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Primer on Water Quality and Pollution in the Rahway River Watershed: Status, Sources, Causes, Effects and Solutions

Primer on Water Quality and Pollution in the Rahway River Watershed: Status, Sources, Causes, Effects and Solutions. Dr. Kirk Barrett, PE, Director Passaic River Institute Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ www.primsu.org pri@montclair.edu 973-655-7117.

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Primer on Water Quality and Pollution in the Rahway River Watershed: Status, Sources, Causes, Effects and Solutions

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  1. Primer on Water Quality and Pollution in the Rahway River Watershed: Status, Sources, Causes, Effects and Solutions Dr. Kirk Barrett, PE, Director Passaic River Institute Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ www.primsu.org pri@montclair.edu 973-655-7117 With data provided by NJDEP Bureau of Water Monitoring and Standards and Bureau of Geographic Information Systems

  2. What is a Watershed? A small building where water is stored? Watershed: area of land whose water flows to a certain lake or river. Synonyms: Basin, drainage area, catchment, river valley

  3. Rahway River Watershed 83 sq miles; 53,00 acres 215 sq km; 21,504 hectares. River is about 23 miles long, from its mouth at the Arthur Kill to start of West Branch in West Orange

  4. PERCENT OFWATERSHED AREA 25 towns, ~330,000 population

  5. How clean (or polluted) is the Rahway River? • Where? • When? • “Clean” for what purpose? • for drinking? • for swimming? for wading? (“primary contact recreation”) • for boating? (“secondary contact rec”) • for fishing/crabbing/shellfishing? • for consumption? • for recreation (catch and release)? • for fish and wildlife support? • which fish and wildlife species? Regulations call these “Designated Uses”

  6. State Classification: mostly “FW2-NT” (freshwater nontrout) DESIGNATED USES • Maintenance, migration and propagation of the natural and established biota • Primary and secondary contact recreation • 3. Industrial water supply • 4. Public potable water supply after conventional treatment • 5. Any other reasonable uses • SE2 and SE3 (saline and estuarine) • Maintenance, migration (and propagation for SE2) of the natural and established biota, including diadromous fish • Secondary contact recreation • Any other reasonable uses From NJDEP

  7. So, is the water “clean” enough to achieve these designated uses?

  8. “Support of Aquatic Life“ Classification based on NJDEP “AMNET” biological monitoring sites, monitored once every five years for small aquatic invertebrate animals (insect larvae, snails, clams, crayfish) All 10 sites in watershed are “moderately impaired” In 2006 report, “Less than 20% of the State’s waters attain the general aquatic life use”

  9. Support of Secondary Contact Recreation Classification based on concentration of pathogen indicators, ie, bacteria found in fecal matter of warm blooded animals Water qualitymonitoring site

  10. City of Rahway/United WaterWater Intake and Treatment Plant: 26,000 customers; 5.5 million gallons/day

  11. So, is it safe to Drink, Swim, Wade, Fish, Boat? Drink? After treatment, Yes Swim? No – no designated swimming areas

  12. Safe to eat the fish from tidal/estuarine areas? High Risk Individuals: infants, children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, women of childbearing age Estimate 1 in 10,000 risk of cancer during your lifetime from eating fish at the advisory level. www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/fishadvisories/

  13. Safe to eat the fish from freshwater areas? No specific fish consumption advisory for any fresh waterbody in the watershed.

  14. Safe to boat or fish? Not clear cut Based on sampling at several points, NJDEP declared most of the watershed as not supporting secondary contact recreation; at some times and at some locations, the standard for pathogen indicators was exceeded. What is the risk of getting sick? Depends on where you go, when you go, how careful you are. Typically worse after a storm; better in cold weather A lot of people fish and a lot of people boat – and they keep on doing it.

  15. CAUSES OF POLLUTION Quiz -- In the United States as a whole, what is the most common cause of pollution that impairs use of streams, rivers and oceans? a. Dumping of garbage directly into waters b. Rainfall washing off pollution from yards, streets, parking lots, and farms c. Contaminated soil and leaking tanks at old, abandoned factories. d. Waste from operating factories e. Improperly treated sewage from treatment plants and septic systems We call this “nonpoint source pollution” – pollution whose source is diffuse (distributed) throughout a watershed; it cannot be traced to a single point

  16. Typical Urban Nonpoint Pollutionabout land use practices, behaviors, pavement, and automobiles

  17. Amount of nonpoint pollution is related to extent of urbanization (development)

  18. Percent “Impervious cover” (pavement and rooftops)is an indicator of urbanization and of disturbance of the aquatic ecology General Guide

  19. “Point Source” Discharges: Wastewater Treatment Plants, Treated Industrial Wastewater now removed

  20. Two Wastewater Treatment Plantstreat sewage and industrial wastes Rahway Valley WWTP -- serves ~300,000 residents and 3,500 industrial and commercial customers in 14 towns; 40 million gallons per day; secondary treatment; discharges to Rahway River Linden-Roselle WWTP -- serves Linden and Roselle; 17 MGD; discharges to the Arthur Kill. Secondary treatment? Main pollutants in discharge are nitrogen and phosphorus; pharmaceuticals are becoming an issues

  21. “Known Contaminated Sites” Again, more intense downstream. What effect are they having on the Rahway River and tributaries??

  22. Drinking Water Wellsand Areas with Contaminated Groundwater Area of contaminated groundwater

  23. Review – Sources of Pollution • Nonpoint sources (polluted runoff) • misapplied fertilizers & pesticides from lawns • motor vehicle related (exhaust fall out and wash off, rusting metal, tire wear, leaking fluids) • pet and wildlife feces; leaking sewers • more pavement ==> more pollution • larger and more frequent high flows • Treated Wastewater • only two, at downstream end of watershed • nutrients: nitrogen and phosphorus • pharmaceutical problem is poorly understood • Contaminated Sites • lots of them; most of the major ones downstream • impact on waterways uncertain

  24. EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION /BENEFITS OF CLEAN WATER • Human Health • potential expose to pathogens during “secondary contact recreation”, namely, boating and fishing • fish consumption • Ecological (on fish and aquatic wildlife) • Quality of Life • Economic

  25. NJDEP’s monitoring of small, aquatic, invertebrate animals(insect larvae, snails, clams, crayfish): All 10 sites are “moderately impaired” regarding expected biodiversity and presence of sensitive species An indicator of impaired overall ecological condition

  26. Fish “Index of Biotic Integrity” Is there the expected diversity of fish species? Are most of the fish species found tolerant or intolerant of pollution?

  27. Quality of Life Effects • Recreation • Relaxation • Aesthetics • “Existence Value” Actual or perceived water pollution is depriving some people use of the water in one or more ways to some extent . Or, improved water quality would allow more people to use the water more often, in more ways, and/or enjoy it more.

  28. Economic Effects of Water Pollution • Diminished value of near-water properties • Lost business opportunities servicing River users • Unavailable for drinking and/or industrial uses; increase treatment costs • Physical and mental health care costs and lost productivity resulting from diminished recreation and relaxation HARD TO PUT A NUMBER ON THESE

  29. SOLUTIONS: Approaches for ReducingUrban, Nonpoint Water Pollution • Regulatory Approaches • NJ Stormwater Management Rules • Municipal Stormwater Regulation Program (MS4 permitting program) • Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) • Regional Stormwater Management Plans • “Green” redevelopment • Education for behavioral change • organizational (municipalities and business) • personal, household

  30. NJ Stormwater Management Ruleseffective February 2004. • Strict for major “new” development (>.25 acre of new impervious surface) • infiltrate stormwater into the ground • high quality discharge • Not too strict for redevelopment (rebuilding on existing impervious surfaces) see njstormwater.org

  31. Parcels with a change in type of Land Use, 1995 to 2002

  32. Municipal Stormwater Regulation Program Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4; “Phase 2”) Permit Program (started in 2004)

  33. Don’t feed the geese

  34. Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) • Determination of the maximum amount of a certain pollutant that a river or lake can receive while still meeting designating uses • If there is a failure to meet designated use, the state must • develop a TMDL for the offending pollutant • develop a plan for reducing the load to below the TMDL • Areas not meeting secondary contact standard are under a TMDL for pathogen indicators – but implementation plan is not very specific • Prescribes 95% reduction in Fecal Coliform!

  35. “Regional Stormwater Management Plans” • requiring low/no phosphorus fertilizer • forbidding no coal tar as asphalt sealant • requiring registration/education of landscaping professionals • creation of a stormwater utility authority • catch-basin cleaning program • goose management • streambank stabilization Robinson’s Branch Project www.water.rutgers.edu/Projects/Robinsons/Robinsons.htm Proposes numerous ordinances, educational initiatives and in-the-ground projects

  36. “Green” redevelopment aka “Low Impact Development” BASIC APPROACH • Reduce volume of runoff by … • reduce amount of impervious cover • infiltrate stormwater into the ground • Reduce peak flow rate of runoff by … • reduce volume of runoff as per #1 • detention pond, wetlands • Reduce pollutants in discharge by … • detention ponds, wetlands, manufactured treatment devices

  37. NOTE LOSS OF SIDEWALKS

  38. Constraints • retrofits expensive and disruptive • very little land to use in urban areas • market acceptability still unproven for some practices • long-term performance unproven

  39. Education for Behavioral Change • It’s relatively cheap • But … • it is very difficult and never ending • Progress is slow How do you reach people and get them to change?

  40. Education for Behavioral Change • Brochures – many available www.cleanwaternj.org www.epa.gov/enviroed How effective is distribution of information? • Events, esp. Earth Day. River clean-ups • Presentations to Community Groups (scouts) • School programs • New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors will helpwww.nj.gov/dep/watershedmgt/ambassadors_index.htm

  41. SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN DO (OR STOP DOING) Don’t apply pesticides – they can runoff into the river and cause harm Without pesticides, your lawn will still look ok, and you can be sure it’s safe for kids, pets and vegetables – you’ll never see this on your lawn!

  42. Which is more important to you: a weed free lawn or the health of kids and pets?

  43. Are clover and dandelions weeds or wildflowers? So-called “weeds” can add beauty and fun to your lawn.If you like them, they aren’t weeds!

  44. Never dump oil or other chemicals down a storm drain inlet (or anywhere else) Take them to an oil recycling center or to hazardous waste collection day

  45. Drive your car less • Make sure its not leaking fluids • Don’t wash it on the driveway More at www.cleanwaternj.org

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