------- ------- ACKNOWLEDGMENT I '"'• I '/; i i The Federal Water Pollution Control Administration, Middle B Atlantic Region, gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Messrs. Leon and Edward Zuraw, Tidewater Yacht Marina, who | graciously supplied space and utilities for the mobile laboratory _ used in this survey. ™ Sincere thanks are extended to the National Field Investigations B Center, Cincinnati, who provided technical support and the mobile laboratory. I I I I I I I U.S. r;v • •*->•-' •, . f- V , - |l650ArcliS,retU."f'M52) Philadelphia,!5/*. 19103 I ------- ------- I I INTRODUCTION In September the City of Richmond announced a proposal to discharge I approximately 30 mgd of raw sewage to the James River for a period of • 110 days beginning about November 1. The purpose of the discharge was to permit connecting a new grit chamber to the main sewage pumping I station which discharges to an existing primary sewage treatment plant • and to clean a sewage force main which had partially clogged with sediment during the August flood. • In order to evaluate any water quality degradation which might occur as the result of a raw sewage discharge, an intensive water • quality survey of the James River Estuary between Richmond and Hopewell m was conducted from October 1*4- through 30 by the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration, Middle Atlantic Region. Study objectives were • to define water quality prior to the proposed raw sewage discharge. A similar study would be undertaken should the proposal become fact and | the difference in quality evaluated to determine actual effects. Ten • campling stations were selected at critical points in the estuary in the 32 mile stream reach between Richmond and Hopewell. Another station • was established at Boulevard Bridge to determine the quality of water entering the estuary above Richmond (See Map). | Samples were collected each day at slack low tide and analyses _ were run for total coliform, fecal coliform. dissolved oxygen, tempera- ™ ture, biochemical oxygen demand, nutrients, chemical oxygen demand, total I organic carbon, and metals. I I ------- I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ------- I I I I SURVEY RESULTS Although other laboratory analyses were made, this report contains only an evaluation of total coliform, fecal coliform, and dissolved oxygen levels which are the most significant in terms of the proposed • raw sewage discharge. A detailed technical report will be prepared following an evaluation of all the laboratory results. | The sanitary significance of total coliform and fecal coliform is M dependent upon the source of pollution, level of treatment provided, and environmental effects of the receiving water. The fecal coliform group I of organisms is an indicator of recent fecal pollution and is used to distinguish between bacteriological pollution contributed by warm | blooded animals and that contributed by other sources. The fecal group _ is considered to be the best indicator of the possible presence of pathogenic organisms. The absence of coliforms and fecal coliform I alone does not indicate safe sanitary quality, and before approval for water supply and recreational uses, a sanitary survey must be made. | The Virginia Water Control Board recommends a bacterial density _ of 2UOO total coliforms/100 ml as the limit for primary contact ™ recreation, secondary contact recreation, and public water supplies. • The National Technical Advisory Committee's Report on Water Quality Criteria indicates a preference for fecal coliforms as an indicator, • and recommends 200 fecal/100 ml as the limit for primary contact recreation, 1000 fecal/100 ml for secondary contact recreation, and • 2000 fecal/100 ml for public water supplies. I I ------- I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ------- I I I I I 3 A graph showing the bacterial density of fecal coliforms at each station is shown on Figure 1. Also shown are the acceptable fecal I coliform limits for primary contact recreation, secondary contact recreation, and public water supplies. These data indicate that • coliform levels in the James River are acceptable for all water uses at Boulevard Bridge and Mayos Island. However, immediately downstream • from the Richmond and Henrico County sewage treatment plants the • recommended limit for primary contact recreation is exceeded. Data obtained below the Richmond discharge during the first 3 • cJays of the survey indicated a fecal coliform density of 212/100 ml while the last 7 days showed less than 1/100 ml. Although free and • combined chlorine residuals were not found in the river samples, the • change in coliform concentrations could be attributed to high dosage rates of chlorine at the treatment plant and/or the presence of other • toxic substances in the treated effluent. A sample of this water is currently undergoing a toxilogical analysis, • The City of Richmond discharges an unknown quantity of raw wastes • to Goode Creek where the fecal coliform density reached 115,000/100 ml. At station 168, approximately one half mile downstream from Goode Creek, • the coliform density increased in the estuary to 3,150/1°0 ml? which exceeded the limit for secondary contact recreation. This was probably • due to a combination of the raw discharge from Goode Creek and the • regrowth of the coliforms from Richmond and Henrico County's Gillies Creek sewage treatment plants. ------- I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ------- I I Further downstream near the Richmond Deepwater Terminal (station 166), • the number of organisms increased to a maximum of 28,000/100 ml. From this point downstream to Hopewell, concentrations decreased due to • natural mortality, greater dilution, and the absence of unchlorinated • domestic waste discharges. Samples taken two miles upstream from Hopewell contained fecal coliform densities which were within the • permissible limits for all water uses. It should be noted that the die- off rate of coliforms during the first part of the study was more rapid • because of warm temperatures. As the study progressed and the water • temperature became colder, coliform densities increased at downstream stations extending the zone of poor water quality. It would be expected • that an water temperaturescontinue to fall with the onset of winter, the zone will gradually be extended. I The significance of dissolved oxygen in water is primarily related • to fish propagation and survival. The Virginia Water Control Board recommends a minimum dissolved oxygen of h mg/1. This level is generally • compatible with the National Technical Advisory Committee's recommendations of a minimum of U mg/1 with a daily average of 5 mg/1. The amount of | initial dissolved oxygen available in a stream to assimilate organic _ waste varies with the temperature of the water. Warm waters contain less oxygen than cold water, and as a result critical conditions normally • occur during the summer period. As organic wastes are biologically degraded, oxygen is removed | from the water and replenished from the atmosphere. Below Richmond, I I ------- ------- I I _ oxygen is utilized at a faster rate than it can be replaced by the ' atmosphere and results in a lowering of the concentrations (Figure 2). • The concentrations begin an upward trend when biological activity slows because of decreasing food supply as the wastes are assimilated and • atmospheric reoxygenation exceeds the biological demand. The decrease in dissolved oxygen concentration from Richmond to Proctor's Creek • (station 155) reflects the degradation of water quality resulting from • the discharge of oxygen demanding wastes from Henrico County, Richmond, DuPont and Chesterfield County. • The dissolved oxygen levels in the estuary dropped below 5 mg/1 at station 162 and did not recover until station 135? resulting in a B degradation of 25 miles. At the beginning of the survey, the dissolved • oxygen near Proctor's Creek was 0.2 mg/1, and fish in the vicinity were observed to be in distress. By the end of the study the dissolved • oxygen at this station increased to 3 rag/1, and during this period the water temperature dropped 11°C. This improvement in dissolved oxygen I doec not necessarily indicate a reduction of organic loads since the • 11 C drop in temperature would result in an increase in available dissolved oxygen and a slowing of biological activity. I NUMMARY The evaluation of fecal coliform and dissolved oxygen in the JameD River Estuary indicates that the waste discharges in the 32 mile reach downstream from Richmond degrade water quality to levelf •m below that which is recommended for recreation, water supply, and • finh propagation. Maximum fecal coliform concentrations occur four I ------- ------- I I and one half miles downstream from Richmond, and the lowest dissolved oxygen levels occur about 11 miles downstream. During the survey approximately 25 miles of stream were degraded to levels below the H recommended water quality standards. However, before reaching Hopewell • the James River Estuary recovered to satisfactory levels . . If the Richmond proposal to discharge raw waste was carried out • during the winter period when water temperatures were at their lowest , • it would be expected that the zone exceeding recommended fecal coliform concentrations would be extended. However, dissolved oxygen levels • would not be expected to change significantly because of the greater availability of dissolved oxygen at lower temperatures. I I I I I I I I I I ------- ------- I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I FECAL COL i FORM VS RIVER MILE DENSITIES 10,000 1000 I IOO N.T.A.C. RECOMMENDED LIMIT FOR PUBLIC SUPPLIES N.T.A.C. RECOMMENDED LIMIT FOR SECONDARY CONTACT RECREATION BOULEVARD BRIDGE IZ6 N.T.A.C. RECOMMENDED LIMIT FOR PRIMARY CONTACT RECREATION if 00 I 110 IOC 90 RIVER MILE 80 70 — SAMPLE STATION FIG. I ------- I I I I I I I I I I I 1 I I I I I I ------- I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I UJ (0 X o o UJ 3 O (fl (ft 5 UJ u> UJ a < K Ul CD (J *:§ w ? I- o 00 s: $ o o 10 CVI (l/duj) N3QAXO O3A1OSSia FIG. 2 ------- ------- I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I .->» •^-, \ •v/x) RICHMOND \ f I V.^, Cr HENRICO COUNTY DISCHARGES TO GILLIE CREEK RAW DISCHARGE FROM RICHMOND CHESTERFIELI SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT /">J _*\ x— \ POCAHONTAS STATE PARK "I /^ W J ^ f__^ / "j "3 \_j JAMES RIVER STUDY ------- ------- ------- ------- |