Clean Water Projects and Funding Julie Moore, Secretary Agency of - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Clean Water Projects and Funding Julie Moore, Secretary Agency of Natural Resources Neil Kamman, Manager, Monitoring, Assessment and Planning Program Kari Dolan, Manager, Clean Water Initiative Program March 3, 2017

Why We Need Clean Water • Use and enjoyment of Vermonters – Drinking water – Swimming – Fishing • Support tourism, at annual spending of $2.5 billion – Lake Champlain a key attraction for visitors – Second home-owners in towns bordering the Lake spend $150 million annually – Overnight visitors in Champlain Valley spend over $300 million annually – Day visitors spend $30 million annually • Maintain property values • Integral to the Vermont brand – Our environmental is our economy 2 3/3/2017 VTANR Testimony - House Appropriations Committee

Vermont’s Rivers, Lakes and Wetlands are Critical Community Assets 3/3/2017 VTANR Testimony - House Appropriations Committee 3

Human Activity Can Harm Our Waters 3/3/2017 VTANR Testimony - House Appropriations Committee 4

Phosphorus Pollution Impairs some VT Lakes and Streams Lake Champlain Lake Memphremagog Blue-green algae bloom in Missisquoi Bay 5 Photo by Robert Galbraith VTANR Testimony - House Appropriations Committee 3/3/2017

Lake Champlain Lake Memphremagog Missisquoi Bay Annual Mean TP (µg/L) 80 60 40 20 0 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 1985 1995 2005 2015 St. Albans Bay Annual Mean TP (µg/L) 50 40 Phosphorus levels (ppb) 30 20 10 0 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 1985 1995 2005 2015 1985 1995 2005 2015 Annual Mean TP (µg/L) Main Lake 20 15 10 5 0 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 1985 1995 2005 2015 Annual Mean TP (µg/L) South Lake 80 Phosphorus levels (ppb) 60 40 20 0 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 1985 1995 2005 2015 6 Also impaired: Lake Carmi (Franklin) and Shelburne Pond (Shelburne) 3/3/2017 VTANR Testimony - House Appropriations Committee

Phosphorus Reductions Required by EPA Pollution Control Plans Champlain Memphremagog 34% 29% reduction reduction required required 7 3/3/2017 VTANR Testimony - House Appropriations Committee

Connecticut River/Long Island Sound Nitrogen TMDL Nitrogen Loading from Vermont to Long Island Sound via the Connecticut River 4% 9% 21% 66% Atmospheric Deposition Agricultural Lands Developed Lands/Roads Municipal Wastewater 8 VTANR Testimony - House Appropriations Committee 3/3/2017

Wastewater “All - In” Approach Treatment Runoff from Forestry Developed Land River Roads Channels Agriculture 9 VTANR Testimony - House Appropriations Committee 3/3/2017

Lake Champlain TMDL and Phase I Implementation Plan Key Milestones, 2002-2017 State State State State releases EPA Governor EPA revokes State passes EPA releases releases Treasurer & draft releases Releases Draft approval of Act 64 to support issues Final draft agencies proposal for draft TMDL final Fiscal Year 2018- VT TMDL & TMDL Phase I Phase I release began restoring implementation 2019 Budget TMDL Plan Plan Clean developing Lake & tracking Water Champlain new TMDL Funding Report to 3 public 3 public meetings 6 public Legislature 4 public meetings & meetings & & public comment meetings public comment on comment period strategies 2002 2013 2011 2012 2014 2016 2015 March 2017 Aug. 2016 Sept. 2016 Jan 2017 Jan. 2011 June 2015 June 2016 13 EPA approved State Treasurer held 23 Stakeholder Meetings to additional VT/NY Lake Discuss Funding (March-November, 2016 Champlain public meetings TMDL which statewide includes on detailed plan 10 strategies & budget 3/3/2017 VTANR Testimony - House Appropriations Committee

Relative Cost-Effectiveness of Actions by Source Range of Annualized Cost Phosphorus loads (per kilogram of Phosphorus Reduced) (kg/ac/yr) 0 5 10 15 Developed Land Practices Gravel Road Farmstead Additional Wastewater Treatment Pastureland Backroad Practices Cropland Developed Agricultural Land Practices Forest $0 $4,000 $8,000 $12,000 11 EPA, 2014; VTDEC, 2014 VTANR Testimony - House Appropriations Committee 3/3/2017

Strategic Investment Critical Source Area Targeting Critical Source Area Study in Missisquoi Bay Basin found that program effectiveness increases 1.5 to 3 times with targeting Total P Reduction 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 Random 6,000 kilogram/year Targeted 4,000 2,000 0 LCBP, 2011 12 3/3/2017 VTANR Testimony - House Appropriations Committee

Agricultural Programs Required Agricultural Practices Treatment Effectiveness Example: Livestock Exclusion (Phosphorus load as a percent of pre-treatment level ) And Vegetated Buffer 120% 100% • Achieves 40%-80% reduction in 80% Total Phosphorus 60% 40% • Estimated project cost = $20,000 20% (fencing, stream crossing, 1 acre of buffer) 0% Pre-Treatment Post-Treatment BEF EFORE AFTE TER Uncontrolled livestock access to stream Installation of livestock fencing & 3/3/2017 buffer 13

Stormwater Management Stormwater Runoff from Existing Developed Lands Rice Brook, Sugarbush Ski Resort • Reduced annual phosphorus and sediment concentrations by nearly 30% • Restored Water Quality Standards Stormwater Treatment Pond Effectiveness of Stormwater Treatment (Phosphorus load as a percent of pre-treatment level) 120% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Stream Health Pre-Treatment Post-Treatment 3/3/2017 14

Stormwater Management Stormwater Runoff - Municipal Roads Sediment and Erosion Control Sediment Production by Storm Event Washington County 400 Sediment dry mass (kg) • UVM Controlled Study found a dramatic 350 300 reduction in polluted 250 200 runoff from Best Practices such as 150 100 rock-lining ditches on steep roads 50 0 • Estimated project cost = $3,000 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pre-Treatment Post-Treatment (1,000 linear feet treated) Wemple, 2013 TREATMENT IMPACT Eroding roadside ditch 15 Ditch stabilization saves road and reduces erosion 3/3/2017

Rivers Channel Stability Floodplain Restoration Lamoille River, Black Creek Franklin County • Reconnected 200 acres of floodplain • Monitored 3 of the 11 sites (21 acres) • 3 sites captured 1.3 metric tons of total phosphorus • Estimated cost for levee removal = 11 Floodplain Restoration Sites $50,000/mile Black Creek, Fairfield Removal of elevated railroad embankment Restored floodplain 3/3/2017 16

Forest Management Acceptable Management Practices (AMPs) • Can reduce phosphorus loading by 85% Effectiveness of Forestry Practices • 60% of VT forests are subject to AMP (Phosphorus load as a percent of load from watersheds logged without AMPs applied) compliance or equivalent, as required 120% 100% under Current Use Program and public 80% 60% land management practices 40% 20% • Estimated project cost = $3,000 0% No AMPs With AMPs (per crossing) Edwards, Williard, 2010 TREATMENT IMPACT Unmanaged stream crossing at logging site Temporary skidder bridge 3/3/2017 17

Developing the projects necessary to implement Act 64 • Tactical Basin Planning is Vermont’s approach to targeting funding to highest priority projects, across sectors. • Basin Planning is a prescribed process involving many stakeholders, and different types of information gathering. • Outcomes of basin plans are twofold • Protect the best • Restore the rest 3/3/2017 VTANR Testimony - House Appropriations Committee 18

Tactical Basin Planning- Sector-specific assessments: Water Quality Stormwater Inventory Road Inventory for Road Monitoring for Projects Projects Stream Town Zoning and Geomorphic Agricultural Project Assessments Corridor Protection Condition Pinpointed problems In-water testing Sector-specific field surveys Project opportunities 19 3/3/2017

Tactical Basin Planning - Modeling sector-specific reductions. • Each tactical basin plan identifies estimated Forests State roads/facilities “MS4” communities load reduction for each regulated sector. • These estimates are expressed at Three-acre parcels appropriate geographic scales. Agriculture Local roads • “Critical Catchment maps” for each regulated sector Wastewater treatment facilities • Valuable planning and communication tool. 3/3/2017 VTANR Testimony - House Appropriations Committee 20

The Role of the Community  Identify water quality issues – what did we miss?  Formulate a collaborative approach – who should provide input?  Identify partners to install a water quality improvements. 3/3/2017 VTANR Testimony - House Appropriations Committee 21

Tactical basin planning: Projects Database • Online Projects and Tracking • Projects are prioritized with partner input (RPCs, NRCDs). • Database summaries are publicly available at appropriate scale. • Ready projects meeting key criteria become the highest priority for funding. • Tracking of practices to produce pollution reduction estimates https://anrweb.vt.gov/DEC/IWIS/ARK/ProjectSearch.aspx 3/3/2017 VTANR Testimony - House Appropriations Committee 22