014 Maumee had 16% more flow than 2013 and 10% less total phosphorus
Yield = discharge normalized
by watershed area
• Higher in 2014 for all
watersheds except
Sandusky
Results
• Analyzed statewide and on a watershed basis
• Non-point sources of TP were greater portion of
load in Lake Erie basin
– Sandusky – 93% of total load
– Maumee – 88% of total load
– Portage – 85% of total load
• Point sources of TP were greater portion of load in
Ohio River basin than in the Lake Erie basin
– Muskingum – 42%
– Great Miami River – 31%
– Scioto River – 30%
2018 Mass Balance Report
• At least 2015 and 2016 data, possibly 2017
• Identification of trends
• Additional monitored watersheds
• Refinement of non-point source loadings
– Agriculture
– Residential development
– Urban areas
– Industry
• Peer Review????
• Stakeholder Process?????
2016 Integrated Report
• State is required to assess progress in meeting the
Clean Water Act every 2 years
• Integrated Reports
– CWA Section 305(b) water quality reports
– CWA Section 303(d) lists of impaired waters
• Summarizes general conditions in Ohio’s waters
and identifies those waters not meeting goals
• Ohio EPA typically prepares a TMDL for each
impaired water, based on prioritization schedule
• 2016 Integrated report submitted to USEPA in
October 2016 for approval
Beneficial Uses Evaluated
• Human Health Use (based on fish tissue)
– 1/3 of monitored watersheds and 2/5 of monitored lakes were impaired
– PCBs and mercury
• Recreation Use
– Swimming advisories
– Location, location, location
• Aquatic Life Use
– Slight decline in monitored miles meeting attainment
– Addition of historic data
– 87.4% of Ohio’s large rivers are in attainment
– Noted improvement in Maumee and Tiffin Rivers
Beneficial Uses Evaluated
• Public Drinking Water Use
– 119 surface water dependent public water supplies (excluding those on Ohio River)
• Nitrates – NW Ohio
• Pesticides – SW Ohio
• HABs
– 15% of Assessment units impaired
– Lake Erie Western and Central Basin shorelines
– Lake Erie Island Shoreline
– Water supply sources in Lima, Bowling Green, Clyde, Norwalk, Akron, Barberton, Woodsfield, Cadiz, Celina, Sardinia, Clermont County
Impairments = TMDLs
Identified impaired waters must have a plan for
improvement
• TMDL: the maximum load of a pollutant that the
water body can assimilate and maintain water
quality standards
• Quantitative assessment of problems and sources
of pollution
• Calculation of allowable discharges
• Other means to reach attainment
• Plan for implementation
Lake Erie Impairments
• Western Basin Shoreline
– Human Health
– Public Drinking Water Supply
– Recreation
• Central Basin Shoreline
– Human Health
– Public Drinking Water Supply
– Recreation
• Lake Erie Islands Shoreline
– Human Health
– Public Drinking Water Supply
Identified impairments mean action must be taken to meet water
quality standards
Lake Erie Shorelines
2016 Lake Erie water quality and transect monitoring stations
Status of Integrated Report
• USEPA missed the deadline to act on Ohio EPA’s
2016 Integrated Report
• Environmental groups of sued to compel USEPA to
approve or disapprove the 2016 Integrated Report
• It’s not really about the failure to take action
• Want to force EPA to designate all of Lake Erie
impaired
• Can’t take action until Ohio IR report is approved or
disapproved
Impairment Listing for Lake Erie
• Pressure to list Lake Erie as impaired
• Impairment would likely mean a TMDL
• Would a TMDL would provide new tools to clean up
Lake Erie?
• TMDLs provide targets
• What about the GLWQA targets?
– 40% reduction from 2008 levels by 2025
– 20% reduction from 2008 levels by 2020
Lake Erie Nutrients
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
• National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit approval and monitoring
• Wastewater treatment technical and feasibility studies
• Storm water management program administration
• Water quality monitoring (Watershed and Lake Erie)
• Combined Sewer Overflow monitoring
• Environmental Infrastructure funding (wastewater, drinking water)
• 319 Grant, Surface Water Improvement Fund (SWIF), GLRIFund administration
• Areas of Concern program administration
• Harmful Algal Bloom program administration
• Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) studies
• Administer and enforce a program for the regulation of sewage sludge management
Lake Erie - Nutrients
Ohio Department of Agriculture
• Agricultural nonpoint program implementation
• Agriculture Fertilizer Applicator Certification Program
• CAFO permitting and regulatory oversight
• Certified Livestock Manager training and inspections
• Manure and Fertilizer Application (SB 1) enforcement
• Fertilizer sales records
• Watershed coordinator program administration
• Agricultural nonpoint BMP technical assistance and oversight
• Agricultural Pollution Abatement Program
• Ohio Runoff Risk Forecast website
• Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
Lake Erie Nutrients
Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)
• Farm Bill financial and technical assistance for conservation planning and practice implementation
• GLRI grants
• Co-Chair the WLEB Partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Maintain Ohio Field Office Technical Guide conservation practices and standards
Farm Service Agency
• Conservation Reserve Program
• Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
• Farmable wetlands program administration
WLEB Collaborative Action Plan
• Ohio Department of Agriculture
• Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
• Ohio Department of Health
• Ohio Department of Natural Resources
• Ohio Lake Erie Commission
• Natural Resource Conservation Service
• Farm Service Agency
• US Environmental Protection Agency
• US Geological Survey
• National Ocean and Atmospheric Agency
• Heidelberg University National Center for Water Quality Research (NCWQR)
• Ohio Department of Higher Education
• The Ohio State University
• University of Toledo
HAB Response Strategy for Recreational Waters
• Unified statewide
approach: ODNR, ODH,
OEPA
• Publicly owned
recreation waters
• Monitoring for HAB
development
• Sample algae blooms
• Issue Recreational
Advisories
HAB Advisories
Public Health Advisory
Issued when HAB is visually
confirmed or cyanotoxin
levels exceed Public Health
Advisory levels
Elevated Recreational
Public Health Advisory
Issued when cyanotoxin
levels exceed the Elevated
Recreational Public Health
Advisory levels
HAB Response Strategy for PWS
• Ohio EPA Webinar (April 4, 2017)
• PWS requirements
– Action levels regarding microcystins
– Monitoring, public notice, treatment, and record keeping requirements
– Laboratory certifications and analytical methods
• Raw water > 5ug/L – increase monitoring to 3
days/week
• Finished water detect
– Notification, resample, repeat
Ohio Microcystin Detections
The Nutrient Challenge
• Nutrients are not toxic
• There are not dose-response relationships
• Relationship between nutrients and aquatic life is
indirect
• There are other confounding factors
– Habitat
– Flow
– Temperature
– Sunlight
• There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution
Ohio Nutrients Technical Advisory Group (TAG)
• Mission to develop
nutrient rule
recommendations
• External members
representing all (most?)
stakeholder groups
• Unique approach in
Ohio
• Submitted draft rule
framework to Ohio EPA
in December 2015
Fertilizer Industry
Technology Experts
Draft Stream Nutrient Assessment Procedure
FIRST: Determine biological WQ criteria attainment
Biocriteria are a direct measure of WQ designated use
attainment
AND: Evaluate key nutrient response indicators
24-hour DO swing (max DO - min DO)
Benthic chlorophyll-a
THEN: Confirm preliminary condition assessment
Other stressors – habitat or pollutants?
If not impaired, determine if threatened
* Note that nutrient concentration is not directly incorporated. Nutrient concentration is poorly correlated with nutrient-caused impairment !!
DRAFT - SNAP
Today
• TAG submitted SNAP and implementation
framework
• Ohio EPA rule development
• WQS for Eutrophication and Implementation
Procedures
• Ohio EPA is currently testing the SNAP procedure
• Expect Ohio EPA to reach out to TAG
• Timeline???
Evaluation for Reducing Discharge of Phosphorus
• Ohio EPA believes that operations changes “may
be the most economical approach allowing for the
most immediate results”
• Ohio EPA evaluating what operational changes
have been used that are effective and economical
– The low-hanging fruit option
• Form for NPDES permit renewals
– Evaluation for Reducing Discharge of Phosphorus Form
• Permit forms website
– http://www.epa.ohio.gov/dsw/permits/npdesform.aspx
Individual Wastewater Discharge Permit Applications
Individual Wastewater Discharge Permit Applications
Technical and Financial Capability Study to Reduce
Phosphorus
• Senate Bill 1 (April 2015)
• Technical and financial capability study
• Ability of facility to reduce total phosphorus to 1
mg/L or less
• Facilities with a design flow > 1 MGD and do not
currently have a phosphorus effluent limit
• Due to Ohio EPA by December 1, 2017
• http://www.epa.ohio.gov/dsw/permits/individuals.as
px#153935121-nutrient-information
Technical and Financial Capability Study to
Reduce Phosphorus
Western Lake Erie Basin Nutrient Source Inventory
• Toledo-Lucas County Sustainability Commission
• Interactive mapping tool that shows sources of nutrients in the WLEB
• Includes:– National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitted
facilities –– Industrial Dischargers, Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) and
Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs)– Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)– Row Crop Agriculture– Unsewered Areas– Biosolids/Manure Land Application Areas– Surface Water Quality Monitoring Locations
• http://cec-tech.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=41dd91038c4d4a138e1385321d707df7
2017 GLRI Funding
• $300 million in 2017 Great Lake Restoration
Funding is safe
– For now
• FY 15 -19 focus includes:
– Reducing nutrient runoff that contributes to algal blooms
• Priority watersheds for phosphorus runoff
reductions
– Lower Fox River, Wisconsin
– Saginaw River, Michigan
– Maumee River, Ohio
Ohio Agriculture: On-Field Ohio!
Ohio Agriculture: On-Field Ohio
• Research program, began in 2012, to better understand and mitigate the impact of nutrient runoff on water quality
• Evaluate the relationship between on-field conditions and nutrients leaving the fields
• Ohio P index score re-evaluation and potential integration in to the Tri-State Fertility Guidelines
• Led by The Ohio State University – Dr. Elizabeth Dayton
• 29 fields monitored, 14 in WLEB
• Edge of field testing
• Evaluation of different practices
• On the ground results
• Data from 1993 through 2015 shows soil test phosphorus levels holding steady or trending down in 80% of Ohio’s counties
• 3 demonstration farms in the Blanchard River
watershed
– Stateler Family Farms
– Kurt Farms
– Kellogg Farms
• Serve as models for other farmers
– Researching innovative practices to reduce nutrient run-off
– Results will be widely shared with other farmers, management agencies, and the public
Blanchard River Demonstration Farms
Closing thoughts…
• What does a TMDL provide that we don’t already
have?
• Are we chasing something attainable?
• Are we out of low-hanging fruit?
Contact :
Elizabeth Toot-Levy
440-227-9181