Perspectives on WPPs

Transcription

1 Perspectives on Watershed Protection Plans Panel Discussion Mitch Conine Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board Texas Watershed Planning Short Course November 4, 2013 Bandera, TX Perspectives on WPPs goals & importance of WPPs how WPPs fit into state & federal objectives & interact with other state & federal programs current issues affecting watershed planning efforts November 4-8,

2 Water Quality in Texas Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) Agricultural & Silvicultural Nonpoint Source Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Point Source Permitting (WWTF, CAFO, MS4) All other forms of Nonpoint Source November 4-8, year strategic, comprehensive plan for managing NPS pollution to protect and restore water quality Required by federal Clean Water Act in order for State to continue receiving 319(h) grants from USEPA Jointly administered by TSSWCB & TCEQ Major revision recently approved May 2012 November 4-8,

3 2012 Texas 303(d) List Assessed 1,214 water bodies Of the 1,214 water bodies, 410 are classified as Category 5 water bodies Of the 410 water bodies, there are 568 total impairments Need to deal with magnitude of listings through the available options TMDL, UAA, SWQM, WPP November 4-8, Assistance for WPPs State gets ~$7.5M in 319(h) funds/yr Equally split between TSSWCB & TCEQ EPA issued revised 319(h) Grant Guidance for fiscal year 2014 ½ of 319(h) grant allocation must be used for implementation of WPPs November 4-8,

4 Importance of WPPs Holistic protection & restoration surface & ground water Coordinated framework of strategies Partnerships Stakeholder driven decision-making Leverage resources Voluntary approach Adaptive Management November 4-8, Why is it important to write a WPP? Watersheds serve as logical landscape units for environmental management Approaching NPS pollution problems in a watershed framework helps communities evaluate and prioritize problems affecting ground and surface waters Watershed planning connects the community s decisionmaking to sensible data collection and defensible analysis Recording those decisions in a WPP increases the probability that the problems will be addressed November 4-8,

5 November 4-8, WPP Program CWA 319(h) grants to entities to facilitate WPP development and watershed planning process in specific watersheds TSSWCB staff provide technical assistance to local stakeholder groups in developing 9 element WPPs CWA 319(h) grants to implement WPPs November 4-8,

6 WPPs in Texas TSSWCB Sponsored (red) Attoyac Bayou Buck Creek Cedar Bayou Concho River Double Bayou Geronimo Creek Lake Granger Lampasas River Leon River South & North Llano Rivers Lower Nueces River Pecos River Plum Creek TCEQ Sponsored (purple) Armand Bayou Arroyo Colorado Bastrop Bayou Brady Creek Caddo Lake Upper Cibolo Creek Cypress Creek Dickinson Bayou Lake Granbury Halls Bayou-Westfield Estates Hickory Creek Moses-Highland- Karankawa Bayous Upper San Antonio River San Bernard River Upper San Marcos River 3 rd Party (orange) Cedar Creek Reservoir Eagle Mountain Reservoir Lake Arlington Onion Creek & Barton Springs Paso del Norte portion of Rio Grande San Felipe Creek November 4-8, November 4-8,

7 Major Water Quality Programs In Texas Texas NPS Management Program & CWA 319(h) NPS Grants Texas Coastal NPS Pollution Control Program & Coastal Management Program National Estuary Program & Gulf of Mexico Surface Water Quality Monitoring & Texas Clean Rivers Program Texas Integrated Report for CWA 305(b) and 303(d) TMDLs & I-Plans State Water Plan (supply) Water Conservation Advisory Council Groundwater Management Instream Flows & Freshwater Inflows Texas Invasive Species Coordinating Committee Interagency Task Force on Economic Growth and Endangered Species November 4-8, Interaction between TMDLs and WPPs Where a TMDL for the affected waters has already been developed & approved or is being developed, the WPP must be designed to achieve the load reductions called for in the TMDL. However, where a TMDL has not yet been developed & approved or is not yet being developed for the waters, a WPP may be developed in the absence of the TMDL. If a TMDL is completed & approved, the WPP must be modified as appropriate to be consistent with the load allocation contained within the TMDL Process to use WPPs as mechanism for reclassifying waterbodies from Category 5 to Category 4b WPPs in lieu of TMDLs November 4-8,

8 TCEQ TSSWCB MOA All WPPs, whether developed before, after, or simultaneously with development of a TMDL for one or more of same waters, will be written or modified to be consistent with load reductions described in TMDL & implementation strategies described in I-Plan Priority consideration should be given for development of WPPs in watersheds containing Category 5c impairments where a TMDL has not been initiated A WPP under development or implementation will not preclude initiation, development, & establishment of a TMDL TCEQ has a legal responsibility to establish TMDLs in impaired waterbodies & to do so in a timely manner. WPPs to address impairments on the 2006 & future 303(d) lists should be developed within six years after impairment is listed to allow for development of a TMDL within mandated timeframe, should one be necessary November 4-8, Issues Consistent with 9 elements Process for State and Federal Review of WPP Category 4b option in lieu of TMDL Sustainable Organizational Structure for Long-Term WPP Implementation Tracking & reporting successes incremental; water quality restoration; to both stakeholders and State/EPA Opportunities for improvement - adaptive management 3 rd Party WPPs Healthy Watersheds November 4-8,

9 & November 4-8, Mitch Conine Project Management Coordinator Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board PO Box 658 Temple, TX (254) ext 233 v (254) f mconine@tsswcb.texas.gov Authorization for use or reproduction of any original material contained in this presentation is freely granted. TSSWCB would appreciate acknowledgement. November 4-8,