Best Practices for Documenting Nonpoint Source Needs in Clean Watersheds

Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS) 2012:Best Practices for Documenting Nonpoint Source Needs Presenter: Karen Fligger, EPA

Collecting and Entering NPS Data

What is Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution? • Does not have a single point of origin • May be the result of runoff, precipitation, atmospheric deposition, drainage, seepage, or hydrological modification • Sources are diffuse

2012 NPS Pollution Sub-categories Costs to address NPS pollution control needs associated with: • VII-A: Agriculture (Cropland) • VII-B: Agriculture (Animals) • VII-C: Silviculture • VII-E: Ground Water Protection (Unknown Source) • VII-F: Marinas • VII-G: Resource Extraction • VII-H: Brownfields • VII-I: Storage Tanks • VII-J: Sanitary Landfills • VII-K: Hydromodification • VII-M: Estuary Management Activities

Remember • Needs do not need to be located in 303(d) listed watersheds. • Projects to prevent the degradation of waters that are currently not impaired are also eligible.

When is a need NPS v. Unregulated Stormwater? NPS-Hydromodification (VII-K) • BMPs to solve morphological problems, in many cases caused by stormwater • Any work involving riparian or wetland restoration. • Projects are usually on the stream channel or next to it. • Examples: wetland development or restoration, bank or channel (grade) stabilization. Unregulated Stormwater (VI) • BMPs to prevent, control, or treat pollution from stormwater. • Projects are usually close to the source of pollution. • Projects are part of a stormwater management plan. • Examples: detention ponds, green roofs

Technical Data Required • Project Information • Point of Contact • Location • Areas Related to Needs • Needs Optional • Permits • Funding • O & M • Pollution • Unit Process

Seven Criteria for Documenting Needs and Costs • Description of the water quality or public health problem • Location of the problem • Solution to the problem • Cost of the solution • Basis for the cost • Total cost • Current documentation Needs Costs

1. Description of the water quality or public health problem • Examples • 303(d) listed watersheds or TMDL • Can also be protection of currently unimpaired waters as described in • Watershed-based plans • Source Water Assessments • Other NPS planning documents (types 44-49)

2. Location of the problem • Single point: project < 200 acres • For projects >= 200 acres, one of the following: • 1 or more polygon(s) • Indication of entire county • Indication of entire watershed

3. Solution(s) to the problem • One or more specific pollution control measures or Best Management Practice (BMP) to protect water from potential or existing pollution problems must be identified.

Examples • Agriculture (Cropland)- conservation tillage; nutrient management • Agriculture (Animals)- composting facility; planned grazing • Silviculture- pre-harvest planning; streamside buffers • Marinas- bulk headings; oil containment booms • Brownfields- ground water monitoring wells; capping • Sanitary Landfills- leachate collection • Hydromodification- easements; swales; wetland restoration • Estuary Management Activities- fish ladders; aquatic invasive species control; oyster bed and shellfish restocking

4. The cost for each solution • Document specific costs for each BMP or pollution control measure. • General costs, without identifying specific solutions, will not be accepted.

5. The basis of the cost • The source of the cost data, for example: • Cost from comparable practices • Electronic Field Office Technical Guide (eFOTOG) • State/Federal Agricultural Cost-Share Program Cost Tables • Professional Appraisals

Costs from comparable practices • Cost must be based on at least 3 bid or completed projects that are: • Recent: within the last two years. • Similar in size, scope, and geographic area. • Size: plus or minus 25 percent. • Generally in the same county or watershed. • Must be pre-approved EPA headquarters

eFOTOG Choose the project’s county.

eFOTOG Cost information is provided in section 1

Professional Appraisals • Provide costs for the purchase of conservation easements • Primary purpose of easement must be water quality

6. The total cost • The total cost of all BMPs to address the documented needs for the area must be provided

7. Current documentation • >$30 Million: More recent than January 1, 2006 • <$30 Million: More recent than January 1, 2002

Lessons Learned in 2008

NebraskaVII-E: Ground Water Protection (Unknown Source) • Needs • The purchase the land in Wellhead Protection areas established by Nebraska communities are eligible for funding under the CWSRF • Wellhead Protection program (WHP) provided a list documenting the acreage of unprotected land in these areas • Costs • The price of the land was estimated from the University of Nebraska survey of farmland prices (2/2007- 2/2008). • Average statewide farmland price of $1400 /acre • Data was entered at the county level

TexasVII-G: Resource Extraction • Needs: • Documented by OIL FIELD CLEANUP PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT -- FISCAL YEAR 2006 by Oil and Gas Division, Railroad Commission of Texas. • Document discusses the threats to ground water and human health through well contamination. • Number of wells updated by signed memo from engineer with the Oil and Gas Division, Railroad Commission of Texas. • Costs: • An average per well cost was derived based on 5 years of historical data (from Oil and Gas Division, Railroad Commission of Texas) on the cost of clean-ups.

MichiganVII-I: Storage Tanks • Needs • Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) program to document provided information on the number of releases that needed to be remediated • Costs • Based on previous costs of comparable practices to remediate the similar types of storage tanks in the state • Data was entered at the county level • all LUSTs in a given county were entered as one project

OregonVII-K: Hydromodification • Needs • A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Willamette Basin called for the restoration of riparian vegetation to restore and protect streams from increases in temperature and bacteria loading • The geographic scope and the condition of riparian forests were determined using a GIS • Costs • Urban restoration costs= $14,247/ acre • From past 55 (~460 acres) projects completed by Clean Water Services in basin • Rural restoration costs = $3,607.79/ acre. • From 269 contracts (over 2,779 acres) completed by the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in basin

MississippiVII-A: Agriculture (Cropland), VII-B: Agriculture (Animals), VII-C: Silviculture, VII-K: Hydromodification • Needs • The Section 303(d) Impaired Waters list to document needs and their locations. • TMDL plans (when available) were used to: • Identify the pollutants • Determine necessary load reductions • Develop a list of recommended BMPs • Recommended load reductions and BMPs were applied to comparable water bodies with impaired waters • Costs • The cost of BMPs per unit was taken be from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 2004 Mississippi Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Eligible Practice Cost List • Unit costs are statewide averages

Innovative Methods for 2008 • More details and additional examples are available in the CWNS Portal Library • My Workspaces > CWNS > Library > 2012 Innovative Methods > Approved 2008 Innovative... • Methods used in 2008 need to be need to be submitted again for approval for use in CWNS 2012 • reducing documented needs to reflect known funding between 2008 and 2012, or removing needs related to supporting documentation that is now outdated

Innovative Methods for 2012 • State CWNS coordinators can provide their 1-2 page proposed methodology to EPA (cwns@epa.gov) until March 30,2012 • Proposal should include: • Category of need • Whether the proposed methodology will be used for documenting needs and/or costs • Attach sample surveys, spreadsheets, documentation, etc. when appropriate. Describe any external data sets that you plan to use (e.g., land cover).

Other Resources • State and EPA regional NPS coordinators. • State and municipal agencies • Municipal and regional planning agencies • National Estuary Programs (designated under Clean Water Act section 320) • Nonprofit organizations (e.g., Land trusts, Watershed organizations) • NPS funding programs (e.g., 319, SRF, EQUIP, Foundations) • USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (administered by the Farm Service Agency) • TMDL Implementation Plans • Watershed-based Plans • Army Corps of Engineers

Questions?

Best Practices for Documenting Nonpoint Source Needs in Clean Watersheds