60 ways to leave your groundwater … cleaner audrey eldridge, oregon department of environmental...
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60 Ways to Leave Your Groundwater … Cleaner
Audrey Eldridge, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Kevin Fenn, Oregon Department of Agriculture
Support and Progress for Implementing
a Groundwater Protection Plan
What is a GWMA?
A Groundwater Management Area
(GWMA)
is a tool used by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to address a large scale groundwater contamination when the contaminants originate from non-point sources.
GWMA Process (in general)(1) Document contamination
(2) Declare a Groundwater Management Area (GWMA)
(3) Appoint an Advisory Committee
(4) Form an Action Plan
(5) Implement the Action Plan
(6) Rescind the GWMA declaration
What are the GWMA parameters and limits of
concern? Think of the Public
Drinking Water rules ~ 20 years ago
Then divide the MCL by 50%
That is the limit of contamination that, when exceeded, can trigger a GWMA
Except, when it comes to nitrate ….
Nitrate Standards The public
drinking water standard is
10 mg/L
“Action Level” for Oregon GWMA declaration is 7 mg/L
SWV Groundwater Resource
Shallow (20-40 ft.) Unconfined In some areas, the shallow groundwater overlies a larger and deeper regional aquifer
Nearly all of the GWMA Residents Rely on
Groundwater
Potential Nitrate Sources Human and Animal Waste
Potential Nitrate SourcesFertilizers
Function of rate, timing, and water
Cemeteries, parks, crops, lawns, golf courses
Land Use is Predominat
ely Agriculture
Hydrogeologic Units
Willamette Silt
Alluvial Materials – younger
Alluvial Materials – older
Sampling Programs using domestic wells
2000-2001 Nitrate TestingLooked for good coverage ofthe area, and targeted
shallowwells
2002 Study Looked to confirm
earlier results and determine if
anyother parameter of
concernwas present
2000-2001 Nitrate Study
Shallow wells (less than 75 feet deep)
Good overall coverage 476 Wells
437 Private Wells 29 PWS 10 Irrigation Wells
2002 Geochemical Study
Of the 107 wells that were sampled, most were from the group of 2000-2001 wells that had NO3 greater than 7 mg/l
Also analyzed for pesticides, metals, bacteria, inorganics and caffeine
2002 Nitrate Results
10.1-28 mg/L = 49 wells
7.1-10.0 mg/L = 43 wells
3.1 -7.0 mg/L = 9 wells
> 3 mg/L = 6 wells
Hydrogeologic Composition and Nitrate
Values
The GWMA boundaries were also designed to
Be recognizable to the general public, so they would know if they are “in”
Capture most of the high nitrate values seen in the 2000-2002 studies
Where Are We Now?
GWMA declared in 2004 A committee was appointed An Action Plan was finalized Dec
2006 Outreach and implementation
continues
Southern Willamette Valley Groundwater Management
Committee 3 County Commissioners Small City Mayor 2 Farmers, 1 CAFO and a Fertilizer Rep. Watershed Council and CPRCD Realtors & Residents Small and Large Businesses Engineering Firm Public Water Supply Operator Natural Resources Advocate
Measuring Overall Groundwater Quality - Long
Term Programs Volunteer
Monitoring network
Long Term Network - 40 domestic and monitoring wells
Nitrate Results
Average Nitrate Value 1st 9 Events for all GW wells = 5.37 mg/L
Average Nitrate Value for 1st 9 Events for all DW Wells = 4.94 mg/L
Average of Last 4 Events (2009)
GW Wells = DW Wells = 5.05 mg/L 4.75 mg/L
Check out these Trends!
200817 Domestic
Wells4
decreasing8 steady5
increasing
24 Monitoring Wells
7 decreasing
7 steady9
increasing1 no
show
200915 Domestic
Wells10
decreasing 2
steady 4
increasing
24 Monitoring Wells
10 decreasing
6 steady 7
increasing 1 no
show
Sampling Data
60 Voluntary Strategies From All Land Use Sectors
Voluntary Strategy Categories
Agricultural
Residential
Commercial, Industrial, and Municipal
Public Water Supplies
Integrated Voluntary and Regulatory Approach
Soil and Water Conservation
District Annual Work
Plans
GWMA Action Plan Implementation
Agricultural Water Quality Plans and
Rules
Residential Focus Approximately 21,000 people living in the
GWMA and nearly all of the GWMA residents rely on groundwater for their drinking water supply.
Many landowners still use hand-dug or driven wells.
Septic Systems--68% of the septic systems in the GWMA do not have a septic system record.
Home and garden fertilizer use
Education and Outreach Free nitrate well water
testing. Volunteer monitoring
network Rural Living Basics
Classes Festivals--Daffodil
festival Kids Day for
Conservation Envirothon
Commercial, Industrial, and Municipal
Businesses outside the urban growth boundaries must manage their own wastewater. Five onsite treatment facilities.
Four municipal wastewater treatment lagoons. Three bulk fertilizer facilities in the GWMA. Fertilizer application practices (golf courses,
cemeteries, etc…)
City of Coburg: Wastewater Treatment System
Currently, all 410 residential homes have individual septic systems.
Also, three commercial and industrial sites would be treated at the public wastewater treatment facility.
Has been a very long and contentious process, but now has enough public support to move forward.
Agricultural Focus 113,350 acres (93 % of
the area) Includes grains, hay and forage, seed crops, field crops, vegetables, fruits, and various specialty seed crops. Known as the “grass seed capitol of the world.”
Eight permitted Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)
Small acreage agricultural landowners.
Agricultural Changes
Rise in fertilizer & fuel cost = Farm management changes (= Manure more valuable)
Loss of Vegetable Processing Ability Increase in Grass Seed (uptake
Nitrogen) Declining Peppermint Price Crop diversification toward grass seed Adoption of precision agriculture
practices
These Changes = Less Nitrogen Input and Loss
DEQ 319 Grant Implementation
Partnership between Upper Willamette, Linn, and Benton SWCDs.
Funds for Education and Outreach and for implementation of projects.
Projects included irrigation efficiency upgrades, riparian plantings, manure facilities, and pasture upgrades.
Four Sources of Nitrate Analyzed
by the Nitrogen Budget
Percentage Nitrogen Contribution by Source
90%
4% 6% 0%Crops
Septic Systems
CAFOs
Large WastewaterSystems
1,704 annual tons
74 annual tons
109 annual tons
Uptake ratios take into account
conditions and management
practices
Nitrogen Potentially Lost Per Acre Depending on Utilization (conditions and management practices)
NRCS EQIP GWMA Prioritization
Identification of priority area
Recruitment of landowners
$250,000 allocated for:- Conservation crop rotation- Cover crops- Nutrient Management- Irrigation Water Management- Irrigation system upgrades
Agricultural Chemical Removal Project
Provided, a free no-risk opportunity for farmers to get rid of legacy agricultural chemicals.
Resulted in the removal of approximately 25 tons of undesired chemicals. Of this, approximately 18 tons were pesticides, including nearly a ton of DDT.
Overall GoalClean Drinking Water
http://gwma.oregonstate.edu/