Transcript Presenting a Technical Report - Northern Virginia Regional

Fecal Coliform Bacteria
TMDL for Four Mile Run
Northern Virginia Regional Commission
Don Waye
June 14, 2001
Photo by Chuck Moore
Four Mile Run Watershed Characteristics
Size: 20 square miles
Population: 183,000 (2000 Census)
Population density: >9,000/sm
Land Use: 0% agriculture; 100% urban (from medium density
residential to high density commercial, highways, roads, stream
valley park system, 1 golf course); 35-40% impervious
Graphic Showing
Predominance of
Storm Drains in
the Watershed
There are over 10 linear miles of storm
drains in every square mile across the
Four Mile Run watershed
A TMDL is due May 1, 2002
(NVRC Contract with Virginia starts June 2001)
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Regulations: A TMDL
or Total Maximum Daily Load is a calculation of the maximum
amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still
meet water quality standards, and an allocation of that amount
to the pollutant's sources.
Water quality standards are set by States, Territories, and
Tribes. They identify the uses for each waterbody, for example,
drinking water supply, contact recreation (swimming), and
aquatic life support (fishing), and the scientific criteria to
support that use. The Clean Water Act, section 303, establishes
the water quality standards and TMDL programs.
TMDL Rules: Old vs. New
• Four Mile Run TMDL regulated by Old Rule
• New rule becomes effective Oct. 1, 2001
(unless Congress changes things)
• New rule requires Implementation Plans
• Old rule does not, but…
• Virginia requires IPs
• An IP for Four Mile Run will follow TMDL
Timeline for Meeting CWA Goal
• 1998-2000: DNA bacteria source investigation
• 1999-2001: Optical brightener monitoring
• 2001-2002: TMDL development
• 2002: Draft Implementation Plan
• 2003: Public review for IP
• 2003-2004: Final actions/adoptions by EPA,
Virginia and local governments
• ~2008: Deadline for achieving CWA goals/
attaining w.q. standards
Timeline for TMDL Development
• June 01: Begin contract; 1st public meeting
• June-Dec 01: Storm drain regrowth research
• June-Oct 01: TMDL model dvpt. & calibration
• Nov 01: Determine & model allocation scenarios; 2nd
public meeting
• Dec 01: Draft outlines for implementation strategies,
monitoring & evaluation plans
• Jan 02: Present plans at 3rd public meeting
• Feb 28, 02: DEQ submits draft TMDL to EPA
• Mar 02: 30 day EPA Region 3 review period
• Apr 02: Address EPA comments; Final TMDL due 5/1/02
Four Mile Run Bacteria
Perception v. Perspective
Source: Center for
Watershed Protection
Fecal Coliform Bacteria, 1990 - 2000
Four Mile Run at G.W. Pkwy. Bridge (1AFOU000.19)
Fecal Coliform MPNs
18,000
10 per. Mov. Avg. (Fecal Coliform MPNs)
Poly. (Fecal Coliform MPNs)
16,000
2
y = 0.0008x - 59.249x + 1E+06
2
R = 0.2101
14,000
GW Parkway
Bridge near
National Airport
12,000
MPN
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
1-Jan-91
2-Jan-92
2-Jan-93
3-Jan-94
4-Jan-95
5-Jan-96
5-Jan-97
6-Jan-98
7-Jan-99
8-Jan-00
8-Jan-01
Fecal Coliform Bacteria, 1990 - 2000
Four Mile Run at Columbia Pike Bridge (1AFOU004.22)
10,000
Columbia Pike
Bridge
MPN
1,000
100
Fecal Coliforms, MPN
4 per. Mov. Avg. (Fecal Coliforms, MPN)
Linear (Fecal Coliforms, MPN)
10
y = -0.1056x + 5233.6
2
R = 0.002
1
01-Jan-91
02-Jan-92
02-Jan-93
03-Jan-94
04-Jan-95
05-Jan-96
05-Jan-97
06-Jan-98
07-Jan-99
08-Jan-00
08-Jan-01
Arlington WWTP discharge easliy meets its
permit limit of 200 monthly geometric mean.
Pictorial Tour of Bacteria
Microbial puddles during
drought of Summer 1999
Iron-fixing bacteria is orange
Bacteria colonies often appear
as a surface sheen, slightly
iridescent in blue-gray
spectrum.
Ballston Beaver Pond in Arlington
Mystery “clouds” of organic-rich proteins or lipids
in the sewers downstream of Ballston Beaver Pond
Detail
Raccoon tracks in sewers
(bottom) and silt bar next to
sewer in Four Mile Run
Raccoon scat in the sewers
of Four Mile Run
Two Complementary Efforts
1. Optical Brightener
Monitoring
involves cotton
and black light
2. DNA Source Tracking
involves animal scat and
expensive lab gizmos
Photo by Don Waye
Optical Brightener
DNA Source
Monitoring
Tracking
vs.
• low cost ($50-$20,000)
• high cost ($20,000-$150,000)
• survey or spot-checks
• sample only
• low tech w/ high tech option
• high tech
• quick turn-around (1-3
• slow turn-around (6-18
• composite sample
• grab sample
• not in “Standard Methods”
• not in “Standard Methods”
• “Shimadzu scanning
spectrofluorophotometer”
• “Pulsed Field Gel
Electrophoresis (PFGE)”
days)
months)
Optical Brightener Monitoring
• Cotton traps at
outfalls pick up
laundry brighteners
& whiteners
present in nearly all
laundry detergents
Photo by Don Waye
• A quick and cheap way to inventory a municipal separate
storm sewer system* for certain types of illicit connections
Helpful for Phase 2 NPDES MS4* Communities
OBM Explained
•
Dyes known as optical brighteners are
added to all commercial laundry
detergents (whitens & brightens
without bleach)
•
These dyes do not occur in nature, are unique to laundry
detergents, and degrade slowly in the environment
•
They glow under common black light (fluoresce when
exposed to UV light)
•
Look for elevated concentrations in outfall traps
It is not the brighteners that are a problem; they are
merely the means to detect sewage connections.
OBM Results
• Most had no detectable
optical brighteners
• 9-25 outfalls (out of
297) may have a
problem; follow-up
is pending
• One illicit connection was confirmed with this technique
a hotel had two industrial-sized washing
machines tied to the storm sewer system
Bacteria Source Identification
Using DNA Fingerprinting
•
Dr. George Simmons pioneered this technique with work
in Virginia’s Eastern Shore
•
E. coli-specific
•
PFGE DNA
profiling (like
barcoding)
testing
Photo by Don Waye
Bacteria Source Identification
Station Map
Urban Wildlife in Four Mile Run
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
humans *
dogs *
cats *
raccoons *
Canada Geese *
Mallard Ducks *
other ducks
pigeons
seagulls *
gray squirrels *
opossum *
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
rats *
beavers
mice
shrews
bats
deer
rabbits
flying squirrels *
foxes *
groundhogs
muskrats
Project-specific DNA scat library included 54 samples
representing 12 species*
Rogues Gallery of Bacteria Sources
Dogs At ~800 per square mile, dogs contribute
over 5000 pounds of pet droppings each
day to the 20 square mile Four Mile Run
watershed.
Cats
In several comparable MST studies of
urban/suburban stream systems, cats
have been implicated in roughly the same
degree as dogs.
Canada Geese Populations of the non-migratory
race of this large waterfowl have exploded
in recent years.
Rogues Gallery (cont.)
Humans
Although the watershed has a
separate sewer system, illicit
discharges are discovered from
time to time. (Homeless
population adds a wildcard factor)
Sanitary sewer interflow?
Raccoons
Population densities of this adaptive
nocturnal mammal are an order of
magnitude greater in urban settings than
in the wild. They are known to use storm
drain networks as their own "Intelligent
Transportation System" to move from
greenspace to greenspace.
Success of Isolate Matching
N = 639
Success of Isolate Matching,
Pie
Acceptable Matches
47%
Unknown
24%
(N = 302)
NECFC
8%
Unusable Isolates
8%
Inconclusive
13%
Isolates by “Probable” Species
N = 302
Deer
6%
Other
13%
Waterfowl
31%
Canine
13%
Human
18%
Raccoon
19%
Conclusions
•
Storm drains and
sediments (& scour
pools?) seem to
promote regrowth
of bacteria
•
Lack of matches with species absent in watershed
fosters confidence in technique
•
DNA work confirms low microbial biodiversity (large
population of E. coli clones)
•
Waterfowl, humans, raccoons and dogs seem to be
leading sources
Why Suggest Regrowth?
• Occum’s Razor—the
simplest answer that fits
the data
• Highest bacteria counts
from storm drain outfalls
and sediments
• Need more comparative
data on bacteria strain
variability (e.g., paired
watershed study)
Doctor’s Run
TMDL Model Choice?
NVRC’s SWMM
Model
Land Use Info for Water Quality Model
For more information, visit
www.novaregion.org/
4MileRun/tmdl
DEQ contact:
Joan Crowther (703) 583-3828
NVRC contact:
Don Waye (703) 642-4628
The End
Extra Slides
Ways to Kill or Reduce Bacteria
•
Restore conditions to encourage bacteria predation
from other microbes like paramecium and rotifers
•
Go after the sources (e.g., “GeesePeace”-type
solutions for waterfowl droppings, control pet
waste, block raccoon ledges in storm drains)
•
UV light exposure (natural or artificial)
Theoretical Ways;
Not Recommended
Antibiotics
Heat
Chlorine
Recommended Approach
Short term:
• Track down illicit connections with
Optical Brightener Monitoring and
other tools
• Enforce pooper scooper laws
• Clean out catchbasins
• Investigate benefits of high efficiency street sweeping
• Investigate associations with
scour pools and sunlight
exposure (continue
research)
Recommended Approach*
Long-term:
• Restore conditions to encourage bacteria
predation from other microbes like paramecium
and rotifers
• go after animal sources of bacteria
• dissuade raccoons from using storm drains as
toilets (e.g., remove ledges)
• oral contraceptives for raccoons (being developed
to fight spread of rabies) ?!
• promote storm drain daylighting (very long term!)
*For discussion purposes
Storm Drain Marking
…Then & Now
Coming Summer 2001…
• NVRC & the 4 watershed
localities to design custom
markers for Four Mile Run &
order bulk quantities
• Colorful, attractive, durable,
affordable
NVRC's first water quality project
in the Four Mile Run watershed
was born on Earth Day 1990,
when it made stencils and paint
available to volunteers.
It was the first storm drain
stencilling program in Virginia.
• Volunteers needed!
ACE dedicates new watershed education
signs in Barcroft Park, Spring 2000
Photo by Don Waye
Alexandria
•
Approved new Water Quality Master Plan
•
Consolidated environmental functions into 1 division
with new staff (e.g, Bill Skrabak & Bill Hicks)
•
Alexandria’s Parks Commissioner, Judy Noritake,
worked with Congressman Moran to secure $1M from
EPA to investigate how to make the Four Mile Run
flood control channel more environmentally friendly
and aesthetically inviting
•
Gold Award winner in Va’s Chesapeake Bay Community
Partner program
•
Award-winning “Targets of Opportunities” program.
(e.g., Highpointe at Stonebridge has 3 innovative BMPs
(sand filter, stormceptor, & bioretention)
Falls Church
•
New city-wide water quality study
•
Woodward-Clyde study in the mid-1990s
•
Urban Forest demo project in Four Mile
Run/East Falls Church Park
•
Ches. Bay Preservation Ordinance
Fairfax County
•
Most comprehensive long-term chemical monitoring
of streams statewide (FCHD)
•
Recently completed IBI-based county-wide Stream
Protection Survey (available off County website)
•
New stream protection efforts, including use of
OBM
•
High marks for responsiveness to active citizenry
•
Cooperating with Accotink Creek bacteria studies
and TMDL
•
Restructured DPWES with new highly qualified staff
to protect water quality
•
Acronym soup: NVSWCD & EQAC
Fairfax County
Arlington
•
Recently strengthened its Ches. Bay Protection
Ordinance
•
Newly approved Watershed Management Plan, webdownloadable (Jason Papacosma)
•
Will share $1M EPA grant for Four Mile Run with
Alexandria
•
Over $750K for new environmental initiatives including:
• 1st-ever catchbasin cleaning
• More & better street sweeping
• New hires, including new E&S inspector for
better enforcement
Arlington
•
Over $750K for new environmental initiatives (cont.):
• Inspection of the County's 360-mile (!) storm
sewer network to identify problems such as
clogged inlets, collapsed pipes, leaking joints
and prohibited connections
• Stormwater utility study
• Watershed outreach activities (Aileen Winquist)
• New volunteer stream-monitoring program
A “quantum leap
forward”
-Jay Fissette, Arlington Board Chair