A COOPERATIVE PROJECT OF THE CITIES OF ALISO VIEJO AND LAGUNA BEACH, THE COUNTY OF ORANGE, AND THE ORANGE COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT

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1 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN JANUARY 1,, 2013 A COOPERATIVE PROJECT OF THE CITIES OF ALISO VIEJO AND LAGUNA BEACH, THE COUNTY OF ORANGE, AND THE ORANGE COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT

2 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction Watershed Setting Watershed and Jurisdictional Management Approaches Workplan Development Prior Collaborative Programs Monitoring Programs Governance Workplan Update Schedule Receiving Water Quality Concerns and Priorities Characterization of Receiving Water Quality Existing Monitoring Program Water Quality Assessment Special Studies Prioritization of Water Quality Concerns and Potential Sources High Priority Pollutants Medium Priority Pollutants Low Priority Pollutants BMP Selection and Implementation BMP Planning and Effectiveness BMP Effectiveness Assessment Watershed Workplan Implementation Strategy Water Conservation Structural BMPs Non-Structural BMPs Watershed Permittee BMP Implementation Aliso Viejo BMP Implementation Laguna Beach BMP Implementation Laguna Woods BMP Implementation Acronyms and Glossary Acronyms Glossary Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan i January 1, 2013

3 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Tables 1 Designated Beneficial Uses Laguna Coastal Streams (d) List and TMDL Priority Schedule Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Non-Stormwater Action Levels Laguna Coastal Streams Priority Pollutants and Potential Sources Figures 1 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Land Use Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Parks/Open Space Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Monitoring Sites Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed TMDL and 303(d) Listed Water Bodies Relationship of Assessment Types to the Six Outcome Levels Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed BMP Sites Appendices A B C D E Receiving Waters and Ms4 Discharge Monitoring Program Regional BMP Effectiveness Matrix and Descriptions Benefit Cost Analysis BMP Worksheets Heisler Park ASBS Protection Preservation Project - Phase II Clean Beaches Initiative Grant 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan ii January 1, 2013

4 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN 1.0 INTRODUCTION This Watershed Workplan (Workplan) identifies the management activities being undertaken in 2013 by the cities of Aliso Viejo, Laguna Beach, and Laguna Woods, County of Orange, and the Orange County Flood Control District (the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed permittees or watershed permittees) to address priority water quality constituents of concern in the creeks and streams of the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed. The purpose for this Workplan is to: 1. Characterize the receiving water quality in the watershed. 2. Identify the highest priority water quality problem(s) in terms of constituents by location in the watershed s receiving waters. 3. Identify the sources of the highest water quality problem(s) within the watershed. 4. Present a watershed BMP implementation strategy to attain receiving water quality objectives in the identified highest priority water quality problem(s). BMPs are defined as schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, maintenance procedures, and other management practices to prevent, eliminate, or reduce the pollution of waters of the receiving waters. BMPs also include treatment requirements, operating procedures, and practices to control plant site runoff spillage or leaks, sludge or waste disposal, or drainage from raw material storage Present a strategy to model and monitor improvements in receiving water quality directly resulting from implementation of the BMPs described in this Workplan. 1.1 Watershed Setting The 11-square mile Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed consists of the Laguna Canyon Creek watershed and several smaller coastal-draining watersheds adjacent to it. Laguna Canyon Creek runs north to south, directly through the middle of its watershed, and ultimately discharges into the Pacific Ocean at Laguna Beach. The lower 2.6 miles of Laguna Canyon Creek are concrete lined channel with two dry weather diversion units in place to capture nuisance flows. Several other smaller watersheds, including Boat Canyon, Blue Bird Canyon, Rim Rock Canyon, and Hobo Canyon, also drain portions of these cities. All of the smaller watersheds are channelized or piped to the discharge points on the beach and most have dry weather diversions in place. This watershed is generally bounded by the eastern boundary of the Emerald Canyon watershed on its west and the western boundary of the Aliso Creek watershed on its east. The remaining undeveloped areas are largely within the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and the Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park. The Laguna Coast Wilderness Park covers most of the western half of the Laguna Canyon Creek watershed, and a small portion of the Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park is included in the northeastern part of the watershed. Laguna Canyon Creek runs parallel to Laguna Canyon Road, underneath the San 1 Stormwater Quality Task Force. January California Storm Water Best Management Practice Handbooks. Prepared by: Camp Dresser & McKee, Larry Walker Associates, Uribe and Associates, and Resources Planning Associates Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

5 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor, through the city of Laguna Beach, and underneath the Pacific Coast Highway, before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. Figure 1 shows jurisdictional boundaries and existing land use in the Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed. Figure 2 shows the parks/open space in the watershed. The Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed is within the jurisdiction of the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board (the San Diego Regional Board). The San Diego Regional Board has placed Laguna Coastal Streams under the Laguna subunit of the San Juan Hydrologic Basin. The Water Quality Control Plan (Basin Plan) 2 lists Moro Canyon, Emerald Canyon, Boat Canyon, Laguna Canyon, Blue Bird Canyon, Rim Rock Canyon, Hobo Canyon as coastal streams draining to the Pacific Ocean. The Basin Plan also designates beneficial uses (the uses of water necessary for the survival and well being of humanity, plants and wildlife) for inland and coastal waters, sets narrative and numerical water quality objectives that must be attained or maintained to protect the designated beneficial uses, and describes implementation programs to protect beneficial uses. The designated beneficial uses in the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed are shown in Table Watershed and Jurisdictional Management Approaches Watershed management is the term used for the approach to water quality planning that places an emphasis on the watershed 3 as the planning area and solutions to problems that cut across programs and jurisdictions. Watershed management, in the context of this workplan, seeks to build upon existing Countywide programs by identifying watershed-specific management actions that are focused on priority constituents of concern and which are supportive of a goal of watershed system integrity. The Laguna Coastal Streams watershed permittees have developed a comprehensive approach for stormwater management, described in the Drainage Area Management Plan (DAMP), 4 which is updated as appropriate in conjunction with the Report of Waste Discharge (ROWD) 5 and each new Municipal Permit s findings and requirements. This approach for urban stormwater management comprises: Jurisdictional Runoff Management Plans (JRMPs) which primarily addresses nonstructural and pollution prevention controls, termed BMPs, which are implemented on a 2 The San Diego Region Water Quality Control Plan (Basin Plan) is available online at: 3 Watershed is defined as the geographical area which drains to a specified point on a water course, usually a confluence of streams or rivers (also known as drainage area, catchment, or river basin). 4 The Drainage Area Management Plan (DAMP) is available online at: 5 The Report of Waste Discharge (ROWD) is available online at: Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

6 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Countywide basis, as required by Order No. R and as further determined appropriate by each jurisdiction, and Watershed plans which are focused on solving water quality and beneficial use problems in specific receiving waters, and documenting issues and progress through a watershed planning process. 1.3 Workplan Development This Workplan focuses on watershed-specific source control initiatives, interjurisdictionallycoordinated structural BMPs, and receiving-water restoration efforts, as required by Directive G of Order No. R and as further determined appropriate by the watershed permittees. It is maintained as a guide for watershed activities, and is updated annually to reflect current circumstances in the watershed including reprioritization of concerns and addition of new areas of focus based on the findings in the prior year s Monitoring Annual Report Prior Collaborative Programs This Workplan builds on the considerable work and studies that have been completed collaboratively over a multi-year period. These include the following initiatives: 1. In February 2003 an updated version of the DAMP was provided to the Regional Board, including Local Implementation Plans (LIPs; also known as JRMPs). The LIPs are detailed jurisdiction-specific plans that focus on specific areas required by the NPDES permits including the legal authority to detect and eliminate pollutant discharges; public education; enhanced standards for new development/significant re-development; implementation of BMPs at municipal facilities, construction sites, and commercial and industrial facilities; and water quality monitoring. The BMPs can, in most cases, be focused on targeted constituents of concern to be identified through the monitoring program. 2. In 2004 the Orange County Stormwater Program developed a GIS model for selecting potential BMP retrofit sites. The study identified potential retrofit sites adjacent to or near existing flood control infrastructure under public ownership and which had sufficient space to meet specified siting requirements. In 2005, the GIS model was used to conduct an expanded evaluation of potential retrofit opportunities that considered transportation and excess highway right-of-ways, homeowner associations open space, and publicly-owned lands such as regional parks. To further inform the findings of the 2005 Draft Identification of Retrofitting Opportunities Study, a Hydrologic Simulation Program in Fortran (HSPF) water quality modeling study was conducted in 2009 to develop recommendations on the types and locations of potential BMP retrofit sites that would achieve the greatest benefit to receiving water quality. Water quality models were developed using HSPF to simulate the hydrologic and water quality processes within 6 Order No. R is available online at: es_012710/final_r9_2009_0002.pdf 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

7 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN two impaired Orange County watersheds, Aliso Creek and Anaheim Bay/Huntington Harbour. The collective findings of these work-in-progress studies are currently being used by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) in support of their Structural Treatment Best Management Practice (STBMP) Grant Program (Tier 2 Grant Program). The model being developed through this Tier 2 Grant Program will further provide a systematic planning tool for evaluating the potential strategic effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of STBMPs. 3. In 2005 the watershed permittees in collaboration with local stakeholders in the southern portion of Orange County including seven water and wastewater agencies representing half a million people and working across seven major watersheds and two groundwater basins, developed an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP) 7 to balance the needs of the environment and the demands of a growing population. In addition to continuing to reduce water supply vulnerability, the IRWMP objectives focus on water quality to reduce and prevent pollution, while protecting the beneficial uses of the waters in the region, as well as guarding and restoring the biological diversity and ecosystems of the region s watersheds. The plan is currently being updated with the following new sections: climate change, salt/nutrient management plan, floodplain management plan, and groundwater management plan. 4. In 2007 the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) initiated an epidemiology and microbial source tracking study to assess the risk of swimmingrelated illnesses following exposure to nonpoint source contaminated waters at three beaches: Doheny Beach in Dana Point, Avalon Bay Beach on Santa Catalina Island and Surfrider Beach in Malibu. These studies examined several new techniques for measuring traditional fecal indicator bacteria, new species of bacteria, and viruses to determine whether they yield a better relationship to human health outcomes than the indicators presently used in California. The final report, published in 2012, found that that there was a three (3%) increase in health risk for gastrointestinal ailments between swimmers and non-swimmers at Doheny State Beach, but could not identify the source of the increase health risk. 8 As a follow-up to the SCCWRP Epidemiology Study, the State Water Resources Control Board's Clean Beach Task Force commissioned a Source Identification Protocol Project (SIPP) to develop protocols for tracking and identifying bacteria sources at beaches throughout California. SCCWRP is one of four core laboratories implementing the multi-year study, which will produce a standard guidance manual for beach managers. Doheny State Beach is a site for this study. The objectives are to (1) develop protocols for source identification, (2) identify sources of beach contamination on a site-specific basis, and (3) provide recommendations for management practices that can be implemented by the local community to reduce or eliminate those sources. The report is anticipated to be released in early The South Orange County Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP) is available online at: 8 Colford, J.M., Jr.et al., Using rapid indicators for Enterococcus to assess the risk of illness after exposure to urban runoff contaminated marine water, Water Research (2012), doi: /j.watres Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

8 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN 5. On December 16, 2010, the watershed permittees in South Orange County began implementing Interim Hydromodification Controls. 9 A comprehensive Draft Hydromodification Management Plan (HMP) was submitted to the San Diego Regional Board on December 16, 2011, with the final submitted on October 25, Approval of the HMP is pending. Hydromodification refers to changes in the magnitude and frequency of stream flows due to land use by urbanization and the resulting impacts on receiving channels, such as erosion, sedimentation, and degradation of in-stream habitat. The Interim Hydromodification Controls and the successor HMP seek ways to mitigate erosion impacts by establishing requirements for controlling runoff from new development and significant redevelopment. These plans typically include decentralized storm water management systems and protection of natural drainage features, such as wetlands and stream corridors. Runoff is typically directed toward infiltration-based storm water BMPs, such as those included in this Watershed Workplan, that slow and treat runoff Monitoring Programs This Watershed Workplan also considers the findings of the Receiving Waters and MS4 Discharge Monitoring Program (Monitoring Program) and associated Receiving Waters and MS4 Discharge Monitoring Annual Report (Monitoring Annual Report). The Monitoring Program is intended to meet the following goals: 1. Assess compliance with Order No. R ; 2. Measure and improve the effectiveness of the permittees runoff management programs; 3. Assess the chemical, physical, and biological impacts to receiving waters resulting from MS4 discharges; 4. Characterize storm water discharges; 5. Identify sources of specific pollutants; 6. Prioritize drainage and sub-drainage areas that need management actions; 7. Detect and eliminate illicit discharges and illicit connections to the MS4; 8. Assess the overall health of receiving waters; and 9. Provide information to implement required BMP improvements. The San Diego Region Monitoring Program is updated annually and submitted to the Regional Board annually on September 1. The implementation timeframe is October 1 through September 30 of the following year. The San Diego Region Monitoring Program is included in Appendix A. The Unified Report, which is an annual comprehensive description of municipal permit compliance activities and assessment of program effectiveness, includes the monitoring program data/results, methods of evaluating the data, graphical summaries of the data, and an 9 The Interim Hydromodification Sizing Tool and Technical Guidance document are available online at: Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

9 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN explanation/discussion of the data for each monitoring program component in the context of a regional assessment program. Further informing future management activities in the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed and subsequent update of this Workplan is development of Comprehensive Load Reduction Plans (CLRPs) addressing all 303(d) listed constituents and other water quality impairments within the neighboring Aliso Creek watershed and nearby San Juan Creek and San Clemente Coastal Streams watersheds. A load reduction plan is required as a first step towards compliance with new regional TMDLs for indicator bacteria (TMDLs for Indicator Bacteria, Project I Beaches and Creeks in the San Diego Region) The primary purpose of the CLRP is to formulate a detailed plan to achieve water quality objectives through the implementation of BMPs targeting anthropogenic sources of pollutants. However if natural pollutant sources are suspected the CLRP can also include studies to document these sources so that an allowable water quality objective exceedance frequency can be determined. CLRPs for the Aliso Creek and San Juan Creek watersheds were submitted to the San Diego Regional Board on October 4, The San Clemente Coastal Streams CLRP was submitted to the San Diego Regional Board on December 4, Approval is pending. As part of the CLRP implementation, watershed permittees will evaluate existing BMPs within the watershed and load reduction benefits toward achieving bacteria TMDLs and water quality objectives for other impairing pollutants. Based upon this analysis future BMPs projects and studies will be selected. To address bacteria TMDL milestones initial priority will be given to BMPs targeting bacteria. With a CLRP approach, priority will also be given to studies identifying pollutant sources within the watershed and the extent of impairment for other pollutants of concern. By considering an extensive approach in a CLRP, the watershed permittees will be able to appropriately attend to existing and future TMDLs regarding other parameters of concern and thereby improve understanding of receiving water impairments and how to address them on a comprehensive basis. 1.4 Governance The County of Orange serves as the lead watershed permittee. As lead watershed permittee, the County is responsible for coordinating the production of the Workplan and coordinating annual watershed review meetings and public participation/public noticing. The Laguna Coastal Streams watershed permittees are also part of the Aliso Creek Watershed and meet with Aliso Creek Watershed Permittees on a quarterly basis to review and discuss the status of the Workplan and BMP implementation, monitoring, data management and reporting, and review of priorities and necessary refinements. 1.5 Workplan Update Schedule The Workplan will be updated annually in December after review and consideration of the Unified Report findings. Each December a draft Workplan will be posted on the OC Watersheds website ( for public review and comment. An annual public stakeholder meeting will also be held to identify issues of concern among stakeholders in the 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

10 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN watershed. The Workplan will be finalized following stakeholder feedback and implementation will begin on January 1 of the following year Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

11 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN 2.0 RECEIVING WATER QUALITY CONCERNS AND PRIORITIES Monitoring is a key element of any management program. Monitoring provides data that can be used to inform management decisions about the environment, its resources and the human activities affecting them. Environmental monitoring data documents existing conditions and, if collected over a period of time, provides evidence of changes in these conditions. Water quality in the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed is assessed through a review of water quality standards and objectives, NPDES wet weather and non-stormwater monitoring data, indicator bacteria data for coastal waters collected from the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) and South Orange County Wastewater Authority (SOCWA), special studies conducted within the watershed and in neighboring watersheds, watershed management plans, and through informal data exchange and discussions with watershed residents, local conservation agents, and government officials. The following section discusses conditions and the monitoring conducted in more detail. 2.1 Characterization of Receiving Water Quality Existing Monitoring Program There are several existing monitoring programs that collect water quality data within the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed. Data from these programs will be integrated into the Characterization of Receiving Water Quality whenever possible as it will provide an initial evaluation of current water quality conditions within the watershed and will form the basis for an assessment of long-term trends in water quality. A description of these existing programs is provided below NPDES Monitoring Water Quality Assessment San Diego Region Monitoring Program NPDES monitoring per the requirements of Order R includes evaluating recreational impacts from indicator bacteria discharged by the stormdrain system into the coastal zone, and assessing habitat quality in streams using multiple lines of evidence (e.g. chemistry, benthic macro-invertebrate community assemblage, physical habitat characterization, and toxicity). The objectives for each monitoring program initiative are as follows: Urban stream bioassessment monitoring Long-term mass loading monitoring Coastal storm drains outfall monitoring Using a triad of indicators (bioassessment, chemistry, toxicity), describe impacts on stream communities and the relationship of any impacts to runoff, based on comparisons with reference locations on a year-to-year time frame. Using measurements of key urban pollutants, monitor trend in loads over time. Using a suite of bacterial indicators at high priority drain outfalls, track compliance with regulatory standards and 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

12 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN any improvements due to BMP implementation. Coastal receiving water monitoring Non-stormwater Action Level (NAL) monitoring Stormwater Action Level (SAL) monitoring Using measure of runoff plume characteristics and extent, as well as measures of a suite of physical, chemical, and biological indicators, improve understanding of the impacts of runoff plumes on nearshore ecosystems. The NALs monitoring program assesses the quality of dry weather discharges from the MS4, relative to criteria from the California Toxics Rule, and water quality objectives from the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Diego Region (Basin Plan objectives). The NALs monitoring program replaced the Dry Weather Reconnaissance monitoring program from the Third Term Permit. Using 90 th percentile values from the arid southwest portion of the National Stormwater Quality Database (NSWQD) as a basis for identifying major outfalls in the MS4 for focused source identification work. See Figure 3 for a map of all of the monitoring locations in the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed OCHCA Ocean Water Protection Program OCHCA is responsible for protecting the public from exposure to ocean and bay waters that may cause illness along Orange County s 42 miles of open ocean coastline and 70 miles of harbor and bay frontage. One monitoring program that OCHCA conducts is weekly bacteria testing, as required by Assembly Bill 411 (AB411) 10, and collects samples from April through October for all beaches serving over 50,000 visitors per year and beaches adjacent to storm drains that flow into the ocean during the summer months. There are three OCHCA monitoring sites in the watershed SOCWA Ocean Outfall Monitoring Program SOCWA operates four wastewater treatment facilities in Orange County with several other facilities operated by SOCWA member agencies. As part of its Ocean Outfall Monitoring Program, SOCWA conducts bacteria testing at several stations in the surf zone, at the near shore and at offshore locations near its outfalls. Samples are collected twice a week from May 1 October 31 and once a week from November 1 April 30. Eight SOCWA monitoring sites are located in the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed. 10 AB411 defines the days between April 1 and October 31 as the period when water contact recreation is most likely to occur Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

13 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Water Quality Assessment As noted previously, the purpose of the Watershed Workplan is to focus management efforts on priority constituents of concern. Indicator bacteria exceedances (as determined by fecal indicator bacteria) at our beaches and creeks, and the resulting potential for human health impacts, is currently the most significant concern for the watershed based upon NPDES and bacteria TMDL requirements. Consequently, indicator bacteria has been the primary focus of existing watershed water quality monitoring programs. As new data is collected through the NPDES regional monitoring program and a future watershed pollution source identification monitoring special study, the characterization of receiving water quality will be expanded to include additional priority pollutants. The water quality in the Pacific Ocean along the Laguna Coastal Streams consistently ranks among the cleanest in Southern California with regard to Ocean Plan objectives. The primary reasons this watershed ranks so highly are the large amounts of open space within and the presence of seventeen dry weather diversion units on the largest subwatersheds. The major findings for the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed are summarized below, a more complete discussion of these results, including a comparison of Laguna Coastal Streams to other regional drains, can be found in Unified Report Section C Fecal Indicator Bacteria Findings Regional Monitoring The monitoring conducted under the Coastal Stormdrain Outfall (CSDO) program is intended to assess the impact, with respect to body contact recreation, of dry weather discharges from stormdrains on the surfzone. The concentration of fecal indicator bacteria in the surfzone are compared to ocean water sports contact standards from the State Water Resource Control Board s 2005 Water Quality Control Plan for Ocean Waters of California (California Ocean Plan) and AB411. The concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria are monitored weekly during dry-weather conditions at twenty-eight coastal stormdrains and their respective surfzone receiving waters. The data display differences between stations in the relative frequency of exceedances of the AB411 single-sample standards, which are: Total coliforms: 10,000 CFU/100 ml Fecal coliforms: 400 CFU/100 ml Enterococcus: 104 CFU/100 ml The table below is a summary of the monitoring conducted in , the number of samples collected throughout the year, the number of samples collected during the AB411 season, and the number of AB411 single sample criteria exceeded, by indicator. 13 The Unified Report is available online at: d_pea 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

14 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Entire Year Sample Type Site Visits N ENT FC TC Total All Samples Samples that FTO Enterococcus (ENT), Fecal Coliform (FC), and Total Coliform (TC), Flows to Ocean (FTO) AB411 Period Sample Type Site Visits N ENT FC TC Total All Samples Samples that FTO Enterococcus (ENT), Fecal Coliform (FC), and Total Coliform (TC), Flows to Ocean (FTO) Each receiving water site was also evaluated to determine the proportion of sampled days on which at least one single sample standard was exceeded in the surfzone. The results for each site are provided below. Ranking of sites by percentage (%) of fecal indicator bacteria exceedances during all year and the AB411 period Entire Year AB411 Season Rank Beach Station days N Hits days N Hits 1 Poche POCHE % % 2 Doheny DSB % % 3 Doheny SJC % % 4 Doheny CSBMP % % 5 Doheny CSBBR % % 6 Salt Creek County SCM % % 7 Doheny DSB % % 8 Doheny DSB % % 9* Laguna Main Beach MAINBC % % 10 North Beach PICO % % 11 San Clemente City LINDAL % % 12 San Clemente City PIER % % 12* Laguna Main Beach VICTRA % % 13 Aliso Beach ACM % % 14 San Clemente City MARIPO % % 15* Cleo Street, Laguna CLEO % % 16* Emerald Bay EMRLD % % 17* Bluebird St, Laguna Beach BLUBRD % % 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

15 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Ranking of sites by percentage (%) of fecal indicator bacteria exceedances during all year and the AB411 period Entire Year AB411 Season Rank Beach Station days N Hits days N Hits 18* Victoria Beach BLULGN % % 18* Victoria Beach DUMOND % % 18* Crystal Cove State Park ELMORO % % 18* Diver's Cove, Laguna HEISLR % % 18* Pearl St, Laguna PEARL % % 18 San Clemente State Park RIVERA % % 18 North Beach, San Clemente SCCS % % 18 North Beach, San Clemente SCCS % % 18 San Clemente City TRFCYN % % 18* West St, Laguna Beach WEST % % * Indicates stations within the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed. This approach provides a mechanism for ranking sites and establishing priorities for each drainage. The proportion of exceedances for each monitoring site is calculated as: Number of exceedances of a single sample standard Number of samples X number of analyses per sample For a typical sampling there are two receiving water samples (upcoast and downcoast) and three laboratory analyses (total coliform, fecal coliform, and Enterococcus) included in the analysis. In general, indicator bacteria conditions in receiving waters experienced moderate to low exceedance frequencies of the three indicator bacteria. Consistent with previous years, beach water quality exceedances were largely due to Enterococcus which continues to represent the primary fecal indicator bacteria of concern during the entire year and the AB411 period (April 1 to October 30). Enterococcus levels exceeded AB411 single sample standards 13% and 10% during the entire year and AB411 season, respectively. Fecal Coliform and Total Coliform levels on an annual basis were found to exceed recreational contact standards at beach sites up to a maximum rate of 1.9% and 2.1%, respectively. There were not significant differences in the proportion of exceedances between the entire year and the AB411 season. The condition of receiving waters did change depending on whether storm drains were flowing to the ocean. Of the 843 samples collected during the AB411 period, 175 (21%) were collected at sites that flowed to the ocean. Of the 175 samples from sites that flowed to the ocean, 116 samples (66%) were collected from Poche Beach (POCHE) and Salt Creek County Beach (SCM1). The results provided in the ranking table above show that the proportion of exceedances at each surfzone site was moderate to very low ranging from 26% to 0%, respectively, for the entire year 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

16 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN with the greatest percentages of exceedances observed in the surfzone at Poche Beach (POCHE), Doheny Beach at North Creek (DSB5), and Doheny Beach at San Juan Creek (SJC1). The results provided in the table below show the proportion of exceedances at each site when the drain flowed to ocean. Exceedance Rates in the Surfzone near Outlets of Coastal Drains that Flow to Ocean Entire Year AB411 Season Rank Station days N % Rank Station days N % 1 SJC % 1 POCHE % 2 POCHE % 2 SJC % 3* MAINBC % 3* MAINBC % 4 SCM % 4 SCM % 5 PICO % 5 PICO % 6 ACM % 6* BLUBRD % 7* BLUBRD % 7 ACM % 8* BLULGN 1 2 0% 8 CSBBR % 8* CLEO 2 4 0% 8 PIER 3 6 0% 8 CSBBR % 8 TRFCYN 3 6 0% 8 PIER 3 6 0% 8 TRFCYN 3 6 0% * Indicates stations within the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed. In summary, the results of these analyses show: On 39 of the 43 days that Poche Beach and its surfzone receiving waters were sampled, the discharge from the Creek reached the surfzone at the time of sampling. AB411 standards were exceeded in 27% of samples collected. On 0 of the 43 days that Doheny Beach at North Creek (DSB5) and its surfzone receiving waters were sampled, the discharge from North Creek reached the surfzone at the time of sampling. AB411 standards were exceeded in 23% of samples collected. On 6 of the 43 days that Doheny Beach at San Juan Creek (SJC1) and its surfzone receiving waters were sampled, the discharge from San Juan Creek reached the surfzone at the time of sampling. AB411 standards were exceeded in 14% of samples collected. Fecal indicator bacteria issues at Doheny Beach and Poche continue to represent a significantly challenging issue to solve. The Permittees conducted multiple efforts during the year to address beach water quality at these beaches as discussed in Special Studies Section Fecal Indicator Bacteria Findings Long Term Trends in Beach water Quality Changes in receiving water indicator bacteria levels have seen some positive improvements over the past few years. In general, the number of beach monitoring sites affected by Enterococcus levels over the single sample standard is showing a decreasing trend in the number of sites affected. These changes are attributed partially to 1) the cumulative effects of increasing 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

17 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN attention on water conservation and 2) continued education of the public on the pollution prevention, but substantially to 3) implementation of structural BMPs at problematic sites. Fecal indicator bacteria data collected in shows that problematic sites represented only 32% of all beach sites monitored by the Permittees. The top two problematic sites with the most exceedances were Poche Beach and Doheny Beach. Salt Creek County Beach near the Salt Creek storm channel and North Beach at the Avenida Pico storm drain were the next two highest average exceedance frequency sites. The percent of beach sites that continue to have water quality issues of concern has decreased from 59% in 2007 down to 32% in These changes are attributed to the cumulative effects of 1) increasing attention on water conservation, 2) continued education of the public on the pollution prevention, and 3) implementation of structural BMPs at problematic sites. The implementation of structural BMPs at two high priority sites has reduced the number of beach sites experiencing water quality issues. The implementation of structural BMPs at Salt Creek County Beach in Dana Point and North Beach in San Clemente has resulted in a significant downward trend as shown in the figure below. The construction of the Salt Creek Ozone Treatment System and installation of the Avenida Pico Storm Drain dry weather diversion has resulted in a reduction of the Enterococcus single sample exceedance rates from over 30% down to 10% or less in Heal the Bay, a nonprofit environmental organization, reports the results of routine monitoring of beaches conducted by local health agencies and dischargers annually in their Beach Report Card. In Orange County there are three agencies that provide monitoring information to Heal the Bay s Beach Report Card: South Orange County Wastewater Authority County of Orange Environmental Health Division 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

18 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Orange County Sanitation District Samples are collected throughout the year along open coastal and bay beaches, as well as near flowing storm drains, creeks or rivers. In the 2012 Beach Report Card, water quality in Orange County was reported as excellent with 94% A or B grades (89% were A grades). Beach water quality during the winter dry weather was also very good with 87% A or B grades. Wet weather grades were fair (69% A or B grades) and bested the five-year average by 15% Special Studies Special studies on pollutant source tracking are currently being conducted in the San Diego Region and will be used to inform management decisions in this watershed and in neighboring watersheds. Findings from these studies were presented in the Unified Report Section C and are summarized below. Fecal Indicator Bacteria The Permittees have invested in source investigation studies and made long term capital investments in additional control measures to reduce runoff impacts on beach water quality at Doheny Beach and Poche Beach. Special studies conducted during the year focused efforts on identifying and mitigating the sources affecting water quality including: Completing the Prima Deschecha watershed study to identify sources and develop plans for additional BMPs to mitigate indicator bacteria levels at Poche Beach. Continuing operation of the Poche Beach ultraviolet treatment system to reduce indicator bacteria levels in watershed runoff. Conducting a pilot scale falconry project to discourage gulls from congregating at Poche Beach. Providing support for the scientific development of new microbial source tracking hostspecific fecal source markers through contributions of in-kind services to the Source Identification Pilot Protocol Project at Doheny Beach. Providing support of scientific advancements to identify beaches affected by potential human sources through contributions of in-kind services to the Southern California Bight Regional Monitoring Program Shoreline Microbiology Study. The goal of the source investigations at Poche Beach and Doheny Beach are intended to develop a prioritization effort to identify and ultimately reduce the most important sources that 12 Heal the Bay Annual Beach Report Card. Available at: 13 The Unified Report is available online at: d_pea 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

19 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN represent a potential health risk for beach visitors. The effort is currently still in-progress and will continue through the monitoring year. Trace Metals This is an ongoing study in the region, which includes monitoring for trace metals in all six San Diego Region watersheds to better understand the nature of sources in runoff. Naturally derived pollutants in surface waters can often exceed water quality criteria both in undeveloped catchments as well as developed watersheds. In recent years, efforts lead by the County to characterize natural sources from ambient geology demonstrated that native soil attributes in specific areas are the primary contributor for many constituents of concern such as cadmium, nickel, chloride, sulfate, and selenium. Understanding the true source of naturally derived pollutants is important from not only a scientific basis but also from a management perspective. The true challenge in managing anthropogenic source contributions of parameters with natural source components stems from understanding their origin and developing a comparison of that value to a reference threshold. Efforts during the reporting period focused on developing the tools needed to separate natural contributions from anthropogenic, or human based, activities. This work focused on refining analytical approaches that could measure pollutant concentrations against natural thresholds, for example, categorizing isotopic signatures of surface and groundwater sources. In the end, the purpose of this effort is to ultimately help define a model management approach to address the presence of naturally derived pollutants in urban watersheds. Developing this framework benefits management efforts to better define its priorities as well as establish an initial framework for any future TMDL development. The efforts in the reporting period will focus on finalizing this study and connecting with subject experts and other stormwater agencies outside of Orange County that may be studying similar issues. Trash & Debris This special study is ongoing and relates to trash monitoring in San Diego Region watersheds. Stormwater agencies throughout southern California share many similar issues regarding trash monitoring and management but to date there has been no coordinated effort to develop a consistent method of estimating loadings, understanding pathways into the environment and identifying and prioritizing sources for remediation at a watershed scale. It is well known that public agencies spend considerable amounts of money each year managing waterways by removing trash and implementing practices that prevent the litter from entering into the environment. However, most management efforts focus on the abatement process without the complimentary source prevention and monitoring efforts to determine if the actions are making a difference on receiving waters Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

20 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Over recent years the levels of trash in some coastal waterways has increased to the extent that regulatory agencies are taking serious action by implementing TMDL regulations to affect a change and are considering a statewide trash policy. While for some public agencies trash abatement is a current regulatory requirement, for others, the looming threat of enhanced trash regulation makes the need for a proactive effort ever more important. The goals of the trash monitoring efforts are to help determine the extent of the issue in our region and improve our understanding of managing trash in the environment using multiple efforts on both regional and local scales. In part one of the project, the focus is directed towards assessing the extent and magnitude of trash impacts on southern California streams. In calendar year 2011, the Orange County Stormwater Program, in collaboration with the Stormwater Monitoring Coalition (SMC) member agencies, conducted a snapshot trash survey across southern California following a probabilistic (randomly selected site) sampling approach. The project partners collected trash data at 77 sites in open space, agricultural area, and urban streams following the State s Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) Rapid Trash Assessment protocol. This probabilistic design approach provides an opportunity to estimate trash levels in areas not sampled, estimate the extent of hot spots over larger geographic scales, and examine common pathways and potential sources. Additionally, this effort can support decision making opportunities for product bans that will further control trash pollution at the source. In part two of this project, the Orange County Stormwater Program initiated the Trash and Litter Investigation special study to assess trash impacts on streams within the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board jurisdiction following a slightly different approach from the SMC effort. The goals of the special study are to; Assess the extent and magnitude of trash levels across streams in south Orange County, Characterize the types and quantities of trash items present in streams, Evaluate any potential impacts from trash on beneficial uses, Measure re-accumulation rates for trash following storm events, Evaluate the differences in trash levels occurring between seasons and levels of trash between years, and Identify hot spots areas needing additional resources to implement trash control BMPs. The Orange County Stormwater Program initiated the special study during the reporting period and is continuing to implement the study in accordance with the monitoring plan submitted to the San Diego Regional Board. Monitoring and reporting has been conducted and completed for year 1 and 2 of the study. Data collected during the reporting period is being evaluated and statistically valid conclusions about the extent and magnitude of trash impacts, reoccurrence rates, persistency of hot spots, or annual differences cannot be developed at this time. Information gathered from the Trash and Litter Investigation measurements of seasonal trash differences, by comparing summer time and post storm event conditions, along with measuring trends over time, by comparing annual trash levels, helps improve our understanding of the monitoring and management requirements needed to effectively gage BMP effectiveness on a longer time scale to prevent trash from reaching important waterbodies Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

21 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN 2.2 Prioritization of Water Quality Concerns and Potential Sources Priority water quality concerns in the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed are identified through regional monitoring and regulatory directives including 303(d) listed impairments, TMDL constituents, persistent Non-stormwater Dry Weather Action Levels (NAL) exceedances as identified in Order R , and other local issues of concern. The watershed permittees have prioritized water quality concerns based on the following criteria: 1. Receiving waters subject to an approved TMDL are classified as high priority (d) listed waterbodies with known and suspected anthropogenic sources as well as NAL general constituents and priority pollutants are classified as medium priority (d) listed waterbodies with known and suspected natural sources are classified as low priority. Under Section 303(d) of the 1972 Clean Water Act (CWA), states, territories, and authorized tribes are required to develop a list of water quality limited segments. These waters do not meet water quality standards, even after point sources of pollution have installed the minimum required levels of pollution control technology. The law requires the establishment of priority rankings for water quality limited segments on the list and develop action plans, referred to as TMDL, to improve water quality. The portion of the 303(d) list pertaining to the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed is shown in Table 2. Figure 4 illustrates which water segments in the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed are included in a TMDL and/or 303(d) list. Directive C of Order R , NALs, requires specific monitoring and source investigations when certain constituents exceed levels stipulated in the permit, called action levels. A listing of NALs action levels can be found in Tables 3a-d. The findings of these source investigations will help guide management activities in future iterations of this Workplan. Potential sources of these priority water quality concerns are discussed below, grouped by their priority. 14 Sources may be natural in origin or anthropogenic, meaning they are caused by the activities of humans. Special studies, such as those discussed in Section 2.1.3, have aided in determining the source of several pollutants; however, future investigations are warranted to continue to more clearly identify the exact origin of water quality concerns in the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed. A summary of priority pollutants and potential pollutant sources is included in Table Discussion on potential sources all come from the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Diego Basin ( Basin Plan ) unless otherwise referenced. [Basin Plan Reference: September 8, 1994 (with amendments effective prior to April 25, 2007). San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. Available at: Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

22 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN High Priority Pollutants Indicator Bacteria In late 2003, the San Diego Regional Board initiated a project to develop bacteria TMDLs based on data in the 2002 CWA Section 303(d) List of Water Quality Limited Segments indicating that the greatest cause of impairments to waters in the San Diego Region was elevated bacteria levels. Elevated bacteria levels remain the greatest cause of impairments to waters in the San Diego Region on the (d) List. The San Diego Regional Board identified waterbodies with bacteria impairments as one of its highest regional priorities for the development of TMDLs. The first bacteria TMDL project developed to address bacteria impaired waters listed on the (d) List was known as TMDL for Indicator Bacteria, Project I Beaches and Creeks in the San Diego Region, or Bacteria TMDLs Project I. On February 10, 2010 the San Diego Regional Board adopted Resolution No. R , an amendment incorporating Revised Bacteria TMDLs Project I into the San Diego Basin Plan. 15 This TMDL Basin Plan amendment was subsequently approved by the State Water Resources Control Board on December 14, 2010, the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) on April 4, 2011, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) on June 22, Under state law, this TMDL Basin Plan Amendment became fully effective on April 4, 2011, the date of OAL approval. Bacteria continue to be a major identified water quality problem with a high priority for the watershed permittees due to the impact on beneficial uses and pending TMDL. Sources of indicator bacteria may be: Environmental soils, decaying vegetation, Animal wastes birds, dogs, cats, horses, bats, rabbits, opossums, raccoons Humans shedding from body (most common source in this category), sewer overflows, homeless encampments, businesses Stormwater and dry weather urban runoff may contain significant concentrations of indicator bacteria from these sources. Some stormdrains discharge directly to coastal areas where body contact recreation does occur or can potentially occur. The State of California has adopted standards for evaluating the safety of ocean water with respect to indicator bacteria, the California Ocean Water Contact Sports Standards (California Code of Regulations Title 10 and the California Health and Safety Code). 16 The (d) list for Indicator Bacteria includes 0.03 mile of Aliso Beach at West Street. Total Coliform is also listed for 0.03 mile of Main Beach. Indicator bacteria is also a NALs general constituent. 15 This Resolution is available online at: 410/ _BactiI_Resolution&BPA_FINAL.pdf 16 California Code of Regulations, Title 17, Group 10 is available online at: OceanBeaches.pdf 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

23 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Medium Priority Pollutants Sediment Toxicity Benthic sediments in freshwater and marine environments serve as a sink for particulate-bound contaminants. Many of these contaminants are toxic to sediment-dwelling organisms. Organochlorine and synthetic pyrethroid pesticides are very insoluble and are typically found bound to particulates. Trace metals from urban runoff are also found in sediments. Toxicity to sediment can also be imparted by anaerobic decomposition of organic debris (grass clippings, leaf litter, etc.) forming ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. The (d) list for sediment toxicity includes 1.6 miles of Laguna Canyon Channel in the reach upstream of channelization. Toxicity Urban runoff can contain substances that are detrimental to the survival and essential life functions (e.g. growth, reproduction) of aquatic organisms. Interactions among the complex mixture of chemicals and physical constituents can lead to additive or antagonistic effects, potentially causing an individual compound to become either more or less toxic than it would be isolated. Some pesticides in very low concentrations (parts per trillion) can be lethal to freshwater and marine aquatic macroinvertebrates. One example is Bifenthrin (a synthetic pyrethroid pesticide) that is used for red imported fire ant (RIFA) control. Dissolved metals in the low parts per billions range can interfere with the reproduction processes of some marine species in tide pools of coastal receiving waters. Ammonia (from fertilizers and sewage discharges) in its unionized form can be extremely toxic to aquatic life. The (d) list for toxicity includes 1.6 miles of Laguna Canyon Channel in the reach upstream of channelization. Metals Metals in the environment can originate from many sources both natural in origin and introduced by human activities. Sources of metals include the transportation system, architectural uses, atmospheric deposition, aging plumbing systems, and native soils. The transportation system is a significant anthropogenic source of metals in stormwater runoff to urban streams. Cadmium, copper, cobalt, iron, nickel, lead and zinc are deposited into the environment by vehicle exhaust, brake linings, tire balancing weights, battery terminals, tire wear and engine wear. They accumulate on roads, waiting to be washed into storm drains with the next rainfall. Pollutant concentrations in roadway runoff are positively correlated with traffic volume. All cars, even the cleanest vehicles, shed small amounts of metals, fluids, and other pollutants. Galvanized metal rooftops, gutters and downspouts, and moss killer (fungicides) are also a source of zinc in stormwater. Some copper comes from architectural uses and treated wood, and a primary source is brake pads. Outdoor storage of scrap metal can also contribute to metal pollution. Atmospheric deposition, which is the process of particulate bound metals settling out of the air, includes sources from vehicle exhaust, high winds carrying fine sediments, roadway dust, the burning of coal for industrial and energy producing needs is 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

24 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN a significant source for several metals including copper, zinc, cadmium, and mercury. 17 Lithogenic geology, as previously discussed in Section 2.1.2, has been determined to be a significant natural source of metals and the findings of the trace metal special study strongly indicate that at least two, perhaps more, constituents originate from native soils. Metals are a NALs Priority Pollutant. Turbidity The turbidity of water is attributable to suspended and colloidal matter, the effect of which is to disturb clearness and diminish the penetration of light. High turbidity levels can adversely affect the use of water for drinking. By interfering with the penetration of light, turbidity can adversely affect photosynthesis which aquatic organisms depend upon for survival. High concentrations of particulate matter that produce turbidity can be directly lethal to aquatic life. Turbidity is a NALs General Constituent. Dissolved Oxygen Adequate dissolved oxygen levels are vital for aquatic life. Depression of dissolved oxygen levels can lead to fish kills and odors resulting from anaerobic decomposition. The solubility of oxygen in water is a function of water temperature and dissolved solids concentration. Dissolved oxygen is a NALs General Constituent. Total Nitrogen Nitrogen is a nutrient associated with the soluble component of stormwater runoff. Although necessary for plant growth, excess nitrogen in water becomes a pollutant and stimulates growth of algae and other less-desirable plants. Nitrogen enrichment is typically more problematic in estuarine ecosystems. Major sources in an urban setting include fertilizers, septic systems, and atmospheric deposition. 18 Natural sources of total nitrogen in the watershed may be attributed to decomposing organic material, sediments, wildlife feces, and groundwater chemistry. Total nitrogen is a NALs General Constituent. Total Phosphorus Phosphorus is a nutrient more often associated with the particulate component of stormwater runoff, since it readily adsorbs, or attaches, to sediment. Also necessary for plant growth, excess 17 Oregon Environmental Council. December Stormwater Solutions: Turning Oregon s Rain Back Into a Resource. Available at: 18 Delaware Department of Natural Resources. April Urban Stormwater Runoff Fact Sheet. Available at: Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

25 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN phosphorous becomes a pollutant typically more problematic in freshwater ecosystems than in estuarine ecosystems. The major source of phosphorus in an urban setting is fertilizer. Phosphorus can also be released into water during the construction phase of development. Some soluble phosphorus can be traced to septic systems; however, the use of low phosphorus detergents has significantly reduced this source. 19 Levels of phosphorus in some natural steams can exceed water quality objectives, but typically are much less than levels observed in urban runoff. Natural sources of total phosphorus in the watershed may be attributed to decomposing organic material, sediments, wildlife feces, and groundwater chemistry. Total phosphorus is a NALs General Constituent. Methylene Blue Active Substances (MBAS) MBAS test measures the presence of anionic surfactant (commercial detergent) in water. Positive test results can be used to indicate the presence of domestic wastewater. MBAS is a NALs General Constituent. ph The hydrogen ion concentration of water is called "ph." The acidity or alkalinity of water is measured by the ph factor. The ph scale ranges from 1 to 14, with 1 to 6.9 being acid, 7.1 to 14 being alkaline, and 7.0 being neutral. Ranges (ph) of 6.5 to 9.0 are considered harmless. A change of one point on this scale represents a ten-fold increase in acidity or alkalinity. Many pollutants as well as naturally occurring constituents can alter the ph, raising or lowering it excessively. In some cases even small changes in ph can harm aquatic biota. The ph changes can alter the chemical form of certain constituents, thereby increasing their bioavailability and toxicity. For example, a decrease in ph can result in an increase in dissolved metal concentrations. The concentration of unionized ammonia (the toxic form of ammonia) is a function of the concentration of total ammonia, water temperature, and ph. Ammonia, which is a major component of sewage discharges, can be completely safe at ph 7.0 and extremely toxic to fish at ph 8.5 for the same total ammonia concentration. ph is a NALs General Constituent Low Priority Pollutants There are no low priority pollutants in the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed. 19 Ibid Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

26 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN 3.0 BMP SELECTION AND IMPLEMENTATION The watershed permittees are developing and implementing BMPs. These BMPs can be described as: Pollution Prevention BMPs any practice that reduces or eliminates the creation of pollutants; Source Control BMPs any practice that prevents pollution by reducing pollutants at their source; and Treatment Control BMPs any practice that removes pollutants from runoff. 3.1 BMP Planning and Effectiveness Section 3 of the DAMP describes the general methodology and challenges for examining new BMP retrofit opportunities, BMP selection and implementation, and assessment of BMP effectiveness to direct iterative program improvements at both the local and watershed programmatic levels to the maximum extent practicable. The BMP selection and effectiveness assessment process may include, but is not limited to, input from the following factors and information sources, as available and applicable: International Stormwater BMP database ( CASQA BMP manuals Beneficial Use assessment; Water quality and flow data and modeling; Cost and cost/benefit; Acceptability by the community; Ease or difficulty of implementation; Technical feasibility; Maintenance requirements; Pollutant prevention/removal performance; Multiple resource benefits or impacts; Review of technical literature (such as the ASCE/USEPA databases); A review of existing control programs; Demonstration or research projects by County, City or other entities; Input from vendors, consulting firms, other municipalities, or other agencies; User and operational/maintenance staff feedback; and Opinion surveys BMP Effectiveness Assessment Effectiveness assessment is the process of evaluating whether programs are resulting in desired outcomes. Outcomes are the measures used to characterize results associated with implementing stormwater management programs. They are essential to effectiveness 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

27 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN assessment because they define specific, measurable endpoints by which stormwater programs can be targeted, evaluated, and periodically modified. The watershed permittees apply the California Stormwater Quality Association s (CASQA) approach to assess effectiveness, which utilizes a series of six categories of outcomes, referred to as outcome levels, to establish a logical and consistent organizational scheme for assessing and relating individual outcomes. An additional layer of structure is provided by grouping them in three general areas of assessment activity: 1) Implementation Assessment; 2) Target Audience and Source Assessment; and, 3) Urban Runoff and Receiving Water Assessment. The relationship of assessment types to the six outcome levels is illustrated in Figure 5. It is important to note that these six outcome levels illustrate a natural progression from program implementation to receiving water conditions, and although it may appear that the higher numbered levels have greater relative importance, this is not the case. Each outcome level is individually necessary to support effective management decisions. 20 Progress toward the achievement of outcomes is evaluated through the use of Assessment Measures. Assessment measures may be qualitative (e.g. a judgment regarding the degree of BMP implementation at a facility) or quantitative (e.g. % reduction in a constituent level). Key attributes of assessment measures include: Measurability (statistically measurable on a frequent basis) Relevance (significant, demonstrable relation to strategy and objectives) Reliability (easily documented and reproducible) Availability (based upon data obtainable at reasonable cost) Scientific validity (based on sound science) Replicability (capable of being regularly updated) Appropriately focused (ideally measures outcomes, not inputs or outputs) Effectiveness assessment involves confirmation of outcomes, an interim process of evaluation (principally through comparison) of assessment measures, and communication of progress. Currently, diversion units are the most effective BMP employed in the Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed for reduction of indicator bacteria and other pollutants in non-stormwater runoff and the preservation of beneficial uses along the Pacific Ocean Shoreline. Future plans for diversion units include increasing their capacity to capture flows during the wet season and select storm events. More information on the effectiveness of diversion BMPs may be found at: BMP Effectiveness Assessment for Bacteria For BMPs that have already been implemented in the neighboring Aliso Creek Watershed and other coastal Southern California areas, bacteria monitoring results were used to classify structural and non-structural BMPs as highly effective, effective, low/potentially effective, and 20 Van Rhyn, Jon; Ashby, Karen; and Brosseau, Geoff. Methods and activities to gauge effectiveness and make improvements. Stormwater. September 2010: Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

28 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN not effective in the reduction of elevated bacteria concentrations. Appendix B summarizes the BMPs assessed and their effectiveness classification. For the highly effective BMPs listed in Appendix B a benefit-cost feasibility analysis was developed to aid the watershed permittees in the selection of BMPs to be implemented. This analysis was based on cost information and bacteria removal efficiency data available for BMPs implemented within the Aliso Creek watershed. The benefit-cost feasibility analysis is included in Appendix C. Using the effectiveness assessment summarized in Appendix B, and the benefit-cost feasibility results included in Appendix C, each watershed permittee has identified a specific BMP action plan that contributes to attaining receiving water quality objectives, primarily for indicator bacteria, the high priority pollutant in the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed. These individual plans are discussed in Section Watershed Workplan Implementation Strategy An assessment of the BMP effectiveness and the cost-feasibility analysis resulted in the selection of three main Watershed Workplan implementation strategies that will be pursued by the watershed permittees to address elevated indicator bacteria concentrations and other watershed pollutants of concern. It is important to note that several of the BMPs selected for the treatment of indicator bacteria would have an effect on non-bacteria pollutants, including the medium priority pollutants identified in Section 2.2. These three strategies include: Water conservation, Structural BMPs, and Non-structural BMPs. Using these foundation components, each watershed permittee has developed a specific action plan to address indicator bacteria in the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed and these are detailed in Section 4.0. An overview of the three selected strategies is provided below Water Conservation Conservation BMPs implemented in the neighboring Aliso Creek watershed were found on average to reduce dry weather bacteria loads by 35-40%. Increased participation watershedwide would further reduce dry weather flows, nutrient, and bacteria loadings based on previous project performance. Therefore water conservation has been identified as an important BMP strategy for the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed. The watershed permittees are working to increase the general awareness of the connection between outdoor water conservation and the prevention of water pollution. Prohibitions of irrigation runoff and limited watering days can decrease the number of opportunities for runoff, as can requirements for containment of washwater. The following table highlights the region s water purveyor s restrictions on outdoor water usage: 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

29 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Agency/City Irvine Ranch Water District Laguna Beach County Water District Emerald Bay Service District Permanent water restrictions in place? Date of permanent restrictions in place Runoff prohibited? Other restrictions related to surface runoff management NO n/a n/a n/a YES 1/1/2011 YES YES 1/1/2011 YES YES Washing of hard or paved surfaces is prohibited, irrigation overspray is prohibited, limits on vehicle washing Discharge into storm drain prohibited Structural BMPs Based upon the BMP effectiveness assessment findings, structural BMPs, if implemented and maintained correctly, can result in meaningful decreases in indicator bacteria and other pollutant loads. Structural BMP types that have been implemented in the watershed include: Treatment Systems - Examples include sand filters, cartridge media filters and disinfection treatment, such as ozone or UV light. Dry weather diversions are also included in this category. Dry weather diversions eliminate all pollutants from the MS4 by eliminating all discharge to receiving water bodies. Flow is diverted to the sanitary sewer treatment plant where it is disinfected to the full extent of sewage. Channel Restoration/Retrofitting - Restoring biological function may enhance a stream s contaminant assimilative capacity. In addition, channel restoration contributes to the restoration of a more natural watershed hydrologic regime. These efforts can lead to more stable channel morphology and the elimination of the dry weather runoff that sustains the flux of bacteria through the creek system in dry weather. Landscape Retrofits- Examples include weather-based irrigation controllers (aka SmarTimers), edgescaping where existing irrigated lawn area along the edge of a public sidewalk, street curb, driveway and/or private walkway is replaced with lower impact landscaping and permeable ground covering, and other irrigation enhancements and adjustments to further improve water efficiency and reduce runoff by eliminating overspray onto pavements and improve distribution uniformity. Catch Basin Retrofits - Examples include catch basin gates and in line baskets or filters. The debris gates are designed to remain closed during low flow conditions but open during high storm flows in order to prevent flooding. The gates keep debris out of the MS4 and within reach of street sweepers Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

30 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN A map depicting the locations of these types of BMPs throughout the watershed is included in Figure Non-Structural BMPs The effect of non-structural BMPs within the Dana Point Coastal Streams watershed including street sweeping and inspections is difficult to gauge and may not have significant impacts on indicator bacteria reductions. Similarly, education and outreach efforts are difficult to gauge for short term results as these efforts could take several years before behavior of residents changes. The recommended implementation strategy is to continue the current suite of non-structural BMPs in the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed realizing that the long-term potential for positive outcome of these actions, particularly education and outreach, has not been reached and requires a long-term implementation period. A detailed overview of each watershed permittee s implementation and assessment of non-structural BMPs can be found in the Unified Annual Report, Sections C-5 through C and each individual permittee s Annual Performance Effectiveness Assessment report. 21 The Unified Report is available online at: d_pea 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

31 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN 4.0 WATERSHED PERMITTEE BMP IMPLEMENTATION The following sections provide a summary of the individual structural BMPs proposed by each Permittee. This summary is based on detailed BMP worksheets submitted by the watershed permittees found in Appendix D. 4.1 Aliso Viejo BMP Implementation Structural BMP pollutant reduction efforts planned and/or implemented in City of Aliso Viejo drainage areas within the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed include: SmarTimer/Edgescape Evaluation Project (SEEP) (2008) 4.2 Laguna Beach BMP Implementation The City of Laguna Beach encompasses the majority of the developed land area in the watershed. Structural BMP pollutant reduction efforts planned and/or implemented in City of Laguna Beach drainage areas within the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed include: Heisler Park ASBS Protection Preservation Project - Phase II Clean Beaches Initiative Grant (implemented in 2010; see Appendix E for the final report with full details of this project) Dry Weather Diversions (constructed in 2005) SmarTimer/Edgescape Evaluation Project (SEEP) (implemented in 2008) 4.3 Laguna Woods BMP Implementation Structural BMP pollutant reduction efforts planned and/or implemented in City of Laguna Woods drainage areas within the Laguna Coastal Streams watershed include: SmarTimer/Edgescape Evaluation Project (SEEP) (2008) 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

32 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN 5.0 ACRONYMS AND GLOSSARY 5.1 Acronyms AB411 Season April 1 October 31 AB411 Standards ASCE BMP Basin Plan CASQA CLRP Copermittees CFR CSDO CWA CWC DAMP DSB4 GIS HMP HSPF IRWMP JRMP LIP MBAS MEP MS4 NAL NPDES NSWQD OAL State Ocean Water-Contact Sports Standards American Society of Civil Engineers Best Management Practice Water Quality Control Plan for the San Diego Basin California Stormwater Quality Association Comprehensive Load Reduction Plan County of Orange, the 11 incorporated cities within the County of Orange in the San Diego Region, and the Orange County Flood Control District Code of Federal Regulations Coastal Stormdrain Outfall Clean Water Act California Water Code Drainage Area Management Plan Doheny Beach drain south of the San Juan Creek mouth Geographic Information System Hydromodification Management Plan Hydrologic Simulation Program in Fortran Integrated Regional Water Management Plan Jurisdictional Runoff Management Plan Local Implementation Plans Methylene Blue Active Substances Maximum Extent Practicable Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Non-Stormwater Dry Weather Action Level National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System National Stormwater Quality Database Office of Administrative Law 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

33 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Ocean Plan OCTA p-value POCHE POTW Regional Board RIFA ROWD SAL SCCWRP SCE SCM1 SEEP SIP SJC1 SMC STBMP SWAMP TMDL USEPA Watershed Permittees WRMP Water Quality Control Plan for Ocean Waters of California Orange County Transportation Authority Strength of relationship in statistical significance testing Prima Deshecha Channel Publicly Owned Treatment Works California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Diego Region Red Imported Fire Ant Orange County Copermittees Report of Waste Discharge (application for NPDES reissuance) Stormwater Action Level Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Southern California Edison Mouth of Salt Creek SmarTimer/Edgescape Evaluation Project State Implementation Policy; State Policy for Implementation of Toxics Standards for Inland Surface Waters, Enclosed Bays, and Estuaries of California Mouth of San Juan Creek Stormwater Monitoring Coalition Structural Treatment Best Management Practice Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program Total Maximum Daily Load United States Environmental Protection Agency The Cities of Aliso Viejo, Laguna Beach, and Laguna Woods, County of Orange, and the Orange County Flood Control District Watershed Runoff Management Plan 5.2 Glossary 22 Beneficial Uses - The uses of water necessary for the survival or well being of man, plants, and wildlife. These uses of water serve to promote tangible and intangible economic, social, and environmental goals. Beneficial Uses of the waters of the State that may be protected include, but are not limited to, domestic, municipal, agricultural and industrial supply; power generation; recreation; aesthetic enjoyment; navigation; and preservation and enhancement of fish, wildlife, and other aquatic resources or preserves. Existing beneficial uses are uses that 22 Definitions are derived from Attachment C of Order Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

34 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN were attained in the surface or ground water on or after November 28, 1975; and potential beneficial uses are uses that would probably develop in future years through the implementation of various control measures. Beneficial Uses are equivalent to Designated Uses under federal law. [California Water Code Section 13050(f)]. Best Management Practices (BMPs) - Defined in 40 CFR as schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, maintenance procedures, and other management practices to prevent or reduce the pollution of waters of the United States. BMPs also include treatment requirements, operating procedures and practices to control plant site runoff, spillage or leaks, sludge or waste disposal, or drainage from raw material storage. In the case of municipal storm water permits, BMPs are typically used in place of numeric effluent limits. Clean Water Act Section 402(p) [33 USC 1342(p)] - The federal statute requiring municipal and industrial dischargers to obtain NPDES permits for their discharges of storm water. Clean Water Act Section 303(d) Water Body - An impaired water body in which water quality does not meet applicable water quality standards and/or is not expected to meet water quality standards, even after the application of technology based pollution controls required by the CWA. The discharge of runoff to these water bodies by the Copermittees is significant because these discharges can cause or contribute to violations of applicable water quality standards. Dry Season May 1 through September 30 of each year. MS4 - conveyances (including roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels, or storm drains): (i) Owned or operated by a State, city, town, borough, county, parish, district, association, or other public body (created by or pursuant to State law) having jurisdiction over disposal of sewage, industrial wastes, storm water, or other wastes, including special districts under State law such as a sewer district, flood control district or drainage district, or similar entity, or an Indian tribe or an authorized Indian tribal organization, or designated and approved management agency under section 208 of the CWA that discharges to waters of the United States; (ii) Designated or used for collecting or conveying storm water; (iii) Which is not a combined sewer; (iv) Which is not part of the Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) as defined at 40 CFR National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) - The national program for issuing, modifying, revoking and reissuing, terminating, monitoring and enforcing permits, and imposing and enforcing pretreatment requirements, under Sections 307, 318, 402, and 405 of the CWA. Non-Storm Water - All discharges to and from a MS4 that do not originate from precipitation events (i.e., all discharges from a MS4 other than storm water). Non-storm water includes illicit discharges, non-prohibited discharges, and NPDES permitted discharges. Point Source - Any discernible, confined, and discrete conveyance, including, but not limited to, any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, concentrated animal feeding operations, landfill leachate collection systems, vessel, or other 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

35 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN floating craft from which pollutants are or may be discharged. This term does not include return flows from irrigated agriculture or agricultural storm water runoff. Pollutant - Any agent that may cause or contribute to the degradation of water quality such that a condition of pollution or contamination is created or aggravated. Pollution - As defined in the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act: the alteration of the quality of the waters of the State by waste, to a degree that unreasonably affects the either of the following: 1) The waters for beneficial uses; or 2) Facilities that serve these beneficial uses. Pollution may include contamination. Pollutants of Concern Pollutants for which water bodies are listed as impaired under CWA section 303(d), pollutants associated with the land use type of a development, and/or pollutants commonly associated with runoff. Pollutants commonly associated with runoff include total suspended solids; sediment; pathogens (e.g., bacteria, viruses, protozoa); heavy metals (e.g., copper, lead, zinc, and cadmium); petroleum products and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons; synthetic organics (e.g., pesticides, herbicides, and PCBs); nutrients (e.g., nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers); oxygen-demanding substances (decaying vegetation, animal waste, and anthropogenic litter). Pollution Prevention - Pollution prevention is defined as practices and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation of pollutants, in contrast to source control BMPs, treatment control BMPs, or disposal. Receiving Waters Waters of the United States. Runoff - All flows in a storm water conveyance system that consists of the following components: (1) storm water (wet weather flows) and (2) non-storm water including dry weather flows. Shared Treatment Control BMP - BMPs used by multiple developments to infiltrate, filter, or treat the required volume or flow prior to discharge to a receiving water. This could include, for example, a treatment BMP at the end of an enclosed storm drain that collects runoff from several commercial developments. Source Control BMP Land use or site planning practices, or structural or nonstructural measures that aim to prevent runoff pollution by reducing the potential for contamination at the source of pollution. Source control BMPs minimize the contact between pollutants and runoff. Storm Water Per 40 CFR (b)(13), means storm water runoff, snowmelt runoff and surface runoff and drainage. Surface runoff and drainage pertains to runoff and drainage resulting from precipitation events. Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) - The maximum amount of a pollutant that can be discharged into a water body from all sources (point and non-point) and still maintain water 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

36 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN quality standards. Under CWA section 303(d), TMDLs must be developed for all water bodies that do not meet water quality standards after application of technology based controls. Water Quality Objective - Numerical or narrative limits on constituents or characteristics of water designated to protect designated beneficial uses of the water. [California Water Code Section (h)]. California s water quality objectives are established by the State and Regional Water Boards in the Water Quality Control Plans. Numeric or narrative limits for pollutants or characteristics of water designed to protect the beneficial uses of the water. In other words, a water quality objective is the maximum concentration of a pollutant that can exist in a receiving water and still generally ensure that the beneficial uses of the receiving water remain protected (i.e., not impaired). Since water quality objectives are designed specifically to protect the beneficial uses, when the objectives are violated the beneficial uses are, by definition, no longer protected and become impaired. This is a fundamental concept under the Porter Cologne Act. Equally fundamental is Porter Cologne s definition of pollution. A condition of pollution exists when the water quality needed to support designated beneficial uses has become unreasonably affected or impaired; in other words, when the water quality objectives have been violated. These underlying definitions (regarding beneficial use protection) are the reason why all waste discharge requirements implementing the federal NPDES regulations require compliance with water quality objectives. (Water quality objectives are also called water quality criteria in the CWA.) Water Quality Standards - The beneficial uses (e.g., swimming, fishing, municipal drinking water supply, etc.,) of water and the water quality objectives necessary to protect those uses. Waters of the State - Any water, surface or underground, including saline waters within the boundaries of the State [CWC section (e)]. The definition of the Waters of the State is broader than that for the Waters of the United States in that all water in the State is considered to be a Waters of the State regardless of circumstances or condition. Under this definition, a MS4 is always considered to be a Waters of the State. Waters of the United States - As defined in the 40 CFR 122.2, the Waters of the U.S. are defined as: (a) All waters, which are currently used, were used in the past, or may be susceptible to use in interstate or foreign commerce, including all waters which are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide; (b) All interstate waters, including interstate wetlands; (c) All other waters such as intrastate lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, or natural ponds the use, degradation or destruction of which would affect or could affect interstate or foreign commerce including any such waters: (1) Which are or could be used by interstate or foreign travelers for recreational or other purposes; (2) From which fish or shellfish are or could be taken and sold in interstate or foreign commerce; or (3) Which are used or could be used for industrial purposes by industries in interstate commerce; (d) All impoundments of waters otherwise defined as waters of the United States under this definition: (e) Tributaries of waters identified in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this definition; (f) The territorial seas; and (g) Wetlands adjacent to waters (other than waters that are themselves wetlands) identified in paragraphs (a) through (f) of this definition. Waters of the United States do not include prior converted cropland. Notwithstanding the determination of an area s status as prior converted cropland by any other 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

37 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN federal agency, for the purposes of the Clean Water Act, the final authority regarding Clean Water Act jurisdiction remains with the EPA. Watershed - That geographical area which drains to a specified point on a water course, usually a confluence of streams or rivers (also known as drainage area, catchment, or river basin). Watershed Runoff Management Plan (WRMP) A written description of the specific watershed runoff management measures and programs that each watershed group of Copermittees will implement to comply with this Order and ensure that storm water pollutant discharges in runoff are reduced to the MEP and do not cause or contribute to violation of water quality standards. Wet Season October 1 through April 30 of each year Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

38 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Table 1: Designated Beneficial Uses Laguna Coastal Streams Inland Surface Water AGR REC-1 REC-2 WARM WILD Coastal Streams Moro Canyon Emerald Canyon Boat Canyon Laguna Canyon Blue Bird Canyon Rim Rock Canyon Hobo Canyon Existing - Potential - Agricultural Supply (AGR) Includes uses of water for farming, horticulture or ranching. Contact Water Recreation (REC-1) - Includes uses of water for recreational activities involving body contact where ingestion of water is reasonably possible. Non-Contact Water Recreation (REC-2) - Includes uses of water for recreational activities involving proximity to water. Warm Freshwater Habitat (WARM) - Includes uses of water that support warm water ecosystems. Wildlife Habitat (WILD) - Includes uses of water that support terrestrial ecosystems. Source: Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

39 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Table 2: (d) List and TMDL Priority Schedule Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Type Name (d) List R Laguna Canyon Channel C Pacific Ocean Shoreline, Laguna Beach HSA, at Main Beach C Pacific Ocean Shoreline, Dana Point HSA, at Aliso Beach at West Street Calwater Watershed Pollutant/Stressor Source Estimated Size Affected Proposed TMDL Completion Sediment Toxicity Unknown Nonpoint Source 1.6 miles 2019 Unknown Point Source Urban Runoff/Storm Sewers Toxicity Source Unknown 1.6 miles Total Coliform Source Unknown 0.03 mile Indicator Bacteria Nonpoint Source 0.03 Mile 2005 Point Source Notes: 1. R River & Stream; E Estuary; C Coastal & Bay Shoreline; B Bays & Harbors 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

40 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Tables 3a-d: NALs Action Levels Table 3a: NALs General Constituent Action Levels for Discharges to Inland Surface Waters Parameter Units AMAL MDAL Instantaneous Basis Maximum Fecal Coliform MPN/100 ml 200 A 200 B - BPO Enterococci MPN/100 ml C BPO/OP Turbidity NTU - 20 BPO ph Units Within limit of 6.5 to 8.5 at all times BPO Dissolved Oxygen mg/l Not less than 5.0 in WARM waters and not less than 6.0 in COLD waters BPO Total Nitrogen mg/l See MDEL BPO Total Phosphorus mg/l See MDEL BPO Methylene Blue Active Substances (MBAS or surfactants) mg/l See MDEL BPO A Based on a minimum of not less than five samples for any 30-day period B No more than 10 percent of total samples may exceed 400 per 100 ml during any 30 day period C This Value has been set to Ocean Plan Criteria for Designated Beach Areas AMAL Average Monthly Action Level MDAL Maximum Daily Action Level BPO Basin Plan Objective OP Ocean Plan Table 3b: NALs Priority Pollutant Action Levels for Discharges to Inland Surface Waters Parameter Units FRESHWATER (CTR) SALTWATER (CTR) MDAL AMAL MDAL AMAL Cadmium ug/l * * 16 8 Copper ug/l * * Chromium III ug/l * * - - Chromium VI (hexavalent) ug/l Lead ug/l * * Nickel ug/l * * Silver ug/l * * Zinc ug/l * * CTR California Toxics Rule * - The NALs action levels for Cadmium, Copper, Chromium (III), Lead, Nickel, Silver and Zinc will be developed on a case-by-case basis because the freshwater criteria are based on site-specific water quality data (receiving water hardness) Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

41 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Table 3c: NALs General Constituent Action Levels for Discharges to Bays, Harbors and Lagoons/Estuaries Parameter Units AMAL MDAL Instantaneous Basis Maximum Total Coliform MPN/100 ml 1,000-10,000 BPO Fecal Coliform MPN/100 ml 200 A 400 B - BPO Enterococci MPN/100 ml C BPO Turbidity NTU OP ph Units Within limit of 6.0 to 9.0 at all times OP Priority Pollutants ug/l See limitations in Table 3b A Based on a minimum of not less than five samples for any 30-day period B No more than 10 percent of total samples may exceed 400 per 100 ml during any 30 day period C Designated Beach Areas AMAL Average Monthly Action Level MDAL Maximum Daily Action Level BPO Basin Plan Objective OP Ocean Plan Table 3d: NALs General Constituent Action Levels for Discharges to the Surf Zone Parameter Units AMAL MDAL Instantaneous Basis Maximum Total Coliform MPN/100 ml 1,000-10,000 1,000 A OP Fecal Coliform MPN/100 ml 200 B OP Enterococci MPN/100 ml C OP A Total Coliform density shall not exceed 1,000 per 100 ml when the ratio of fecal/total coliform exceeds 0.1 B During any 30 day period C Designated Beach Areas AMAL Average Monthly Action Level MDAL Maximum Daily Action Level OP Ocean Plan Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

42 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Table 4: Priority Pollutants and Sources Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Priority Pollutant Anthropogenic Sources Natural Sources HIGH Indicator bacteria (Total Coliform) Pet feces, sewer spills, food wastes, manure, decomposing landscape litter Wildlife feces, biofilms, decomposing organic material, sediments MEDIUM Sediment Toxicity Pesticides and trace metals bound to Anaerobic decomposition of organic debris sediment particles MEDIUM Toxicity Automotive byproducts, pesticides Groundwater chemistry MEDIUM Metals Atmospheric deposition, automotive Lithogenic geology of native soils byproducts, architectural uses, aging plumbing systems MEDIUM Turbidity Construction activities Suspended colloidal matter MEDIUM Dissolved Oxygen Fertilizer runoff, untreated sewage Excess organic matter, increased water temperatures MEDIUM Total Nitrogen Fertilizers, cleaning products, recycled water Decomposing organic material, sediments, wildlife feces, groundwater chemistry MEDIUM Total Phosphorus Fertilizers, cleaning products, recycled water Decomposing organic material, sediments, wildlife feces, groundwater chemistry MEDIUM MBAS Anionic surfactants MEDIUM ph Atmospheric acid deposition Lithogenic geology of native soils 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

43 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Figure 1: Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Land Use 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

44 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Figure 2: Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Parks/Open Space 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

45 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Figure 3: Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Monitoring Sites 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

46 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Figure 4: Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed TMDL and 303(d) Listed Water Bodies 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

47 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Figure 5: Relationship of Assessment Types to the Six Outcome Levels 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

48 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Figure 6: Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed BMP Sites 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan January 1, 2013

49 APPENDIX A Receiving Waters and MS4 Discharge Monitoring Program

50 RECEIVING WATER AND MUNICIPAL SEPARATE STORM SEWER SYSTEM MONITORING PLAN FOR OCTOBER 1, 2012 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2013 PURSUANT TO ORDER R Submittal to the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board September 4, 2012

51 TABLE OF CONTENTS Water Quality Monitoring Plan 1.0 INTRODUCTION Purpose and Organization of Monitoring Plan Program History FOURTH TERM PERMIT MONITORING PROGRAM UNDER ORDER R Mass Loading Station (MLS) Monitoring Background Site Selection Monitoring Protocols Urban Stream Bioassessment (USB) Monitoring Background Site Selection Monitoring Protocols Sediment Toxicity Special Study Ambient Coastal Receiving Water (ACRW) Monitoring Background Site Selection Monitoring Protocols Dana Point Harbor Regional Harbor Monitoring Program Special Study Coastal Storm Drain Outfall Monitoring Regional Bacteria Monitoring Wet Weather MS4 Discharge Monitoring Background Site Selection Monitoring Protocols Evaluating Monitoring Data Follow-up Investigations of SAL Exceedances Contingency for SAL Exceedances Non-Stormwater Dry Weather Action Levels...11 C Site Selection...12 C Non-stormwater Action Levels...12 C Monitoring Protocols...13 C Responses to NAL Exceedances...13 C-2.7 Other Special Studies Aliso Creek Bacteriological Investigation Stormwater Monitoring Coalition Regional Monitoring of Southern California Coastal Watersheds Sediment Toxicity Study Trash and Litter Impairment Investigation...15 Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

52 TABLE OF CONTENTS Tables Table 1 Fourth Term Permit Monitoring Program Elements...16 Table 2 Aqueous Chemistry Monitoring Requirements (for the MLS, USB, ACRW, NALs, and SALs* Programs)...17 Table 3 Toxicity Testing Requirements...17 Table 4 Toxicity Testing at Mass Loading Stations...18 Table 5 Toxicity Testing at ACRW Sites...18 Table 6 Stormwater Action Levels (SAL) MS4 Monitoring Locations...18 Table 7 Stormwater Action Levels...19 Table 8 SAL Stormwater Sampling Statistics from 2010 and 2011 Storm Seasons...19 Table 9 Non-stormwater MS4 Monitoring Sites...20 Table 10 NALs for Discharges to Inland Surface Waters...21 Table 11 NALs for Total Recoverable Metals...22 Table 12 NALs for Discharges to Enclosed Bays...22 Table 13 NALs for Discharges to the Surfzone...22 Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Evolution of NPDES Municipal Stormwater Permit Monitoring Program Mass Loading Station Monitoring Urban Stream Bioassessment Monitoring Ambient Coastal Receiving Waters Monitoring Regional Bacteria Monitoring Stormwater Action Level MS4 Monitoring Locations Non-Stormwater Action Level MS4 Monitoring Locations Responses to NALs Exceedances Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

53 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose and Organization of Monitoring Plan This purpose of this plan is to meet the requirement of Order No. R Waste Discharge Requirements for Discharges of Runoff from Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) Draining the Watershed of the County of Orange, the Incorporated Cities of Orange County, and the Orange County Flood Control District within the San Diego Region for the preparation and submittal of a Receiving Waters and MS4 Discharge Monitoring and Reporting Program. The goal of the plan is to ensure the effectiveness of management decision intended to protect or restore Orange County s surface water resources. The Receiving Waters and MS4 Discharge Monitoring and Reporting Program is comprised of six program elements which are: Mass Loading Stations Monitoring Urban Stream Bioassessment Monitoring Ambient Coastal Receiving Waters Monitoring Coastal Storm Drain Outfall Monitoring Wet Weather Discharge Monitoring Dry Weather Discharge Monitoring Each program element may comprise up to three components: Core Monitoring routine, ongoing measurements, analyzed with well defined methods, that address clearly defined questions related to small-scale or site specific problems and processes; Regional Monitoring periodic, collaborative, and larger-scale surveys, e.g. the Bight Study carried out be Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP), that use standardized sampling methods to collect a wide range of data across the entire region, and Special Studies tightly focused and relatively short-term studies typically involving exploratory data analysis methods, investigations of new measurement methods, problem characterizations, or one-time measurements of important processes. 1.2 Program History The County of Orange (the Principal Permittee), the Orange County Flood Control District and incorporated cities (all three collectively referred to as Permittees) first obtained NPDES Stormwater Permits No. CA and No. CA (subsequently referred to as the First Term Permits) from the Santa Ana and San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Boards in In 1996, the First Term Permits were Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

54 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN replaced by Permits Nos. CAS and CAS (subsequently referred to as the Second Term Permits) and these Permits were renewed by orders from the respective boards, in 2002 (Third Term Permits) and in 2009 (Fourth Term Permits). The overall evolution of the Orange County Stormwater Program s monitoring efforts during this period is illustrated in Figure 1. On December 16, 2010, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board - San Diego Region adopted Order No. R Waste Discharge Requirements for Discharges of Runoff from Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) Draining the Watershed of the County of Orange, the Incorporated Cities of Orange County, and the Orange County Flood Control District within the San Diego Region (Permit). Attachment E of Order No. R contains the requirements of the Receiving Waters and MS4 Discharge Monitoring and Reporting Program. According to Section III.A.1 of Attachment E, the Principal Permittee must submit by September 1 of each year, a detailed description of the monitoring programs that will be implemented during the upcoming year beginning on October 1. The following is a description of the Permittees monitoring plan for the year spanning October 1, 2012 to September 30, The monitoring program elements described in this plan are extensions of programs that were implemented in FOURTH TERM PERMIT MONITORING PROGRAM UNDER ORDER R According to Order R the Fourth Term Permit monitoring program is intended to meet the following goals: Assess the overall health of receiving waters Characterize stormwater discharges Assess the chemical, physical, and biological impacts to receiving waters resulting from MS4 discharges Detect and eliminate Illegal Discharges/Illicit Connections (ID/ICs) to the MS4 Identify sources of specific pollutants Prioritize drains and sub-drainage areas that need management actions Provide information to implement required BMP improvements Measure and improve the effectiveness of the Permittees runoff management programs Assess compliance with Order No. R The monitoring program design is intended to enable the Permittees answer the following questions: 1. Are conditions in the receiving waters protective, or likely to be protective, of beneficial uses? 2. What is the extent and magnitude of the current or potential receiving water problems? Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

55 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN 3. What is the relative MS4 discharge contribution to the receiving water problem(s)? 4. What are the sources of MS4 discharge that contribute to receiving water problem(s)? 5. Are conditions in receiving waters getting better or worse? The monitoring program contains the same elements of the monitoring program as implemented during Table 1 contains a list of the monitoring program elements and their requirements. Table 2 is the list of aqueous chemistry analytes for Mass Loading Stations (MLS), Urban Stream Bioassessment (USB) sites, Ambient Coastal Receiving Waters (ACRW) sites, and Non-stormwater Action Levels (NAL) and Stormwater Action Levels (SAL) MS4 monitoring sites. Table 3 summarizes of the toxicity testing requirements for all program elements Mass Loading Station (MLS) Monitoring Background The goal of the Mass Loading Monitoring Program is to Determine the role, if any, of urban stormwater discharges in the impairment of beneficial uses, Provide technical information to support effective urban stormwater management program actions to reduce the beneficial use impairment determined to be associated with urban stormwater, and Determine changes in receiving water quality over time. Continuing with permit efforts started in 1990 in response to the First Term Permit Monitoring Program Under 90-38, the Orange County Stormwater Program s monitoring efforts during this period have consisted of the following; Development of a long-term perspective for tracking trends in key pollutants and at high-priority locations. A specific focus on problem areas and issues. Attention to an expanding set of concerns related to stormwater such as, aquatic and sediment toxicity, emerging constituents of concern, and bioassessment. Assessments from the Mass Loading Monitoring Program will allow the Copermittees to address goals from Attachment E.I.A of the Order which include 1. Assess the chemical and biological conditions of receiving waters 2. Evaluate the extent and magnitude of the current or potential receiving water problems Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

56 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN 3. Evaluate if conditions in receiving waters are getting better or worse Site Selection Mass loading monitoring will continue to be conducted at the same sites monitored during previous years. These sites are Aliso Creek in Aliso/Wood Canyon Wilderness Park (ACJ01), Laguna Canyon Channel at Woodland Avenue (LCWI02), San Juan Creek at La Novia (SJNL01), Trabuco Creek at Del Obispo (TCOL02), Prima Deshecha Channel at Calle Grande Vista (PDCM01), and Segunda Deshecha Channel at Avenida Pico (SDCM02). Figure 2 is a map showing the location of each of these sites Monitoring Protocols Each site will be monitored during two stormwater events and during two periods of dry-weather flow. Barring the occurrence of a significant, un-forecasted rainfall event, each site will be monitored during the first storm of the season which meets the EPA criteria for representative storm. 1 The second stormwater monitoring of each site will be conducted after February 1st. The dry-weather monitoring at each site will occur between May 1st and September 30 th with each sampling separated by a minimum of three months. Dry weather monitoring will be coordinated with Urban Stream Bioassessment and Ambient Coastal Receiving Waters monitoring sites to the extent feasible. Water chemistry and toxicity testing composite samples will be collected with automatic samplers for dry and wet weather conditions in receiving water. Grab sampling will be used for fecal indicator bacteria, biochemical oxygen demand, and oil and grease, as appropriate. A grab sample of total petroleum hydrocarbons will be collected if a sheen is observed. A multi-parameter probe will be used to make in-situ measurements of ph, temperature, specific conductance, and dissolved oxygen. Discharge rate information will be gathered from the closest stream gauge to each water quality monitoring site. The dry-weather assessments will consist of 24-hour, time-weighted composite samples. The stormwater assessments will consist of a series of time-weighted, composite samples spanning the duration of the stormwater runoff event, up to 96 hours. The first composite sample from each storm will characterize the first flush. This first flush composite sample will be prepared from six discrete samples collected every 12 minutes beginning at the on-set of stormwater flow. The remainder of the stormwater event will be characterized by composite samples comprised of discrete samplings made bi-hourly beginning 3 hours after the on-set of stormwater flow. The toxicity testing that will be conducted on samples from mass loading sites will be conducted with freshwater and marine or estuarine organisms. Table 4 summarizes the tests that will be performed. Order R requires toxicity testing of dry weather discharges with marine organisms. Assessing the impacts of dry-weather discharges on the marine environment Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

57 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN is coordinated with monitoring conducted as part of the ACRW program. The impacts of dry-weather discharges on the marine environment from Aliso and San Juan Creeks, including Trabuco Creek, are coordinated and monitored as part of the ACRW program. The impacts of dry-weather discharges on the marine environment from Salt Creek are coordinated and monitored as part of the USB program. Order R requires toxicity testing unless the dry weather discharge is diverted to a sanitary sewer or if the impact of the dry-weather discharge is evaluated as part of the ACRW program element. Dry-weather discharges from Laguna Canyon Wash and Segunda Dechecha Channel are currently diverted to local sanitation districts. The required acute and chronic marine species toxicity assessments will be made using 48-hr and 7-day survival tests with Americamysis bahia. The Sea Urchin fertilization test will also be utilized since prior stormwater toxicity results from the MLS have shown a significant impact with this test. 2.2 Urban Stream Bioassessment (USB) Monitoring Background The goal of the Urban Stream Bioassessment Monitoring Program is to Evaluate the chemical, biological, and physical condition of receiving waters Determine the role, if any, of urban stormwater discharges in the impairment of beneficial uses, Identify specific pollutants, activities, or sources contributing to the impacts Provide technical information to support effective urban stormwater management; and, program actions to reduce impact associated with urban stormwater on stream biology and physical habitats. Aquatic chemistry, toxicity testing, bioassessment, and physical habitat assessments will provide multiple lines of evidence to characterize the conditions of freshwater habitat receiving waters. Assessments from the Urban Stream Bioassessment Monitoring Program will allow the Permittees to address goals from Attachment E.I.A which include: 1. Assess the chemical, physical, and biological conditions of receiving waters, 2. Evaluate the extent and magnitude of the current or potential receiving water problems; and, 3. Evaluate if conditions in receiving waters are getting better or worse Site Selection The monitoring locations include seven targeted urban sites and three reference sites (Figure 3) and sites within Region 9 annually selected by the Stormwater Monitoring Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

58 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN Coalition (SMC) for their Monitoring Program Regional Monitoring of Southern California s Coastal Watersheds Monitoring Protocols Monitoring will be conducted once annually in the late spring after the rainy season to coordinate the targeted site monitoring with the SMC regional program. Collection of benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs) will be conducted according to Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) protocols. 2 Calculation of the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) for each bioassessment will be performed using guidance from A Qualitative Tool for Assessing the Integrity of Southern Coastal California Streams by Ode, et al Monitoring of stream algae using the EPA s 1999 Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Wadeable Streams and Rivers 3 and SWAMP s Incorporating Bioassessment using Freshwater Algae into California s SWAMP 4 will be incorporated into annual assessments once the algae Index of Biotic Integrity has been developed and approved for NPDES monitoring purposes Sediment Toxicity Special Study Order R requires a special study to assess the linkage between sediment chemistry and toxicity with impacts on stream benthic macroinvertebrates. Four targeted sites in urban watersheds and one reference site will be selected to evaluate sediment chemistry and toxicity. Sediment chemistry will include analyses of metals, particulate bound pesticides, ph, total organic carbon, total sulfide, ammonia, and particle size distribution. Acute and chronic toxicity testing of sediments will be performed with Hyalella azteca. Sediment toxicity assessements will be coordinated with MLS monitoring sites to the extent feasible. 2.3 Ambient Coastal Receiving Water (ACRW) Monitoring Background The intent of the ACRW monitoring is to assess the impact of dry-weather and stormwater discharges from the MS4 on the coastal ecologically sensitive marine receiving waters. The goal of the Ambient Coastal Receiving Water Monitoring Program is to Determine the role, if any, of urban stormwater discharges impacts on marine coastal receiving waters, Identify specific pollutants, activities, or sources contributing to the impacts; and, Provide technical information to support effective urban stormwater management program actions to reduce the sources or causes of pollutants determined to be associated impacts to the marine coastal waters. Aquatic chemistry and toxicity testing, to characterize the conditions of marine coastal Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

59 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN receiving waters. Assessments from the ACRW Program will allow the Copermittees to address goals from Attachment E.I.A of the Order which includes: 1. Assessing the chemical and biological conditions of receiving waters, 2. Evaluating the extent and magnitude of the current or potential receiving water problems; and, 3. Evaluating if conditions in receiving waters are getting better or worse Site Selection The ACRW monitoring program focuses on sensitive marine habitat areas along coastline that receive MS4 discharges. The monitoring program focuses primarily on receiving water monitoring at MS4 outlets. Figure 4 is a map showing the ACRW monitoring locations Monitoring Protocols Surfzone monitoring downcurrent of discharges from the outlets provides a more direct assessment of receiving water impacts. Monitoring near the outlets of Aliso Creek, Laguna Canyon Channel, Salt Creek, and San Juan Creek will be conducted concurrently with the MLS or USB monitoring of those channels whenever feasible. Table 5 summarizes the toxicity tests that will be used in the ACRW program. A receiving water sample will only be collected if the discharge from the MS4 is hydraulically connected to the surfzone at the time of the site visit. If the connection exists, surfzone monitoring will be conducted 25 yards downcurrent of the stormdrainsurfzone interface Dana Point Harbor Regional Harbor Monitoring Program Monitoring of Dana Point Harbor as part of the ACRW program previously focused on assessing MS4 discharges during dry-weather and storms events and assessing sediment quality using a triad approach. Order R provided an allowance to suspend the Dana Point Harbor monitoring contingent upon Orange County s continued participation in the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board s Regional Harbor Monitoring Program (RHMP). The Program s monitoring of Dana Point Harbor continues to be implemented as part of the RHMP Special Study Ongoing special study monitoring during the year will continue to focus on assessing sources of pollutants and activities that contribute to impacts on the marine coastal receiving waters in Dana Point Coastal Streams watershed within the Salt Creek watershed area. A stakeholder technical workgroup formed to address the coastal receiving waters impacts will continue to review data collected from the special study. The workgroup s goal is to provide the technical information needed to support Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

60 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN effective urban stormwater management to reduce the sources of pollutant and activities contributing to the coastal receiving waters problems. 2.4 Coastal Storm Drain Outfall Monitoring Regional Bacteria Monitoring During , the Permittees will continue to participate in a collaborative regional monitoring program with the Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA) and local sanitation districts. The MS4 outlets will continue to be monitored during each weekly site visit. Figure 5 is a map showing the locations of these outlets Monitoring Protocols A sample from the MS4 will only be collected if the discharge from the MS4 is hydraulically connected to the surfzone at the time of the site visit. If the connection exists, surfzone monitoring will be conducted 25 yards upcoast and 25 yards downcoast of the stormdrain-surfzone interface. If no connection exists, a surfzone sample will be collected at the downcoast location. Water temperature and flow rate from the drain will be collected each site visit to extent feasible taking into account site safety concerns from high surf or unsafe conditions due to high tides. Bacteriological analyses from the regional program are performed by the HCA Public Health Laboratory in order to provide real-time information regarding potential beach postings and a need for follow up sampling to reassess conditions. 2.5 Wet Weather MS4 Discharge Monitoring Background Section D of Order No. R describes how Stormwater Action Levels (SALs) will be used to evaluate the quality of stormwater discharges from the MS4. Attachment E of Order No. R contains the requirements of the Receiving Waters and MS4 Discharge Monitoring and Reporting Program. Section II.B.1 of Attachment E describes the Wet Weather MS4 Discharge Monitoring requirements for major outfalls. This Wet Weather MS4 Discharge Monitoring Program will enable the Copermittees to address the following goals from Attachment E.I.A of the Order which includes: 1. Characterize stormwater discharges, 2. Identify sources of specific pollutants, 3. Prioritize drains and sub-drainage areas that need management actions, 4. Detect and eliminate illicit discharges and illicit connections to the MS4, 5. Provide information to implement required BMP improvements, 6. Assess the overall health of the MS4 during wet weather conditions, Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

61 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN 7. Measure and improve the effectiveness of the Copermittees runoff management programs; and, 8. Assess compliance with Order No. R Specifically, the Stormwater Action Levels Monitoring Program will allow Copermittees to evaluate 1. What is the relative MS4 discharge contribution to the receiving water problem(s) during wet weather conditions? 2. What are the sources of MS4 discharge that contribute to receiving water problem(s)? And, 3. Are the conditions getting better or worse? Site Selection The Permittees currently evaluate the quality of stormwater runoff through the Mass Loading and Ambient Coastal Receiving Waters (ACRW) Programs. Although the wet weather MS4 discharges are indirectly measured in the MLS and ACRW programs, the uncertainty of MS4 specific discharge quality cannot be assessed in the well mixed and episodic conditions observed in receiving waters. Section D.2 of Order R states the Permittees must develop their monitoring plans to sample a representative percentage of the major outfalls within each hydrologic subarea (HSA). The Permittees created a GIS database containing flood control drainage facilities, Permittee jurisdiction(s), hydrologic area (HA) and HSA designations. Using a random selection process, 1 major outfall was selected from each of the 14 HSAs and the San Mateo Canyon HA. The random selection process was repeated until an appropriate location could be identified: Outfall dimensions must meet EPA sizing criteria for major outfalls, Major outfall must discharge to waters of the United States, Outfall must be representative of the HSA, Outfall discharge quality must be measureable without interference from upstream receiving waters; and, Outfall discharge must be capable of being collected by an automatic sampler. Table 6 lists the SALs monitoring locations. Figure 6 is a map showing these locations. No major outfalls fitting the selection criteria were found in the Upper Trabuco, Gobernadora, or Middle San Juan HSAs. Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

62 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN Monitoring Protocols Two representative storms 7 will be monitored at each site during the reporting year. Local weather forecast information will be used to prepare for wet-weather MS4 sampling. Equipment will be staged if a storm is forecasted with a projected intensity of >0.10 inch with a 50% probability of precipitation 7. Composite sampling periods for each monitoring event will be 24 hours or the period of stormwater runoff (if stormwater runoff extends beyond 24 hours), whichever is shorter. Major outfall monitoring will be coordinated with mass emissions monitoring in the same watershed whenever possible. Sampling of the major outfalls will be conducted with automatic samplers programmed to initiate sampling once the water level in the outfall reaches a point representative of stormwater runoff and will collect two samples per hour for a 24-hour period. For storms extending beyond 24 hours, a composite sample will be prepared from the contents of all 24 bottles in the automatic sampler. For storms of less than 24 hours in duration, a composite sample will be prepared from the contents of only bottles containing stormwater runoff. At the end of each automatic sampling period, a grab sample of the receiving water will be collected for analysis of water hardness where appropriate. The physical properties (ph, specific conductance, temperature, and dissolved oxygen) of the major outfall discharge and its receiving water will also be measured with a multi-parameter probe at the time that the automatic sampler is serviced Evaluating Monitoring Data The compliance requirement for SAL exceedances begins on December 16, Section D.1 of the order states Beginning Year 3 after Order adoption date (December 16, 2009), a running average of twenty percent or greater of exceedances of any discharge of storm water from the MS4 to waters of the United States that exceed the Storm Water Action Levels (SALs)..will require each Copermittee to affirmatively augment and implement all necessary storm water controls and measures to reduce the discharge of the associated class of pollutants(s) to the MEP standard. The Copermittees must utilize the exceedance information when adjusting and executing annual work plans, as required by this Order. Copermittees shall take the magnitude, frequency, and number of constituents exceeding the SAL(s), in addition to receiving water quality data and other information, into consideration when reacting to SAL exceedances in an iterative manner Follow-up Investigations of SAL Exceedances Although Order R does not require management action until the 3 rd year after permit adoption, the Permittees have a proactive approach towards addressing an action level exceedance. Following an exceedances of the action levels shown in Table 7, Permittees perform a preliminary watershed reconnaissance investigation for potential Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

63 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN sources. In concert with that effort, the Permittees conduct a follow-up sampling during the next representative storm to assess if the cause of the exceedance is a transient or persistent source of pollution. In the event that an outfall demonstrates a persistent source of pollutants, a more comprehensive investigation into the causes of SAL exceedances will begin following the confirmation sampling event. Monitoring sites for the SALs program have been sampled a minimum of twice per storm season during the and seasons. With the data compiled, the Permittees are able to begin assessing the magnitude, frequency, and number of constituents exceeding the SALs at each outfall. Approximately 60 samples of stormwater runoff from SAL locations were collected during the and storm season. Table 8 is a summary of the statistical analysis of those data Contingency for SAL Exceedances If a source cannot be readily identified and eliminated, or cannot be shown to be nonanthropogenic, an evaluation of the impacts of the SAL exceedances on the receiving waters of the major outfall will be conducted. This evaluation may require additional monitoring of the major outfall and its receiving water. The additional monitoring may include determination of the outfall discharge load during composite sampling periods. If a mass emissions monitoring location is downstream of the major outfall, and the two sites were sampled during the same storm, the respective loads from the two sites will be compared. If a mass emissions monitoring station is not located downstream of the major outfall, supplemental monitoring of the major outfall and the receiving waters will be conducted. This monitoring will include composite sampling of the major outfall and the receiving waters upstream and downstream of the major outfall. 2.6 Non-Stormwater Dry Weather Action Levels Order R requires the Permittees to implement a Dry Weather Non-stormwater Discharge Monitoring Program to assess compliance with non-stormwater action levels (NALs) in Section C of the Order. The following subsections describe the NALs monitoring program implemented by the Permittees during the reporting year that will continue during the year. With the assessments the Copermittees will begin to address the goals from Attachment E.I.A. of the Order which includes: 1. Characterize non-stormwater discharges, 2. Identify sources of specific pollutants, 3. Prioritize drains and sub-drainage areas that need management actions, 4. Detect and eliminate illicit discharges and illicit connections to the MS4, 5. Provide information to implement required BMP improvements, 6. Assess the overall health of the MS4 during dry weather conditions; and, 7. Assess compliance with Order No. R Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

64 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN Specifically, the Non-Stormwater Action Levels program will allow Copermittees to evaluate 1. What is the relative MS4 discharge contribution to the receiving water problem(s) during dry weather conditions? 2. What are the sources of MS4 discharge that contribute to receiving water problem(s)? 3. Are conditions getting better or worse? Site Selection According to Order R , monitoring locations must be major outfalls 5, constituting a representative percentage of the major outfalls within each hydrologic subarea (HSA), or other outfall points identified by the Permittees as potential high risk sources of polluted effluent. Monitoring of the discharges from the major outfalls will include Table 2 constituents, chloride, sulfate, and additional markers that are indicative of human bacteria sources. Water hardness of the receiving waters upstream of the major outfalls will be monitored to compute the site-specific NALs for total recoverable metals in discharges to inland surface waters. The current NALs monitoring program consists of drains that were selected as follows: Drawn from subset of the targeted sites monitored during the Third Term Permit Dry Weather Reconnaissance program, Randomly selected major outfalls from HSAs that have no targeted drains. All of these drains had to meet the following criteria: The site was added to the Dry Weather Reconnaissance program to characterize the MS4, or because higher potential for an ID/IC was suspected in the respective watershed area. The drain must have sampleable receiving waters upstream and downstream of the discharge from the outfall in order to assess the impact of the major outfall on the receiving water. The random selection process was repeated until an appropriate location could be identified. Table 9 is a list of the non-stormwater action levels monitoring sites and Figure 7 is a map showing the locations relative to city and HSA boundaries Non-stormwater Action Levels The NALs were based on narrative and numeric objectives and criteria as outlined in the Basin Plan, the Water Quality Control Plan for Ocean Waters of California (Ocean Plan), and The State Policy for Implementation of Toxic Standards for Inland Surface Waters, Enclosed Bays and Estuaries (State Implementation Plan or SIP). Table 10 contains the NALs for general constituents in major outfalls discharging to inland surface waters. Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

65 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN The NALs for total recoverable metals are variable depending on the receiving water matrix. For cadmium, copper, chromium III, lead, nickel and silver in discharges to inland surface waters, the NAL is site specific and is dependent on the receiving water hardness. These NALs were derived from the California Toxics Rule (CTR) criteria for the protection of freshwater aquatic life. Table 11 lists the NALs for Total Recoverable Metals. Table 12 lists the NALs for discharges to Dana Point Harbor. Table 13 list NALs for discharges to the surfzone Monitoring Protocols Monitoring will be conducted using both field and laboratory based analyses to assess MS4 discharges. In addition to the required measurements of constituents and physical properties of the discharges from the major outfalls as described in Tables 2, the routine monitoring will include assessments of receiving water quality. These assessments will consist of collection of aqueous samples for analyses of NAL constituents (Table 10-13) and in-situ measurements of dissolved oxygen, ph, specific conductance, and temperature. Monitoring at each site consists of a combination of in-situ field measurements, grab samples for laboratory analyses, MS4 discharge measurements, and assessing the impact of MS4 discharges on receiving waters. Field analyses are conducted for turbidity, surfactants, ph, specific conductance, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and water hardness. Grab samples are collected for laboratory analyses as shown in Table 2. Any results indicative of an ID/IC at the time of a site visit will be referred directly to the respective Permittee authorized inspector Responses to NAL Exceedances Section C.2. of Order R states that In response to an exceedance of an NAL, each Copermittee must investigate and identify the source of the exceedance in a timely manner. However, if any Copermittee identifies exceedances of NALs that prevent them from adequately conducting source investigations in a timely manner, then the Copermittees may submit a prioritization plan and timeline that identifies the timeframe and planned actions to investigate and report their findings on all of the exceedances. Monitoring results from measurements conducted in the field (turbidity, dissolved oxygen, MBAS, and ph) exceeding an action level will be provided to the Permittee with jurisdiction in a timely manner in accordance with reporting time frames described in Order R Those results requiring analytical services by contract laboratories (total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total coliform, fecal coliform, Enterococcus, hexavalent Cr, total recoverable Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb, Ni, Ag and Zn) will be compiled by the Principle Permittee and made available to the respective Permittees. Once notified of a NAL exceedance, the respective Permittee will initiate a response Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

66 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN plan. Figure 8 is a flow-chart that provides a general outline of the actions that will be taken in the event of a NAL exceedance. In the event of notification of multiple NAL exceedances (single outfall or multiple outfalls within jurisdiction) the Permittee may elect to establish a prioritization plan for responding to each exceedance. Based on data from the Third Term Permit Dry Weather Reconnaissance Program the Permittees anticipate many instances of NAL exceedances for total nitrogen, total phosphorus, fecal indicator bacteria, and certain metals. Proactive response plans have been developed to assess the relative levels of impact from the outfall discharges on receiving waters to appropriately support a prioritization plan. For inland surface waters these assessments will be made 25 feet upstream and 25 feet downstream of the stormdrain-receiving waters interface. A sample of the receiving water upstream of the discharge will be analyzed for water hardness. For discharges to the coastal zone the measurements will be made 25 yards upcoast and 25 yards downcoast of the stormdrain. The results of the receiving water assessments will be used by the Permittees in their annual reports to document (requirement of Section C.3 of Order R ) any impacts from major discharges containing constituents above the NALs including the subsequent actions taken to identify and to effectively prohibit the non-stormwater discharge. The Copermittees have developed a model source identification guidance manual titled San Diego Region Dry Weather Numeric Action Level (NAL) Source Identification Guidance to aid Permittees in identifying and to effectively prohibiting the nonstormwater discharge. Flow charts were designed based on suggested approaches were designed for the Permittees efforts to achieve one of the management endpoints required by Order No. R which includes: Natural in origin and conveyance, Illegal discharge/illicit connection, Exempt category of non-stormwater discharges, Violation of a separate NPDES/WDR permit, or Unidentified source or activity 2.7 Other Special Studies Aliso Creek Bacteriological Investigation The Aliso Creek watershed stakeholders will continue their efforts under the Aliso Creek Directive Revised Monitoring Program Design Stormwater Monitoring Coalition Regional Monitoring of Southern California Coastal Watersheds (see also Regional Monitoring Programs) The Permittees will participate in the SMC s 5-year regional monitoring effort by Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

67 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN conducting bioassessments and physical habitat assessment at sites selected by the SMC (see Section 2.2 of this plan) Sediment Toxicity Study Order R requires a special study to assess the linkage between sediment chemistry and toxicity with impacts on stream benthic macroinvertebrates (see Section 2.2 of this plan) Trash and Litter Impairment Investigation The Permittees initiated a special study during the monitoring year, one year ahead of schedule. The Permittees will continue to implement the special study during the year as part of the continued data collection effort towards assessing the impacts of trash on receiving waters. A progress report detailing preliminary findings from the year is required with the Permittees Annual Program Effectiveness report. Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

68 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN Table 1 Fourth Term Permit Monitoring Program Elements Program Element Frequency per year per site No. of Sites Chemistry Toxicty Testing Biology* Physical Habitat Mass Loading Stations 4 6 X X X Urban Stream Bioassessment 1 10 X X X X Ambient Coastal Receiving Waters 2 11 X X X Coastal Storm Drain Outfall Mointoring X Stormwater Action Levels 2 12 X Non-stormwater Action Levels 2 25 X X Additional Special Studies Aliso Creek Bacteria Investigation TBD X Trash/Litter Impairment TBD X Sediment Chemistry/Toxicity 1 4 X X *Includes Indicator Bacteria CSDO - Coastal Stormdrain Outfall NALs Numeric Action Levels RHMP - Regional Harbor Monitoring Program SALs - Stormwater Action Levels TBD - To be determined by project workgroup or as defined in the program specific monitoring plan Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

69 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN Table 2 Aqueous Chemistry Monitoring Requirements (for the MLS, USB, ACRW, NALs, and SALs* Programs) Conventional Pesticides Metals Bacteria (total & dissolved) TDS Diazinon Arsenic Total Coliform TSS Chlorpyrifos Cadmium* Fecal Coliform Turbidity* Malathion Chromium Enterococcus Hardness Carbamates** Copper* ph, SC, T, DO Pyrethroids** Lead* Total P* Nickel* ortho P Selenium Nitrate + Nitrite* Zinc* Ammonia/TKN BOD 5 / COD TOC / DOC MBAS / O&G *Stormwater Action Levels Program required constituents **Required only in Prima and Segunda Deshecha watersheds Samples of the major outfall discharges and their receiving waters will be analyzed using USEPA or Standard Methods implemented for the Orange County Stormwater Program. Table 3 Toxicity Testing Requirements Program Dry Weather Stormwater Component FW Orgs Marine Orgs FW Orgs Marine Orgs MLS 2 chronic 1 chronic** 2 acute 2 chronic 2 acute 1 acute USB 2 chronic* 2 acute* N/A N/A N/A ACRW 2 chronic 2 chronic N/A N/A 1 acute 1 acute Sed Tox 1 chronic Spec Study 1 acute N/A N/A N/A * USB at Aliso Creek watershed sites must include Fathead Minnow ** DW toxicity at MLS sites may be omitted if flow is diverted or if covered by ACRW program at mouth of channel Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

70 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN Table 4 Toxicity Testing at Mass Loading Stations Freq Required Tests Third Term Permit Fourth Term Permit N/A CS, SG, FHMS@ N/A CS, HS, FHMS@ N/A MS, SUF Dry 2 2 chronic FW 2 acute FW 1 chronic SW* Storm 2 2 chronic SW 1 acute SW 2 acute FW MS, MG, SUD, SUF MS N/A MS, SUF MS CS, HS *Surfzone near outlet Prima Deschecha Channel Creek only CS Ceriodaphnia survival; SG Selenastrum growth, FHMS fathead minnow survival; SUD sea urchin embryo development; SUF sea urchin fertilization; HS Hyalella azteca survival; MS mysid survival; MG mysid growth Table 5 Toxicity Testing at ACRW Sites Freq Required Third Term Permit Fourth Term Permit Dry 2 2 chronic SW 1 acute SW MS, MG, SUF, SUD MS MS, SUF MS Storm 2 2 chronic SW 1 acute SW MS, MG, SUF, SUD MS MS, SUF MS Table 6 Stormwater Action Levels (SAL) MS4 Monitoring Locations Facility Drains to Jurisdiction HA HSA J01P08 Aliso Creek LF Laguna Aliso K01P07 Salt Creek LN Laguna Dana Point VICTRA* Pacific Ocean LB Laguna Laguna Beach IRVCOVE Pacific Ocean LB Laguna San Joaquin Hills No outfall met selection criteria Mission Viejo Gobernadoro L01P03 San Juan Creek SJC Mission Viejo Lower San Juan No outfall met selection criteria Mission Viejo Middle San Juan L02P32 Trabuco Creek RSM Mission Viejo Middle Trabuco L01TBN1 San Juan Creek SJC Mission Viejo Ortega L02TBN2 Trabuco Creek SJC Mission Viejo Lower San Juan L03P09 Oso Creek MV Mission Viejo Oso L08TBN1 Bell Canyon Creek RSM Mission Viejo Upper San Juan No outfall met selection criteria Mission Viejo Upper Trabuco M00P01* Pacific Ocean DP San Clemente Prima Deshecha M00TBN1 Segunda Deshecha SC San Clemente Segunda Deshecha M03P01 Christianitos Creek SC San Mateo Canyon Undefined Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

71 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN Table 7 - Stormwater Action Levels Constituent Units SAL Turbidity NTU 126 Nitrate+Nitrite as mg/ 2.6 N L P Total mg/ 1.46 L Cd Total ug/l 3.0 Cu Total ug/l 127 Pb Total ug/l 250 Ni Total ug/l 54 Zn Total ug/l 976 Table 8 - SAL Stormwater Sampling Statistics from 2010 and 2011 Storm Seasons Constituent Units N Min Max Median 90 th %>SAL percentile Turbidity NTU % Nitrate+Nitrite as mg/ % N L mg/ P Total % L Cd Total ug/l 59 < % Cu Total ug/l % Pb Total ug/l 59 < % Ni Total ug/l % Zn Total ug/l % Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

72 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN Table 9 Non-stormwater Action Level Monitoring Sites Site Code Type Receiving Water HSA HA AVJ01P27 T Aliso Creek Aliso Laguna AVJ01P28 T Aliso Creek Aliso Laguna COL02P55 R Trabuco Creek Middle Trabuco Mission Viejo COL07P16 Canada Gobernadora Gobernadora Mission Viejo DPL01S02 T San Juan Creek Lower San Juan Mission Viejo LBI02@CANAR Laguna Canyon Wash Laguna Beach Laguna LBIRVCOVE Pacific Ocean San Joaquin Hills Laguna LFJ01P01 T Aliso Creek Aliso Laguna LFJ01P05 T Aliso Creek Aliso Laguna LHJ05P01 T Aliso Creek Aliso Laguna LHL04P02 La Paz Creek Oso Mission Viejo LNJ03P13 T Sulphur Cr Aliso Laguna LNK01P07 R Salt Creek Dana Point Laguna LWJ01ASVM T Aliso Creek Aliso Laguna MVJ01P03 T Aliso Creek Aliso Laguna MVL02P14 Trabuco Creek Middle Trabuco Mission Viejo MVL03P09 T Oso Creek Oso Mission Viejo RSML11P01 T Tijeras Creek Upper San Juan Mission Viejo SCBS@M02 T Segunda Deschecha Channel Segunda Deshecha San Clemente SCM01@CGV Prima Deshecha Channel Prima Deshecha San Clemente SCM03P01 T Christianitos Creek Undefined San Mateo SJCL01@CC T San Juan Creek Lower San Juan Mission Viejo SJCL01S01 T San Juan Creek Lower San Juan Mission Viejo SJCL01S09 San Juan Creek Ortega Mission Viejo SJCL01TBN1 T San Juan Creek Lower San Juan Mission Viejo R Random Site, T - Targeted from Third Term Permit Dry Weather Reconnaissance Program Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

73 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN Table 10 NALs for Discharges to Inland Surface Waters Parameter Units AMAL MDAL Inst. Max Basis Fecal Coliform MPN(CFU)/ A, 400 B BPO ml Enterococci MPN(CFU)/ C BPO/OP ml Turbidity NTU 20 BPO ph Units Within limit of 6.5 to 8.5 BPO at all times Dissolved mg/l >5.0 in WARM waters; >6.0 in BPO Oxygen COLD waters Total Nitrogen mg/l 1.0 BPO Total mg/l 0.1 BPO Phosphorus MBAS mg/l 0.5 BPO A Based on a minimum of not less than 5 samples in a 30-day period B No more than 10% of the total samples may exceed 400/100 ml during any 30- day period C This value has been set to Ocean Plan criteria for Designated Beach Areas BPO Basin Plan Objective OP Ocean Plan MDAL Maximum Daily Action Level AMAL Average Monthly Action Level Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

74 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN Table 11 NALs for Total Recoverable Metals FW CTR SW SIP/CTR Parameter Units MDAL AMAL MDAL AMAL Cadmium ug/l * * Copper ug/l * * Chromium III ug/l * * - - Chromium VI ug/l Lead ug/l * * Nickel ug/l * * Silver ug/l * * Zinc ug/l * * *Based on receiving water hardness; see formulas in Section Table 12 NALs for Discharges to Enclosed Bays Parameter Units AMAL MDAL Inst Max Basis Total Coliform MPN(CFU)/100 ml ,000 BPO Fecal Coliform MPN(CFU)/100 ml 200 A,400 B - BPO Enterococcus MPN(CFU)/100 ml C BPO Turbidity NTU OP Total Metals ug/l See SW SIP/CTR above SIP ph Units Within 6.0 to 9.0 at all times OP A Based on a minimum of not less than 5 samples in a 30-day period B No more than 10% of the total samples may exceed 400/100 ml during any 30- day period C Designated Beach Areas BPO Basin Plan Objective OP California Ocean Plan 2005 SIP Policy for Implementation of Toxic Standards for Inland Surface Waters, Enclosed Bays and Estuaries of California MDAL Maximum Daily Action Level AMAL Average Monthly Action Level Table 13 NALs for Discharges to the Surfzone Parameter Units AMAL MDAL Inst Max Basis Total Coliform MPN(CFU)/100 ml ,000 OP 1000 A Fecal Coliform MPN(CFU)/100 ml 200 B OP Enterococcus MPN(CFU)/100 ml C OP A Total coliform density shall not exceed 1000/100 ml when the fecal/total ratio exceeds 0.1 B During any 30-day period C Designated Beach Areas OP California Ocean Plan 2005 Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

75 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN REFERENCES 1) 40 CFR (g)(7)Storm water discharges. For storm water discharges, all samples shall be collected from the discharge resulting from a storm event that is greater than 0.1 inch and at least 72 hours from the previously measurable (greater than 0.1 inch rainfall) storm event. Where feasible, the variance in the duration of the event and the total rainfall of the event should not exceed 50 percent from the average or median rainfall event in that area. 2) Ode, P.R Standard operating procedures for collecting macroinvertebrate samples and associated physical and chemical data for ambient bioassessments in California. California State Water Resources Control Board Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) Bioassessment SOP ) 1 EPA, Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Wadeable Streams and Rivers. EPA-841-B ) Fetscher, E. A., and K. McLaughlin Incorporating bioassessment using freshwater algae into California's Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP). Southern California Coastal Water Research Project. Costa Mesa, CA 5) 1From 40 CFR Part Part (b)(5) and (b)(6) Major municipal separate storm sewer outfall (or major outfall ) means a municipal separate storm sewer outfall that discharges from a single pipe with an inside diameter of 36 inches or more or its equivalent (discharge from a single conveyance other than circular pipe which is associated with a drainage area of more than 50 acres); or for municipal separate storm sewers that receive storm water from lands zoned for industrial activity (based on comprehensive zoning plans or the equivalent), an outfall that discharges from a single pipe with an inside diameter of 12 inches or more or from its equivalent (discharge from other than a circular pipe associated with a drainage area of 2 acres or more). 6) Major outfall means a major municipal separate storm sewer outfall. 7) Storm water discharges. For storm water discharges, all samples shall be collected from the discharge resulting from a storm event that is greater than 0.1 inch and at least 72 hours from the previously measurable (greater than 0.1 inch rainfall) storm event. 40 CFR (g)(7) Order No. R Orange County NPDES Copermittees Monitoring Plan

76 Figure 1 Evolution of NPDES Municipal Stormwater Permit Monitoring Program First Term Permit Track compliance Estimate stormwater pollutant loads Identify pollutant sources with wet/dry weather field screening Address areas of special concern Second Term Permit Continue First Term Permit monitoring Track compliance Re-evaluate priority issues Develop Plan Second Term Plan Track compliance Document environmental quality trends at "Warm" Spots Assess conditions at Critical Aquatic Resources (CARs) Evaluate stormwater's contribution to beneficial use impairment Third Term Permit Track compliance Continue trends monitoring Address expanded set of issues Bioassessment (taxonomy) and physical habitat assessment Toxicity Pathogen indicators in coastal stormdrains and receiving waters Impacts to environmentally sensitive coastal receiving waters Enhanced dry weather reconnaissance of MS4 connections Fourth Term Permit Track compliance Continue trends monitoring Continue pathogen monitoring of coastal stormdrains Continue monitoring environmentally sensitive coastal receiving waters Assess environmental quality with MLE (multiple lines of evidence) where possible e.g. chemistry, taxonomy, toxicity, physical habitat Address expanded set of issues Enhancement of source investigation methods Trash and litter impairment investigations Sediment chemistry and toxicity at bioassessment sites Wet weather discharges to the MS4 from major outfalls relative to stormwater action levels (SALs) Non-stormwater discharges to the MS4 from major outfalls relative to numeric action levels (NALs) "Warm" Spots refers to sites with pollutant levels that were elevated relative to long-term County averages CARs refers to critical aquatic resources, sites with greater beneficial use potential

77 FIGURE 2 Mass Loading Station Monitoring UPPER TRABUCO LAKE FOREST 73 1 UNINC. SAN JOAQUIN HILLS LCWI02 LAGUNA BEACH LAGUNA WOODS ACJ01 73 ALISO VIEJO LAGUNA HILLS ALISO LAGUNA NIGUEL 5 MISSION VIEJO OSO MIDDLE TRABUCO RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA 241 GOBERNADORA Region 9 UNINCORPORATED UPPER SAN JUAN P a c i f i c O c e a n Mass Loading Site LAGUNA BEACH DANA POINT DANA POINT SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO SJNL01 TCOL02 LOWER SAN JUAN PDCM01 ORTEGA PRIMA DESHECHA SDCM02 74 MIDDLE SAN JUAN SAN CLEMENTE SEGUNDA DESHECHA UNDEFINED Los Angeles County ORANGE COUNTY C a l i f o r n i a ORANGE COUNTY San Bernardino County Riverside County City Jurisdiction Hydrologic Sub-Area SAN DIEGO REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD REGION 9 Watercourse County Jurisdiction Miles San Diego County

78 FIGURE 3 Urban Stream Bioassessment Monitoring 405 LAKE FOREST UPPER TRABUCO REF-TCAS 73 1 UNINC. SAN JOAQUIN HILLS LC-133 P a c i f i c O c e a n LAGUNA BEACH LAGUNA WOODS 73 UNINC. ALISO VIEJO LAGUNA BEACH AC-CCR Urban Stream Bioassessment Site **SC-MB may be moved upstream City Jurisdiction Hydrologic Sub-Area Watercourse County Jurisdiction LAGUNA HILLS ALISO LAGUNA NIGUEL DANA POINT SC-MB** DANA POINT 5 MISSION VIEJO OSO SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO MIDDLE TRABUCO TC-DO Miles SJC-CC LOWER SAN JUAN RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA ORTEGA PRIMA DESHECHA GOBERNADORA MIDDLE SAN JUAN SEGUNDA DESHECHA SD-AP SAN CLEMENTE REF-BC Region 9 CC-CR UNDEFINED UNINCORPORATED UPPER SAN JUAN REF-CS Los Angeles County ORANGE COUNTY C a l i f o r n i a ORANGE COUNTY San Bernardino County Riverside County SAN DIEGO REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD REGION 9 San Diego County 24 August 2010 S:\GIS\mxds2\mxds_County\MS4_Monitoring_Plan_2010\Fig3_SDR_Bioassess_Sites_2010.mxd

79 FIGURE 4 Ambient Coastal Receiving Waters Monitoring 405 LAKE FOREST UPPER TRABUCO UNINC. SAN JOAQUIN HILLS LB-1 LB-2 P a c i f i c O c e a n LB-3 LB-4 LAGUNA BEACH 133 LAGUNA BEACH Ambient Coastal Receiving Water Site City Jurisdiction Hydrologic Sub-Area Watercourse County Jurisdiction Miles LAGUNA WOODS UNINC. ACM1 73 SCM1 ALISO VIEJO LAGUNA HILLS ALISO LAGUNA NIGUEL NI-1 DANA POINT DANA POINT SJC1 DAPTEB 5 MISSION VIEJO OSO SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO DSB5 MIDDLE TRABUCO LOWER SAN JUAN RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA ORTEGA PRIMA DESHECHA GOBERNADORA SAN CLEMENTE DSB-4 DSB-3 DSB-2 DSB1 74 MIDDLE SAN JUAN SEGUNDA DESHECHA Region 9 UNDEFINED UNINCORPORATED UPPER SAN JUAN Los Angeles County ORANGE COUNTY C a l i f o r n i a ORANGE COUNTY San Bernardino County Riverside County SAN DIEGO REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD REGION 9 San Diego County 24 August 2010 S:\GIS\mxds2\mxds_County\MS4_Monitoring_Plan_2010\Fig4_SDR_ACRW_Sites_2010.mxd

80 FIGURE 5 Regional Bacteria Monitoring UPPER TRABUCO UNINC LAGUNA BEACH SAN JOAQUIN 1 HILLS ELMORO LAGUNA BEACH EMRLD MAINBC HEISLR VICTRA CLEO PEARL BLUBRD LAGUNA WOODS DUMOND 73 ALISO VIEJO ALISO LAGUNA HILLS LAGUNA NIGUEL 5 LAKE FOREST MISSION VIEJO LOWER SAN JUAN OSO RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA MIDDLE TRABUCO GOBERNADORA Region 9 UNINCORPORATED UPPER SAN JUAN C a l i f o r n i a BLULGN ACM1 WEST DANA POINT SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO ORTEGA MIDDLE SAN JUAN ORANGE COUNTY P a c i f i c O c e a n Regional Bacteria Site City Jurisdiction Hydrologic Sub-Area Watercourse County Jurisdiction SCM1 DANA POINT DSB5 PRIMA DESHECHA SJC1 DSB4 CSBMP DSB1 CSBBR Miles SEGUNDA DESHECHA SAN CLEMENTE POCHE SCCS17 SCCS52 PICO MARIPO LINDAL PIER TRFCYN LADERA RIVERA UNDEFINED Los Angeles County ORANGE COUNTY San Bernardino County Riverside County SAN DIEGO REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD REGION 9 San Diego County

81 }þ73 FIGURE 6 Stormwater Action Level MS4 Monitoring Locations }þ1!( IRVCOVE UNINC. SAN JOAQUIN HILLS P a c i f i c O c e a n }þ133 LAGUNA BEACH LAGUNA!( BEACH VICTRA !( Stormwater Action Level Site City Jurisdiction Hydrologic Sub-Area Watercourse County Jurisdiction LAGUNA WOODS }þ73 ALISO VIEJO UNINC. LAGUNA NIGUEL K01P07 ALISO DANA POINT LAGUNA HILLS 5!( L01TBN1!( DANA POINT !( M00P01!( LAKE FOREST MISSION VIEJO L03P09!( SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO LOWER SAN JUAN !( J01P08 L02P32!(!( }þ241 OSO RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA L01TBN2 ORTEGA PRIMA DESHECHA M00TBN Miles SAN CLEMENTE MIDDLE TRABUCO GOBERNADORA }þ74 MIDDLE SAN JUAN M03P01!( SEGUNDA DESHECHA L08TBN1!( Region 9 UNDEFINED UPPER TRABUCO UNINCORPORATED UPPER SAN JUAN Los Angeles County ORANGE COUNTY C a l i f o r n i a ORANGE COUNTY San Bernardino County Riverside County SAN DIEGO REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD REGION 9 San Diego County 18 August 2011 S:\GIS\mxds2\mxds_County\SDR_MS4_Monitoring_Plan_ \Fig6_SDR_SALs_Sites_ mxd

82 }þ73 FIGURE 7 Non-Stormwater Action Level MS4 Monitoring Locations }þ1 LBIRVCOVE!( UNINC. SAN JOAQUIN HILLS P a c i f i c O c e a n }þ133!( Non-Stormwater Action Level Site City Jurisdiction Hydrologic Sub-Area Watercourse County Jurisdiction LAGUNA WOODS LFJ01P01!(!( LAGUNA HILLS MVL03P09 }þ73!( LHJ05P01!(!(!(!( LHL04P02 AVJ01P28 AVJ01P27 MVL02P14!( LAGUNA ALISO BEACH!( COL02P55 VIEJO!( LBI02@CANAR!( LOWER LNJ03P13 SAN LAGUNA UNINC. ALISO JUAN BEACH LAGUNA NIGUEL 5!( LNK01P07 SJCL01S09!( DANA POINT SJCL01S01!( DANA POINT DPL01S02!(!( LFJ01P05!( MVJ01P03 LWJ01ASVM LAKE FOREST MISSION VIEJO SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO OSO !( SJCL01@CC!( SJCL01TBN1 SCM01CGV!( ORTEGA PRIMA DESHECHA Miles RANCHO SANTA MIDDLE MARGARITA TRABUCO !( }þ241 RSML11P01 GOBERNADORA SAN CLEMENTE SEGUNDA DESHECHA !( SCBS@M02!( COL07P16 }þ74 MIDDLE SAN JUAN Region 9 UNDEFINED !( SCM03P01 UPPER TRABUCO UNINCORPORATED UPPER SAN JUAN Los Angeles County ORANGE COUNTY C a l i f o r n i a ORANGE COUNTY San Bernardino County Riverside County SAN DIEGO REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD REGION 9 San Diego County 18 August 2011 S:\GIS\mxds2\mxds_County\SDR_MS4_Monitoring_Plan_ \Fig7_SDR_NALs_Sites_ mxd

83 Figure 8 Responses to NAL Exceedances Non-Anthropogenic Exceedance of NAL No Continue Monitoring 3 yrs No Exceedances Discontinue Monitoring / Substitute New Site Yes Initiate Source Investigation in a Timely Manner* or Document Rationale for No Further Action ID/IC detected Eliminate Discharge within 14 days of Source ID Submit Plan & Timeframe to Eliminate Source Unable to Eliminate Source within 14 days Exempted Category Unable to ID source Source Eliminated *Timely Manner: JURMP Dir. F.4. Within 2 business days of receiving DW field screening data or 5 business days of receiving lab data Initiate study: Isolated incident or should category be considered an illicit discharge? Report Findings in Next PEA Report Findings to RB9 within 14 days of Source ID ID Pollutant as High Priority Pollutant of Concern in tributary sub-watershed Additional Monitoring. Report Findings and Recommendations in PEA

84 APPENDIX B: Regional BMP Effectiveness and Description

85 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN 1. Bacteria Pollutant BMPs This appendix details the results of literature review efforts conducted by the Aliso Creek Watershed Permittees to determine the effectiveness of bacteria reduction Best Management Practices (BMPs) applicable to the development of the Aliso Creek, San Juan Creek and San Clemente Coastal Streams Watershed Comprehensive Load Reduction Plans (CLRPs). Research conducted and data collected during development of the CLRPs has been used to update the 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan since the CLRPs and the Watershed Workplan share many of the same water quality goals. 1.1 Storm Water Quality Standards Task Force Staff of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board and other members of the Stormwater Quality Standards Task Force (SWQSTF) in 2009 conducted a BMP evaluation and economics analysis. This evaluation and analysis yielded a comprehensive list of BMPs found throughout the Country and the Southern California region. The list was eventually approved as an amendment into the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Boards Basin Plan. Additional information on the Proposed Basin Plan Amendments can be found on the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board s website at the following link: Table B-1 below, summarizes the results of the SWQSTF s literature review. BMP effectiveness results from this analysis were reviewed and compared to results found in the Watershed Permittee Bacteria BMP literature review found in Section 1.2 for consistency. Table B-1- Initial Literature Review Stormwater Bacteria BMPs (Prepared for the Stormwater Quality Standards Task Force, April 2009) Bacteria BMP Type Storm? Parameter Mean Influent #/100 ml Mean Effluent #/100 ml n Percent Removal Construction Cost (excluding land costs) Annual O & M Cost Source Comments Wet Basins (Retention ponds, wet ponds, wet extended detention ponds, stormwater ponds, retention basins). Retains permanent pool. Water Treatment BMPs Y FC NR 99 N FC NR 99 CalTrans (2004) study in SoCal CalTrans (2004) study in SoCal FC $ /ft³ BMP db; Fremont, CA FC Typically Up to $10,000 <$100,000 per per pond BMP db; Largo, FL FC acre BMP db; Valhalla, NY Y FC NR Schueler (2000); ON Y FC NR Schueler (2000); ON Y E. coli NR NR Schueler (2000); ON May attract wildlife which could increase bacteria concentrations Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan B-1 January 1, 2013

86 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Construction Cost (excluding land costs) Bacteria BMP Type Storm? Parameter Mean Influent #/100 ml Mean Effluent #/100 ml n Percent Removal Y E. coli NR NR Schueler (2000); ON Mallin et al. (2002); NC Y/N FC Annual O & M Cost Source Comments Dry Basins (Dry ponds, detention or extended detention basins or ponds). Designed to empty within several days. Constructed Wetlands (Stormwater wetlands, wetland basins, shallow marshes, extended detention wetlands). "Essentially shallow wet basins." Media Filters Y FC NR Y FC NR Y FC Y FC $ /ft³ Typically < $100,000 per acre $3,100-10,000 per pond CalTrans (2004) study in SoCal; storm CalTrans (2004) study in SoCal; storm USGS (2004) study in USVI Harper et al. (1999) study in FL N E. coli MSAR (2009) N FC MSAR (2009) Y E. coli MSAR (2009) Y FC MSAR (2009) Y/N FC Hinds et al. (2004); Columbus N FC LN & COO (2004); Laguna Niguel N FC LN & COO (2004); $ /ft³, or Laguna Niguel $26,325- $1,500- LN & COO (2004); 98 N FC ,485/acre of 2,700/hectare Laguna Niguel wetland LN & COO (2004); E. coli 99 N Laguna Niguel LN & COO (2004); E. coli 94 N Laguna Niguel LN & COO (2004); E. coli 88 N Laguna Niguel Y FC NR 76 CalTrans (2004) study $6,600-18,500 per in SoCal FC NR acre drainage 5% of City of Austin (1997) Total $230,000- construction Glick et al. (1998); Y NR NR 36 $485,000 in So costs CA Austin, TX FC Unlined Concrete lined Underground filters could promote bacterial growth 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan B-2 January 1, 2013

87 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Bacteria BMP Type Storm? Parameter Disinfection (UV, ozone, chlorine) Diversion Vegetated Swales or Channels (Grassed channels, dry swales, retention swales). Only includes those features with little to moderate soil infiltration. Mean Influent #/100 ml N FC 32800** 16** Mean Effluent #/100 ml n Percent Removal 99.9% (inversely proportional to turbidity) 100% of diverted fraction Construction Cost (excluding land costs) For facilities to treat 1,250-5,000 cfs peak flow: $ million for ozone, $ million for UV $14,400-2,071,000 for diversions of up to 0.5 MGD in Orange County Annual O & M Cost Source Comments $534, ,000 for ozone, $248, ,000 for UV **County of Orange (2008) $2,800-83,000 RBF (2003) Y FC NR -19 BMP db; Altadena, Caltrans (2004) Y FC NR 99.9 BMP db; Carlsbad, Caltrans (2004) Y FC NR -129 BMP db; Cerritos, Caltrans (2004) N E. coli MSAR (2009); dry N FC MSAR (2009); dry $0.50/ft² Y E. coli % of (<$35,000 for 3 ft MSAR (2009); wet construction Y FC x 21 ft x 1,000 ft costs MSAR (2009); wet swale) BMP db; Downey, Y FC NR -62 Caltrans (2004) Y FC NR 3 BMP db; Lakewood, Caltrans (2004) BMP db; Vista, CA, Caltrans (2004) FC NR 82 Caution is required in safe handling of toxic chemicals, and to ensure no toxic residues remain in discharge. **Figures are from a Clear Creek UV treatment system. Treatment facilities may not be capable of handling the excess flow due to runoff. Costs assume existing sewer infrastructure has sufficient capacity to treat diversion. Possible groundwater contamination in areas with sandy soils and shallow aquifers Y Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan B-3 January 1, 2013

88 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Bacteria BMP Type Storm? Parameter Infiltraton Basins & Trenches Low Impact Development (LID) Mean Influent #/100 ml Mean Effluent #/100 ml n Percent Removal Volume Reduction BMPs Y FC <23 9 >99 Y E. coli <6.9 9 >99 Y FC 500 ND Y FC ND Y E. coli ND-120 ND 8 >99 Y FC 230 ND 5 >99 Y E. coli 310 ND 5 >99 100% for infiltrated fraction Construction Cost (excluding land costs) $ /ft³ <$110,000 per 1 ac basin Annual O & M Cost Source Comments <$3,000 per basin or trench No data. N/A N/A Source Control BMPs Agricultural BMPs No data Variable Variable Public Variable (up to No data Education/Outreach $1,000,000+) Variable Routine Inspection/Maintenance of Sewer and Septic No data Variable Variable Systems NR = Not reported; ND = Not detected Cost estimates from CASQA (2003), Olivieri et al. (2007), RBF (2003), and Narayanan & Pitt (2006) Shaded percent removal values were not statistically significant BMP categorization scheme mostly from Minton (2002) and Olivieri et al. (2007) LASGRWC (2005) USEPA (1999); Arvind & Pitt (2006) Possible groundwater contamination in areas with sandy soils and shallow aquifers 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan B-4 January 1, 2013

89 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN 1.2 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Permittee Bacteria BMP Literature Review Considerable literature review efforts conducted as part of the development of the neighboring Aliso Creek CLRP development have been utilized as a basis for BMP analysis in the Laguna Streams Watershed Workplan. Unlike the SWQTSF s literature review and analysis, this approach specifically targets the Aliso Creek and adjacent watershed BMP implementation and management strategies through collaboration with Watershed Permittees. Based on BMP effectiveness data provided by Watershed Permittees and similar regional programs, watershed BMPs were summarized and ranked into three categories of effectiveness. The following details existing, planned, and future structural and non-structural BMPs targeting bacteria pollutants within the Aliso Creek Watershed and throughout the region. BMPs are discussed according to their effectiveness. Highly Effective-BMP is associated with large reductions of pollutant loadings. High effectiveness was rated to those BMPs that could bring outflow from the BMP into REC-1 compliance. Effective-BMP has measurable reduction of pollutant loadings, but should be used in a treatment train (multiple BMPs strategically clustered) in order to increase efficiency. Low/Potentially Effective- BMP effectiveness in pollutant load reduction is measurable, but not considered significant. "Potential Effectiveness BMPs are included in this category to represent some BMPs that have performed at the same level of effectiveness as Low, but have not been fully evaluated for effectiveness, and will need additional time before definitive results are established. Potential Effectiveness rated BMPs may have also shown promise in the field by reducing other pollutants of concern that normally contribute to the establishment of bacterial contamination. 1.3 Highly Effective Bacteria BMPs BMPs in this category are structural in nature and highly effective in reducing pollutant loadings. Two highly effective BMP types have been implemented in the Aliso Creek Watershed; media filtration with UV (ultra violet), and wetland treatment. Media Filtration UV The J01P28 treatment BMP located near Woodfield Park has had high success in the treatment of bacteria and shows a significant decrease in bacteria concentration and loadings in the channel outfall when operational; the treatment system is three-part with sand and clay media filters, and UV light. Data that shows the performance of the J01P28 Clear Creek Treatment in spring and early summer 2004 and late summer 2008 provided by the County of Orange is shown in Table B-2 below Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan B-5 January 1, 2013

90 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Date Table B-2- J01P28 Clear Creek Treatment System Performance Evaluation Total Coliform (CFU/100 ml) Pretreatment - Intake Fecal Coliform (CFU/100 ml) Enterococcus (CFU/100 ml) Total Coliform (CFU/100 ml) Post treatment Outflow Fecal Coliform (CFU/100 ml) Enterococcus (CFU/100 ml) 4/9/2004 >200,000 >200,000 96,000 1, /14/04 167, ,000 4,400 2,110 1,040 <10 4/20/04 >200,000 >200,000 38,000 36,000 3,500 1,560 4/22/04 95,000 21,000 45,000 2, /29/04 >200, ,000 15, /5/04 >200,000 >200,000 34, <10 5/14/04 184, ,000 16, /19/04 116,000 75,000 18, /26/04 >200, ,000 17,400 1, /28/04 18,300 14,000 11,400 1, ,480 6/2/04 171, ,000 41, /10/04 192,000 33,000 71, ,520 1,340 6/18/04 139, ,000 11,300 1, /23/04 31,000 14,400 4,800 1,540 1, /29/04 129,000 69,000 49,000 12,700 3,300 4,600 6/26/ <90 <9 <9 9/10/ <90 <9 <9 9/11/ <9 9/15/ <9 <9 <9 9/18/ <90 <9 <9 Data collected from the influent and effluent water of this BMP shows (table B-1 above) substantial reductions in the 2004 and 2008 data. In the 2004 data set, REC-1 standards were not consistently met; in the 2008 data set the REC-1 standards were met at the outfall. However, once the treated effluent meets Aliso Creek, elevated bacteria concentrations within the Creek negate any net benefit of the BMP downstream. This indicates that the location of the BMP is critical and may only be appropriate if localized bacteria reduction efforts are needed (such as at a beach outlet). Since the implementation of J01P28 in 2004, problems with the maintenance and operation of the site have hindered its performance. This caused unexpected expenses in the operation of the system as well as significant non-operational times. By 2011, many of these operational issues were worked out, and the BMP has seen an improvement in performance including a 96% effectiveness for the removal of bacteria. Wetland Treatment Bacteria reduction in wetlands is achieved through filtration and interception in the wetland, predation from nematodes and micro-organisms, die-off, and UV exposure. The wetland BMPs evaluated showed that wetlands through this natural filtration process can be highly effective in reducing bacteria loads at point of discharge Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan B-6 January 1, 2013

91 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Several treatment BMP projects have been implemented within the Aliso Creek Watershed. Two include the Wood Canyon Emergent Wetland Program and the Wetland Capture and Treatment network, or WetCAT. The Wood Canyon Emergent Wetland Program The Wood Canyon Emergent Wetland Program is located at the headwaters of Wood Canyon Creek and treats 298 acres of residential runoff from the J02P08 storm drain, by using a train of meandering structural wetland retaining basins and native wetland plants. The BMP has proven to work well for the treatment of fecal bacteria groups as shown in sample collection and analysis at the influent and effluent of the project (Table B-3). Effluent samples from the emergent wetland show a decrease in bacteria with fecal coliform concentrations in all but one sample below REC CFU/100 ml criteria. Enterococcus concentrations were also reduced but only met REC-1 standard at one sample. Based on this data average reductions are as follows: total coliform 93%, fecal coliform 98%, and Enterococcus 98%. Sample Location Wetland Inlet Table B-3- Performance of Wood Canyon Emergent Wetland Project Parameter 5/31/06 6/14/06 7/12/06 8/23/06 3/19/07 5/21/07 6/13/07 7/11/07 8/13/07 Total Coliform CFU/100 ml Fecal Coliform CFU/100 ml Dry Weather Tolerance Intervals 120,000 27,000 53,000 19,000 75,000 17,000 11,000 78,000 58, ,000 14,000 4,800 5,100 9,200 18,000 1,700 8,000 3,000 2,300 95,000 Wetland Outlet Enterococcus CFU/100 ml Total Coliform CFU/100 ml Fecal Coliform CFU/100 ml Enterococcus CFU/100 ml 72,000 8,600 19,000 24,000 64,000 12,000 20,000 12,000 14,000 53, , <10 95, <10 53,000 J03P02 Wetland Capture and Treatment Network (WetCAT) The WetCAT Program was implemented to treat dry flow residential and urban runoff from the J03P02 storm drain. WetCAT has three separate wetland treatment areas along the J03P02 storm drainage area, north, west, and east. Much like the Wood Canyon Emergent Wetland program, the WetCAT utilizes retaining pond residence time (low gradient meandering and retention) and re-established native wetland plants to conduct biofiltration. Effectiveness monitoring of the WetCAT has shown decreases in bacteria effluent concentrations, particularly in fecal coliform Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan B-7 January 1, 2013

92 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN As seen in the Tables B-4 and B-5 below, greater than a 95% reduction of bacteria concentrations were observed from 2002 to 2003 as a result of the North and East wetland treatment networks. The West wetland was originally built in 1991 as mitigation for the development of a residential area in the J03P02 watershed. Table B-6 shows pre- and post- enhancement of the West wetland with four shallow berms to spread and store water within the natural marsh habitat. Though the reductions from pre- and postenhancement implementation are similar, it should be noted that additional drainage areas to expand the treatment area were routed towards the site during the implementation of the West WetCAT. Table B-4- Performance of North WetCAT North WetCAT Total Coliform Fecal Coliform E.coli Enterococcus Apr-Dec Inflow Outflow %Reduction Inflow Outflow %Reduction Inflow Outflow %Reduction Inflow Outflow %Reduction 2003 Mean 98, , , , Median 53, , , , Geometric Mean 42, , , , Table B-5- Performance of East WetCAT East WetCAT Total Coliform Fecal Coliform E.coli Enterococcus Apr-Dec Inflow Outflow %Reduction Inflow Outflow %Reduction Inflow Outflow %Reduction Inflow Outflow %Reduction 2003 Mean 294,590 9, , , , Median 42,000 3, , , , Geometric Mean 38,471 2, , , , Table C-6- Performance of West WetCAT Pre And Post Implementation 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan B-8 January 1, 2013

93 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Pre WetCAT Total Coliform Fecal Coliform E.coli Enterococcus 1/01-1/02 Inflow Outflow %Reduction Inflow Outflow %Reduction Inflow Outflow %Reduction Inflow Outflow %Reduction Mean 49,192 5, , , , Median 13,000 2, , , , Geometric 17,909 2, , , , Mean Post WetCAT Total Coliform Fecal Coliform E.coli Enterococcus 1/01-1/02 Inflow Outflow %Reduction Inflow Outflow %Reduction Inflow Outflow %Reduction Inflow Outflow %Reduction Mean 72,846 4, , , ,382 1, Median 20,000 1, , , , Geometric Mean 24,632 2, , , , Diversion Structures Several channels in Orange County and Los Angeles County use diversion to treat urban run-off. Twenty planned and implemented diversion structures have been utilized in the Santa Monica Bay, Los Angeles County. Several diversion channels/structures have been implemented in Orange County including: San Juan Creek and Salt Creek in Dana Point, Talbert Channel, the Santa Ana River, Greenville channel, and six throughout Laguna Beach. The City of Laguna Beach has implemented several dry weather diversions to treat urban runoff in the Laguna Coastal watershed. These BMPs have proven to be 100% effective at the treatment of 75% of their annual flows in dry weather, thus reducing their bacteria loadings by 75%. The South Coast Water District Water Harvest Project will seek to divert 300,000 to 800,000 gallons per day of Aliso Creek water based on customer demand for recycled water and creek flow. Based upon current conditions within the Creek and restrictions under permitting for project it is estimated that 14% of Creek flow may be diverted over 58% of the year resulting in a possible 8% reduction in bacteria loads Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan B-9 January 1, 2013

94 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Ozone Treatment The Ozone treatment plant in Dana Point treats virtually 100% of dry weather runoff from Salt Creek above the creek s terminus at Monarch Beach (there may be short hour periods when maintenance occurs when the plant is treating the flows, but when operational the plant treats 100% of the dry weather flows). A recent presentation provided at the 2011 CASQA Conference, provided recent monitoring data collected by the City of Dana Point that shows substantial bacteria reductions based on influent (untreated) and effluent (treated) data (Table B-7). On average the Ozone and Trash separation BMP are 99% effective in dry weathers. The treatment plant has succeeded in significantly reducing the amount of beach postings at Monarch Beach & Salt Creek Beaches, so much so that they have been deleted from the 303(d) List for Bacterial Impairments for Recreational Use. Table B-7. Influent and Effluent Data- Dana Point Ozone Treatment Plant Bacteria Indicator Total Coliform (MPN/100mL) Fecal Coliform (MPN/100mL) Enterococcus (MPN/100mL) Untreated Treated Min 2,400 4 Max 160,000 2,400 Ocean Plan Standard Design Parameters 10,000 9,000 % Removal Ave 54, Min Max 90, Ave 7, Min Max 16, Ave 3, Bioretention The California Stormwater Quality Association s California Storm water BMP Handbook-New Development/Redevelopment, 2003, states that bioretention BMPs are highly effective at the removal of bacteria (90% removal rate). However, the handbook claims that as of 2003, there had been no bioretention BMPs put in place in California. The rating of this BMP was based on high success rates on the east coast. Bioretention BMPs rely on the infiltration of retained waters into the underlying soil. Any implementation of this BMP would need to consider constraints due to the type of soil and the need for a subdrain system. 1.4 Effective Bacteria BMPs Irrigation Controllers Irrigation control appears to be a potentially effective BMP in the reduction of fecal bacteria groups in receiving water, but need further monitoring and data analysis for verification. Two projects showing promising findings were the Prop 13 SmarTimer Evapotranspiration Irrigation Control Study and the SmarTimer Edgescape Evaluation Project (SEEP) Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan B-10 January 1, 2013

95 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN The Prop 13 SmarTimer study was a pilot project conducted in the J01P08 subwatershed in Aliso Creek to evaluate the reductions in runoff through irrigation controllers and the replacement of turf grass with low water use native vegetation landscapes. Project objectives were met with participation of ten percent of residential areas within the subwatershed. As part of a watershed wide BMP effectiveness statistical study (Statistical Analysis of BMP Effect in the Aliso Creek Stream System, 2008) a significant correlation was found between project BMP implementation and a reduction of bacteria at the J01P08 pipe. The objective of the SEEP study was also to assess the effectiveness of implementing select irrigation control BMP strategies to decrease surface runoff/flow from overwatering. BMPs included: irrigation controllers, improved irrigation systems, pervious edgescaping, and drought tolerant plants. Further data is needed to verify BMP effectiveness but since an average of a 40% flow reduction was observed, a 40% reduction in bacteria loadings could be used as an estimate for predicting the performance of future water conservation projects. Poche Creek UV sterilization Poche Creek UV (ultraviolet) sterilization treatment site appears to be a promising BMP for reducing influent fecal bacteria groups as measured in effluent water. Unlike the J01P28 site, the Poche Creek site does not utilize clay and sand filters prior to UV treatment, which reduces necessary maintenance but diminishes the UV device s treatment potential. Initial data indicates that the Poche Creek UV treatment site is achieving 1 log removal of bacteria constituents, likely due to influent water s high Total Suspended Solids concentration. Initially the effluent from the Poche Creek Treatment system like the Salt Creek Treatment system discharged into a scour pond prior to flowing to the ocean. Conclusions in Improving Water Quality Through California's Clean Beach Initiative: An assessment of 17 projects, 2009 stated that UV sterilization effectiveness is also diminished if the structure is not placed at the terminus of the creek, or water is allowed to pond prior to discharge into the marine environment. Modifications to the Poche system have been made to discharge effluent directly to the ocean. An evaluation of the effectiveness of this system modification is ongoing. Narco Channel Restoration Project (Sub-project to the Sulphur Solution project) The Narco Channel Restoration project restored 1,000 feet of channel next to the Laguna Niguel Regional Park. The project dredged, widened, and terraced existing rock and earthen trapezoidal channel to provide habitat for flora and fauna. Native wetland vegetation was planted within the stream channel and native riparian vegetation was planted on the banks. Monitoring data conducted by the County of Orange in the summer of 2008 and 2009 showed reductions in bacteria concentrations when comparing samples taken upstream of the channel improvements to samples taken downstream. Bacteria reductions are as follows: total coliform 35%, fecal coliform 30%, and Enterococcus 40% 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan B-11 January 1, 2013

96 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN An analysis of 2009 project data by the City of Laguna Niguel shows that the project may have a higher effectiveness of bacteria removal than County monitoring originally indicated; this could be attributed to the establishment of vegetation and natural riverine processes at the site. The new data indicates that bacteria concentrations downstream of the restoration site has averaged 59% less than upstream since monitoring began in Due to the widened channel cross section and increased vegetative biofiltration area, the site has reduced wet weather flows by 10%. The 10% flow reduction in could help reduce bacteria loadings in wet weather by 10%. Sand Filters Sand filters were rated as an effective BMP in a recent article in Stormwater Magazine (Can Stormwater BMPs Remove Bacteria? New Findings from the International Stormwater BMP Database, May 2008), based on the performance of several sand filters throughout the region, and the nation. Three sand filters were included in the analysis. On average those filters showed an 81% reduction in the fecal coliform concentrations. A sand filter treatment system was installed in the Aliso Creek watershed to treat run-off from the Munger Storm Drain. During the short time it was operational the Munger Sand Filter was able to effectively treat bacteria loadings from the drain (Table B-8), but only at well below its planned capacity. The Munger Drain Sand Filter is being redesigned to increase the treatments systems capacity. Fecal Indicator Bacteria Munger Drain Influent (Drain Outlet) Table B-8- Munger Sand Filter Performance Influent Wet Well Sand Filter Effluent Sand Filter Efficiency % Removal Relative to Munger Drain Relative Filter Efficiency %Removal Geomean, CFU/100mL Total Coliform 17,652 30, Fecal Coliform Enterococcus Upper Sulphur Creek Restoration Project The City of Laguna Niguel restored a 1.5 mile segment of Upper Sulphur Creek located within the City of Laguna Niguel. The restoration project consisted of three areas: upper, central, and lower reaches. Key to the project was the central reach where the existing v-ditch channel was removed, the channel was widened, and native vegetation enhancements were implemented. Cumulatively enhancement and restoration efforts in the 1.5 mile project area segment decreased bacteria loadings by an estimated 56%. J03P01 Restoration Project Similar to the Upper Sulphur Restoration Project, the J03P01 drainage restoration project restored a 900 foot segment of creek by removing the existing v-ditch concrete channel, widening and re-grading the banks of the channel and implementing native vegetation 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan B-12 January 1, 2013

97 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN enhancements. Effectiveness of the projects restoration efforts saw a decrease in fecal coliform concentrations by 30%. Future Channel Restoration Projects Two projects involving restoration along large segments of creeks within the Aliso Creek watershed are currently planned: the English Creek Aquatic Habitat Restoration Project, the Aliso Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project, and the Dairy Fork Restoration Project. When compared with the reductions observed as a result of the Narco Channel Restoration Project the planned activities are promising in their potential reduction of bacteria loadings. The focus of the English Creek Aquatic Habitat Restoration Project is to promote aquatic and habitat restoration by increasing slope stabilization and structural modifications to prevent scour at bridge crossings and at storm drain outfalls along English Creek a tributary to Aliso Creek. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is currently writing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) that will outline the chosen management measure for future design and construction. The Aliso Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project area includes the mouth of Aliso Creek, and the Creek area from the South Coast Wastewater Authority Treatment Plant to Pacific Park Drive. The final baseline conditions report the project was completed in December The next phase of the study will look at a number of project alternatives. Project restoration efforts will likely focus on grade stabilization, and enhancements to the riparian habitat to the lower 5 miles of the creek. 1.5 Low/Potentially Effective BMPs BMPs identified as having low/potential effectiveness in the Aliso Creek watershed for bacteria are catch basin inserts and non-structural BMPs. Catch Basin Inserts/Screens Catch basin inserts and screens collect organic debris, sediment, and trash that would otherwise migrate to the creek/ocean and serve in providing bacteria a growth medium. A study by Laguna Niguel showed the catch basin screens were effective at reducing trash and particulate loads by about 85% for dry weather. Based on the catch basin s performance in filtering particulates bound by bacteria, it is being assumed that these BMPs can have a bacteria load reduction of up to 85%. However, a watershed wide BMP effectiveness statistical study did not identify any significant reductions in bacteria concentrations associated with catch basin insert installations in subwatersheds to Aliso Creek. Further study is needed to more clearly define catch basin insert effectiveness. Non-structural BMPs Based on a statistical analysis of BMPs effectiveness in the Aliso Creek watershed (Statistical Analysis of BMP Effect in the Aliso Creek Stream System, 2008) using data from , nonstructural BMPs in the watershed were categorized as not effective. Non-structural BMPs include activities such as street sweeping, inspections, and education and outreach. These 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan B-13 January 1, 2013

98 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN activities attempt to reduce migration of materials and promote changes in behavior of residents that lead to the introduction of pollutants into local waterways. Evaluation for effectiveness of non-structural BMPs are more difficult to isolate and thereby quantify. Their implementation represents intuitive actions that would likely contribute to pollutant load reduction and should not be dismissed at this point. Changing behavior is a long-term commitment and the positive impacts from behavioral changes may not yet be seen in the receiving waters. An analysis of Aliso Creek watershed progress form has shown that substantial bacteria load reduction have occurred since watershed baseline conditions were established from 2001 to 2002 modeled conditions. Part of this watershed progress is assumed to be from non-structural activities. 2. Bacteria Pollutant Special Studies In addition to BMP efforts special studies are important to understanding and controlling pollutant loading within a watershed. Through a literature review the following bacterial special studies were identified for the region. Additional efforts are expected to be important part of understanding effective strategies and development of pollutant load reduction plans. Statistical Analysis of BMP effect in the Aliso Creek Watershed, Orange County and Neptune Inc., June 2008 The intent of this study was to conduct a statistical analysis on the effectiveness of dry weather BMP efforts within the Aliso Creek watershed using data collected in June September in This report concluded that the longer term non-structural BMPs (education and inspections) were not creating an observable impact while improvement was observed in relation to structural BMPs implementation (treatment facilities, wetland treatment, and irrigation controllers). Identification of Retrofitting Opportunities Watershed HSPF Model Development Draft Report, Orange County Stormwater Program, December 2008 The intent of this modeling study was to propose BMP types and locations throughout the watershed that could be utilized in the reduction of bacteria/pollutants. Expected average reductions (based on industry standards) from BMPs were modeled with the Best Management Practice Evaluation module (BMPRAC) in HSPF for wet weather conditions. Additional information is needed to calibrate the model to improve its accuracy including: water quality storm monitoring data, land use specific monitoring, fecal pathogen data, and dry weather flow and concentration data. The results of the preliminary modeling indicate that implementation of all structural BMPs evaluated by the model for the Aliso Creek watershed would result in an average total load reduction of fecal coliforms of 10% during wet weather Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan B-14 January 1, 2013

99 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Microbial Source tracking in Small Urban Watershed Indicates Wild Animals and Growth as the Source of Fecal Bacteria, May 2007 Three independent microbial source tracking methods were applied in a subwatershed of the Aliso Creek during the summer of Fifty seven (57) samples were analyzed for human adenovirus and enterovirus, Enterococci and E.coli were tested for Antibiotic resistance analysis, and PCR for animal (human, domestic, and wild animal) specific toxin genes. E.coli toxin markers indicated the presence of toxin genes specific to bird, rabbit, and cow. The study concluded that bird, wild animal feces, soil amendments and fecal coliform regrowth in the storm drain are the primary sources of bacteria within the subwatershed. Multi-tiered Approach Using Quantitative PCR to Track Sources of Fecal Pollution Affecting Santa Monica Bay, Feb This study completed by SCCWRP and several other participants involved identifying the extent of types of microbial contamination in the Ballona Watershed. By using a series of approaches researchers were able to isolate the spatial area in the watershed that had high anthropogenic sources. This provided invaluable information for managers trying to balance regulatory burdens and public safety. The study found consistently high levels of fecal bacteria throughout the Ballona Creek Watershed; no single tributary dominated fecal inputs. Human fecal inputs were detected 86% and enteroviruses 39% of the time. The results indicated the value and power in using a multitiered approach in the assessment and quantification of fecal contamination of freshwater in areas of high value beneficial uses. Assessment of microbial contaminants pertinent to swimming related illnesses at Doheny Beach, Orange County, CA, SCCWRP 2007 Preliminary findings are that although elevated bacteria levels at the beach are believed to be non-anthropogenic in source, most likely due to the large population of seagulls at the mouth of the creek, a statistically significant correlation was found between elevated levels of indicators and reported swimmer illnesses. Recreational Water Contact and Illness in Mission Bay CA, SCCWRP March 2005 This study could not find a correlation between high bacteria concentrations and human illnesses due to water contact (swimming) in Mission Bay. The study did find that sources of bacteria in Mission Bay were not of human origin, and were primarily from avian sources. Enumeration and Speciation of Enterococci Found in Marine and Intertidal Sediments and Coastal Water in Southern California, Orange County Public Health Laboratory This study found that there were high concentrations of bacteria within intertidal sediments at storm drain outfalls and that certain indicators, primarily Enterococci can subsist and regrow in the sediment and be re-suspended by wave action and tidal cycles. In addition Enterococci speciation testing found that 13.8% of all isolates tested were environmental species associated with plants and soils and rarely associated with human infection. This intertidal deposition could be partly responsible for bacteria exceedances and beach postings which may not correspond with recent fecal contamination Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan B-15 January 1, 2013

100 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN San Juan Creek Study, Orange County Stormwater Program, March 2007 to October 2008 The purpose of this study was to investigate the lower portion and near-shore area of the San Juan Creek watershed in order to better characterize bacteria loads from natural sources and seasonal variances. The study had three main goals 1) to characterize and quantify the sources of baseline data (anthropogenic and natural sources), 2) to identify the locations of impairment(s) in the lower one mile stretch of creek, 3) aid stakeholders in the development of source reduction plans to meet future San Juan Creek bacteria TMDLs. Preliminary findings indicate three sources account for 57.6% of the variability and 98.4% of the overall sampled bacteria loading from the watershed. The native bird population in San Juan Creek accounts for the single largest percentage of bacteria variability and mass contribution in dry weather flows to the Pacific Ocean Shoreline at Doheny State Beach. The birds in San Juan Creek contributed 82.3% of the total Enterococci mass discharged to the Pacific Ocean, followed by influences from sediment bound bacteria re-suspension contributing 13.4% of the total mass, and the impaired section of San Juan Creek, the lowest one mile reach, contributing 2.70% of the Enterococci mass Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan B-16 January 1, 2013

101 APPENDIX C: Benefit Cost Analysis

102 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Benefit Cost Analysis As part of the development of Comprehensive Load Reduction Plans (CLRP) for the neighboring Aliso Creek watershed and nearby San Juan Creek and San Clemente Coastal Streams watersheds, a Benefit Cost Analysis was conducted for planning bacteria Best Management Practice (BMP) implementation activities within those watersheds, and which can be applied throughout the region. BMPs included in this Benefit Cost Analysis were chosen due to their high level, or potentially high level of pollutant removal effectiveness based upon a 2009 literature review conducted in the neighboring Aliso Creek Watershed (see Appendix B). These BMP types are to be used as a recommendation and may not be feasible watershed wide (i.e. land constraints, budget, City strategy). The Benefit-Cost Analysis has 2 main objectives: 1. Compute the average cost of proposed Fecal Indicator Bacteria (FIB) BMPs based on existing information and the benefit of each proposed FIB BMP based on expected performance. 2. Calculate the Benefit-Cost Ratio of each BMP. BMPs chosen for the benefit cost analysis include: Conservation- Irrigation Controller Retrofits and Improvements Structural Constructed Wetland and Diversion Units Non-structural- Education and Outreach, Pet Waste Bags, Catch Basin Cleaning, and Street Sweeping Additional Studies- Watershed Microbial Source Tracking, Bacteria Attenuation Studies, Reference Watershed Studies, and Watershed Modeling. All cost and effectiveness information for the BMP types listed above were collected from the County of Orange and South Orange County City stakeholders and were intended to give average costs and effectiveness based on existing, or planned projects. A summary of cost information and effectiveness collected for each BMP type is as follows: Conservation BMP Costs and Effectiveness Irrigation Controllers Planning, Operations and Maintenance (O&M), and capital costs for the implementation of irrigation controllers covering a 274 acre treatment area was used to determine the total cost of the water irrigation controller project for 1 and 25 years. Planning for the life of the project was estimated to be $300,000(25 years), O&M for the replacement of irrigation controllers is $766,000 (25 years), and capital cost is $516,993 (25 years).the total 1 year cost is $816,993. Over 25 years the project cost is $1,583,043, or $63,322 annually per every 274 acres of treatment area. Irrigation controllers are assumed to have a dry weather effectiveness of a 40% reduction in bacteria load based on their ability to reduce dry weather flows by 40% Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan C-1 January 1, 2013

103 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Structural BMP Costs and Effectiveness Constructed Wetlands Planning and design capital, and O&M costs, along with project treatment area were used to determine the total cost of a typical constructed wetland over 1 and 25 years. Costs were averaged based on the City of Laguna Niguel s WetCAT (Wetland Capture and Treatment Project) and the City of Aliso Viejo s Wood Canyon Emergent Wetland Project. The project sites have an average area of 418 acres. The average planning and design cost was $55,000, the average O&M cost per year was $17,500, and the average capital cost was $301,500, which gives a total 1 year cost of $374,000. Over 25 years the project cost would be $794,000, or $31,760 annually per every 418 acres of treatment area. Based on influent and effluent monitoring of these wetland treatment BMPs, an average dry weather effectiveness of 95% was determined. Diversions Planning and design capital, and O&M costs, along with the project treatment area and treatment capacity for each diversion unit was used to determine the total cost of a typical diversion over 1 and 25 years. Costs were averaged based on the City of Laguna Beach s Clean Beach Initiative Diversion unit project. Average treatment area for the 6 diversion units was62 acres. The average planning and design cost was $36,250, the average O&M cost per year was $7,624, and the average capital cost was $198,159, which gives a total 1 year cost of $242,033. Over 25 years, the project cost would be $425,009, or $17,000 annually per every 62 acre treatment area, for 75% of all flows(wet weather flows not diverted for treatment). Since 75% of all water is diverted and treated, the effectiveness of diversion units is assumed to be 75%reduction in dry weather bacteria loads. Note that unlike most cities within the Aliso Creek Watershed the City of Laguna Beach has its own sewer department and available capacity to send diverted drain runoff to the South Orange County Waste Water Authority at no added cost. Non- Structural BMP Costs and Effectiveness Non-Structural Program Total annual non-structural program costs for the County of Orange, City of Aliso Viejo, City of Laguna Hills, and the City of Laguna Niguel were collected to develop a cost for a typical non-structural program in the Aliso Creek Watershed. The City of Aliso Viejo s non-structural program was used as a conservative estimate for anticipated costs for 1 and 25 years for their City area (3,611 acres). Total 1 year costs are $125,250 and 25 year costs would be$3,131,250, or $125,250 per year. In 2009, Neptune and Associates conducted a BMP effectiveness statistical analysis, which determined that a correlation between non-structural BMP activities and improved watershed water quality conditions was difficult to establish. The study concluded that additional monitoring would be needed to better characterize the effectiveness of watershed non-structural BMPs. As a conservative placeholder in the benefit cost analysis, 1% effectiveness has been assigned Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan C-2 January 1, 2013

104 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Additional Studies Costs and Effectiveness Reference Watershed Study-A study is currently underway to provide data on bacteria, nutrients, and metals concentrations in natural reference watersheds ( monitoring by SCCWRP). The total project cost for the region is estimated to be $1,751,268. The estimated total Aliso Creek cost share for 1 and 25 years is $300,000. The estimated 25 year annual Aliso Creek cost share for the study is $12,000. A 20%dry weather and 10% wet weather reduction of the bacteria TMDL compliance target for the entire TMDL watershed area (22,315 acres) is anticipated as a result of the study. Watershed Modeling- Watershed wide modeling for the entire watershed (22,315 acres) is estimated to cost $300,000 for 1 and 25 years, and $12,000 annually for 25 years. It is assumed that modeling would give watershed stakeholders a better understanding of pollutant loadings, source, and transport, and could help reduce watershed pollutants by up to 10%. Watershed wide modeling would provide stakeholders with the needed tools to better assess the sources, transport, and fate of pollutant loads and the refinement of BMP implementation locations. Benefit-Cost Ratio (B-C Ratio) The Benefit Cost Ratio Table C-1, calculates the average cost per acre per percent removal. As an example, the average treatment wetland in the watershed has a one year cost of $391,500, treats 418 acres, and has a removal effectiveness of 95%. To find the Cost per Acre per %Removal uses the following calculation: (1 year cost of $391,500 / by 418 acres) / 95% removal= $986 per Acre per % Removal Results in this analysis can be found in Table C-1 under the 25-year and 1-year B-C Ratio columns Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan C-3 January 1, 2013

105 2013 LAGUNA COASTAL STREAMS WATERSHED WORKPLAN Table C-1 Benefit-Cost Analysis for Dry Weather Action Conservation Annual Cost over 25 Years 1st Year Cost Area Treated (acres) Load Reduction % 25 Year Cost per Acre per % Removal 1st Year Cost per Acre per % Removal SEEP Type BMPs $ 63,322 $ 816, % $ 578 $ 7,454 Structural Measures Treatment Wetlands $ 31,760 $ 391, % $ 80 $ 986 Diversion Units $ 17,000 $ 242, % $ 366 $ 5,205 Non-Structural Measures Model Program $ 3,131,250 $ 125, % $ 86,714 $ 3,469 Additional Studies Reference Watershed Study $ 12,000 $ 300,000 22,315 20% $ 3 $ 67 Watershed Modeling $ 12,000 $ 300,000 22,315 10% $ 5 $ 134 NOTES Cost: the total cost of the activity over a 25-year life cycle Area Treated: in acres, the area to which the % load reduction is applied % Load Reduction: how much the bacteria load is reduced Cost per Acre per % Removal: Calculated by dividing cost by area and this result by load reduction 2013 Laguna Coastal Streams Watershed Workplan C-4 January 1, 2013

106 APPENDIX D: BMP Worksheets

107 Dry Weather Diversions Watershed: Laguna Coastal Streams Lead Entity: City of Laguna Beach Date Constructed: 2005 Pollutants Addressed: BMP Objectives: BMP Description: Operations & Maintenance: Monitoring/Performance Standards: BMP Effectiveness Assessment: All, including nuisance flow Divert nuisance flows during dry weather for zero pollutant loads to receiving waters. Dry weather diversion systems which directs dry weather nuisance flows to the sanitary sewer, in lieu of the receiving waters. O&M Requirements/Costs: Monthly monitoring & reporting, Annual flow meter calibration and maintenance, and Fees for flows diverted. Bacteria TMDL compliance SOCWA permit requirements

108 SmarTimer/Edgescape Evaluation Project (SEEP) Watershed: Lead Entities: Laguna Coastal Streams Date Constructed: 2008 Pollutants Addressed: BMP Objectives: BMP Description: Operations & Maintenance: Monitoring/Performance Standards: BMP Effectiveness Assessment: Cities of: Aliso Viejo Laguna Beach Laguna Woods Municipal Water District of Orange County Bacteria Nutrients Pollution prevention by conversion of high-impact landscaping to lower-impact; reduction in demand for water, nutrients and pesticides; improve irrigation efficiency; reduce stormwater and nuisance runoff. Using a rebate approach, 153 smart irrigation controllers were installed in 16 different subdrainage areas in 10 cities across South Orange County, benefiting 2,400,000 square feet of landscaped area. Other irrigation and planting improvements were implemented on a subset of the sites. Landscape maintenance provided by private property owners. The project included a water quality monitoring program with statistically analyses as reported in the Final Report to the State Water Resources Control Board and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Average dry-weather runoff decreased from 0.3 /day to 0.03 /day at single-family subdrainages. Bacteria discharge load decreased by 75%+ and nutrient discharge load decreased by up to 10% more than at control sites. It is noteworthy that irrigation runoff at the Lake Forest municipal site was reduced and water quality samples could not be collected during the post-retrofit monitoring period. Additional regional monitoring was conducted through the Dry Weather Monitoring Program.

109 APPENDIX E: Heisler Park ASBS Protection Preservation Project - Phase II Clean Beaches Initiative Grant

110 Final Report Laguna Beach Heisler Park ASBS Protection Preservation Project Phase II Clean Beaches Initiative Grant Proposition No. 50 Grant Agreement No Clean Beaches Initiative Program Prepared by: Will Holoman, Senior Water Quality Analyst Water Quality Department City of Laguna Beach 505 Forest Avenue Laguna Beach, California April 2010

111 Contents B Introduction... 4 C Construction Details... 6 D Monitoring Plan Table 1: Bacteria Methods Table 2: Monitoring Site Locations (GPS): Map 3: Monitoring Site Locations E Discussion Graph Graph Graph Graph Graph Graph Graph Graph E Conclusion G Additional Data

112 A Executive Summary Funding for this project has been provided in full or in part through an agreement with the State Water Resources Control Board. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the State Water Resources Control Board, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. Heisler Park is the most popular public park in Laguna Beach due to its blufftop location adjacent to Main Beach in downtown. Heisler Park was originally designed to drain directly to the ocean through its subterranean storm drains and sheet flows on the surface. The objective of the original design was to capture runoff and move it offsite (to the beach) as quickly as possible. Drainage systems of this sort not only move water but also pollutants such as fertilizer, pesticides, trash, sediment and hydrocarbons directly to receiving waters. Heisler Park also had two aging public restroom facilities, one of which was located at a lower elevation than the connected sewer main and therefore housed a lift station. Because of their outdated mechanical equipment and pumps, these restrooms represented a threat to public health as a source of human sewage discharge to the ocean when the sewer main overflowed. The objective of the Heisler Park Project is to reduce the amount of bacteria reaching the adjacent ocean by promoting infiltration through Low Impact Development (LID) design principles, routing dry weather nuisance flows and flows from small storm events through treatment control Best Management Practices (BMPs) and diverting any remaining nuisance flows to the sanitary sewer system. Nuisance flows are reduced by incorporating Smarttimers, low flow sprinkler heads and irrigation system improvements throughout the project area. The aging restroom facilities and integrated lift station have been replaced entirely to preclude sewer spills. The predicted outcome of this project is the reduction of bacteria levels in the ocean by the reduction of flow from the project area to the receiving waters during non-storm and small storm conditions. The Heisler Park Project is expected to produce long-term positive impacts in the adjacent waters of the Pacific Ocean. The data analyzed for the Phase II final report spans only one year after construction. This report is the first of three reports which will look at the long term benefits of the park improvements. The other two reports will be produced for Phases I and III, funded by the IRWM and ASBS Grant programs, respectively, as these grants are completed over the next one to five years. The long term study of the positive impacts of the improvements to the park will better characterize the overall effectiveness of Phase II combined with the other two construction phases. The completion of the Heisler Park Protection and Preservation Project Phase II in Laguna Beach using CBI funds has had tangible positive effects on ocean water quality, sewer spill prevention, beach closure prevention and water use. The project has met the goals of reducing bacteria levels in the receiving waters and reducing water use in the landscaped areas of the Park. The reconstruction of the restrooms has resulted in no sewer spills being reported in the Park and no beach closures attributable to the Park Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

113 since project completion. All conclusions reached within this report are based on one year s data. The monitoring program for this project will continue into the foreseeable future. B Introduction Laguna Beach, CA is a world renowned tourist destination which offers incredible opportunities for water and land based recreation. Popular aquatic activities include diving, surfing, tidepool exploring and swimming. Picnicking, wedding ceremonies, walking, photography and painting are but a few of the land based activities indulged in by residents and tourists. Heisler Park is the most popular public park in Laguna Beach due to its blufftop location adjacent to Main Beach in downtown. The ocean fronting Heisler Park has been designated an Area of Special Biological Significance (ASBS) by the State Water Resources Control Board due to the abundance of life in the tidepools and nearshore environment. ASBS require the highest level of protection from pollutants discharged from inland sources through storm drains and non-point sources. The baseline conditions in the Heisler Park ASBS are of elevated bacteria levels partially attributable to anthropogenic sources. The ocean at this location is on the Environmental Protection Agency s 303(d) list of impaired water bodies for elevated bacteria levels. A likely source of bacteria along the coastline is drainage from adjacent developed areas. Heisler Park was originally designed to drain directly to the ocean through its subterranean storm drains and sheet flows on the surface. The objective of the original design was to capture runoff and move it offsite (to the beach) as quickly as possible. Drainage systems of this sort not only move water but also pollutants such as fertilizer, pesticides, trash, sediment and hydrocarbons directly to receiving waters. Nutrients contained in runoff may spawn algal and bacterial blooms in the ASBS. Runoff was allowed to uncontrollably flow over the cliff face causing severe erosion in some areas which deposited sediment on sensitive marine organisms living in adjacent tidepools. Landslides and rockfalls were commonplace along the bluffs of Heisler Park. Nuisance flows generated during dry weather by human activities such as irrigation general park use were conveyed directly to the ocean by storm drains. Heisler Park also had two aging public restroom facilities, one of which was located at a lower elevation than the connected sewer main and therefore housed a lift station. Because of their outdated mechanical equipment and pumps, these restrooms represented a threat to public health as a source of human sewage discharge to the ocean when the sewer main overflowed. The objective of the Heisler Park Project is to reduce the amount of bacteria reaching the adjacent ASBS by promoting infiltration through Low Impact Development (LID) design principles, routing dry weather nuisance flows and flows from small storm events through treatment control Best Management Practices (BMPs) and diverting any remaining nuisance flows to the sanitary sewer system. Nuisance flows are reduced by incorporating Smarttimers, low flow sprinkler heads and irrigation system improvements throughout the project area. The aging restroom facilities and integrated lift station have been replaced entirely to preclude sewer spills. The predicted outcome of this project is the reduction Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

114 of bacteria levels in the ocean by the reduction of flow from the project area to the receiving waters during non-storm and small storm conditions. The BMPs and LID principles implemented include site design, treatment and diversion. The site design BMP is the regrading and recontouring of the land within the project boundaries to direct storm flows away from the beach. The innovative site design includes tilted pathways, contoured swales and terraces built with retaining walls and curbs to contain sediments and push surface flows into the treatment control BMPs. Smarttimers, water efficient sprinkler heads and drought tolerant vegetation reduce nuisance flows by reducing on-site water waste. The treatment control BMPs are vegetated areas where flows will infiltrate for plant use and be filtered through vegetation to remove nutrients, trash and bacteria. A sump and pump are built into the collector storm drain at Picnic Beach to divert nuisance flows into the diversion unit at Myrtle Street where flows enter the sewer system. Flows which overwhelm the capacity of the treatment control BMPs will enter the subterranean drain system, then flow into a sump where a pump will divert the water to the wet well in the Picnic Beach restroom. The combination of BMPs and the diversion should be adequate to handle all flows but major rain events. Map 1 Location Map Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

115 Map 2 Site Maps The CBI Project s budget totaled $2,100,000 of which $1,000,000 was provided through the CBI grant program. The City of Laguna Beach committed over $1,100,000 in matching cash and in-kind labor. Project construction took place in the winter of The rededication ceremony for Heisler Park was held on July 1, C Construction Details The CBI funded project is Phase II of a three phase project which completely renovates Heisler Park from Main Beach to Fisherman s Cove. Phase I was completed using grant funding from the Integrated Regional Water Management Program and included improvements in the Rockpile Beach area of the Park (refer to Map 2). CBI funded Phase II included improvements in the Picnic Beach area of the Park and the construction of two restroom facilities, one at Picnic Beach and one at Rockpile Beach. Improvements fall into 5 basic categories: 1) Restroom/lift station rebuild. The two public restrooms at Heisler Park were rebuilt to replace aging existing facilities which posed a significant threat of failure and subsequent sewer spillage. A sewer spill in this heavily used beach area could have major impacts on human health due to elevated bacteria levels in the ocean. The marine habitat could also be negatively affected by the influx of organics and nutrients found in sewage. Clean and sanitary public restrooms may prevent individuals from using the ocean or surrounding park areas as toilets. The Picnic Beach restroom also contains a small lift station which pumps uphill to the main line. Rebuilding this lift station to provide more reliable service and adding fail-safe s to prevent backflow from the main further mitigates the risk of spills. Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

116 Photo 1 Rockpile restroom before construction. Photo 2 Rockpile restroom after construction. Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

117 Photo 3 Picnic Beach restroom and lift station before construction. Photo 4 Picnic Beach restroom and lift station after construction. Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

118 2) Low Impact Design (LID) site design BMPs. Phase II implemented a number of LID site design BMPs including bioswales, disconnection of storm drains, tilted pathways and infiltration zones to give both nuisance water flows and storm water flows a chance to infiltrate on site prior to entering the storm drain system. The benefits of this approach to drainage include elimination of trickling dry weather flows into the storm drains, maximization of onsite capture of storm water flows prior to discharge, biofiltration of all flows and utilization of flows to optimize irrigation efficiency. Photo 5 Bioswale terraces capture flow for biofiltration and infiltration. Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

119 Photo 6 Pathways and surrounding terrain are tilted toward a depressed bioswale for infiltration. Photo 7 All Storm Drain inlets are disconnected from other hardscape to promote infiltration. Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

120 3) Smarttimer, irrigation and landscaping. Phase II landscaping improvements include replacing all irrigation lines and heads within the project area with new equipment, converting the existing timer clocks to satellite controlled Smarttimer irrigation clocks and replanting graded areas with water-wise and native plants where appropriate. The improvements to the irrigation and landscaping help prevent excess runoff by reducing water waste through leaks and over irrigation. Photo 8 SmartTimer irrigation controller with antennae on top, water-wise plants in landscaped area. 4) Bluff erosion control and drainage improvements. The bluffs along the coast of Heisler Park were eroding rapidly due to increased sheet flows and point source discharges from both paved and landscaped areas. Wet weather events caused rapid erosion but nuisance dry-weather flows also contributed to the problem. Besides acute dangers from collapsing hillsides and rockfalls, the long term effects of sedimentation in the ASBS could be profound. Phase II addresses excess erosion of the bluffs by redirecting surface flows into bioswales for infiltration using a curb and walkway along the blufftop for conveyance. Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

121 Photo 9 Curb and tilted pathway push sheet flows to the grassy area for infiltration. Photo 10 The curb and pathway prevent sheet flows from eroding the blufftop. Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

122 5) Park drainage diversion. The final safety net for nuisance flows and small storm events is the diversion unit built into the storm drain system for the park. Water which enters the hard lines flows down to a sump located on the Picnic Beach ramp. The sump is then pumped to the diversion unit at Myrtle Street where the nuisance storm flows are sent to the sanitary sewer system. Storm drain diversions are likely the single most effective method of keeping polluted water from entering the ocean. Photo 11 The sump and diversion pump reside under this metal lid on the Picnic Beach ramp. D Monitoring Plan The goal of the monitoring program is to quantify the amount of bacteria and water treated through the BMPs and diverted from the beach. The method utilized to meet the monitoring goal is the analysis of bacteria data in the adjacent receiving waters of the Pacific Ocean. Site water consumption may also be assessed with water meter data from meters serving the park. Sampling Information The City of Laguna Beach coordinated all monitoring activities for this project. Water meter, bacteriological and beach closure data are of primary interest in the assessment of the project due to data collection limitations. Post-construction data was compared to five years of pre-construction ocean bacteria and water flow data to form a comprehensive picture of pre- and post-construction conditions. Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

123 Monitoring was scheduled to take place at the diversion unit located just upstream of the Fisherman s Cove storm drain outlet. This diversion unit was not installed as part of the Phase I project as intended, therefore, the monitoring did not take place. Bacteriological and flow monitoring scheduled to take place in the sump located at the top of the ramp to Picnic Beach was likewise unavailable due to unforeseen conditions. This sump represents the culmination of all subterranean drain lines within the northern section of the project prior to discharge onto the beach and is the point at which flows are diverted to the sewer. The plan to put a counter on the pump to record pump cycles was not feasible once the installation was completed and inadequate water was found in the sump for bacteriological sampling. The inherent dryness of the sump to some degree speaks to the effectiveness of BMPs and irrigation improvements upstream. Because the benefits of infiltration and site design BMPs are difficult to assess using typical flow and sampling techniques, and the benefits of Smarttimers and irrigation improvements must be quantified, the water meter data for Heisler Park will be used to compare water usage pre- and post-construction. Water meter data at Heisler is collected annually and must be reduced to daily averages. Rainfall data was collected and compared to bacteria levels in the receiving waters. All data were taken over a period of one year post-construction, then analyzed with the goal of assessing the overall bacteria reduction realized in the receiving waters with Park improvements. The focus of the Monitoring Plan has shifted to the receiving waters based on data availability and quality as well as regional implementation goals. Pre- and post-construction water samples use the following methods to determine bacteria levels: Table 1: Bacteria Methods Parameter Method/range Units Detection Limit* Total coliform water matrix SM 9222-B CFU/100 ml 1 Fecal coliform water matrix SM 9222-D CFU/100 ml 1 Enterococcus water matrix SM 9230-C CFU/100 ml 1 The County of Orange monitors the bacteria levels in the ocean at key locations adjacent to the park. Data from these ongoing monitoring efforts, as well as beach closure data, were analyzed for one to five years prior to and one year post-construction. Geographical Information Heisler Park is located along the Pacific Ocean shoreline immediately northwest of Main Beach in Laguna Beach. The coordinates for the project site are approximately: 33d32 38 N, 117d47 32 W. Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

124 Table 2: Monitoring Site Locations (GPS): Site ID Site Name Parameters Latitude Longitude OLB00 Main Beach Bacteria 33d N 117d W OLB05 Heisler Park North Bacteria 33d N 117d W HEISLRUP Heisler Upcoast Bacteria 33d N 117d W HEISLRDN Heisler Downcoast Bacteria 33d N 117d W Heisler Water Meter Restroom 1 Heisler Water Meter Restroom 2, Irrigation 1 Heisler Water Meter Irrigation 2 Heisler Water Meter Irrigation 3 Flow 33d N 117d W Flow 33d N 117d W Flow N/A N/A Flow N/A N/A Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

125 Map 3: Monitoring Site Locations Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

126 Resource and Time Constraints The Heisler Park Project is expected to produce long-term positive impacts in the adjacent waters of the Pacific Ocean, but the data analyzed for the Phase II final report spans only one year after construction. This report is the first of three reports which will look at the long term benefits of the park improvements. The other two reports will be produced for Phases I and III, funded by the IRWM and ASBS Grant programs, respectively, as these grants are closed out over the next one to five years. The long term study of the positive impacts of the improvements to the park will better characterize the overall effectiveness of Phase II combined with the other two construction phases. E Discussion The completion of the Heisler Park Protection and Preservation Project Phase II in Laguna Beach using CBI funds has had tangible positive effects on ocean water quality, sewer spill prevention, beach closure prevention and water use. Receiving Water Bacteria Analysis The most dramatic data collected for receiving water bacteria was at the sampling point Heislerdn located at the southeastern-most boundary of the project. This sampling point showed dramatic decreases in bacteria levels after project completion as shown in the following graphs: Graph 1 Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

127 Graph 2 Graph 3 Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

128 The bacteria levels during rain events were also lower post-construction. It is important to note that these data represent only one year post-construction and drawing conclusions about long-term project performance is premature, however, the early results at this site are very encouraging. Other sites showed more stability with regard to bacteria levels. Graph 4 is typical of most of the data gathered: Graph 4 Interestingly, Heislerup, located just 100 feet upcoast from Heislerdn, showed a slight increase in bacteria levels post-project: Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

129 Graph 5 Note that the sampling frequency post-project is reduced. This certainly affects the trendlines. Bacteria data is often highly variable within short time and space frames so the value of this analysis will continuously be enhanced as more data is added in the coming years. All remaining bacteria graphs are included in Section G. Water Use Analysis Water meter data for meter numbers and 4636 were available for 5 years from 2005 to The water meter data provides insight into the effectiveness of the irrigation improvements and replanting of drought tolerant species throughout the park. Water use was reduced dramatically for these meters upon project completion: Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

130 Graph 6 Water meter data for meter numbers 4647 and 8125 were available for only 1.5 years from 2008 to Meter problems prevented earlier data from being recorded. Average daily water use for meters 4647 and 8125 was reduced over 50% from 13,249 gallons per day between July 3, 2008 and November 5, 2008 to 6,455 gallons per day for Future data will continue to be collected for later reports. Future data should reflect even more dramatic reductions in water use as water-wise plants get established, irrigation systems are fine tuned and SmartTimers continue to operate. Beach Closures The reconstruction of the restrooms at Heisler Park is intended to reduce the risk of sewer spills from the park contaminating the receiving waters. Because no spills have originated in Heisler Park since completion of the project, the project met the stated goal. Another benefit of the new restrooms is a perceived reduction in the frequency of public urination and defecation on Park grounds. When receiving waters are contaminated by sewage, they are posted closed to recreation by the Orange County Health Care Agency. Beach postings are tabulated each year for beaches north of Aliso Creek including Heisler Park. The latest data from the Health Care Agency shows that beach postings have declined significantly since project completion: Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

131 Graph 7 Two beach postings occurred in 2008 prior to project completion. Both originated in areas far south of the project. A 30 gallon spill attributed to a line blockage in the main uphill and northeast of the project affected Picnic Beach as it flowed through a preexisting storm drain under Heisler Park. The park was not the origin, and this was the only posting in Laguna Beach for Beach Mile Days, a measure of postings in terms of the length of beach and amount of time they were closed, also declined significantly since project completion: Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

132 Graph Beach Mile Days are at 0.17, the lowest level in at least nine years. The improvements to Heisler Park, combined with other efforts within the City s sewer department, are designed bring the closures down to zero. Beach closure monitoring will continue into the future. E Conclusion The Heisler Park Protection and Preservation Project Phase II has met the goals of reducing bacteria levels in the receiving waters and reducing water use in the landscaped areas of the Park. The reconstruction of the restrooms has resulted in no sewer spills being reported in the Park within the past year. No beach closures attributable to the Park as a source have occurred in Laguna Beach since Project completion. All conclusions reached within this report are based on one year s data. The monitoring program for this project will continue into the foreseeable future. It is anticipated that the benefits will continue to accrue as improvements to the park mature. Two additional reports will be written in subsequent years which will paint a more complete picture of the performance of the improvements to the Park. With this additional data, substantial insight into the long-term performance of Low Impact Development, diversions, structural and site-design BMPs in a park setting, and Ahwahnee Principles will be gained which may then be applied to future project design. The City of Laguna Beach extends gratitude to the State Water Board s Clean Beaches Initiative program for making one of the most beautiful parks in California more friendly to the natural environment, for helping the City keep the ocean clean and healthy for all to enjoy and for assisting in the creation of a functional model for sustainable development practices. Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

133 G Additional Data Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010

134 Raw data is available by contacting Will Holoman: Final Report SWRCB Clean Beaches Initiative Agreement # /2010