Bacteria and Benthic TMDLs for selected Amherst County Streams

1. Bacteria and Benthic TMDLs for selected Amherst County Streams First Public Meeting June 25, 2012

2. Overview of Presentation • Overview of TMDL Development • Impaired Streams Information • Potential Bacteria Sources • Basis for Benthic Impairments • Next Steps

3. What is a TMDL? Total Maximum Daily Load • The maximum amount of pollutant that can enter a water body without negatively affecting its beneficial uses • fishing, swimming, wildlife habitat, aquatic life, shellfish harvesting • TMDL = point sources + nonpoint sources + margin of safety

4. TMDL Target Load Load Impaired Watershed Non-Impaired Watershed Reducing load in the impaired watershed to the target TMDL load is expected to restore water quality Example TMDL

5. Location of Impaired Segments

6. Bacteria Impairments • in Amherst County • Walkers Ford Creek – 4.24 miles impaired – headwaters to confluence with James River • Turner Creek – 4.36 miles impaired – headwaters to confluence with Buffalo River • Mill Creek – 3.92 miles impaired – headwaters to Mill Creek Reservoir • Rutledge Creek – 3.16 miles impaired – Town of Amherst outfall to confluence with Buffalo River • Buffalo River – 15.38 miles impaired – Franklin Creek to Rutledge Creek • Piney River - 13.30 miles impaired – just upstream of Jacks Hill to confluence with Tye River

7. Bacteria Concentrations: Walkers Ford Creek Violation Rate: 2-WKF000.72: 17%

8. Bacteria Concentrations: Turner Creek and Mill Creek Violation Rates: 2-TNR000.25: 33% 2-MIN002.25: 57%

9. Bacteria Concentrations: Rutledge Creek Violation Rates: 2-RTD003.08: 19% 2-RTD003.30: 8%

10. Bacteria Concentrations: Buffalo River Violation Rates: 2-BUF002.10: 15% 2-BUF013.53: 17% 2-BUF023.21: 25% 2-BUF026.43: 77%

11. Bacteria Concentrations: Piney River Violation Rates: 2-PNY003.06: 29% 2-PNY005.29: 13% 2-PNY009.39: 17%

12. Bacteria TMDL Development • Watershed and Source Characterization – estimate bacteria loads in the watershed through GIS calculations, personal contacts, and professional opinions • Modeling – determine the contribution of each load to the stream • Allocation – determine how much bacteria from various sources can enter the stream without causing water quality violations

13. Causes of Impairment • Any source of bacteria to the stream Kyle Hall, 2006

14. The slides to follow describe the sources of bacteria in the Buffalo River, Piney River and Walkers Ford Creek watersheds • Your input on all the populations of sources in these watersheds will help us improve our watershed model How can you help?

15. Wildlife Livestock Crops Forest Pasture Residential Stream Humans and Pets Sources and Distribution of Bacteria

16. Die-off Die-off Direct Deposit Die-off Stream Fate and Transport of Bacteria: Livestock Storage Crops Pasture

17. Estimating Livestock Sources • Beef and Dairy: we will work with personnel from Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, plus local stakeholders to obtain good watershed-specific estimates; we have also looked at the Census of Agriculture, VPA permits, and animals observed during a watershed tour • Other livestock (pigs, horses, goats, sheep, poultry…): we can use information from the Census of Agriculture, VPA permits, and stakeholders

18. Fate and Transport of Bacteria: Wildlife Crops Forest Die-off Pasture Residential Direct Deposit Stream

19. Estimating Wildlife Sources • Land use • Recommendations from Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, scientific literature, and previous TMDLs regarding wildlife habitat and population densities

20. Fate and Transport of Bacteria: Humans and Pets Failing Septic System Die-off Straight Pipe Pets Stream

21. Estimating Residential Sources • Humans: population densities from the 2010 Census • Houses: house locations from USGS 7.5-minute quadrangles and county structures data • Failing septic systems, direct discharges, and sewer connections estimated from local expertise • Pets: one pet per household

22. Benthic TMDL Development Benthic Macroinvertebrates • Stream-inhabiting Organisms • Benthic: Bottom dwelling • Macro: Large enough to see • Invertebrates: Without backbones • Used in biological or bio-monitoring

23. Stream Condition Index (SCI) Assessment (Bio-monitoring) • Stream sample measurements (metrics) • Number • Diversity • Pollution tolerance • Quantitative • Non-impaired, slight, moderate, severe • Assesses compliance with Aquatic Life Use standard • Impairment: requires two or more assessments of ‘moderate’ or one ‘severe’

24. Benthic Impairments • in Amherst County • Long Branch – 3.40 miles impaired – headwaters to confluence with Buffalo River • Rutledge Creek – 3.16 miles impaired – Town of Amherst outfall to confluence with Buffalo River • Buffalo River – 1.96 miles impaired – Long Branch to Franklin Creek

25. Basis for ImpairmentLong Branch SCI = Stream Condition Index Lots of variability; 4/8 scores in non-impaired range. Only one score rated severely impaired.

26. Basis for ImpairmentRutledge Creek SCI = Stream Condition Index Consistently in impaired range. One score rated severely impaired.

27. Basis for ImpairmentBuffalo River SCI = Stream Condition Index Minor impairment. Duplicate sample on 11/08/11.

28. Activities that impact the benthic community • Land-disturbing activities • Changing pervious land to impervious land • Stream bank modifications • Excessive or illegal discharges • Addition of toxic substances

29. Benthic stressor analysis • Identify potential stressors (causes of impairment) • Collect and analyze available data for each potential stressor • Identify most probable stressors as the basis for the TMDL

30. Next Steps • Continue to receive input from stakeholders • Bacteria TMDLs • Hydrology and Water Quality calibration • Benthic TMDLs • Finalize selection of TMDL stressors • Calculate TMDL target loads • Create practical final scenarios

31. Karen KlineSeitz Hall (0303)Virginia TechBlacksburg, VA 24061klinek@vt.edu540-231-0094 ftp://bsesrv214.bse.vt.edu/Kline/JamesRiver/Amherst Contact Information