Transcript Water Quality Monitoring in the Urban Rivers and Upper Bay

Water Quality Monitoring in the
Urban Rivers and Upper Bay
Presented by:
Jennifer Cragan
Environmental Scientist
Narragansett Bay
Facts
•Bay area = 147 mi2
•Watershed area =
1600 mi2
•Population  2 million
•60% MA / 40% RI
•$25 Million/yr in fish
and shelling landings
•$400 Million/yr
generated from tourism
Issues in Urban Waters
• Water Quality
• Habitat Quality
• Industrial Users – WWTFs
• How is the River Impacted?
Our Urban Rivers
Listed on the EPA 303(d)
List for impairments for
•Nutrients
•Pathogens
•Metals
•Biodiversity Impacts
•Low DO
•Excess algal growth
Why?
What impacts water quality?
Anthropogenic Inputs
• Point sources
– Industrial Users past and present (Atlantic Chemical)
– WWTFs
Metals, nutrients, organics, suspended solids,
biologically oxygen demanding waste, grease, oil
• Non-point sources
– Run-off from roads, agriculture, septic system
leaching, golf courses
Impervious surfaces (roads, parking lots) increase the
magnitude of the impact of NPS on water quality.
Urban areas
What impacts habitat quality?
Anthropogenic Inputs
• Point sources
– Industrial Users past and present (Atlantic Chemical)
– WWTFs
Metals, nutrients, organics, suspended solids,
biologically oxygen demanding waste, grease, oil
• Non-point sources
– Run-off from roads, agriculture, septic system
leaching, golf courses
Impervious surfaces (roads, parking lots) increase the
magnitude of the impact of NPS on water quality.
Urban areas
WATER QUALITY!
What does the NBC do about this?
• Routine water quality monitoring
• Implementation of Pretreatment Program
• CSO Abatement Project
Weekly River
Sampling Locations
Blackstone: 2
Woonasquatucket: 6
Moshassuck: 7
West: 2
Providence: 1
Total = 18
Twice Monthly Bay
Sampling Locations
Providence: 14
Seekonk: 7
Total = 21
River Bacteria Sampling
• Sample 5 urban rivers at 18
sample locations every week
• Rivers are sampled every
Monday and Tuesday,
regardless of rainfall
• Then re-sampled on
Thursday if bacteria results
are high
• This sampling allows us to
Woonasquatucket River
closely study and track the
effects of our Combined
Sewer Overflows (CSOs)
Data Supports IM Department’s
CSO Maintenance Program
Combined Sewer Overflow
• CSOs usually work well during dry
weather
• However, regulators can get
clogged with trash and debris,
causing dry weather discharges
• CSOs can overflow into the rivers
during wet weather or when
regulators become clogged with
debris
• Sampling data provides IM with an
alert system to minimize effects of
these dry weather discharges
Woonasquatucket River Sampling
• Woonasquatucket
Woonaquatucket River
Geomeans of Fecal Coliform Bacteria 1998-2005
2000
Manton Avenue
Olneyville Square
Fecal Coliform Bacteria Geomeans(MPN/100ml)
1800
Delaine Street
Atwells Avenue
1600
Pleasant Valley Prkwy
Kinsley and Park St.
1400
•
1200
1000
800
Begun half
way through
the year
•
600
400
200
0
1998
1999
2000
2001
Year
2002
2003
2004
2005
River - part of the
Phase I project
focus area
General decrease
observed
Improved
maintenance of
CSO regulators by
IM
Maintenance Work by IM is improving water quality
CSO Abatement Project
• The new tunnel will help
store this water and then
allow the plant to provide
a high level of treatment
• A reduction in overflow
volume of approximately
40% is expected after
Phase I facilities are
complete
• Sampling data will be able
to show the beneficial
effects of the CSO
abatement project
Bay Sampling in the Providence
and Seekonk Rivers
• Since 2003, NBC has
sampled for fecal coliform
biweekly from May to
December
• Provides valuable data that
can be used to assess
treatment upgrades and
discharge permit changes
• Data available to assist
New NBC Research Vessel, The R.V.
Monitor, Acquired in 2004
EPA & DEM with special
investigations in the Bay
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MPN/100 ml
Recent Bay Fecal Coliform Results
10000
bay fecal coliform 2005
bay fecal coliform 2004
1000
1551
281
378
257
217
221
287
Red dashed line is at 50 MPN/100 ml.
This is the primary contact criterion.
292
229
277
100
91
74
66
77
59
18
31
30
20
21
10
How are we doing?
• Clean Water Act – 1972
Unlawful to discharge pollutants from a
point source to navigable waters
• Creation of the Pretreatment Regulations
within the Clean Water Act – 1978
• 1981 - NBC establishes Pretreatment
Program
• BNR, UV disinfection, WW Upgrades
Pretreatment Program:
Metals Loadings to Field’s Point 1981 - 2005
1,200,000
1,000,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
30,707
Year
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1985
1984
1983
1982
0
1981
Pounds
800,000
Field's Point: Comparison of Loading Estimates
16000
Estimated Industrial Loading
Estimated Background Loading
Pounds
12000
8000
4000
0
As
Ag
Cr
Se
Mo
Pb
Parameter
CN
Ni
Cu
Zn
What else do we do?
• River Clean Ups
• Special Projects
• Education and Outreach
Woonasquatucket River Clean Up
Refrigerator found
Floating in the
Woonasquatucket
River during a river
clean up
Boom Deployment
•Boom deployed on
Woonasquatucket
River
•Extremely
successful
BUT
Labor intensive
•Impedes river
transport
•Most items captured
were hard-to-disposeof items
50 foot boom deployed for one week
Wet Weather CSO studies
OF-218 - Bucklin Point
135
120
BOD
TSS
FOG
105
75
60
45
Concentration (ppm)
90
30
11/22/05 12:30 AM
15
11/22/05 9:30 AM
0
Date
11/22/05 1:30 PM
FOG
TSS
BOD
Fecal Coliform Results
OF-218 Bucklin Point
2250000
OF-54 Field's Point
2000000
1750000
1250000
1000000
750000
11/21/05 9:30 PM
11/22/05 12:30 AM
11/22/05 8:30 AM
11/22/05 9:30 AM
Date
500000
250000
0
11/22/05 12:55 PM
11/22/05 1:30 PM
OF-54 - Field's Point
OF-218 - Bucklin Point
MPN/100mL
1500000
Conclusions
Pathogen Monitoring has helped IM more quickly locate and
clear blockages
2004 – Providence and Seekonk Rivers Removed from the 303(d)
List for metals
With upgrades at Bucklin Point and the CSO Abatement Project
currently under way, bacteria levels are expected to greatly
diminish as the completion of these projects progress.
The CSO Abatement Project will help bring
these areas
closer to meeting the Fishable and Swimmable
goals of the Clean Water Act.
RI & MA WWTFs - Upper Bay Watershed