Department of the Environment
Overview of Water Quality Data
Used by MDE and Water Quality
Parameters
Timothy Fox
MDE, Science Service Administration
Wednesday
January 30th, 2013
Presentation Overview
• Describe MDE Water Quality Restoration
Process.
• Overview of water quality parameters.
2
Clean Water Act Process
• Water Quality Standards
• Water Quality Monitoring
• Integrated Report
• TMDL
• NPDES permits
• WQ Restoration
3
Water Quality Standards
Designated Use
Criteria
(numeric or narrative)
Water Quality Standards
4
Antidegradation
Policy
Water Quality Standards Examples
• Designated Use
– Aquatic Life
– Fishing
– Swimming
– Secondary
Contact
– Drinking
water
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• Criteria
– Lead
concentration
limit
– PCB fish tissue
limit
– Biological Data
• Antidegradation
Policy
– Based on
Biological data
Integrated Report
• Section 130.7(B)(5) of the Clean Water
Act requires that states “assemble and
evaluate all readily available water
quality-related data and information”
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Integrated Report
• Documentation of the water quality status of surface
waters in Maryland, compiled biennially.
– Includes a listing (i.e., the 303d list) of those waters
not meeting State Water Quality Standards (WQS) as
well as those water bodies that meet WQS.
• Documentation of the decision-making process by
which water bodies are assessed and listed.
7
Classifying Waters according to Status
• Categories of the Integrated Report
•
Categories 1 and 2 - waters attaining all standards or some
standards
•
Category 3 - waters with insufficient information to assess water
quality standards. These areas deserve follow-up assessment.
•
Category 4 - impaired waters that do NOT need a TMDL.
– 4a – TMDL completed
– 4b – Technological solution should bring water body back into attainment
– 4c – Impairment not caused by a pollutant (eg. Dam, habitat modification,
etc)
•
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Category 5 - impaired waters that require a TMDL (Historically
known as the 303(d) List).
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)
• Category 5 waters – Are Impaired=not
supporting the designated use
• Calculation of the maximum amount of a
pollutant that a waterbody can receive
and still safely meet water quality
standards.
• TMDLs influence permiting, water quality
monitoring, WIPs, and funding.
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How does MDE use water quality data?
• Determine if surface water bodies are
attaining Designated Uses based on
water quality and biology data.
• The status of water bodies are published
in the “Integrated Report”.
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How is the Integrated Report Compiled?
• Conduct statewide data solicitation
• Review data with respect to QAQC plan, and
use publicly reviewed listing methodologies
to analyze data
• Define geographic scale of impairment
• Determine appropriate IR listing category
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How is the Integrated Report Compiled?
• Tier 1 data
– Used to determine impaired waters (Category 5).
– Should be accompanied by a Quality Assurance
Project Plan (QAPP) consistent with EPA guidance
and Maryland listing methodologies.
• Tier 2 data
– Used to assess the general condition of surface
waters.
– Can be used to place water on Category 2 or 3.
– Volunteer data, land use data, visual observations.
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CWA Background –
An Adaptive
Management Process
Water
Quality
Standards
Water Monitoring
Data Sources
Category
1, 2
DNR
MBSS
Core/Trend
Estuarine
MDE - SSA
Shellfish
Beaches
Fish Tissue
State
Water
Monitoring
Strategy
&
Data Analysis
Not Impaired
Integrated
Report
[303(d)
305(b)]
Unknown
Impaired
MDE – WMA/LMA
WWTP
NPDES
Drinking Water
Mining
MDE TMDL
Intensive
Monitoring
Category 5
Local Gov’t,
Academia,
Volunteer Groups
Implementation
Implementation
Monitoring
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Category3
Implementation (319
Funding, Watershed Imp.
Plan Development, etc.
Local Implementation
Projects
Permit Review
and Compliance
Permit
Adjustments
State Implementation
Projects
TMDL
(Category 4a)
Or TMDL
Review
Parameters measured by BTW
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•
Dissolved Oxygen (numeric criteria)
•
Temperature (numeric criteria)
•
Nitrates (narrative criteria)
•
Orthophosphates (narrative criteria)
•
Turbidity (numeric criteria)
•
TDS/conductivity (hope to have numeric criteria soon)
•
pH (numeric criteria)
•
Fecal Coliform (numeric criteria)
•
Biochemical Oxygen Demand
•
Flow
Parameters measured by BTW
• Dissolved Oxygen (Numeric
Criteria)
– Can be measured in mg/l or %
saturation.
– Influenced by temperature, water
chemistry water movement.
– Lowered by decomposition.
• Temperature (Numeric Criteria)
– Can be effected by loss of stream
buffers, warm discharges.
– Especially important in cold water
trout stream.
http://www.hipwader.com/
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Parameters measured by BTW
• Nitrates and
Orthophosphates (Narrative
criteria)
– Excess nitrates can cause
eutrophication
– Natural geology.
– Agriculture, Sewage
treatment plant effluent.
• What other parameters are
influenced by nutrients?
• Why would it be difficult to
write a numeric criteria for
nutrients?
16
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071029111047.htm, credit Michele Hogan
Parameters measured by BTW
• Turbidity (numeric criteria)
– Caused by CDOM,
suspended sediment, algae.
– Loss of forest cover and
stream buffers.
• TDS/conductivity (hope to have
numeric criteria soon)
– Primarily caused by salt.
• Road salt, mining activities.
– Can effect osmotic balance in
freshwater organisms.
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Parameters measured by BTW
• pH (numeric criteria)
– A measure of the acidity or
basicity of the water.
– Can be affected by acid
mine drainage, atmospheric
deposition, or natural
geology.
• Fecal Coliform (numeric
criteria)
– Type of bacteria in poop.
– Leaking septic systems, pet
waste
http://www.peterscreek.org/PetersCreekWatershed/pcwaAMD1.html
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Parameters measured by BTW
• Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
– Oxygen consumed by microbial decomposition of
organic waste, and is measured by the change in DO
in a sealed water sample.
– Increased by organic waste (WWTP, agriculture,
fertilizer).
• Flow
– Influenced by impervious surface, dams, forest
buffers.
– Can effect physical habitat.
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Any Questions?
Main Mapping page - Links to Tier II and Impairment Maps
http://www.mde.state.md.us/programs/Water/TMDL/Integrated303dReports/Pages/WaterQualityMappingCenter.a
spx
Impairment Maps
http://www.mde.state.md.us/programs/Water/TMDL/Integrated303dReports/Pages/ImpairmentMaps.aspx
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