draft tmdl action plans for sediment, bacteria, and pcbs public meeting

A Fairfax County, VA, publication

Department of Public Works and Environmental Services

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Draft TMDL Action Plans forSediment, Bacteria, and PCBsPublic Meeting

December 14 and 15, 2016

Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs

Stormwater Management

Agenda

• Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Overview• Water Quality Protection and Restoration

– Impaired Waters– Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)– TMDL Action Plans

• Draft Sediment TMDL Action Plan• Draft Bacteria TMDL Action Plan• Draft Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) TMDL Action Plan• Next Steps

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Stormwater Management/DPWES

MS4 Permit Overview• Permit Re-issued to Fairfax County on April 1, 2015

– Compliance coordinated by Stormwater Management– Requirements implemented by many County agencies and partners

• Authorizes Specific Discharges from the MS4 to Waters of the State/U.S.

• Requires Development and Implementation of an MS4 Program to:– Reduce the contamination

of stormwater runoff – Prohibit illicit discharges



Example MS4 Components

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1 Downspout2 Untreated runoff

5 Stormwater outfall6 Urban stream

3 Storm drain4 Sewer system

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Water Quality Protection and Restoration

“The State Water Control Law mandates the protection of existing high-quality state waters and provides for the restoration of all other state waters so they will permit reasonable public uses and will support the growth of aquatic life.

The adoption of water quality standards under Section 62.1-44.15(3a) of the law is one of the State Water Control Board's methods of accomplishing the law's purpose.”

– Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)

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Virginia’s Water Quality Monitoring, Information and Restoration Act Requires DEQ to:• Monitor and assess surface water

quality• Identify surface waters that do

not meet Water Quality Standards (WQS)– Impaired waters

• Develop plans to address impaired waters– Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)

Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment



Next Step – TMDLs

• DEQ develops, Virginia State Water Control Board and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approve

• A TMDL is a pollutant budget– Amount of a pollutant that a surface water can assimilate and still meet WQS– Must be developed for each impaired water– Pollutant-specific

• Generally, TMDL development includes:– Endpoint identification (WQS or reference condition)– Source assessment– Modeling– Pollutant allocations

• Wasteload Allocations (WLAs) versus Load Allocations (LAs)– Reasonable assurance of implementation

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An Example TMDL

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Existing Load Allocated Load

Pollu

tant

Loa

d

Pollutant Allocations (WLAs +LAs)

Margin of Safety

TMDL

WQS

Reduce the existing pollutant load to the total maximum load that is expected to restore water

quality

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Approved TMDLs in Fairfax County

• Sediment (Benthic Stressor)– Difficult Run– Bull Run (includes Bull Run, Cub Run, Little Rocky Run, and Johnny Moore

Creek)– Popes Head Creek

• Bacteria (fecal coliform and/or Escherichia coli)– Difficult Run– Four Mile Run– Hunting Creek, Cameron Run, and Holmes Run– Accotink Creek– Popes Head Creek, Bull Run, and the Occoquan River

• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) – Tidal Potomac River (direct drainage areas)



Finally, the TMDL Action Plan Process!

• MS4 permit requires development of TMDL Actions Plans where a WLA is assigned to the County’s MS4

• TMDL Action Plans must be submitted to DEQ no later than March 31, 2017 for TMDLs approved prior to April 1, 2015

• Local TMDL Action Plans involve the integration of several efforts:– Delineation of the MS4 service area– Specific local TMDL Action Plan content required by DEQ– Coordination and strategies to meet multiple TMDLs, including the

Chesapeake Bay TMDL– Leveraging stream restoration and retrofit projects from the

County’s Watershed Management Plans (WMPs)

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12Stormwater Management


Fairfax County’s MS4 Service Area



Required Local TMDL Action Plan Components

• DEQ issued guidance for Local TMDL Action Plan Development on 11/21/16 (GM-16-2006)

• Local TMDL Action Plans must include– Name of the final TMDL– Pollutant(s) causing the impairment– The WLA assigned to the MS4 (individually or aggregated)– Assessment of significant sources of the pollutant(s) from facilities owned or

operated by the County and not covered by another permit– Existing and new management techniques– Legal authorities to reduce or eliminate the pollutant(s)– Enhancements to public education and employee training programs– An implementation schedule– Methods to assess plan effectiveness– Measurable goals and metrics

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Chesapeake Bay TMDL Action Plan

• Separate Chesapeake Bay TMDL Action Plan focuses on reducing nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment loads County-wide

• DEQ encourages coordination and strategies to meet multiple TMDLs

• For example, the benthic (sediment) Action Plan leverages sediment reductions for the Chesapeake Bay TMDL Action Plan

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However, there are key differences…• Assignment of Pollutant Reductions

– Bay TMDL: Specific to Fairfax County– Local TMDLs: Aggregated with other MS4s such as Fairfax County Public

Schools (FCPS), Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), etc.• Deadline for Compliance

– Bay TMDL: Must be achieved over three permit cycles– Local TMDL: Iterative over multiple permit cycles

• Sediment Loading Factors– Bay TMDL: Assumes transport loss in sediment reduction from stream

restoration to the Bay– Local TMDLs: Full credit for stream restoration

• Reduction Efficiencies– Nutrients and Sediment: Techniques have specific reduction credits– PCBs and Bacteria: Mostly non-structural, no specific reduction credit

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Watershed Management Plans

• Fairfax County developed Watershed Management Plans (WMPs) for each of the County’s 30 watersheds

• Plans identify and address issues affecting water quality

• Include policies and projects relevant to local TMDLs

• Plans can be found at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/watersheds/

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http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/watersheds/

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/watersheds/



Benthic (Sediment) TMDL

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Reduction Targets

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Waterbody Aggregated MS4s Existing Sediment Load (lbs/yr) % Reduction Load Reduction

(lbs/yr)

Bull RunFairfax CountyVDOTFCPS

38,941,000 77.1% 30,039,800

Difficult Run

Fairfax CountyCity of FairfaxTown of ViennaVDOTFCPSGW Memorial Parkway

10,633,200 32.0% 3,443,200

Popes Head CreekFairfax CountyVDOTFCPS

4,350,000 27.7% 1,207,000



Key Existing and Planned Program Elements

• Control sediment from new development– Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance during construction– Stormwater Management Ordinance post-construction

• Achieve load reductions through redevelopment• Identify and eliminate illicit discharges

– Dry weather outfall monitoring– Staff training– Public education and reporting mechanisms

• Assess opportunities to reduce sediment loads– 2013 County Facility Site Assessment Project– County WMPs

• Leverage Chesapeake Bay TMDL Action Plan

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Retrofit and Stream Restoration Projects

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Reductions To-Date and Next Steps

• Continue to coordinate with Chesapeake Bay TMDL Action Plan– Prioritize projects in watersheds with local sediment TMDLs– Implement at least one additional project in each watershed by March

31, 2020• Reassess approach after Chesapeake Bay TMDL reductions are

achieved

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Waterbody Existing Aggregated Sediment Load (lbs/yr)

Load Reduction Required (lbs/yr)

Load Reductions Achieved by Fairfax County to Date (lbs/yr)

Bull Run 38,941,000 30,039,800 1,407,131Difficult Run 10,633,200 3,443,200 1,439,143Popes Head Creek 4,350,000 1,207,000 41,013



Bacteria

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Reduction Targets and Sources

• TMDL reduction targets range from 83% to 99%• Potential sources:

– Sanitary sewer cross-connections– Sanitary sewer overflows– Failing septic systems– Pet waste– Wildlife

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• Prohibit illicit discharges to the storm sewer system– Stormwater Management Ordinance (County Code Chapter 124)– “Pooper Scooper” law (County Code Section 41.1-2-6)

• Identify and eliminate illicit discharges– Dry weather outfall monitoring– Sanitary sewer inspection program– Staff training– Illicit discharge complaint response

• Septic system pump out program• Public education and outreach

– Storm drain marking– NVRC Clean Water Partners

• Geese and deer management programs

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PCBs

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Reduction Targets and Sources• Legacy pollutant banned for most uses in 1979• Target reduction for areas draining from Fairfax

County = 74.7%• Potential sources:

– High risk industrial facilities– Improperly discarded fluorescent light ballast manufactured

prior to 1979– Improperly discarded or accidentally damaged transformers

• Some existing Dominion transformers may still contain amounts above reportable thresholds

– Other electrical equipment containing substances under the trade names Aroclor, Pyranol, Inerteen, and Noflamol

• No County-owned facilities are listed in EPA’s PCB Transformer Registration Database

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Area Affected by TMDL

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• Same prohibition on illicit discharges and improper disposal as with sediment and bacteria

• Industrial and High Risk Runoff (IHRR) program• Enhanced training for County employees:

– Potential sources that may be encountered at County facilities and in the field

– What to do if equipment, machinery, or contaminated soil is discovered that may contain PCBs

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Next Steps

• Public comment period will run through January 23, 2017• Draft plan and responses to comments will be presented to

the Board of Supervisors’ Environmental Committee on February 7, 2017

• Plan must be submitted to the DEQ by March 31, 2017• Draft plans are available at:

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/stormwater/sediment-tmdl.pdf http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/stormwater/bacteria-tmdl.pdf http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/stormwater/pcb-tmdl.pdf

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http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/stormwater/sediment-tmdl.pdf

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/stormwater/bacteria-tmdl.pdf



http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/stormwater/pcb-tmdl.pdf



Additional Information

For additional information, please contact

www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes

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Kate Bennett, MS4 Program Coordinator(703) 324-5500

Mailing address: MS4 Program Coordination SectionStormwater Planning Division, Fairfax County DPWES12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 449, Fairfax, VA 22035-0052

E-mail address: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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