905R85107
United States Task Force Plan for Phosphorus
Load Reductions from Non-Point/ and Point
Sources on Lake Erie/ Lake Ontario; and Saginaw Bay
Prepared By
Great Lakes Phosphorus Task Force
October - 1985
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Acknowledgements
The preparation of thie document has been supported through a grant (No.
R005706-01) from the Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) to the
National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD). Jim Lake
administered this project for NACD and Ralph Christensen served as Project
Officer for GLNPO. The plan itself is the product of the Great Lakes
Phosphorus Task Force and its constituent state Task Forces. Members of
both the United States and State Task Forces contributed many hours of
their time and energy in the interests of preparing a viable phosphorus
reduction plan for the lower Great Lakes and Saginaw Bay.
The principal author of the plan, under contract to NACD/ was Don Urban.
Mr. Urban prepared the document under an extremely tight time schedule.
Since the plan involves many different parties with very different institu-
tional priorities, he has had to be sensitive to these differences and
skillful in melding the respective institutional interests. Jim Bland of
GLNPO prepared the first two chapters of the plan which deal with the
historical background to the current effort. Kent Fuller and Jim Bland of
GLNPO and Jim Morrison of Purdue University Agricultural Extension Office
edited early drafts of the plan. John Lowrey, Eugene Savage, and Tom
Davenport of Region V, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also did exten-
sive editing of the early drafts of this plan.
Review comments on the U.S. plan were received from the following
individuals and institutions:
Jim Bredin
Pat Longabucco
Italo Carcich
Carl Wilhelm
Homer Hilner
Jerry Wager
Harry Oneth
Robert Eddleman
Dorn Diehl
Larry Vance
Walt Rittall
Phillip Nelson
Jim Meek
Dennis Athayde
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
New York Department of Environmental Conservation
New York Department of Environmental Conservation
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
Soil Conservation Service, State Conservationist - Michigan
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Soil Conservation Service, State Conservationist - Ohio
Soil Conservation Service, State Conservationist - Indiana
Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service
Michigan State Executive Director
Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Chief Division of
Soil and Water Conservation
Soil Conservation Service
Soil Conservation Service
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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Word processing of the text was completed at NACD offices in Fort Wayne,
Indiana. GLNPO wishes to thank the many individuals who contributed their
time and expertise to the task of preparing the "United States Plan for
Phosphorus Load Reductions from Nonpoint and Point Sources on Lake Erie,
Lake Ontario, and Saginaw Bay."
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GREAT LAKES PHOSPHORUS TASK FORCE MEMBERS
Chairman
Mr. Kent Fuller
Great Lakes National Program Office, USEPA - Region V
Chicago, Illinois 60605
Indiana
Mr. L. Robert Carter
Indiana State Board of Health
Indianapolis, Indiana 46206
Mr. Charles C. McKee
Executive Secretary
State Soil and Water Conservation Conmittee
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
Michigan
Mr. James Bredin
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Surface Water Quality Division
Lansing, Michigan 48926
Mr. Gordon Wenk
Michigan Department of Agriculture
Lansing, Michigan 48909
New York
Mr. Italo Carcich
Bureau of Water Research
New York Department of Environmental Conservation
Albany, New York 12233
Mr. John Lacey
New York Department of Agriculture and Markets
Winners Circle, Capital Plaza
Albany, New York 12235
Ohio
Mr. Carl A. Wilhelm
Office of Planning Coordinator
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Mr. Lawrence S. Vance
Executive Secretary
Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Commission
Columbus, Ohio 43224
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Pennsylvania
Mr. Pete Yeager
Bureau of Water Quality Management
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources
Meadville/ Pennsylvania 16335
Mr. Victor Funk
State Conservation Committee
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120
Agency Representatives
Mr. Homer Hilner
USDA - Soil Conservation Service
East Lansing, Michigan 48823
Mr. Dorn Diehl
USDA - Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service
East Lansing/ Michigan 48823
Mr. W. Shaw Reid
Cooperative Extension Service
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853
Mr. J. Michael Sprott
Director, Cooperative Extension Service
Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio 43210
Mr. Douglas Ehorn
Chief, Water Planning and Standards Section
USEPA, Region V
Chicago, Illinois 60604
Mr. Patrick Harvey
Chief, Water Planning and Standards Branch
USEPA, Region II
New York, New York 10278
Mr. James Lake
Field Office
National Association of Conservation Districts
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46815
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INDEX
Chapter 1 United States Nonpoint Phosphorus Control Activities
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Historical Background to the Current Phosphorus Reduction Plan
1.2 United States Nonpoint Source Phosphorus Control Activities
Subsequent to the 1972 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
1.2.1 Pollution from Land Use Activities Reference Group
1.2.2 Water Quality Management Planning Program
1.2.3 Lake Erie Wastewater Management Study
1.2.4 Rural Clean Water Program
1.2.5 Nationwide Urban Runoff Program
1.2.6 Great Lakes Demonstration Grants
1.2.6.1 Saginaw Bay Monitoring and Evaluation Project
1.2.6.2 Black Creek Demonstration Projects
1.2.6.3 Tri-State Tillage Projects
Chapter 2 United State Point Source Phosphorus Control Activities
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Municipal Sewage Treatment Plants
2.1.1 Indiana
2.1.2 Michigan
2.1.3 New York
2.1.4 Ohio
2.1.5 Pennsylvania
2.2 Combined Sewer Overflows
2.3 Detergent Phosphorus Bans
2.4 Industrial Point Sources
Chapter 3 Overview of Federal Programs and Forecasts
3.0 Introduction
3.1 Present Programs
3.1.1 U.S. Department of Agriculture
3.1.2 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
3.2 Forecasts for the Future
3.2.1 EPA Nonpoint Program
3.3 Great Lakes Phosphorus Reduction Plan
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Chapter 4 Overview of State Programs and Forecasts
4.0 Introduction
4.1 Soil and Water Conservation Districts
4.2 Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service
4.3 Soil Conservation Service
4.4 Cooperative Extension Service
4.5 Water Quality and Environmental Agencies
4.6 State Initiated Programs
4.6.1 Indiana
4.6.2 Michigan
4.6.3 New York
4.6.4 Ohio
4.6.5 Pennsylvania
4.7 Forecasts and Strategies
Chapter 5 United States Plan by Basin
5.0 Introduction
5.1 Lake Erie Basin
5.1.1 Indiana
5.1.1.1 Present Program and Projected Reductions
5.1.1.2 Strategy to Meet Target Loads
5.1.2 Michigan
5.1.2.1 Present Program and Projected Reductions
5.1.2.2 Strategy to Meet Target Loads
5.1.3 New York
5.1.3.1 Present Program and Projected Reductions
5.1.3.2 Strategy to Meet Target Loads
5.1.4 Ohio
5.1.4.1 Present Program and Projected Reductions
5.1.4.2 Strategy to Meet Target Loads
5.1.5 Pennsylvania
5.1.5.1 Present Program and Projected Reductions
5.1.5.2 Strategy to Meet Target Loads
5.2 Lake Ontario Basin
5.2.1 Present Program and Projected Reductions
5.2.2 Strategy to Meet Target Loads
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5.3 Saginaw Bay
5.3.1 Present Program and Projected Reductions
5.3.2 Strategy to Meet Target Loads
Chapter 6 The United States Response
6.0 Introduction
6.1 The United States Plan
6.1.1 Lake Erie
6.1.2 Lake Ontario
6.1.3 Saginaw Bay
6.2 Additional Program Efforts Required to Meet Goals
6.2.1 Lake Erie
6.2.2 Lake Ontario
6.2.3 Saginaw Bay
6.3 Summary
Chapter 7 Tracking and Monitoring
7.0 Introduction
7.1 Tracking
7.2 Monitoring
7.3 Tracking and Monitoring Utilized In This Plan
7.3.1 Tracking and Monitoring Strategy - Indiana
7.3.2 Tracking and Monitoring Strategy - Michigan
7.3.3 Tracking and Monitoring Strategy - New York
7.3.4 Tracking and Monitoring Strategy - Ohio
7.3.5 Tracking and Monitoring Strategy - Pennsylvania
Chapter 8 Issues and Research Needs
8.0 Introduction
8.1 Issues
8.1.1 Bioavailability of Phosphorus
8.1.2 Practice Effectiveness
8.1.3 Pesticide Transport
8.1.4 Nitrogen
8.2 Research Needs
8.2.1 Sediment Delivery
6.2.2 Evaluation Tools
8.2.3 Wind Erosion and Airborne Deposition
8.2.4 Resuspension
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8.3 Inplementation
3.3.1 Identification of Critical Areas
8.3.2 Fine Textured Soils
8.3.3 Nutrient Management
Documents Used in Preparation of this Plan
References Recommended for Additional Background
Appendix A Supplement to Annex 3
Appendix B Technical Background on Phosphorus Loading Estimates
Appendix C Calculations and Apportionment of Base Year Phosphorus Loads, Load
Reductions, and Target Loads
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CHAPTER 1
United States Nonpoint Phosphorus Control Activities
1.0 Introduction
This document has been prepared in response to the October, 1983,
Supplement to Annex 3 of the 1978 U.S./Canada Great Lakes Water Quality
Agreement (GLWQA). The Supplement calls upon the U.S. and Canada, as
parties to the agreement, to prepare Phosphorus Reduction Plans and to
submit them to the International Joint Commission (IJC) within 18
months. The full text of the Supplement is contained in Appendix A of
this document.
In order to address eutrophication problems which were occur ing in the
lower Great Lakes, preliminary phosphorus target loads were set in the
1972 U.S./Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. These phosphorus
target loads were based on technological considerations, principally
the belief that the minimum practical limit for municipal sewage
treatment plant (STP) phosphorus effluent concentrations was 1.0 mg/1.
By 1978, further research, monitoring, and modeling had been completed
which confirmed phosphorus as the limiting nutrient for algal growth in
the lower Great Lakes and quantified the needed load reductions. At
that time it was anticipated that the load reductions would be achieved
by further reductions in phosphorus levels in municipal sewage
effluent. Such a stipulation was written into the 1978 GLWQA, but with
a provision that target loads and municipal discharge limits be
reviewed within 18 months. It was this review that resulted in the
Supplement to Annex 3 dated October 7, 1983.
The 1983 Great Lakes Water Quality Board report to the IJC described
the current ambient conditions of the Great Lakes. In that report
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Saginaw Bay is characterized as significantly improved as a result of
phosphorus removal at municipal wastewater treatment plants between
1974 and 1980. Although the total phosphorus concentrations remained
high, soluble reactive phosphorus levels in certain parts of Saginaw
Bay decreased to one-fourth their previous levels. Algal species
composition shifted from a predominance of blue-greens in 1974 to
diatoms and green algae in 1980. The conditions in Lake Erie have
remained generally stable with significant near shore improvements.
There are indications from concentrations of spring and fall total
phosphorus that the eutrophication process has been retarded and some
evidence that the trophic state is improving. The conditions in Lake
Ontario are improving through a concentrated effort by both parties to
control phosphorus. The mean total phosphorus concentration reported
in 1982 was the lowest in the last 13 years. There has also been a
shift in the lake phytoplankton community from one containing mesotrc-
phic forms to one with species more indicative of oligotrophic condi-
tions. Even though many of the U.S. municipalities have not reached
the 1 mg/1 effluent requirements, the major municipal reduction has
occurred, and it appears that Lake Ontario is already responding.
The Supplement to Annex 3 confirmed the recommended phosphorus target
loads for the Great Lakes. It also identified the further reductions
needed after all municipal treatment plants reach the required
1.0 mg/1. A summary of the key provisions of the Supplement is shown
in Table No. 1-1. The recommended load reductions represent planning
guides for the parties in development of their remedial plans and
programs.
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Table No. 1-1
Metric Tens Reduction Needed
Target Load (beyond lrog/1 major STPs)
U.S. Canada Total
Saginaw Bay 440 225 0 225
Lake Erie 11000 1700 300 2000
Lake Ontario 7000 (240) * (188) * (428) *
* Preliminary/ subject to agreement with Canada
The additional load reductions needed to meet the target loads are to
be achieved by additional point source controls, nonpoint source con-
trols, or a combination of both. In order to determine the appropriate
share of such reductions within the U.S., an allocation was made among
the states based upon the relative total phosphorus contributions of
point sources, and non-point sources for individual tributaries for the
1982 water year (Appendix B). The 1982 water year was chosen because
of the quality of point source data available and because it approxi-
mated an "average" water year basin-wide. These tributary loadings
were, in turn, matched against land use within the constituent sub-
basins of the overall watershed. Based on this comparison and on what
is known about the effectiveness and cost of various types of nonpoint
and point source control measures, a five year, state-based, phosphorus
control strategy has been prepared.
Allocation of phosphorus load reductions to different watersheds is not
strictly a technical exercise. At the level of individual small water-
sheds, numerous options exist concerning which practices can and ought
to be applied, what critical acreage can be most effectively treated,
and what level of participation can be sustained with the landowners.
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For this reason, and because adequate phosphorus control measures can
only be obtained with the full support of state and local levels of
governmenti the plan has been developed through the mechanism of an
interlake State/Federal Great Lakes Phosphorus Task Force and
individual State Task Forces. The overall plan has been negotiated
within the framework of these task forces.
1.1 Historical Background to the Current Phosphorus Reduction Plan
The International Joint Commission (IJC) has responsibility under the
Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to identify problems and settle dis-
putes pertaining to the Great Lakes. In 1970, after a six-year study,
the Commission reported to the Governments of Canada and the United
States that major imbalances in nutrient budgets were seriously
impairing the Great Lakes resource especially in Lakes Erie and
Ontario. A host of other water quality problems were also identified.
Responding to IJC's initiative, Canada and the United States signed the
1972 GLWQA. Governmental responsibilities were established under this
agreement to study and further characterize water quality problems in
the Great Lakes, to implement needed point and nonpoint source control
programs, and to monitor the effectiveness of these programs.
The responsibility for monitoring the effectiveness of control mea-
sures, as outlined in the 1972 GLWQA, was given to the IJC. Based on
the studies of its principal advisory board, the Great Lakes Water
Quality Board, the IJC was to report annually to the Governments with
recommendations for changes in the programs and their implementation.
While the overall water quality impairment of the Great Lakes was
recognized in 1972, a great many technical questions remained to be
adequately characterized and quantified. The 1972 GLWQA directed the
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IJC to conduct an investigation of pollution of the boundary waters of
the Great Lakes system from agricultural, forested, urban, and indus-
trial land. The scope of this study was to be broader than previous
Great Lakes work sponsored by the Commission in that the entire land
area as well as the water of the Great Lakes Basin was being studied.
An International Reference Group on Pollution of the Great Lakes from
Land Use Activities (PLUARG) was authorized to conduct the investiga-
tion. The PLUARG effort comprehensively reviewed available information
concerning pollution from land use activities. A variety of technical
studies were prepared and management strategies for both point and
nonpoint source pollutants were identified. These strategies included
an estimation of existing phosphorous loads for a 1976 base year and
target phosphorus loads for each of the Great Lakes. The PLUARG
studies also concluded that considerable uncertainty existed in the
quantification of annual nutrient loads to the Great Lakes.
As the PLUARG reference group was finalizing its effort, a second
group/ Task Group III, was preparing background material for a sche-
duled fifth year review and renegotiation of the 1972 GLWQA. This
group, which was independent of IJC affiliation, was charged by the
Canadian and U.S. Governments with developing total phosphorus loading
objectives for each of the Great Lakes. Task Group III made use of the
PLUARG data base and is cited in the final PLUARG report. The "tenta-
tive" total phosphorus target loads contained in Annex 3 of the 1976
GLWQA are those recommended by Task Group III. Included in Annex 3 are
base year 1976 phosphorus loads as well as target loads for each of the
open waters of the Great Lakes and some selected embayments. Annex 3
provided that the base loads and target loads would be
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"confirmed" by the two governments within 18 months of the signing of
the Agreement and that appropriate load allocations and compliance
schedules established.
In 1978; the IJC concluded that it could not advise the governments on
phosphorus loads and targets until additional study had resolved
uncertainties about their proper magnitudes. A joint task force
consisting of representatives selected by the IJC's Great Lakes Science
Advisory Board and Water Quality Board was convened to study the
assumptions/ modeling, and loading parameters resulting in the
different estimates of appropriate target phosphorus loads for the
Great Lakes. This joint Phosphorus Management Strategies Task Force
(PMSTF) reviewed the work of the previous study groups and submitted a
final report to the IJC in July of 1980. The PMSTF confirmed the
general accuracy of the target loads and estimated the level of
uncertainty inherent in the development of target loads. The Task
Force proposed a staged management approach which would permit evalua-
tion of control methods in each stage and the refinement of target load
figures as management strategies were implemented.
In October of 1983 the United States and Canada agreed to a Supplement
to the 1978 Agreement which confirmed the Annex 3 total phosphorus
target loads. Additionally, the Supplement identified the load
reductions which would be necessary to meet the in-lake targets based
on an assumption of compliance with a 1.0 mg./l effluent concentration
for major municipal sewage treatment plants discharging over 1 million
gallons per day (MGD). In order to accomplish the load reductions the
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Supplement provided for the creation of phosphorus load reduction plans
in conjunction with State and Provincial Governments and the
implementation of a staged nonpoint source control program. The United
States Government responded by creating an interlake State/Federal
Great Lakes Phosphorus Task Force (GLPTF). The plan presented herein
is a product of the GLPTF. The purpose of the plan is to identify the
appropriate point and nonpoint source control measures necessary to
meet the in-lake targets included in the Supplement to Annex 3.
1.2 United States Nonpoint Source Phosphorus Control Activities Subsequent
to the 1972 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
Since the signing of the 1972 GLWQA the U.S. has sponsored a wide
variety of research and demonstration projects designed to deal with
nonpoint sources of pollutants. Funds for these projects have often
been used in coordination with other governmental initiatives for
control of soil erosion from agricultural lands. As a consequence of
these efforts, there exists consensus about the more cost-effective
approaches to nonpoint source phosphorus control and the type of
management program needed to bring about a generalized implementation
of best management practices throughout the Great Lakes Basin. Table
No. 1-2 summarizes U.S. nonpoint source control activities within the
Great Lakes Basin subsequent to the 1972 GLWQA. Some of the major
contributions of these programs are highlighted below.
1.2.1 Pollution from Land Use Activities Reference Group (PLUARG)
As part of the 1972 GLWQA the IJC organized PLUARG as a binational
group of scientists and specialists. The major tasks of PLUARG were:
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A) To inventory and assess state-of-the-art management practices,
determine the cost-effectiveness of those practices and recommend
a legislative and institutional framework for control of nonpoint
sources of pollution.
B) To inventory major land uses within the Great Lakes Basin and to
project land use trends through the year 2020.
C) To intensively study representative small watersheds and
extrapolate results to the rest of the Great Lakes Basin.
D) To assess the degree of impairment to the Great Lakes from land
drainage sources of pollution.
PLUARG's final report was submitted to the IJC in July of 1978.
Approximately 120 technical studies were submitted in support of the
major PLUARG tasks. An extensive modeling effort was undertaken as
part of these studies to relate unit area loading factors back to in-
lake impacts. Pilot watershed studies refined understanding of some of
the relationships between land use activities and the transport and
delivery of pollutants. They also helped to define the effectiveness
of various types of best management practices in the control of
pollutants from different types of urban and rural land uses. A
comprehensive inventory of land use and land use practices was
prepared. The maps and inventories pertinent to the U.S. portion of
the Basin constitute a six volume set published in 1976. The watershed
boundaries of the current plan have been adopted from this PLUARG data
base.
Based on the totality of its technical effort, PLUARG outlined a set of
recommendations for the development and implementation of nonpoint
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source management plans for the Great Lakes Basin. Key elements of the
recommendations include regional prioritization of problem areas/ the
incorporation of phosphorus load reduction schedules into revisions in
the GLWQA, expansion of erosion control programs, and the preparation
of site specific management plans by the appropriate regional
jurisdictions.
1.2.2 Water Quality Management Planning Program - (Section 2Q8/205J)
From 1974-1980 state and areawide planning agencies were provided grant
funds to prepare comprehensive water quality plans for the regions
under their purview. Regional planning was done on a variety of
geographic scales (i.e. city, county/ multi-county/ state) with each of
the affected levels of government having an opportunity to participate
in the definition of their water quality problems and the identifica-
tion of some of the technical and institutional solutions to these
problems. Both local and state plans included agricultural nonpoint
source control elements. They were intended to serve as a vehicle to
coordinate the implementation of structural and nonstructural pollution
control measures for both point and nonpoint source pollutants,
1.2.3 Lake Erie Wastewater Management Study (LEWMS)
The largest single Great Lakes nonpoint source project has been the
Lake Erie Wastewater Management Study (LEWMS), funded under Sections
108 (d) and (e) of P.L. 92-500, the Clean Water Act. The U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers developed this large scale study from 1973 through
1982. The Corps was directed to, "develop a demonstration wastewater
program for the rehabilitation and repair of Lake
Erie". The study evolved into three phases. The first phase described
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and modeled conditions relating to water quality in Lake Erie and
estimates of pollutant loads to the lake. The second phase investi-
gated those factors affecting nonpoint source loadings and included an
assessment of the relative importance of nonpoint source versus point
source loads. Also/ land use in the Lake Erie drainage basin was
described and its role in the generation of pollutants was evaluated,
including the availability of nutrient loadings for biological uptake
in the lake. The processes of transport/ deposition/ resuspension, and
delivery by which pollutants are removed from the land and delivered to
the lake were analyzed. Sediment transport was found to be a signifi-
cant mechanism for the ultimate delivery of phosphorus to the lake.
During Phase III, control strategies for the reduction of agricultural
nonpoint source pollutants were developed. One demonstration project
and five small watershed studies were initiated as part of the LEWMS
study. The Honey Creek Watershed Management Program in Northwestern
Ohio resulted in an increase in conservation tillage (2,300 acres to
16,200 acres) in the watershed over a three-year implementation period.
The five small watersheds were located throughout the Lake Erie
drainage basin. The intent of these studies was to simulate the appli-
cation of conservation measures in a variety of geographic settings.
Watersheds were selected to look at different critical land forms, soil
types/ and land uses. The economic impact of different conservation
tillage strategies and an overall phosphorus and sediment control plan
were prepared.
Over 50 technical reports and papers were created in conjunction with
LEWMS. In order to integrate the large amount of water quality and
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land resource information being analyzed on individual parcels of land
the Corps developed the Land Resource Information System (LRIS) during
phase II. This data base has been updated and can be made available to
new users. With LRIS it is possible to generate maps/ graphics and
tabularized data on land resources for the entire Lake Erie Basin.
Using LRIS the Corps also created County Resource Information System
Packages (CRISPs). CRISPs are compendia of information consisting of
maps and tabular resource information summaries for 28 counties in the
U.S. portion of the Lake Erie drainage basin. In addition to resource
information the package also suggest land management practices for
areas where soil erosion problems exist. The CRISP packages will aid
in targeting and monitoring conservation application for the currently
proposed phosphorus control plan.
One of the most important conclusions of LEWMS was that it would be
possible to effect a 32% phosphorus reduction Basin-wide over a 20 year
period through accelerating the adoption rate for conservation tillage.
Furthermore/ 90% of this reduction could occur within the first seven
years. If reduced tillage practices were employed on all suitable
cropland soils in the basin, erosion would be reduced by 46 percent.
If "no-till" were applied on all suitable cropland soils and reduced
tillage on the remainder of the suitable acreage/ the overall gross
soil erosion reduction would be 69 percent. Concentration of conserva-
tion tillage on adapted soils in 20 key counties in the western basin
is estimated to achieve an erosion reduction of 65 percent and 80
percent of the U.S. phosphorus reduction goal for Lake Erie. Thus/ the
Corps has substantiated the feasibility of a nonpoint source control
program that could potentially meet the target load reductions
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necessary for a restoration of Lake Erie water quality as required
under the Supplement to Annex 3. The results of this study were
utilized in the development of the state strategies which are in this
plan.
1.2.4 Rural Clean Water Program (RCWP)
The USDA budgets in 1979 and 1980 contained funds for the implementa-
tion of agricultural pollution control projects in areas with identi-
fied water quality problems. Twenty-one projects were selected
nationally. Seventy million dollars were appropriated to carry out
these 10-year duration projects. Comprehensive monitoring and evalua-
tion (CM & E) is being carried out on five of the projects which
reflect different pollution problems and physiography. The program is
administered by the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service
(ASCS) with technical leadership from the Soil Conservation Service
(SCS). The project selection process gave priority to the Great Lakes
Basin in 1980. The Lower M an i to woe Watershed in Wisconsin and the
Saline Valley Project in Michigan were selected within the Great Lakes
Basin. This is the first large scale nonpoint agricultural pollution
control implementation effort in the United States. Many of the
findings from these and other demonstration projects in the Great
Lakes have been incorporated into this current U.S. plan. The first
major evaluation of the RCWP CM & E's was completed in 1985.
Nationwide Urban Runoff Program (NURP)
The PLUARG Report in 1978 recognized urban nonpoint as a potential
source of phosphorus and other pollutants. Water quality management
plans developed also identified urban nonpoint sources as a potential
pollution problem. However, the technologies available to address urban
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stormwater problems were relatively expensive, and the results were not
readily quantifiable. The U.S. EPA, in response to the uncertainties
associated with remedial programs, initiated the Nationwide Urban
Runoff Program (NURP) in 1978. Twenty-eight planning and demonstration
projects were initiated. The focus of the NURP was the identification
of pollutant loadings from various types of urban environments and the
evaluation of the effectiveness of alternative control technologies.
Five of the planning and demonstration projects were in the Great Lakes
Basin. Brief descriptions of these projects are included in Table No.
1-2.
The results confirm roost of the estimates of pollutant concentrations
used by PLUARG. However, the annual loads of phosphorus were not as
high as estimated by PLUARG. Two control methods were evaluated,
detention basins and street sweeping. They were found to be less
effective for phosphorus reductions than had been anticipated by
PLUARG. NURP acknowledged that local water quality problems may still
require remedial programs but that urban stormwater runoff may not be
as significant a phosphorus source as originally thought.
1.2.6 Great Lakes Demonstration Grants
Section 108 of the 1972 Clean Water Act authorized 20 million dollars
in grants to governmental and public agencies for the purpose of demon-
strating new techniques and methods for the elimination or control of
pollution within the Great Lakes Basin. The U.S. EPA Great Lakes
National Program Office (GLNPO) has used this spending authority to
direct 18 million dollars of its regular appropriation into demonstra-
tion projects. Approximately 2 million dollars of the original authori-
zation remains unobligated. The grant formula sets federal partici-
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pation at a 75 percent level with 25 percent to be provided from
nonfederal sources.
GLNPO has been able to support an extensive program of demonstration
projects that have identified a variety of nonpoint source control
techniques suitable for use in the Great Lakes Basin. As a
consequence, it is currently feasible to do nonpoint source control
planning with the expectation of being able to cost effectively meet
in-lake phosphorus target loads. Prior to these demonstrations and
other programs such as the LEWMS, it was not known whether nonpoint
source control programs could feasibly be used to help restore the
trophic status of the lower Great Lakes.
Under Section 108, GLNPO has supported more than 30 demonstration/small
watershed projects. Details of some of these projects are included in
Table No. 1-2, and several of the more significant projects are high-
lighted in the following subsections.
1.2.6.1 Saginaw Bay Monitoring and Evaluation Project
Because it is a relatively enclosed embayment, Saginaw Bay has hydro-
logic characteristics that make it more susceptible to pollution than
the open waters of Lake Huron. These same characteristics, however,
make it an excellent place to study the impacts of remedial action.
The Saginaw Bay Monitoring and Evaluation Project was initiated to
determine the comparative loads of point and nonpoint sources entering
the Bay and the most cost-effective mix of control measures needed to
ensure long term in-lake water quality. An intensive monitoring and
tracking program is in place which: 1) tracks the effluent discharges
and costs of 91 industrial treatment facilities and municipal sewage
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treatment plants; 2) monitors low and high flow nutrient loads on the
Saginaw River and six coastal tributaries; 3} measures edge-of-field
losses from test plots in the Basin; and 4) is being used to calibrate
and verify transport and delivery models for the Basin. Quantified
hydrologic, nutrient, and sediment data will be used as a basis for
developing and applying the ANSWERS non-point loading model on the
Saginaw Basin and to calculate potential load reductions obtainable by
increased use of conservation tillage practices. These projected loads
will then serve as an input to the in-lake water quality model to
calculate potential water quality benefits.
Various phases of the overall effort on Saginaw Bay have been funded by
different agencies. Some of the initial monitoring and evaluation
efforts were established through support from Region V, U.S. EPA as
part of a WQM planning grant. More recently monitoring of the impacts
of conservation tillage has been supported by the Great Lakes National
Program Office (GLNPO) of U.S. EPA by means of a Section 104 (b) (3)
Great Lakes research and demonstration grant. Another Great Lakes
demonstration grant supported the study of combined sewer outfall (CSO)
options for Saginaw Bay. An extensive application of agricultural best
management practices (BMPs) was supported by the Agricultural
Conservation Program (ACP) special cost-share funds (over 1 million
dollars) administered through the Agricultural Stabilization and
Conservation Service (ASCS). Twelve different types of structural and
nonstructural practices were applied with an emphasis on conservation
tillage. An evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of point and nonpoint
control alternatives has been prepared for the entirety of the Basin.
-------
1-16
1.2.6.2 Black Creek Demonstration Projects
The Naumee River Basin delivers the largest load of sediment and total
phosphorus of any of the basins which are tributary to Lake Erie. In
1972/ with a goal in mind of finding ways of reducing phosphorus
entering Lake Erie, a representative small watershed (12,000 acres)
within the Maumee Basin was chosen for intensive study. The Black
Creek Project was designed so the results of the technical studies and
investigations of the institutional arrangements could be applied to
the entire Maumee Basin. The cost and effectiveness of a number of
management practices were evaluated, social and institutional factors
which enhanced farmer participation in conservation practices were
identified/ and physical/ chemical/ and biological monitoring was put
in place in an attempt to assess the overall program effectiveness.
Under Sections 108 and 208 (a) of the Clean Water Act, U.S. EPA
provided funds for the 10 year Black Creek Demonstration Project. When
the Project ended in 1982 it had become one of the longer running
demonstrations of its kind.
An important conclusion from the Black Creek Demonstration Project was
that the amount of sediment entering Lake Erie from agricultural
sources within the Maumee Basin could be reduced by 50 percent if
practices identified during the course of the project were applied
throughout the Basin. Other contributions included: a) an evaluation
of the impact and cost effectiveness of various conservation practices;
b) the creation of a computer simulation model (ANSWERS) for linking
agricultural land use to sediment and phosphorus delivery; c) a confir-
mation of the concept of "critical areas" within a watershed; d) a
determination that the bulk of the sediment and adsorbed phosphorus
-------
1-17
is delivered during one or two of the largest runoff events usually
associated with snow melt; e) a better understanding of the subtleties
of physical and chemical monitoring; and f) a recognition that evalua-
tion tools must include monitoring of biological impacts associated
with the receiving streams.
1.2.6.3 Tri-State Tillage Project
The Tri-state Tillage Project is a cooperative effort between Federal,
State, and local agencies in 31 counties within the Lake Erie Basin in
Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. The intent of the Project is to
accelerate the rate of adoption of conservation tillage practices,
primarily no-till, through the use of field demonstration sites (1800
sites on 23,000 acres in 1983) and an information/education program.
Project funds are provided to county soil and water conservation dis-
tricts to support the acquisition of no-till equipment and technicians
to demonstrate its use on participating farms. Technical assistance
information and education are also provided on related management
practices such as integrated pest management.
Project support is provided for no-till and ridge till practices based
on the reasoning that they provide the greatest benefit to water
quality. They also represent the greatest change from conventional
tillage and are less likely to be attempted without local examples of
success. Project strategy assumes that if practices based on maximum
change (no-till and no-till on ridges) are shown to work, the
intermediate forms of conservation tillage will also be stimulated. The
most significant aspects of this program are the scale on which imple-
mentation is being pursued and the cooperative institutional arrange-
ments through which the program has been implemented. The Tri-state
-------
1-18
Tillage Project has shown that large scale implementation of conserva-
tion tillage is feasible.
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CHAPTER 2
United States Point Source Phosphorus Control Activities
2.0 Introduction
Since 1972 most of the phosphorus reduction emphasis has been directed
toward the larger point sources where reductions could be accomplished
quickly. This effort was aided by the signing of the first Great Lakes
Water Quality Agreement. The Agreement of 1972 provided the focus for
the coordinated international clean-up effort. The U.S. and Canada
invested 8.5 billion dollars by 1984 to solve the municipal discharge
problems which have been documented by the IJC in the 1984 Water
Quality Board Report. During 1977-78 the parties reviewed the first
Agreement. They considered some increasingly significant problems
toxic substances in fish and wildlife, the extent of land drainage
pollution, and the influence of air pollution on water quality. The
Governments then negotiated a second Agreement in 1978. At the time of
the signing of the Agreement, 76 percent of the industrial dischargers
and almost 64 percent of the municipalities in the United States were
conforming to the requirements. The record in Canada was equally
impressive with 50 percent of the industrial and over 89 percent of the
municipalities in compliance. The Agreement also recognized the toxic
management problem and adopted an ecosystem approach which included all
of the land draining into the Great Lakes system. The ecosystem
approach recognized the complex interrelationships of land, water, air
and living things. This was a significant step in that it raised to a
more prominent level the impacts of land runoff on Great Lakes water
quality. The rapid progress in the control of point sources since 1972
and definite signs of improvement in the lakes prompted greater empha-
sis in the 1978 Agreement toward airborne pollution and stormwater
runoff.
-------
2-2
The overall average loadings of phosphorus from municipal discharges to
the lakes is close to the negotiated requirements/ but some individual
problem areas still remain. This section details some of the problem
areas and documents the progress toward correction.
2.1 Municipal Sewage Treatment Plants
Article II of the 1978 GLWQA required that municipal Sewage Treatment
Plants (STP's) capable of meeting the 1 mg/1 total phosphorus limit be
in place by December 31 / 1982. The load reductions in the Supplement
to Annex 3 of the 1978 Agreement were developed assuming that loadings
from STPs will have attained the 1 mg/1 phosphorus objective. The
validity of this assumption will be dependent on the actual performance
of STPs collectively throughout the lake basin. According to the 1983
Water Quality Board Report to the IJC "...in 1982 the municipal waste-
water treatment plants in the Lake Erie Basin achieved an overall
average effluent phosphorus concentration of less than 1.0 mg/1 and
thereby met phosphorus loading reductions required in the 1978 Agree-
ment. The treatment plants in the Lake Ontario Basin discharged
effluent with an overall average phosphorus concentration of 1.2mg/l
with the excess loadings resulting primarily from noncompliance
at plants in New York." Reductions in municipal phosphorus loads from
1972 through 1982 for Lakes Erie and Ontario are identified in Figure
2-1. Some in-lake trends and trophic state improvements seem to be
clearly a consequence of a reduction in STP phosphorus loads.
-------
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2-3
In recognition of the December 31, 1982 deadline specified in Article
VI of the 1978 Agreement the Great Lakes Water Quality Board prepared,
"A Review of the Municipal Pollution Abatement Programs in the Great
Lakes Basin." This document tracked progress for the total program as
well as performance of individual STPs from 1972 through 1981. The
1983 Board Report to the LJC updates this progress through December of
1982. Sampling data from calendar year 1983 was published late in
1984. To the degree possible, the most recent information has been
used in the evaluation of STP performance.
In spite of the overall improvement in the level of performance of the
municipal STPs, Water Quality Board reports identified a substantial
number of the largest STPs that did not fully meet the "adequate treat-
ment" compliance standards identified as part of the terms of the 1978
GLWQA. The definition of "adequate treatment" was expanded by the 1978
Agreement to include site-specific requirements developed by each
state. A summary of compliance to 1983 to the 1 mg./l phosphorus
effluent limit is given in Table No. 2-1.* The status of compliance
through 1983/84 for individual states and drainage basins is discussed
in the following subsections.
*Final M>DES permits for all U.S. jurisdictions will include a ^1 mg/1
phosphorus effluent requirement; however, iterim NPDES permits written
for small number of facilities may have exceeded the 1 mg/1
limitation during calendar year 1981.
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2-4
2.1.1 INDIANA
There arc three major plants located in sub-basins tributary to Lake
Erie. All were in compliance through 1983. Improvements in the Fort
Wayne combined sewer system may constitute an assignable load reduction
for the current load reduction plan since these improvements were
instituted subsequent to 1982.
2.1.2 MICHIGAN
Most treatment facilities have greatly reduced their phosphorus
discharge concentrations. Complete compliance with the 1 mg/1 plant
standard is projected by 1988. Municipal lagoon facilities are
currently exempted from the 1 mg/1 standard. The three municipal
facilities in the Saginaw Bay Basin have a .5 mg/1 recommended
phosphorus effluent limit.
A total of 18 major plants were reported by Michigan to be discharging
into Saginaw Bay. Eight facilities were identified on the basis of
1983 compliance data as exceeding their permit limits. Major construc-
tion has been completed at the Mt. Pleasant plant. The Lapeer and
Bridgeport facilities are under construction. Facility upgrading has
been funded for the Genessee County plant and the Saginaw Township
facility is scheduled.
In the Lake Erie Basin/ twelve of the 22 plants fully met phosphorus
effluent standards in 1983. Four plants/ Trenton/ Saline/ Rockwood and
Adrian were out of compliance but were on schedules for upgrading prior
to 1986. Significant non-compliance with conventional pollutant guide-
lines and hydraulic overloading were identified for Wayne County treat-
ment plants at Wyandotte, Trenton/ Flat Rock and Mt. Clemens. These
-------
2-5
plants will be diverting their discharges to the Huron Valley treatment
facility when it is completed.
The largest facility on Lake Erie is the Detroit STP. The Detroit
plant discharged 699 MGD during 1983 and had a flow weighted average
phosphorus discharge concentration of .79 mg/1. This represents an
effluent phosphorus reduction of over 90% since 1966. This performance
has been achieved through upgrading the plant to operate continuously
as a secondary facility and diverting influent overloads as combined
sewer storm discharges. At a discharge concentration of 1 mg/1, this
facility is expected to discharge over 930 metric tons of phosphorus.
The present diversions deliver approximately 236 metric tons of phos-
phorus annually to the western basin of Lake Erie. This facility is
the largest single source of phosphorus in the Great Lakes.
2.1.3 NEW YORK
There are eight major treatment plants in the New York portion of the
Lake Erie drainage. Of these plants, Arcade, Dunkirk, Fredonia,
Lackawanna and Blasdell, failed to meet an annual 1 mg/1 phosphorus
effluent limit in 1983. The Arcade and Blasdell plants are scheduled to
be upgraded. The remaining plants are scheduled to be upgraded prior
to 1988. Twenty-seven of 51 STPs in the Ontario Basin did not
consistently meet the annual 1 mg/1 phosphorus effluent requirement in
1983. The average annual effluent concentrations for these plants
ranged from 1.1 mg/1 to 6.8 mg/1 in 1983. Upgrading is scheduled for
17 of these plants while existing phosphorus removal facilities were
not operating effectively at nine other plants. The largest major
plants that were out of compliance during 1983 included the Batavia,
Auburn, Syracuse Metro, and Field Memorial facilities. The Village of
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2-6
Lowville reported a 1982 average phosphorus effluent concentration of
21 mg/1. Although the plant discharges less than 1 MCD the annual load
would be 29 metric tons per year. The loading is due to industrial
wastes particularly influent from dairy operations. This plant operated
at 4.4 mg/1 during 1983 but increased in 1984. This variable output is
under investigation.
2.1.4 OHIO
Thirty-seven of the 71 major Ohio facilities met their compliance
limits in 1983. If all of these plants were brought into compliance
the phosphorus load from STPs would be reduced by about 35 percent or
365 MT. Large STPs with significant compliance problems in Ohio in-
clude: Akron/ Elyria, Kent, Cleveland Westerly/ Norwalk/ Rocky River/
and Toledo Bayview. All of these plants are scheduled for major
upgrading and/or replacement before 1986. Ohio has not enacted a
statewide phosphorus detergent ban. Conceivably a phosphorus detergent
ban could aid those Ohio STPs which are out of compliance by reducing
influent phosphorus loads and reducing sludge volumes at these plants.
A ban would also reduce loadings from combined sewer overflows and
sewage treatment plant bypasses.
2.1.5 PENNSYLVANIA
There are three major treatment plants in the Pennsylvania portion of
the Lake Erie drainage basin. The Erie Sewer Authority STP was not in
compliance with the 1 mg./l phosphorus limit in 1983.
2.2 Combined Sewer Overflows
Historically, it has been possible for communities in the United States
to obtain Federal construction grants funds to apply against the costs
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2-7
of upgrading sewer systems and controlling combined sewer overflows
(CSOs). The 1982 amendments to the Clean Water Act significantly
altered the administrative formula for securing construction grants
funds to address CSO problems and also modified the Federal funding
support level for all construction grants projects. Prior to
October 1, 1984/ Federal support of municipal construction grants costs
was at a level of 75 percent of allowable costs. After this date the
Federal portion dropped to 55 percent of allowable costs and
correction of CSO problems are only being considered with the request
of a state Governor and where restoration of a significant impaired
water body use can be demonstrated. Since large scale CSO remediation
can be extremely expensive/ the financial feasibility of such projects
is likely to have been affected by these changes. EPA's Great Lakes
National Program Office is currently funding several CSO projects
designed to demonstrate low cost technologies suitable for reducing CSO
loadings. Projects exist at Saginaw MI/ Rochester NY, and Cleveland/
OH.
Table No. 2-2 includes estimates of United States CSO loadings for
municipalities tributary to Saginaw Bay/ Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
The largest and most serious CSO problem is on Lake Erie where annual
phosphorus loadings from CSO totals 457.8 metric tons during an average
water year. The largest annual loadings are discharged by Detroit
(160.5 MT), Detroit Suburban (65.8 MT), Cleveland (117.7 MT), Toledo
(75.7 MT), Buffalo (27.8 MT), and Akron (8.0 MT).
The Detroit plant provides wastewater collection and treatment services
over an area encompassing 650 square miles. Service is provided for an
estimated 3,200,000 people and over 1500 industrial dischargers. The
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collection system contains 83 combined sewer overflows which can divert
wastewater to the Rouge River and Detroit River. Besides phosphorus
loads the combined sewers deliver a range of heavy metals and toxics
typically associated with urban areas of this size.
The annual CSO phosphorus loading to Lake Ontario is 106.4 MT. In the
Rochester metropolitan area planning and implementation grants have
been provided by the U.S. EPA. It is anticipated that an 80-90 percent
reduction in loading will be accomplished as a consequence of
implementing best management practices and constructing major new
relief interceptors.
2.3 Detergent Phosphorus Limitations
In an effort to reduce influent phosphorus to sewage treatment plants
and to the ambient environment/ most of the Great Lakes Basin states
and a number of local municipalities have enacted detergent phosphorus
limitations. Both the Canadian and U.S. Governments recognized a need,
as expressed in Annex 3 to the 1978 GLWQA, to consider regulations
limiting (or eliminating) phosphorus from detergents sold for use
within the Great Lakes system. In the U.S. it was decided not to
legislate phosphorus control on a national basis but rather to concen-
trate on phosphorus removal from municipal and industrial wastes where
necessary. Each state independently assesses the benefits and costs of
a detergent phosphate limitation and passes legislation accordingly.
The states of Minnesota/ Michigan/ Indiana/ Wisconsin/ and New York
currently have detergent phosphorus legislation which limit concentra-
tions to 0.5 percent by weight as elemental phosphorus. The states of
Ohio and Pennsylvania do not have limitations. Some local communities
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2-9
such as Chicago, IL/ and Akron, OH, have passed ordinances which limit
detergent phosphate. In the case of the Chicago ban/ it effectively
controls all of the Great Lakes Basin in Illinois.
Detergent phosphorus controls bring about a reduction in Basin
phosphorus loadings from noncompliant facilities, combined sewer and
bypass overlows, private treatment systems/ facilities smaller than 1
MGD/ and those without removal facilities. Continuation of detergent
phosphorus controls now in force and the passage of limitations of
phosphorus in detergent in Ohio and Pennsylvania are important to the
Great Lakes phosphorus reduction efforts.
2.4 Industrial Point Sources
Annex 3 reductions are targeted mainly at municipal point source dis-
charges. Some industrial discharges can be significant however.
Industries in which large phosphorus effluent loads are possible
include the pulp and paper industry/ petroleum refining/ food
processing, and automobile manufacturing. Annex 3 calls for the
regulation of these dischargers to the "maximum practicable extent" by
December 31 / 1983. Areas where industrial point sources are substan-
tial include the Detroit River and Rochester Embayment. Industrial
phosphorus loads are only four percent of the municipal loads to Lake
Erie and Ontario. The estimated annual load in 1982 to Lake Erie was
51 metric tons and to Ontario 31 metric tons.
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CHAPTER 3
Overview Of Federal Programs And Forecasts
3.0 Introduction
A review of federal programs that would impact on phosphorus reductions
in the Great Lakes was completed during the development of the report/
"Nonpoint Source Pollution Abatement in the Great Lakes Basin, An Over-
view of Post-PLUARG Developments". This report was submitted by the
Nonpoint Source Control Task Force of the Water Quality Board of the
IJC. It was published in August 1983 and presented to the IJC at its
Annual Meeting in November 1983. A "General Survey of Governmental
Programs To Plan and Manage Nonpoint Source Water Pollution Abatement
in the United States Great Lakes Basin" was prepared by Harbridge
House, Inc. in June of 1983 as a basis for the United States section of
the Task Force Report. Complete details can be found in these two
reports. General conclusions of the two reports are incorporated in
the discussion which follows.
3.1 Present Programs
Agricultural programs in the United States are directed primarily
toward increasing productivity and soil conservation rather than
pollution control. However, numerous water quality oriented
demonstration efforts have been supported, and resources have been
directed by many agencies toward these demonstration projects. There
has been growing awareness of the magnitude and severity of nonpoint
source pollution from land use activities, particularly agriculture.
This awareness became much more focused during participation in the
Water Quality Management (WQM) planning process called for in the Clean
Water Act amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500). This planning process called
for local level planning and involved many agricultural leaders. Local
water quality problems were identified which stemmed from land use
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3-2
activities such as agricultural runoff/ inadequate animal waste
management/ construction site erosion/ streambank and gully erosion,
silvicultural activities and septic waste field failures. Nutrients
were identified as pollutants along with sediment and coliform
bacteria. The studies focused almost entirely on local impacts in
streams and inland lakes and reservoirs.
3.1.1 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
USDA is the major federal department with existing programs which
impact nonpoint source pollution control from privately owned
agricultural lands. The goal of most of the federal legislation which
directs USDA activities is the maintenance of an economically sound
agriculture now and into the future. A wide range of programs have
been enacted to accomplish this. Of particular concern to this
phosphorus reduction plan are those programs which are directed to the
protection of the long range production capacity of the soil resource
base. Land management programs which protect the soil resource base by
reducing erosion and nutrient losses are the key elements which address
this goal. Since sediment and nutrients become pollutants in water/
water quality goals and soil resource goals become compatible.
Congress established the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) in 1935 as a
direct result of the severe erosion problem which were stripping the
topsoil from the nations soil resource base. The SCS mission covers
three major areas: soil and water conservation, natural resource
surveys/ and rural community protection and development. SCS provides
both technical and financial assistance to land owners and local units
of government.
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3-3
To carry out its mission/ SCS has created a network of conservation
specialists who help people understand and protect their land. SCS
delivers its services through a line and staff organization which
includes a national headquarters and regional technical service centers
to assist the operations in each state. Through locally organized and
locally run conservation districts/ SCS provides technical assistance
to help individuals/ groups/ organizations/ and units of government
interested in conserving soil and water resources. Conservation
districts/ which generally follow county lines/ include almost all the
privately owned land in the United States. District Conservationists
assigned to assist the local conservation districts have the technical
support of specialists at the area/ state/ regional and national
levels.
The SCS has created a national training program to assist
conservationists working with districts to recognize potential water
pollution problems and to build into their resource management systems
techniques to reduce the amount of potential pollutants from reaching
the nation's waters. This training program is also being made
available to agricultural workers in other agencies working in the
states in support of the conservation districts. A water quality field
guide has also been developed to supplement this nationwide training
program. This training program for SCS employees will be completed in
1985.
The role of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service
(ASCS) in agricultural nonpoint source pollution control is unique.
The ASCS operations are at the federal/ state/ and county levels/ as
are those of SCS. The ASCS administers a broad range of programs which
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3-4
impact directly and indirectly on the use of land. These programs
include f»rm commodity/ conservation, environmental protection, ?nd
emergency assistance. The conservation program of great importance to
agricultural pollution control is the Agricultural Conservation Program
(ACP) which provides cost-sharing funds to landowners for the
installation of certain conservation practices.
The ACP with its cost-sharing feature is probably the best known
program of ASCS. The commodity programs are, however, much larger in
scope. They influence land use decisions through price support pay-
ments, acreage reduction, cropland set aside and other production
adjustment measures. These programs are being recognized as having
significant impacts on resource management because of their adjustments
in the acreage of land subject to erosion because of cultivation. The
commodity program is national in scope and available to landowners
primarily on a voluntary basis. The ACP is a national program, but
each state has the option of determining the practices that will be
eligible for cost-share assistance within its jurisdiction.
Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) provides grants and low interest
loans to individual landowners and small communities for
conservation practices, water supplies and waste disposal facilities.
The programs of SCS and ASCS have secondary benefits to water quality,
and in the support of waste disposal for small communities by FmHA, a
direct water quality benefit.
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3-5
The Forest Service (FS) has cooperative agreements with state
departments of forestry for state foresters to provide technical
assistance to landowners on private land. The FS has developed a
silvicultural water quality training program similar to the program in
use by SCS. The program addresses water quality problems associated
with road building and harvesting. Remedial and preventive techniques
are stressed. The Federal Extension Service (ES) also works with the
states in providing funds to state-based Cooperative Extension Services
(CES). A water quality emphasis is a feature in all of their natural
resource programs, and they participate in the RCWP evaluation and
provide technical guidance in the implementation. See Chapter 4 for
additional details about Extension Service programs.
3.1.2 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA)
The U.S. EPA has had a major impact on Great Lakes water quality
through the construction grants program for municipal waste treatment
facilities and through the National Pollution Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) for municipal and industrial discharge permits. For
nonpoint sources, the Water Quality Management Planning process has
been important in creating an awareness of the significance of the
nonpoint agricultural pollution problem. Demonstration projects
administered by the GLNPO of U.S. EPA, Corps of Engineers, and USDA
have expanded the knowledge of nonpoint source control technology and
established a basis for implementation in the Great Lakes Basin. The
Nationwide Urban Runoff Program also has further refined the knowledge
concerning phosphorus and toxic material transport to the Lakes and the
opportunities for remedial treatment.
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3-6
3.2 Forecasts for the Future
The entire issue of nonpoint source pollution control is now being
considered by the various federal agencies and the Congress. The
question is not whether there is a problem, but rather how best to
apply limited resources and to develop the most cost-effective delivery
system. The demonstration programs of USDA and U.S. EPA have been
extremely helpful in providing a basis for a national policy to address
the nonpoint pollution control problem. It is possible that a nation-
wide program, such as was used to upgrade municipal waste treatment
plants will eventually emerge. However, the diffuse character of
nonpoint source pollution does not lend itself to the same type of
institutional and programatic solutions as utilized in the control of
point source pollution. Federal and state planning and involvement
must be coordinated with a wide range of agencies, but implementation
must ultimately take place at the local level with individual
landowners. Limited resources have made it necessary to target reme-
dial aid to local areas with identified major problems.
3.2.1 U.S. EPA Nonpoint Source Program
Nearly all the Water Quality Management Plans contained a nonpoint
source pollution control element. Many of these plans considered
problems associated with septic filter fields, construction site
erosion, urban runoff, roadside erosion, streambank and gully erosion.
Almost all of the plans had a large section devoted to agriculture.
Early in the planning process, U.S. EPA had identified significant
water impairment caused by agriculturally derived sediment/ nutrients,
pesticides and animal waste management problems. Agricultural leaders
at all levels were involved in the process of problem identification
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3-7
and in the development of remedial plans. Most of the remedial efforts
recommended an acceleration of the ongoing soil and water conservation
efforts. The need for additional funding to accomplish the recommended
plan was indicated.
U.S. EPA has not acted upon the recommendations for additional funding.
The course chosen has led to cooperation with USDA in demonstrations
such as Black Creek, Indiana/ the Model Implementation Program and the
current Rural Clean Water Program (RCWP). U.S. EPA is also involved
with USDA in the National Water Quality Evaluation Project which is
attempting to quantify the cause-effect relationships between implemen-
tation of remedial measures and water quality changes.
Within the Great Lakes a number of agricultural demonstrations are
being conducted by the Great Lakes National Program Office of U.S. EPA/
and other agencies. The results of these demonstrations in the Great
Lakes and elsewhere throughout the country show the importance of
focusing efforts on priority areas and practices. Early conclusions and
recommendations from the final reports and evaluations of the demon-
stration programs stress the need for better problem identification/
location of the sources of the problem and the development of solutions
which fit the problem areas. The concept that all parts of the
landscape do not deliver pollutants equally has been strengthened,
which suggests that significant pollution control can be achieved by
treating only a portion of the landscape. Many stream impairments have
been perceived rather than documented. Detailed assessments are now
being completed which will more clearly document the impairment. The
number of stream segments originally estimated to be impaired by agri-
culture will likely decrease as a result.
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3-8
The U.S. EPA established a nonpoint task force in 1984. The role of
the task force was to develop a national nonpoint source policy state-
ment. The Task Force which developed the Policy represented a number
of agencies working with U.S. EPA. The recommended Policy recognizes
the diversity of nonpoint source problems; the need for flexibility in
developing solutions; and the need for working partnerships among all
federal/ state/ local, areawide and interstate agencies/ and the
private sector/ including non-governmental organizations/ to best
address nonpoint source problems.
Roles and responsibilities for agencies at all levels were established.
The role of the U.S. EPA is as the lead agency in coordinating
interagency and state actions for managing nonpoint source programs.
Agencies at all levels were requested to develop nonpoint source
strategies. These strategies will be refined as existing programs and
authorities are reviewed for consistency with existing and future state
nonpoint management objectives and as institutional barriers are
identified.
The responsibility for nonpoint source implementation will depend on
the nature of the problem, the area in question, and the statutory
framework. Implementation activities will emphasize site-specific
solutions but will maintain a consistent management approach across all
levels of government. The States will have the lead in developing and
implementing strategies on state and private lands.
The recommended Policy represents a clear articulation of the under-
standing of the knowledge gained from the nonpoint source demonstration
and implementation projects in the United States during the past ten
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3-9
years. The burden of proof still lies with the States to clearly
define the priority areas that require treatment. The evolving non-
point source strategy within the United States emphasizes problem
specific projects in limited geographical areas, the attainment of
quantified goals and a clearly defined monitoring and evaluation scheme
to determine program impacts.
3.3 Great Lakes Phosphorus Reduction Plan
The strategy options reviewed by the National Nonpoint Source Task
Force have been defined to the point of a recommended national policy.
The Phosphorus Reduction Plan being prepared by the Great Lakes Phos-
phorus Task Force is in accord with many of the principles and
approaches included in the National Nonpoint Source Policy document and
U.S. EPA draft strategy.
The State Plans have looked first at the present effects of ongoing
federal and state programs in the area of soil and water conservation
and their impacts on phosphorus reduction. The impacts of various types
of agricultural best managment practices (BMP's) designed to reduce
sediment and nutrient delivery to streams have been studied rather
intensively over the past 10 years. At the scale of an individual
field/ or even a small watershed/ the magnitude of sediment and
nutrient reductions from the implementation of BMP's can be estimated
with a reasonable degree of accuracy. This presumes that the appro-
priate sampling data has been taken/ that a calibrated stream delivery
model has been prepared for the area, and that the BMP's being imple-
mented are those for which appropriate scientific literature exists.
Quantification of phosphorus reductions due to the application of BMP's
over large hydrologic areas are at best only rough estimates. For the
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3-10
type of large scale implementation being recommended as part of the
current plan, technology is not available at this time to accurately
quantitify cause - effect relationships. The plan/ however/ is a
first attempt at quantifying program impacts which will be refined as
better information becomes available. The plans include quantification
of the many acceleration projects which are occurring in the
geographical areas covered by Annex 3. Critical source areas of phos-
phorus/ both point and nonpoint have been identified or a strategy to
refine this assessment is outlined. A cost-effective mix of point and
nonpoint source control measures has been examined to acnieve the
reductions that have been allocated.
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CHAPTER 4
Overview of State Programs and Forecasts
4.0 Introduction
The States involved in this Plan (Indiana/ Ohio/ Michigan/ New York/
and Pennsylvania) depend heavily on federal programs for the implemen-
tation of their Water Quality Management Plans. Most of the state WQM
Plans note the need for reduced phosphorus loadings to the Great Lakes
but concentrate on intrastate water quality problems. Near shore water
quality problems from sediments and combined sewer overflows are
generally highlighted.
The planning required by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZM)
provided the additional impetus for problem identification, critical
areas/ and development of remedial plans in the land areas close to the
lake shore. New York/ Michigan/ and Pennsylvania have active CZM
programs with a very limited program in Ohio. Table No. 4-1 provides a
profile of the CZM activities in the States. Only one state (Ohio) has
a statewide Agricultural Pollution and Urban Sediment Act which has
provisions directed to agriculture. Michigan does have a sedimentation
program which is directed at controlling erosion from construction
sites and is administered at the local level.
Material for this chapter was primarily abstracted from "A General
Survey of Governmental Programs to Plan and Manage Nonpoint Source
Water Pollution Abatement in the U.S. Great Lakes Basin", Harbridge
House/ Inc./ 1983/ and "Great Lakes Soil Erosion and Sediment Survey",
Great Lakes Commission, 1984.
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4-2
4.1 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD's)
The designated nonpoint source implementation agency identified in the
State WQM Plans are the local soil and water conservation districts.
These special purpose districts are established under state enabling
legislation to deal specifically with the soil and water resources.
All are established on county boundaries in the Great Lakes states.
They are governed by boards elected by the landowners in the district/
except in Wisconsin where the county is the designated unit of
government with supervising committees subjected from elected county
officials. They are recognized as legal entities under state law.
Their financial support comes from a combination of state and county
funds. There is general guidance provided by a board or commission at
the state level attached to state's natural resource or agricultural
agency. There are state employees available to assist the district in
fullfilling their obligations under state law. Most SWCD's also have
full or part-time employees under their direction. Their funding
levels are generally very low, and their primary role is to establish
policy and develop local priorities for conservation programs and
activities. The bulk of the implementation work is done through
memoranda of understanding with state and federal natural resource or
agricultrual agencies who have programs available in the county. Under
these agreements/ SCS provides a professional employee to provide
technical assistance to carry out the District's annual and long range
plan of work.
The SWCD programs generally enjoy good credibility since they are
developed by local people with a great deal of input and coordination
with other natural resource interests. The WQM planning process has
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4-3
developed an awareness of water quality at the local SWCD level and
nationally it has become an increasingly high priority. The activities
in the Great Lakes Basin by PLUARG, the Lake Erie Wastewater Management
Study/ the Rural Clean Water Program, and demonstration grants from the
Great Lakes National Program Office of U.S. EPA have provided the dis-
tricts with experience in planning and implementing nonpoint source
pollution control programs. Their credibility with local landowners
has established SWCD's as the local implementing entity in developing a
voluntary program for water quality improvement.
4.2 Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS)
ASCS operations at the state level are carried out by a State Executive
Committee and managed by a State Executive Director (SED) who is
appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture and surpervises a staff of
administrative and program specialists. District Directors provide
liaison between the state office and county offices in their districts.
A County Executive Director (CED) is responsible for day-to-day office
operations at the individual county level. State and county Agricul-
tural Stabilization and Conservation (ASC) committees are responsible
for administering the programs and activities of ASCS and the field
operations of the Commodity Credit Corporation. The local committees
are elected by the farmers in the county and must be farmers them-
selves .
The Agricultural Conservation Program (ACP) is a national program but
each state has the option of determining the practices from an approved
national list that will be eligible for cost-sharing assistance in
their state. The local committee can select practices from the state
list for use in their county. The eligible practices at the state and
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4-4
county level are decided in consultation with other agencies so they do
represent the natural resource and agricultural concerns of the
geographical area. Some ACP funds are normally set aside at the
federal and state level for special projects. Many water quality
projects have been funded at the county or watershed level in recent
years from these funds.
4.3 Soil Conservation Service (SCS)
A State Conservationist directs the activities of SCS at the state
level and manages the mission of the agency within the context of the
specific natural resource needs in that state. He works closely with
soil and water conservation district leaders and state natural resource
and water quality agencies in determining resource allocations. He has
a technical support staff to assist the soil conservationists assigned
to work with the SWCD's. This technical staff works closely with
specialists from the other state and federal agencies to ensure a
common approach to natural resource problems unique to each state.
4.4 Cooperative Extension Service (CES)
The Cooperative Extension Service, established in 1914, is a partner-
ship of the USDA, the state land grant colleges and universities/ and
county governments. It is an educational organization, responsible for
disseminating and encouraging the application of agricultural research
findings, technologies, and leadership techniques to individuals,
families, and communities in both urban and rural areas. Five broad
program areas are pursued: agricultural production, marketing, and
financial management; family resource management and human nutrition;
forests and rangeland management; 4-H and youth education and
development; and decision making for local government and businesses.
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4-5
The CES operates as aemi-autonomous unit within the state land grant
college with guidance and partial funding from the Federal Extension
Service. Each county also provides funding often in the form of office
space and secretarial assistance for a County Extension Agent and other
support staff to fulfill their mission. The wide variety of roles
dictates that the agent must be a generalist, coordinating support
expertise in specific areas from regional offices and/or from the land
grant colleges. Most states have staff capabilities/ either as full or
part-time, in the areas of pollution control from agricultural activi-
ties. There is no direct mandate for this activity except as it
effects agricultural production. Land management including nutrient
and pesticide management is rapidly being accepted as a legitimate
educational role by CES since it impacts directly on costs of produc-
tion and the general financial well being of the farmer.
Reduced tillage is one area where crop production/ resource protection,
and nutrient and pesticide management can come together to also accom-
plish water quality benefits. The CES is very active in many of the
reduced tillage efforts in the Great Lakes Basin.
4.5 Water Quality and Environmental Agencies
Each of the states in the Great Lakes Basin has a lead agency responsi-
ble for the protection of the water resources of the state. Organiza-
tional structures vary from independent cabinet level agencies to
divisions of the agency responsible for all natural resources of the
state. They are funded by the state legislatures and also receive
grants and administer programs for the federal EPA. The construction
grants program for municipal waste treatment is usually administered by
the state water quality agency. Their legislative mandate includes
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4-6
planning/ surveillance, and enforcement. They were the recipients of
the Section 208 funds under which the State Water Quality Management
Plans were prepared. Some states utilized regional planning agencies
to facilitate the development of the plans for their geographical
areas. A number of these regional agencies still maintain and refine
the local plans.
Local/ county/ and city health departments also maintain some water
quality programs such as control of individual home sewage disposal and
enforcement capabilities for local water quality problems.
The state water quality agencies have given high funding priority to
municipal waste treatment facilities which discharge directly to the
Great Lakes. Significant phosphorus reductions to the lakes have
resulted from the construction grant program and from reductions from
industrial sources through effluent limitations. Combined sewer over-
flow impacts of phosphorus have been reduced by all states/ except Ohio
and Pennsylvania/ through regulation of phosphorus levels in household
detergents.
The state WQM Plan emphasized local water quality problems/ since the
planning process included local inputs of information and concerns.
Although phosphorus reduction to the Great Lakes was considered, it was
not the only consideration. A great deal of effort is now being
expended by the Water Quality Agencies in each state to refine and
focus effort to further reduce phosphorus transport to the lakes as a
part of this Annex 3 plan development. A major part of this new look
is at phosphorus delivery to the Great Lakes from nonpoint sources.
Most of the WQM plans recognized sediment and attached nutrients from
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4-7
nonpoint sources as significant problems. Techniques and new knowledge
about the control of nutrients and sediment from agricultural sources
are being employed in this new planning process to focus on phosphorus
reduction plans.
4.6 State Initiated Programs
The large majority of the technical assistance and cost-share funds
utilized for soil and water conservation efforts in the Great Lakes
Basin comes from federal sources. A survey of federal agencies by the
Great Lakes Commission in 1984 indicates that over 15 million dollars
of technical assistance and cost-sharing funds were provided to land-
owners in the lower Great Lakes during 1982. This is a significant sum
which is directed primarily at erosion control but also has a major
water quality benefit. This benefit has been quantified to the extent
possible in this report. All of these programs are/ however/ channeled
through state and local agencies/ and it is their policies and programs
which shape the direction of implementation efforts.
The implementation of agricultural pollution abatement at the state
level has been assigned to local soil and water conservation districts
(land conservation committees in Wisconsin). The urban nonpoint
problem is assigned to the counties and municipalities. Most of these
look to construction erosion control ordinances typically as a part of
the subdivision approval process and are aimed primarily at sediment
control. Local health departments provide enforcement where health
hazards exist. Coastal Zone Management (CZM) has some potential but
its implementation is not consistent from state to state. Phosphorus
detergent limitations have proven to be very effective for phosphorus
reduction particularly where combined sewer overflows exist or during
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4-8
storm periods when municipal wastewater treatment plants must bypass
sewage due to excessive flow into of tlvir collection systems. Table
No. 4-2 summarizes the status of the state WQM Plans.
4.6.1 Indiana
There is no statewide legislation relating to sediment although some
state funds are provided to assist soil and water conservation district
operations. The CZM program is not operational in Indiana although it
is acknowledged that some critical erosion areas exist in the dune area
of Lake Michigan. Indiana will begin the development of an agricul-
tural element to their WQM Plan in 1985. Since 1971 Indiana has had
legislation which requires approval of waste handling facilities for
larger than 300 animal unit operations; however/ fund limitations have
not allowed complete review of existing permits.
4.6.2 Michigan
There are two erosion/sedimentation programs active in Michigan. The
Shorelands Protection and Management Act identifies "high risk erosion"
areas and regulates development in these areas. It also provides
assistance to local governments and the public to minimize property
losses from the effects of shore erosion. The statewide Soil Erosion
and Sedimentation Control Act assists developers and landowners in
construction methods that reduce soil erosion during earth moving
activities. It is implemented by local units of government through
ordinances and building code enforcements.
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4.6.3 New York
A Coastal Hazards Area Act/ passed in 1981, directs the Dppartment nf
Environmental Conservation to identify and map coastal erosion hazard
areas and to adopt regulations. Regulation is at the local level/
following minimum state standards. The state may enforce the minimums
when the municipalities choose to relinquish jurisdiction. The Protec-
tion of Waters Act requires a permit before disturbance of stream beds
or stream banks. Any development permit can also require sediment
control "riders". The Environmental Quality Review Act can assess
major development impacts on erosion and sedimentation/ but the recom-
mendations are not binding upon local government.
4.6.4 Ohio
Urban erosion control is handled at the county and municipal level by
ordinance and building code enforcement. Implementation is spotty in
the Lake Erie Basin although interest is high in those areas where new
construction is active. Technical assistance is provided to communi-
ties in the development of ordinances. A limited cost-share program is
available for animal waste management and erosion control through soil
and water conservation districts. Technical assistance is also
provided to the districts along with state matching funds for SWCD
operations. Many counties in the Basin also operate a drainage ditch
maintenance program that ensures maintenance of ditch banks after
construction or reconstruction takes place.
4.6.5 Pennsylvania
A pilot stormwater management plan and a model ordinance for
implementation of the Bluff Recession and Setback Act have been
prepared for Erie County in the Erie Basin. Erie and Crawford County
-------
4-10
are also preparing an agricultural nonpoint element for inclusion in
the state Water Quality Management Plan update that will be completed
in 1985.
4.7 Forecast and Strategies
All of the states except Indiana have some legislation relating to
erosion and sediment control. Most of the legislation is permissive in
that local government has the authority to require attention to sedi-
mentation due to new construction and earth moving activities in the
private sector. Shoreline erosion is addressed as a significant prob-
lem by all of the states/ but implementation funding is limited and the
acceptance of regulation of setbacks and other land use controls is not
widespread. There is a general acceptance of support of soil and water
conservation districts by state and county government usually for
technical assistance capability and SWCD operations. Ohio is the only
state with a cost-share program for practice installation, but it has
rather limited funding.
There is little consistency from state to state in the type of environ-
mental legislation that is available to implement a phosphorus or
sediment control program. Erosion from land disturbing activities
other than agriculture is generally considered to be within the juris-
diction of local government under their planning/ zoning, and land use
authorities. Passage of regulations is usually the result of major
offsite damages due to development practices. The use of this type of
control will likely follow a slow but steady increase as crises occur.
Shoreline erosion control will likely follow a similar pattern.
Assistance is usually requested after damage results. Since most of the
land is privately owned, there is a strong resistance to preventive
-------
4-11
actions which may limit the use of the land adjacent to the shoreline.
Reduced funding of CZM ia alowiny this effort and states have not
uniformally taken over this function. Michigan, New York/ and Pennsyl-
vania do have active programs but limited state funding.
Only Ohio has legislation affecting agricultural pollution abatement
and sediment control. While there are standards for relating to
sediment control and animal waste management, only those relating to
animal waste management are enforceable. Cost sharing must be
available to take action against livestock facilities constructed prior
to November 1979. The State provided $408,000 for cost sharing during
state fiscal years 1985 and 1986. However, funding is inadequate to
meet the demand; and it is difficult to require farmers to install
expensive facilities without financial assistance. The voluntary
approach to installation of pollution control practices is practiced by
soil and water conservation districts whenever possible. The Ohio DNR
has recently increased its emphasis on this program and is taking a
stronger posture on selling agricultural pollution abatement practices.
There also is a trend toward problem solving projects. Limited
resources by the states, reduced federal funding and recognition of the
lack of uniformity of the landscape is resulting in narrowing the size
of the project area and the insistence on better evaluations of the
problem and the effects of implementation. It is likely that state
programs will not grow rapidly but will be more cost-effective as they
become much more site and problem specific.
-------
CHAPTER 5
United States Plan by Basin
5.0 Introduction
This chapter contains a short abstract based on each state plan which
outlines the existing program efforts and the estimates of phosphorus
reductions which they expect to achieve by 1990. These estimates are
based on the impacts of the ongoing agricultural programs, CSO reduc-
tions/ industrial discharge reductions, changes due to additional phos-
phorus removal by municipal waste water treatment plants and any new
efforts for which compliance schedules are established and funding is
available.
The projected impacts are based on the continuation of funding and
personnel levels that exist at this time for the current programs. The
proposed new efforts are designed to utilize the existing program base
to expand and accelerate specific work elements and not to replace the
existing agricultural program with a phosphorus reduction effort. All
of the state plans stressed the need for land management efforts which
considered a watershed approach for both land and water resources.
This recognizes the inter-relationships of the lakes and the drainage
areas which was the basis for the PLUARG recommendations and the
ecosystem relationships adapted by the IJC.
The new program efforts are designed to build on the present
agricultural land management efforts to achieve additional reductions
in phosphorus delivery where needed to achieve the target goals in a
reasonable time frame. Agricultural sources were highlighted, but
reductions from point sources which were creating local water quality
-------
5-2
problems or are more cost effective than land management were proposed.
The mobt cost effective mix of point and nonpoint source control
efforts was sought.
Costs and benefits were assigned only to phosphorus reduction/ but
there will be significant benefits in land resource protection,
instream water quality/ near shore habitat improvements and a reduction
in channel and harbor dredging.
The existing programs will address the phosphorus reductions agreed to
in Annex 3 in most cases within a generation and if current resource
levels can be maintained. All of the plans assumed that practices
established will remain effective over the plan period. Experience has
shown that this is not normally the case without follow-up. The "base"
program allows for follow-up maintenance and adjustments for ownership
and farm enterprise changes. Maintenance of the existing program at
the present levels is important to ensure combined maintenance of
practices installed and as a significant contributor to phosphorus
reduction to the lakes. Without this ongoing effort/ a new phosphorus
reduction effort could not meet the assigned load reductions, cost
effective.
The projected program should be evaluated on the basis of meeting the
target goals for the Lakes and Bay rather than comparing individual
state proposals. There are a wide variety of soils in the planning
area. Natural phosphorus levels in the soils decrease from west to
east. A large and more costly effort is required to achieve the same
phosphorus reduction in the Lake Ontario basin from sediment control
for example. The opportunities for reduction also vary. Farming
enterprises range from cash grain operations in the western basin of
-------
5-3
Lake Erie to doing operations in the Lake Ontario basin.
Demonstrations are an effective method of achieving interest and
participation. Landowners have not had equal opportunity to observe
some newer methods of conservation tillage, for example/ and incentives
as well as demonstrations are needed. Economics of farming is critical
throughout the planning area but also varies depending on the farming
enterprise. A significant information and educational effort was
recognized in the PLUARG and still remains an important component.
Nutrient management is recognized as an important component of any
phosphorus reduction effort. Adjustments have been made in
recommendations for phosphorus use by soil test laboratories as soil
test levels have begun to increase. It is difficult to quantify this
impact or to assess changes in landowners decisions based on more
conservative crop use recommendations. The trend is toward a reduction
in phosphorus use in several small studies completed.
The chapter is divided into sections addressing Lake Erie/ Lake Ontario
and Saginaw Bay. Copies of the detailed strategies from which this
chapter was developed are available from the state water quality
agencies.
5.1 Lake Erie Basin
The target load reduction for the U.S. portion of Lake Erie is 1700
metric tons. The United States land drainage into Lake Erie lies
within the states of Indiana/ Michigan, New York/ Ohio/ and Pennsylva-
nia. The reduction was apportioned to the individual states by acres
and nonpoint source loadings. An abstract from each state plan for
their Lake Erie land drainage is presented in the following sections.
-------
5-4
5.1.1 Indiana
The target load reduction for Indiana is 90 metric tons. The area is a
portion of PLUARG Subregion 4.2.2, Maumee River Basin. The strategy
developed applies to the three counties; Adams, Allen, and DeKalb with
primary drainage into the Maumee River. Phosphorus sources addressed
include municipal wastewater, industrial wastewater, animal waste, and
cropland erosion.
5.1.1.1 Present Programs and Projected Reductions
The three major municipal treatment plants within the basin are
permitted at the 1.0 mg/1 effluent limit. All three are operating at
lower levels. This excess reduction was over 13 metric tons in 1983.
The seven major industries having direct stream discharges within the
three counties are in compliance with their permits.
Since 1971 Indiana has had a permit program related to waste handling
for major concentrations of animals. This program requires state
approval for operations having 300 or more cattle, 600 or more swine
or sheep, and 30,000 or more fowl. Land application rates are not to
exceed the crop nitrogen uptake or result in overland runoff. Smaller
concentrations of animals are not subject to the provisions of the act
unless they are causing water pollution problems. Staffing levels for
this program have not permitted routine compliance checks of all of the
permits.
The Maumee Basin portion of Indiana is not a high gross erosion area
when compared to other more rolling portions of the state. Erosion
rates on Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 111, Indiana and Ohio Till
Plain, according to the 1982 Natural Resource Inventory (NRI) were 4.8
-------
5-5
tons per acre on cultivated cropland. The soils of MLRA 111, are well
adapted to reduced tillage and were identified in the Lake Erie
Wastewater Management Study as having a high potential for adoption of
no-till and conservation tillage.
All three counties are cooperating in the Tri-State Conservation
Tillage demonstration projects. The project was initiated in 1981 to
accelerate the adoption of conservation tillage practices in the Maumee
basin. Funding is through EPA's Great Lakes National Programs office.
The project will end in 1985. More detail about this demonstration
project will be found in Chapter One.
The future emphasis in Indiana will be on increasing the adoption of
conservation tillage on the more adaptable MLRA-111 soil areas in the
three counties. These soils comprise about 76 percent of the cropland
area in the three counties. About 20 percent of the cropland in the
basin was in some form of conservation tillage in 1983. The national
adoption rate is about seven percent a year. The increase in these
three counties is about eight percent per year since the 1982 base of
51/000 acres. A rate of increase of eight percent is projected through
1990. If the rate of increase decreases after the end of the
demonstration, a technician will need to be employed to continue on-
site assistance. CTIC data will be reviewed annually to ascertain
whether additional efforts will be necessary. The following table
summarizes the existing program reductions expected through 1990.
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5-6
Lake Erie Basin - Indiana *
Phosphorus Loading Reductions With Current Program
Projected Through 1990
Source 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Municipal STP
CSO
Industrial _
Animal Waste Mgt.
Structural Practices
Conservation Tillage
0
0
0
.9
.7
9.6
1
1
19
0
0
0
.8
.4
.2
0
0
0
2.7
2.2
29.1
0
0
0
3.6
2.9
39.8
0
0
0
4.5
3.6
51.4
0
0
0
5.4
4.3
63.9
6
5
77
0
0
0
.3
.0
.4
7
5
92
0
0
0
.1
.7
.0
Projected Load 11.2 22.4 34.0 46.3 59.5 73.6 88.7 104.8T
Reductions (95.0MT)
^Present operation of the municipal STP's is projected to remain below the
permitted output of 72.8T by about 15.5T/year.
2Assumes an average of 12 facilities per year (4 per county) and P reductions
of 150 pounds per facility.
3Assumes erosion reductions of 2000T per county/ all programs. SDR of 10% and
2.4 pounds of p/ton of sediment.
41985 estimated acreage was 208,982. 8% increase per year was projected. 2 ton
reduction in gross erosion/ 20% sediment delivery ratio and sediment P content
of 3.21 pounds. Black Creek small watershed data.
*The load reduction values given in this table will undergo revisions based on
continuing review of Indiana data.
Based on the 1982 loadings of 529 tons (480MT) of phosphorus and a
reduction goal of 99 tons (90MT), the phosphorus loadings would need to
be reduced to approximately 430T (390 MT) per year. The present pro-
gram projected through 1990 will achieve the target load reduction.
The conservation tillage acreage in 1990 is projected to be about
307,000 acres. This would be about fifty percent of the cropland
acres. Twenty one percent of the cropland was in conservation tillage
in 1983 according to CTIC reports. This indicates a conservative
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5-7
projection of eight percent per year for the present program. The
erosion reduction is expected to average about 2.0 tons per acre for
all land being converted to conservation tillage. Structural practices
installed in support of tillage changes are averaging erosion reduc-
tions of about 2,000 tons (1818 MT) per year in each county. A sedi-
ment delivery rate of 10% and a sediment phosphorus content of 2.4
pounds per ton was used in estimating phosphorus reductions from
structural practices.. Four animal waste management facilities per
county are being installed each year.
5.1.1.2 Strategy to Meet Target Loads
If the assumptions regarding conservation tillage adoption rates/
sediment delivery rates, and sediment phosphorus levels of 3.14 pounds
per ton are correct, then no additional efforts will be necessary to
reach the target load.
5.1.2 Michigan
The target load reduction for the Michigan portion of the Lake Erie
Basin is 185 metric tons. The area is all of PLUARG Subregion 4.1 and
a portion of Subregion 4.2.2, Maumee River. Phosphorus sources identi-
fied are cropland erosion, animal waste, poor nutrient management, and
combined sewer overflows.
5.1.2.1 Present Programs and Projected Reductions
One combined sewer overflow (CSO) project in Monroe has been funded and
will be completed during the strategy period with a benefit of 1.0
metric tons. No other CSO projects are anticipated during the period.
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5-8
No changes in industrial permits limits are expected. Two accelerated
nonpoint source control projects are ongoing in the watershed area.
The level of effort is assumed to remain constant in these two projects
and in the existing agricultural program.
The Task Force members were concerned that their control strategy be
directed at controlling available phosphorus but recognized that the
target loads were for total phosphorus. The following table summarizes
the existing programs and projects their impact during the Plan period.
Lake Erie Basin - Michigan *
Phosphorus Loading Reductions with Current Programs
Projected Through 1990
Source
Municipal STP
CSO1
Industrial
Animal Waste Mgt.2
Structural Practices3
Conservation Tillage4
Nutrient Management
1983
0
0
0
.4
1.5
47.0
0
1984
0
0
0
.8
3.0
51.3
7.4
1985
0
0
0
1.1
4.5
55.7
14.8
1986
0
0
0
1.6
8.6
60.4
22.2
1987
0
0
0
2.2
12.7
65.1
29.6
1988
0
0
0
2.7
16.8
69.8
37.0
1989
0
0
0
3.2
20.9
74.5
44.4
1990
0
1.1
0
3.7
25.0
79.2
51.8
Projected Load5 48.9 62.5 76.1 92.8 109.6 126.3 143.0 160.8T
Reductions (145.8MT)
^Monroe, Michigan.
2Five facilities per year in 1983, 1984, 1985; 7 facilities per year in 1986-
1990 and 150 pound reduction per facility.
3Erosion reductions reflect only structural practices, annual reductions were
included as conservation tillage reductions in 1983-1985.
Significant increase in 1983 over base year data, 6% increase projected for
1984 and 1985. Demonstration ends in 1985. Interagency effort to convert
20,000 Ac/year to conservation tillage begins in 1986. All erosion control
impacts based on 3 ton reductions, sediment delivery ratio of 10%, P levels of
1.25 pounds per ton and enrichment ratio of 1.25.
Nutrient management efforts were intensified in 1984, interagency effort on
20,000 Ac/year of conservation tillage begins in 1986. 7.4 tons reduced for
each 20,000 acres, based on Appendix K data.
*The load reduction values given in this table will undergo revisions based on
continuing review of Michigan data.
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5-9
Acceleration Programs
1983 1984-90 Total
Saline Valley RCWP 2T 12T 14
Bean Creek LTP 0 10T 10
24T (21.8MT)
Current Program Reductions 160.8T (145.8MT)
Current Program Total 184.8T (167.6MT)
The existing programs including the acceleration efforts would achieve
a phosphorus reduction of about 180T or 163MT during the plan period.
A 22MT shortfall from the goal of 185MT is projected.
The impacts are based on a gross erosion reduction of 3 tons per acre.
The 1982 NRI estimated a gross erosion in MLRA-99 of 3.1 tons per acre
and for MLRA-111 of 4.8 tons per acre as the average for cultivated
cropland. The task force has identified four counties; Hillsdale,
Lenawee, and Washtenaw which lie predominantly in MLRA-111 for
increased emphasis on conservation tillage. A high level of agency
cooperation exists with a goal of working together in the abatement of
rural nonpoint sources of pollution. A Memorandum of Understanding and
an ad hoc interagency group (state and federal agricultural and
resource agencies) has been established to facilitate this cooperation.
It was estimated that on the average almost twice as much phosphorus is
being applied than is necessary for crop production. The task force
has developed an agreement to concentrate agency efforts during the
Plan period in installing fertilizer management on 100,000 acres. This
would reduce phosphorus fertilizer use by 50% on these acres. It is
-------
5-10
proposed to concentrate the efforts on the conservation tillage acreage
to take advantage of its erosion control value. It is estimated that
this concerted effort would result in an additional phosphorus
fertilizer reduction of over 500 tons (454 MT) of elemental phosphorus.
This was estimated to reduce the delivery to the lake by an additional
32.3 tons (29.3 MT) per year. The existing program efforts and the
acceleration efforts now underway will achieve a significant reduction.
An additional effort will be necessary to achieve the target loading
during the plan period.
The State of Michigan is presently developing an urban runoff plan.
The quantity of phosphorus from urban runoff is estimated to be
minor. The strategy will be modified to reflect the findings from this
study if this source offers opportunities for remedial efforts.
5.1.2.2 Stategy to Meet Target Loads
The Task Force felt that to achieve the goal that the existing effort
by the agencies to achieve the conservation tillage increase of 100,000
acres and the 100,000 acres of nutrient management within the Plan
period may be optimistic. An acceleration in the three priority
counties which are in MLRA-111 to increase the use of no-till is
recommended. They recommend that each conservation district employ a
technician and lease a no till planter and/or no till drill in order to
introduce this tillage technique to more land users at a faster rate.
Experience to date indicates that each technician can service 12,000
acres during the five year period. The phosphorus savings will result
in about 2.8 ton (2.5MT) per technician from erosion control benefits
of conservation tillage. The impact would be multiplied by emphasis on
nutrient management with conservation tillage acreage resolutions in an
-------
5-11
additional reduction of about 4.4 ton (4.0MT). The availability of
equipment and a technician would insure that agency efforts could
concentrate on nutrient management on existing conservation tillage
acreage and accelerated adoption. The program costs would be $190,000
and result in an additional 36,000 acres of conservation tillage.
Rental charges would defray maintenance and overhead is estimated as
10%. The costs for the three priority counties would be $570,000 for
the five year period.
Additional resources will be directed toward those lands which are
eroding at rates higher than the average soil losses shown in the 1982
National Resources Inventory (NRI). The Task Force felt that cost
sharing will be needed to ensure good landowner participation during
the short acceleration period. A limit of three years of eligibility
at $15.00 per acre on about 16/000 acres would be required. The cost
of this effort would be $720,000 over the five year period.
Strengthening the information and educational effort in improved
nutrient management and the use of conservation tillage was proposed.
An additional Extension person would provide for demonstrations,
educational support and on-site assistance in the nine county Lake Erie
drainage. The cost would be $190,000 for the five year period.
Phosphorus reductions of 7.2 tons (6.5 MT) primarily from nutrient
management including reduced amounts and incorporation by this effort.
The combined efforts of the technicians working on conservation tillage
in the three priority counties and the Extension efforts focused on
nutrient management over the nine counties is estimated to increase
conservation tillage by about 42,000 acres and an increase in nutrient
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5-12
management on about 60/000 acres. This program effort is designed to
be compatible with the existing agency effort on residue and nutrient
management. The expected phosphorus reductions are shown in the
following table.
Lake Erie Basin - Michigan
Estimated Phosphorus Reductions With Recommended Program
Source 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Conservation Tillage1 1.9 3.9 5.8 7.9 9.8
Nutrient Management2 4.4 8.8 13.2 17.7 22.2
Projected Load 6.3 12.7 19.0 25.6 32.OT
Reductions (29.0MT)
Based on erosion control on 36/000 Ac of conservation tillage at 3T/Ac/ 10%
sediment delivery and 1.56fP/ton of sediment plus Extension effort of erosion
control on additional 6,000 Ac.
^Assumes nutrient management on about 60/000 Ac by the additional staffing.
5.1.3 New York
The target load reduction for New York is 20 metric tons. The area
includes PLUARG subregions 4.4.1 and 4.4.2 at the eastern end of the
Lake Erie Basin. Subregion 4.4.3 includes the city of Buffalo and has
been included in the Lake Ontario drainage area. The assignment of
this subregion to Lake Ontario in calculations of target loadings
restricts the potential for reaching the goal. A portion of the goal
will be reallocated to the drainage areas in the Western and central
basin. The area is in MLRA's 101 and 140. The bulk of the area lies
in MLR A 140 which the 1982 NRI estimates have gross erosion rates of
5.0 tons per acre on cultivated cropland.
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5-13
5.1.3.1 Present Programs and Projected Reductions
The small phosphorus reduction accomplished through the present agri-
cultural nonpoint program indicates the difficulty of achieving the
assigned target load reduction. The relatively small land area and
cropland acreage limit the opportunities for reductions. Cropland
erosion data for the 22 sub watersheds draining into Lake Erie were
derived from the 1974 Erosion and Sediment Inventory (EASI) study in
the Ontario Basin. The data does not reflect changes that may have
occurred since that time.
Lake Erie Basin - New York *
Phosphorus Loading Reductions With Current Programs
Projected Through 1990
Source
Municipal STP1
CSO
Industrial
Animal Waste Mgt.2
o
Structural Practices
Conservation Tillage4
Projected Load
Reductions
1983
0
0
0
.1
.7
0
.8
1984
0
0
0
.1
1.4
.1
1.6
1985
0
0
0
.2
2.1
.2
2.5
1986
0
0
0
.3
2.9
.2
3.4
1987
0
0
0
.4
3.6
.3
4.3
1988
0
0
0
.4
4.3
.4
5.1
1989
0
0
0
.5
5.0
.5
6.0
1990
1.4
0
0
.6
5.8
.5
8.3T
(7.5MT)
^Chautauqua, New York Plant.
2Assumes 2 facilities per year and 70 pounds phosphorus reduction per facility.
^Assumes erosion reduction of 6/49OT in 1983 and 6/900T per year through 1990.
SDR of 10%, 2.2 pounds of P/Ton of sediment.
Deductions are estimated. Strategy included conservation tillage reductions
as erosion reductions.
*Load reduction values in this table will undergo revisions based on
continuing review of New York data.
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5-14
The data in the above table reflects the difficulty in achieving the
target goal reduction of 20MT. The additional reduction needed from
this area is about 13MT.
5.1.3.2 Strategy To Meet Target Loads
The target load reduction assigned to New York was based on the
hydrologic drainage area developed by PLUARG. The IJC currently
includes PLUARG Sub Region 4.4.3 drainage area in Lake Ontario. This
greatly reduces the land area and the potential for additional
reductions.
A separate acceleration effort for Lake Erie was not proposed by the
Task Force. An integrated program of erosion control, animal waste
management and nutrient management is being proposed. Eleven counties
which have a high potential for reductions have been selected. Sub-
basins within these counties will be prioritized based on phosphorus
sources. Several of the top 35 sub-basins lie within the Lake Erie
Basin. It is expected that the emphasis will be on animal waste
management if the pre-implementation planning update confirms this
source. The updating of the data before beginning of implementation
will provide an opportunity to adjust the proposed program to provide
the type and amount of assistance needed. The expected reduction from
this effort in the Lake Erie Basin is about 10MT. More detail about
the proposed program will be found in the Lake Ontario strategy.
5.1.4 Ohio
The target load reduction for the Ohio portion of the Lake Erie
drainage is 1,390 MT. The drainage area includes all or parts of 35
counties in northern Ohio. There are two major land resource areas.
MLRA-99 is relatively flat with high clay soils on the Lake Plain.
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5-15
MLRA-111 is the sloping Indiana-Ohio Till Plain. The 1982 NRI
estimated average soil erosion losses o2 3.1 and 4.8 tons per acre
respectively on cultivated cropland. The major river is the Maumee
River in northwestern Ohio which carries the largest sediment and
phosphorus loads in the Great Lakes.
5.1.4.1 Present Program and Projected Reductions
The programs in Ohio reflect the awareness of the erosion problems in
the State. An agricultural and an urban erosion program have been in
place for many years. Both programs provide education and technical
assistance. Implementation of the urban program is at the county and
municipal level under state guidelines. The agricultural program is
administered by Ohio ENR. It has a cost share provision which assists
landowners in installing animal waste management facilities and erosion
control practices. It is presently funded at a relatively low level.
An Agricultural Pollution Abatement Strategy by Ohio EPA and an Action
Program by OHIO DNR have been developed. These are cooperative efforts
by the agricultural agencies and the water quality agency. The primary
emphasis is erosion control/ but water quality relationships are
stressed.
The Erie drainage basin has also benefited from the participation by
the agencies in a number of water quality planning efforts dating back
to the PLUARG studies. The Lake Erie Wastewater Management Study
provided additional information and implementation experience in a
demonstration of phosphorus reductions to the lake. The Cuyahoga River
Study by the Corp of Engineers and the regional planning agencies have
both increased the awareness of the problems and prioritized source
areas. The Ohio EPA's PEMSO system and Ohio DNR's OCAP system
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5-16
both have capabilities to provide data on potentially high erosion
watersheds. The PEMSO and OCAP systems are computer models with
geographical information capabilities.
Currently there are 22 SWCD's implementing accelerated conservation
tillage demonstrations. This program is providing a steady increase in
the adoption of no-till technology by landowners. Technical assistance
and equipment is being offered to landowners in order
to gain experience and confidence in the new land management methods.
Although no-till is increasing, the Ohio data indicates that other
forms of conservation tillage have remained at about the same level for
several years. A change in the definition of conservation tillage
requiring more residue cover resulted in an apparent reduction in
conservation tillage. The PIK program reduced the acreage in culti-
vated cropland in 1983. Much of this land was plowed and convention-
ally tilled in 1984. Some reporting problems also occurred as the new
definitions began to be used. As a result there are some uncertainties
regarding the actual number of acres in conservation tillage in the
1982 base year. Tillage data from CTIC indicates that over one million
acres in the Ohio portion of the basin were in some form of
conservation tillage in the 1984 crop year. This would suggest that
the reported small increase may be a result of data problems rather
than a lack of acceptance of the new technology.
The data base, SWCD experience/ and knowledge by the landowners of the
relationship of erosion and nutrient losses to the lake is as complete
as any similar area of the Great Lakes. Although a great deal of
progress is being made/ the present programs are not going to be
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5-17
eufficiit to reach the phosphorus reduction by 1990. An estimate of
the pr^fess that can be expected without additional efforts are
summar»d in the following table.
Lake Erie Basin - Ohio
KRSphorus Loading Reductions With Current Programs
Projected Through 1990
Source
Municipal STP1
CSO2
Industrial
Animal Waste MgV ^
Structural Prac#ees,
Conservation TiJ^J6"
1983
0
0
0
. -7
1 21.0
3 29.4
1984
0
0
0
2.7
42.0
39.4
1985
0
0
0
4.6
63.0
49.2
1986
0
?
0
5.3
84.0
59.0
1987
0
?
0
6.0
105.0
68.3
1988
0
?
0
6.6
126.0
78.6
1989
0
?
0
7.3
147.0
88.4
1990
0
y
0
8.0
168.0
98.3
Projected Load 51. IT 84. IT 116. 8T 148. 3T 179.8T 211. 2T 242. 7T 274. 2T
Reductions (248. 8MT)
^There will be a reduction of 365MT from 1985 levels when all major STP's reach
Irogll.
Toledo/ Ohio pftject began operation in 1985, no data available.
^ASCS-ACP assistf nine facilities/year with average P reduction 150 pounds per
facility, OHIOBNR program in 1984-1985 treated 17 facilities.
4Assumes erosiW1 reduction of 1/500T per county per year, all programs; 35
counties/ SDR of 1°*/ I-6 pounds of "P" per ton, enrichment ratio of 5.
Reductions bas*i °n USDA source estimates.
^Based PEMSO program and projected increase in conservation tillage through
1990.
5.1.4.2 Strategy to Meet Target Loads
The phoiph°rus reduction plan focuses on the western basin area to
implement a comprehensive land treatment (including residue and ferti-
lizer management) program. Achievement of conservation tillage adop-
tion on fifty percent of the cropland in 112 priority watersheds is the
recom mended plan. The conservation tillage acreage in the 35 Ohio
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5-18
counties in the basin is 1,136,099 acres according to 1984 CTIC data.
This acceleration effort would increase the acreage by 1,036,000 acres,
concentrated in the 112 priority watersheds.
The program would require additional SWCD staff working in the
appropriate counties. 150,000 acres a year would need to be converted
to conservation tillage to achieve the goal. Using the achievements
projected for the conversion of slightly over one million acres in five
years, the reductions each year would achieve about a 140 ton (127 MT)
reduction per year or about 1.9 pounds of phosphorus reduction per acre
treated. This would appear to be an achievable goal based on progress
to date. More emphasis on less intensive conservation tillage other
than no-till will be needed according to the data base that was
available.
An incremental program to achieve the goal would be established. The
task force recommended on a two year program to fit more closely with
the ability of possible funding sources to commit funds. It allows for
adjustments in program and direction every two years. The agricultural
program reflects what can be organized/planned and reasonably funded.
The program will require $400,000 per year for best management practice
cost-sharing, $225,000 per year for technicians to provide technical
assistance and land treatment tracking, $120,000 per year for animal
waste management, and $150,000 per year for educational programs. An
additional $200,000 per year for increased water quality monitoring was
proposed.
An educational program would emphasize water quality protection and
would be directed to the agricultural industry and institutional
communities. The educational program would include promotion of
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5-19
conservation tillage and fertilizer management with fertilizer dealers/
equipment dealers and those persons who work with landowners in
recommending or applying fertilizer and pesticides on cropland. These
persons often assist in the final decision regarding the timing,
amounts and methods of applying phosphorus fertilizers and pesticides.
Additional cost/share funds would be divided between incentives to new
users of conservation tillage and for other best management practices
to complete a resource management system.
An annual review of the Phosphorus Reduction Strategy for certification
as part of the Ohio WQM plan will make it possible to refine needs/
resources/ targeting and time frames for the cropland phosphorus
reduction efforts. However, the task force feels that if this effort
is to remain viable, that current programs must be maintained. It
would be difficult to maintain acceptability for a new effort if
current programs were reduced.
About 30 percent or about 2,400 of the livestock concentrations in the
basin are considered to have pollution problems. Present programs
treat an average of nine facilities per year. The task force recommends
continuation of the state and federal programs and acceleration of the
treatment of significant polluters. Animal waste program efforts would
be accelerated, beginning in 1986, to treat an additional 70 facilities
per year. ODNR has proposed that a portion of its biennium request be
used for limited cost-sharing for these facilities.
An urban runoff reduction goal of 26MT was established. At present,
there are no strong program efforts that are capable of these efforts.
This goal represents achievable reductions in the presence of improved
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5-20
programs. New costs will be determined during updates of the Ohio
Strategy. This goal will also be reflected in Ohio's Urban Stormwater
Strategy.
The issue of confined dredged spoils is currently being discussed by
Ohio EPA and the U.S. Corps of Engineers. Until the issues are
resolved, no reduction estimates for existing or future programs will
be made. It is important that U.S. EPA furthur explore the impact of
open lake disposal of dredged material and alternative on-land disposal
methods.
Potential loadings from failing on-site sewage disposal were determined
and priority basins were identified. An on-site phosphorus reduction
goal of 50NT was established. At present/ there are no strong program
efforts capable of meeting these reductions. This goal represents
achievable reductions in the presence of improved programs. Improved
permit systems and additional inspections are the likely remedial
route. No cost estimates were included, but will be developed during
Strategy updates.
Land application of sewage sludge is common in the basin. The controls
now in place suggest that only minimal phosphorus losses occur. Water
quality sampling near disposal sites is used to locate problem areas.
No reductions are projected during the plan period from this source.
Additional permit restrictions of discharges from municipal STP's were
not recommended. A detergent phosphorus limitation would result in CSO
discharge reductions of 69T of phosphorus from the Cleveland/ Lorain/-
Elyria areas based on the Akron area achievements where a ban is in
effect. The limitation would also reduce the phosphorus content of the
-------
5-21
STP inflows in the Basin. Although this would not directly affect the
phosphorus content of the STP outflow, it will improve the STP's
ability to meet permit limits, will reduce treatment costs and volumes,
and improve phosphorus removal efficiency. Efficiency of small STP's
or industrial sources were not considered for reductions, although
CSO's were estimated as sources for 200MT. The detergent phosphorus
limitation was considered the best alternative to address this issue in
the short run.
Following is a summary of the agreed to strategy.
Lake Erie Basin - Ohio *
Estimated Phosphorus Reductions With Recommended Program
Source 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Municipal STP 00000
CSO1 88 88 88 88 88
Industrial 00000
Animal Waste Mgt.2 5.3 10.5 15.2 21.0 26.1
Structural Practices^ 11.5 23.0 34.5 47.0 58.5
Conservation Tillage4 141.0 282.0 422.0 563.0 704.0
Projected Load 245.0 403.5 559.7 719.0 876.6T
Reduct ions (795MT)
^Detergent phosphorus limitation, including reductions from minor municipal
STP's. U.S. EPA estimate of phosphorus load reduction from a detergent
phosphorus limitation is 296MT.
2Based on treatment of 70 facilities per year and phosphorus reductionof 150
pounds per facility.
3C/S funds arbitrarily distrubted; 50% for accelerating conservation tillage,
50% for other BMP's in support of conservation tillage. Assumed one ton gross
erosion reduction for $2.50 in C/S for BMP's. Data from USDA. SDR of 10%,
sediment P of 6.3 pounds per ton.
A
PEMGO projection. Equates to a gross erosion reduction of 3 tons per acre,
SDR of 10% and sediment P content of 6.3 pounds per ton.
*The load reduction values given in this table will undergo revisions based on
continuing review of Ohio data.
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5-22
The costs of the recommended acceleration is as follows:
Technical assistance @$225,000/year and five years = $1,125,000
Cost share @$400,000/year and five years = $2,000,000
Educational Programs @$150,000 and five years = $ 750,000
$3,875,000
The recommended program and the projected current efforts will achieve
about three-fourths of the target load reduction during the Plan
period. Other sources such as urban nonpoint (26.0 MT) and on-site
sewage disposal (49.9 MT) were quantified but no program or costs were
presented. The Task Force report mentioned several other options such
as funding of the LEWMS report or the SCS targeting proposal for 20
counties. Both of these proposals overlap many portions of the recom-
mended program.
The Task Force report acknowledged that the recommended program would
not meet the phosphorus reduction goal. The program proposed is a
relatively low cost effort. The conservation tillage effort is
achievable but will require a concerted effort. This effort will be
reviewed and additional proposals considered during the annually
reviews that are planned. The proposed program can be implemented
with the least disruption to the existing program.
5.1.5 Pennsylvania
The target load reduction for the Pennsylvania portion of the Lake Erie
drainage is 15MT. The drainage area is within Erie and Crawford
counties. An update of the state WQM plan for this area was begun in
1983. Phosphorus loadings from nonpoint sources in 1980 were estimated
to be about 90 metric tons. The target load reduction assigned to this
drainage represents about a 20% reduction by 1990. Accurate informa-
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5-23
tion about the extent of livestock operations, status of conservation
planning and current application of practices has been completed. The
Erie and Crawford County Soil and Water Conservation Districts gathered
and analyzed data from sample farms in the drainage basin. This data
was used in estimating the impact of the current agricultural programs
and to project phosphorus reductions during the Plan period. Potential
for reducing urban nonpoint and point sources was not evaluated. Data
for urban sources are estimated. The strategy and data from the two
county reports have been combined and will be presented as Lake Erie
drainage from Pennsylvania. A computer based program is in place and
will be used to calculate changes as implementation progresses.
The findings from the agricultural nonpoint analysis indicated the
difficulty of achieving the target load assigned from these sources
alone. Erosion rates are not high since a large portion of the
watershed is occupied by livestock operations. A significant area is
also occupied by fruit production and some truck crop operations. Erie
County has a large urban population which is expanding into the rural
areas. Land being held by absentee landowners and construction sites
are the major erosion problems. Pennsylvania does have an erosion and
sedimentation law which deals with both construction and agricultural
activities. Bluff erosion along the shoreline is estimated to be about
one foot per year over 42 miles. This problem is being addressed under
the Coastal Zone Management (CZM) program, but few funds are available
for remedial measures.
The topography is generally flat to gently rolling. Poor internal
drainage limits the number of acceptable erosion control measures
available since most restrict runoff and increase the wetness problem.
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5-24
Both sub-surface drainage and erosion control measures may need to be
used on the same field. Cost share assistance for drainage is limited
to situations where it is necessary to facilitate installation of
erosion control practices.
Soil wetness has limited the acceptance of conservation tillage
although a limited program is being conducted by the Erie Conservation
District. Septic leach fields are also thought to be a pollution
source because of the soil wetness.
Lake Erie Basin - Pennsylvania
Phosphorus Loading Reductions With Current Programs
Projected Through 1990
Source 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Municipal STP
CSO
Industrial
Animal Waste Mgt.
Structural Practices!:
Conservation Tillage
0
0
0
0
.8
0
0
0
0
.1
1.5
.1
0
0
0
.1
2.2
.2
0
0
0
.2
3.0
.2
0
0
0
.3
3.7
.3
0
0
0
.4
4.4
.4
0
0
0
.4
5.1
.5
0
0
0
.5
5.9
.5
Projected Load .8 1.7 2.5 3.4 4.3 5.2 6.0 6.9T
Reduct ions (6.3MT)
Assumes five facilities in Erie and two in Crawford at present installation
rate, 1501 of "P" per reduction facility.
Erosion reductions of 5,900T/year in Erie and 3,OOOT/year in Crawford, SDR of
10%, 1.61 of "P" per ton of gross erosion.
Current rate of increase project in each county, 2T erosion reduction on
cropland, IT reduction on pasture. Reductions expected would be about .5T.
5.1.5.2 Strategy To Meet Target Loads
The soils and type of agriculture in the eastern basin of Lake Erie
limit the opportunities for large phosphorus reductions from
agricultural nonpoint sources. This was also found to be true in
adjacent watersheds in New York State. A short fall of almost 9 tons
-------
5-25
will exist even if the current program remains stable. It is likely
that urban point sources will need to be studied in the near future to
ascertain the magnitude of these sources and any opportunities for
remedial programs.
The program proposed would concentrate on providing for better manure
management through construction of storage facilities. Most of the
manure management problems were the result of over application and
timing of application. An increase in the use of conservation tillage
and cost share funds to increase the application of conservation
practices were also proposed. The hiring of one additional person to
work on tillage and erosion control was proposed in Erie County. The
study that was just completed indicated that efforts should be
concentrated in Elk Creek watershed in Erie County. The Crawford
County drainage area is all in the Conneaut Creek watershed. Cost
share funds are proposed to assist on 10 animal waste management
facilities in this watershed.
One additional person would concentrate on providing support for the
construction erosion program in Erie County. Data would indicate that
significant reductions could be made in phosphorus and sediment
delivery. This person would likely be a state employee/ but would work
closely with the Conservation District. The expected results would
more than double the phosphorus reductions by 1990 and would almost
achieve the assigned target load. This is a program that could easily
be implemented and tracked because of the data base established. The
potential for additional reductions from point sources appears to
exist/ but quantification has not been made/ therefore/ no remedial
/
programs were proposed.
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5-26
Lake Erie Basin - Pennsylvania
Estimated Phosphorus Reductions With Reconnended Program
Source 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Municipal STP
CSO
Industrial
Animal Waste Mgt.
Structural Practices
Conservation Tillage^
Construction Erosion
0
0
0
.4
.6
.2
1.6
0
0
0
.8
1.1
.4
1.6
0
0
0
1.3
1.7
.7
1.6
0
0
0
1.8
2.2
1.0
1.6
0
0
0
2.3
2.8
1.2
1.6
Projected Load 2.8 3.9 5.3 6.6 7.9T
Reductions (7.2MT)
^30 facilities/ 20 in Erie and 10 in Crawford, 150 pounds of "P" reduction per
facility.
2Control an additional 35,000 ton of erosion over plan period, SDR of 10%, 1.6#
"P" per ton. Based on C/S efficiency of $2.50 per ton.
1,500 acre per year increase, 2 ton per acre reduction.
4Control 10,000 ton of erosion losses per year, SDR of 20%, 1.5# of "P" per
ton.
5.2 Lake Ontario Basin
The target load reduction for Lake Ontario is 235 metric tons. The
entire United States drainage into Lake Ontario lies within the State
of New York. The land area includes PLUARG Subregions 4.4.3, 5.1.1,
5.1.2, 5.2.1, 5.2.2, 5.2.3, 5.3.1, and 5.3.2. For planning purposes,
the drainage area excludes the Finger Lakes. The Finger Lakes are
considered as uncontrolled point sources at their outlets for this
strategy. New York is presently developing a nonpoint agricultural
component to their State Water Quality Management Plan. The phosphorus
reduction strategy developed for Lake Ontario will become a part of the
agricultural component for the entire state and appropriate adjustments
will be made as this effort is completed during 1985.
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5-27
5.2.1 Present Program and Projected Reductions
The nonpoint pollution problem in New York State was characterized on a
regional basis during the WQM planning process. The initial strategies
developed are now being extended to include a more critical assessment
of stream segments and identification of priority watersheds. This
effort has been enhanced by projects which have been undertaken since
the original assessment. The Model Implementation Project (MIP) on the
West Branch of the Delaware River (WBDR) has provided insight into the
quantities and control techniques of livestock pollution. The
Nationwide Urban Runoff Program (NURP) effort on Irondequoit Bay
characterized urban and rural nonpoint source pollution. The Soil
Conservation Service has developed a quantification and ranking system
for sub-basins based on cropland erosion and animal concentrations.
Results from the WBDR MIP have been applied to the animal concentration
data to more accurately determine pollution potential. An update of
the stream assessment and priority is now underway. The strategy is to
integrate instream water quality remediation with the phosphorus
reduction efforts/ making adjustments in the priority sub-basin
rankings to ensure that both local instream and lakewide problems will
be addressed.
The State Task Force directed its efforts at developing an integrated
point and nonpoint control strategy to reach the target loadings. A
summary table from the strategy quantifies the phosphorus reductions
that are projected during the plan period and actual agricultural
reductions that were implemented in 1983. The plan recommends the
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5-28
lowering of permit effluent limits at selected municipal wastewater
treatment plants. The nonpoint reductions are based on USD*, and SWCD
records and surveys for erosion control and animal waste management
systems installed. Soil wetness and erosion problems exist on many of
the soils. This situation limits the application of many erosion
control practices which slow runoff and increase soil moisture.
Lake Ontario Basin - New York *
Phosphorus Loading Reductions With Current Programs
Projected Through 1990
Source 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Municipal STP1
CSO2
Industrial
Animal Waste Mgt.
Structural Practices^
Conservation Tillage
0
0
0
1.3
19.6
.4
0
0
0
2.6
36.4
.8
3
53
1
0
0
0
.8
.2
.2
0
0
0
5.1
70.0
1.6
0
0
0
6.4
86.8
2.0
7
103
2
0
0
0
.7
.6
.4
0
0
0
9.0
120.4
2.8
82.8
0 (7.
0
10.3
149.2
3.2
3)
Projected Load 21.3 39.8 58.2 76.7 95.2 113.7 132.2 245.5T
Reductions (7.3T)
(222.7MT)
Selected STP permit restrictions.
^Anticipated but not completed during plan period.
Assumes 36 facilities per year and 70 pounds reduction per facility.
4Based on erosion reductions of 3.92T/AC on 43,474/Ac in 1983 and 40,000/Ac per
year during plan period. SDR of 10% and 2.2 pounds of P/ton of sediment.
Includes partially treated lands in 1990 (12T).
Conservation tillage erosion reductions estimated at 3% increase per year,
erosion reductions included under structural practices in the Task Force
strategy.
*The load reduction values given in the table will undergo revisions based on
continuing review of New York data.
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5-29
The projections for reductions from the erosion control programs were
acknowledged to be on the high side. The 1982 NRI estimated an average
cropland erosion rate in MLRA 101 of 3.5 tons per acre and for MLRA
140, a rate of 5.0 tons per acre. MLRA 101 occupies the bulk of the
drainage area with MLRA 140 in the upstream areas. The older EASI
estimated the average gross erosion rate on "critical" acres as 6.92
tons per acre. The average gross erosion for all cropland in 1974 was
3.85 tons per acre. The excessive erosion rate was used to quantify
accomplishments. It was acknowledged by the task force that more
detailed evaluations should be made to better quantify actual reduc-
tions associated with erosion control. Control efforts within these
basins may have significantly reduced the rates but may not have
affected the rankings. Additional reductions from lands only partially
treated were estimated at about 24 tons during the period. Only one
half of this reduction was credited in 1990.
Very little applicable research work has been done on phosphorus
content in sediments in the Ontario basin. Other task forces working
in the Basin have adopted values of 1.2 to 1.5 pounds of phosphorus per
ton rather than the 2.2 pounds used by the New York task force.
The 2.21 of phosphorus per ton of sediment was derived from the Fall
Creek Study in the Ithaca, New York area. This would be about 1.751
per ton of soil in place. The 10.3T (9.3MT) projected for animal waste
management was accepted as reasonable based on data from the west
branch MIP.
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5-30
5.2.2 Strategy To Meet Target Loads
The existing agricultural program and the selected permit restriction
leave a shortfall of about 12.3MT by 1988. It is not anticipated that
the CSO projects will be completed within the time period. The
expected reductions from these projects still would leave a shortfall.
The Task Force has agreed that any additional reductions would require
accelerated programs with additional funding and personnel.
Agricultural nonpoint sources seemed to be the area to concentrate any
accelerated effort. The Task Force used the rankings of watersheds in
terms of cropland erosion, barnyard losses and manure spreading losses.
Jefferson county has the largest number of high-ranked watersheds in
all three categories but is located at the longer end of Lake Ontario.
Nine counties in north central New York and two counties in the Erie
drainage each contained fewer numbers of priority watersheds but are
closely grouped. A number of new personnel are proposed to be added
with multi county asignments. Therefore/ it was reasonable to
concentrate on these eleven adjacent counties with a large number of
priority watersheds/ close to Cornell University where several of the
personnel would be based. Jefferson County will not be specifically
targeted at this time because of its isolation and location at the
lower end of the lake. Informational materials and demonstration
results will be utilized in this county.
The plan will require the hiring of these additional personnel: an
educational and demonstration team based at Cornell University; four
soil conservationists shared by the eleven counties; and seven
technicians/ one with with coordination responsibilities in the
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5-31
targeted counties. These individuals would integrate their activities
and concentrate on priority watersheds within each county. Lake
Ontario and Lake Erie efforts would be coordinated as one program with
a priority on specific sources in each priority sub-basin.
A four year implementation period is planned. The first year of the
five year plan will include an update of the data base/ refinement of
the assumptions/ demonstrations and reevaluation of the priority sub-
basins to ensure that only critical areas where the greatest potential
exists will be targeted. Additional staffing will be concentrated in
these counties. The pre-implementation planning needed is summarized
as follows:
Analyze feasibility of permit restrictions for those STP's
now achieving effluent concentrations below 1 mg/1. $ 50/000
Analyze the effects of modification and construction of
STP's upon phosphorus loadings; update programs report
on CSO pollution abatement. $ 50/000
Update Erosion and Sediment Inventory for top 35 sub-basins. $100/000
Conduct a series of animal waste studies to refine estimates
and serve as demonstrations. $103/000
Analyze soil test data and identify critical areas of
over-fertilization. $100/000
Total $403,000
Since current proposals for non-point source phosphorus reductions
still involve voluntary changes in land use practices/ a successful
strategy requires a strong and convincing educational programs. The
New York program will consist of a team of educators with expertise in
three areas: soil management/ soil fertility/ and manure management.
This effort would concentrate on better management of phosphorus from
manure and fertilizers as an integral part of erosion control to reduce
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5-32
phosphorus losses from fields and barnyards. The educational and
demonstration effort will concentrate in the eleven county areas but
educational materials developed and some technical assistance would be
provided to Jefferson and Lewis Counties which have concentrations of
livestock enterprises.
The second part of the proposed acceleration is in implementation
assistance. Projections by SCS and SWCD's are for four SCS and seven
SWCD employees to be added in the eleven counties during the plan
period. These individuals would coordinate their effort with the
Cornell educational team, assisting them in selecting demonstration
sites, conducting surveys, developing recommendations, implementating
practices, and tracking progress. Additionally they would emphasize
ongoing county programs in the priority watersheds and on critical
farms. The estimated impacts and cost of this effort is broken down as
follows:
Lake Ontario Basin - New York
Estimated Phosphorus Reductions With Recommended Program
Source 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Municipal STP
CSO
Industrial
Animal Waste Mgt.1
Structural Practices
Conservation Tillage
Nutrient Management
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.9
3.4
0
2.8
0
0
0
1.8
6.8
0
5.6
0
0
0
2.7
10.2
0
8.4
0
0
0
3.6
13.6
0
11.2
Projected Load 0 7.1 14.2 21.3 28.4T
Reductions (25.8MT)5
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5-33
Assumes 100 facilities treated and a reduction of 75 pounds of MP" per
facility.
Assumes treatment of 25,500 acres of critical erosion sources. Will include
conservation tillage practices where appropriate. Erosion reductions assumed
to be 4.8T/AC, SDR of 10%, sediment phosphorus equals 2.2 pounds per ton.
Reductions included under structural practices.
Nutrient management on 45,000 acres averaging 10 pounds per acre and an
efficiency of 5 percent.
Estimated to reduce phosphorus loading to Lake Erie by 10MT and to Lake
Ontario by 15.8WT.
Educational Effort:
3 specialists plus overhead $150,000
3 technicians plus overhead 105,000
Part-time labor 45,000
Equipment and operation 200,000
$500,000/yr. for 4 yrs.
Implementation Effort:
3 soil conservationists plus overhead $ 96,000
7 district technicians plus overhead 140,000
Travel (technicians) 14,000
Miscellaneous and supplies 7,000
$257,000/yr. for 4 yrs.
Total technical assistance cost would be $757,000 projected for four
years = $3,028,000. Cost share assistance to encourage rapid adoption
of tillage and support practices would be $2,661,750 over four years.
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6-34
5.3 Saginaw Bay
The load reduction for Saginaw Bay is 225 metric tons. The target load
for Saginaw Bay is 440 metric tons. The entire Saginaw Bay drainage is
within the State of Michigan. The drainage areas are in PLUARG
Subregions 3.1.6, 3.2.1, 3.2.2, and 3.2.3. Prior to the agreement to
develop this phosphorus load reduction plan, the agricultural agencies
and state water quality agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
This memorandum stated a mutual concern for the abatement of rural
nonpoint sources of pollution. There was an agreement to develop and
implement a strategy for rural nonpoint source control. The phosphorus
reduction plan developed for Annex 3 is within the context of an over-
all state nonpoint source pollution control strategy. It is the inten-
tion to integrate this phosphorus reduction plan into the state water
quality and agricultural programs.
5.3.1 Present Programs and Projected Reductions
The task force examined both point source and agricultural nonpoint
sources of phosphorus in the development of this strategy. A statewide
strategy for the control of urban nonpoint sources of pollution and
identification of problem areas is being developed. Phosphorus
reductions that are identified will be integrated into this strategy.
One combined sewer overflow project has been funded at Genesee-Ragnone
with an expected phosphorus reduction of 1.3 tons during the Plan
period. Further projects are presently not anticipated. One
industrial source has redirected its wastewater to the Flint municipal
wastewater treatment plant reducing approximately 7.6 tons of
phosphorus to the Bay. All of the municipal wastewater treatment
plants have reduced phosphorus discharges. Full compliance at all
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5-35
plants is expected by 1988. In addition, permit limits below the 1
mg/1 at several locations, because of local water quality concerns, are
reducing the loadings by 3.6 tons per year. This reduction is counted
against the target load reduction.
The present agricultural program was evaluated to determine the
expected phosphorus reductions during the Plan period. Erosion
control, conservation tillage and animal waste management being
acccomplished were quantified. The best available data was used and
assumptions on effectiveness were made. Fertilizer phosphorus
applications were determined to be about double that which is necessary
for crop production. This finding is consistent with determinations by
other states in the Great Lakes Basin that phosphorus applications are
exceeding soil test needs by 50-100 percent on cultivated cropland.
The task force has begun an interagency effort with a goal of
fertilizer and residue management on 100,000 acres in the Saginaw Bay
area. The fertilizer management effort would be targeted on the
conservation tillage to take advantage of the erosion reduction
capability of this practice.
Saginaw Bay - Michigan *
Phosphorus Loading Reductions With Current Program
Projected Through 1990
Source 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Municipal STP1 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.6
CSO2 0 0 0 0 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3
Industrial3 7.6 7.6 7.6 7.6 7.6 7.6 7.6 7.6
Animal Waste Mgt. 1.1 1.6 2.1 2.6 3.1 3.6 4.1 4.6
Structural Practices;? 2.0 4.1 6.2 12.4 18.6 24.8 31.0 36.2
Conservation Tillage6 18.1 23.1 28.1 33.8 42.2 49.9 55.6 61.3
Nutrient Mgt.7 0 6.3 13.0 19.5 26.0 33.4 39.8 46.3
Projected Load 32.4T 46.3T 60.6T 79.5T 102.4T 124.2T 143.OT 160.9T
Reductions (145.9MT)
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5-36
Permit restrictions below 1 mg/1.
2Funded in 1984, benefits expected in 1986.
*Waste water redirected to Flint STP in 1983.
Based on 15 new facilities in 1983, 7 in 1984 and 1985, projected 7 per year
during plan period and 150 pounds reduction per facility.
Reductions reflect only structural practices, annual reductions were included
as conservation tillage reduction in 1983-85.
Significant increase in 1983 over base year data, 6% increase projected for
1984 and 1985. Demonstrations end in 1985. Interagency effort to convert
20,000 Ac/year to conservation tillage begins in 1986. All erosion control
impacts based on 4 ton reductions, sediment delivery ratio of 10%, "P" levels
of 1.25 pounds per ton and enrichment ratio of 1.25.
^Nutrient management efforts were intensified in 1984, interagency effort on
20,000 Ac per year of conservation tillage begins in 1986. A 5% efficiency is
assumed, with a 20% bonus for incorporation.
The load reduction values given in this table will undergo revisions based on
continuing review of Michigan data.
The Saginaw Bay drainage lies in two MLRA's. The 1982 NRI study
estimated the average gross erosion on cultivated cropland to be: MLRA-
99, 3.1 tons per acre; MLRA-98, 5.1 tons per acre. The impact of
conservation tillage in the table above is based on a gross erosion
reduction of 4 tons per acre. The drainage area is about equally
divided between the two MLRA's. The location of the present
conservation tillage is not tracked. It is the policy of the
agricultural agencies to concentrate on high erosion areas within the
MLRA's. Studies made by the East Central Michigan Planning and
Development Regional Commission indicate a high delivery rate of
sediment from the short stream segments in MLRA-99. A conservative
sediment delivery ratio of 10 percent was used in developing this
analysis.
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5-37
The estimated shortfall from the existing programs projected through
.1990 is about 79 metric tons. The conservative analysis indicates that
an additional effort is necessary to reach the target goal. The task
force selected Bay/ Huron, Saginaw, and Tuscola counties as high
priority counties because of the large cropland acreage and clsoe
proximity to the bay.
5.3.2 Strategy To Meet Target Loads
One large industrial discharger and three municipal STP's are currently
under permit review. The expected phosphorus reduction from the three
STP's is 3.3MT. The industrial source loading is large. Since these
permits are still under review, credit for any reductions will not be
included in the present strategy. These sources are very important in
near shore water quality problems as well as phosphorus loads to
Saginaw Bay.
A combination of point and nonpoint source control efforts will be
needed to achieve the additional 85MT reduction necessary to reach the
target goal by 1990. The industrial source and further permit
restrictions on the three STP's will be important because of the lesser
opportunity for cost effective nonpoint source reductions in the
Saginaw Bay drainage area.
The Task Force has proposed an acceleration of conservation tillage and
fertilizer management in four priority counties. The agricultural
agencies have already begun an effort to reduce phosphorus fertilizer
usage on 100/000 acres of conservation tillage. The proposed program
would place one SWCD employee in each priority county to provide one-
on-one assistance to landowners in learning the new technology. Each
technician would work on 12,000 acres in each county. Three soil
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5-38
conservationists would be assigned to accelerate the installation of
support practices/ promote the use of conservation tillage and
fertilizer management. This level of acceleration would be supported
with cost sharing at the rate of 15 dollars per acre with a three year
eligibility for new participants in conservation tillage. A no-till
planter and/or drill would be leased, and a rental charge made to cover
maintenance and overhead.
The cost of this component would be $38/000 per year per county/ with a
total cost for five years of $760,000. Each technician would achieve a
7.7T phosphorus reduction on 12,000 acres as a result of erosion
reductions and fertilizer management. The three soil conservationists
were assumed to achieve similar reductions from a combination of
erosion control and fertilizer management at a total cost of $570,000.
Cost sharing in support of this effort in the four priority counties
would be at the rate of $45.00 per acre over three years for 48,000
acres with a total cost of $2,070,000.
The Extension effort would cover the entire 14 county drainage area.
This effort would concentrate on fertilizer management as well as
promotion of conservation tillage. This approach would provide
additional benefits outside the priority counties. The cost of this
effort would be $152,000 per year with a total cost of $760,000, and
would result in fertilizer management on about an additional 100,000
acres.
-------
5-39
The following table indicates the load reductions expected from the
proposed program and the approximate amounts from each source.
Saginaw Bay - Michigan
Estimated Phosphorus Reductions With Recommended Program
Source 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Municipal STP
CSO
Industrial
Animal Waste Ngt.
Structural Practices
Conservation Tillage
Nutrient Management
0
0
0
0
2
5
10.9
0
0
0
0
4
10
21.8
0
0
0
0
6
15
32.7
0
0
0
0
8
20
43.6
71
0.
71
0
10
25
54. 5T
Projected Load 17.9T 35.8T 53.7T 71.6T 84.5T
Reductions (76.6MT)
Reductions from municipal STP phosphorus permit limits below 1 mg/1 and large
industrial source noted, but not credited until permit review is complete.
-------
CHAPTER 6
The United States Response
6.0 Introduction
The United States response to the signing of the Supplement to Annex 3
in October 1984 was the creation of a Great Lakes Phosphorus Task Force
(GLPTF) by the Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) of U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). The GLPTF was composed of
representatives of the state water quality agencies and designated
nonpoint source implementation agencies. Representatives from Region
II and V, U.S. EPA, Cooperative Extension Service (CES), Agricultural
Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS), Soil Conservation
Service (SCS), and the National Association of Conservation Districts
(NACD) were included.
It was decided that any strategies developed should become a part of
each state's Water Quality Management (WQM) Plan. Since the WQM Plans
are approved by the Governor and are under a review and update
schedule, the inclusion of the phosphorus reduction strategies would
institutionalize the strategies developed as a part of the state
priorities.
Each of the states, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania
established a task force. Their first goal was to review and quantify
the phosphorus reductions that would occur during the plan period
(1983-1990) from the existing water quality agency and agricultural
agency programs. This was a difficult task since clear cut impacts
from the various programs were not directly available from the data.
The short time frame for the development of the strategies meant that
estimates and assumptions had to be made. The task forces views tended
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6-2
to be conservative. The effort did point out the need for additional
research in the area of practice effectiveness in terms that could be
quantified. Most data was presented in relative effectiveness of
practices rather than in absolute terms.
Having established the probable impact of the present programs and the
agency efforts to concentrate their resources in problem areas/ the
state task forces ranked the sources for further reductions. The least
costly efforts to reduce phosphorus delivery were examined. All
sources of phosphorus were examined with particular attention to non-
point agricultural sources. All of the task forces determined that the
greatest agricultural opportunities for additional reductions were in
management techniques such as conservation tillage and nutrient manage-
ment. Erosion control practices which supported those management
techniques were determined to be critical in maximizing the benefits of
management changes.
It was expected that the current programs would show significant
phosphorus reductions during the plan period. While this proved to be
true, it became apparent that additional levels of input to attain the
assigned load reductions would be needed. The task forces looked to
those large source areas that could be addressed to reach the
phosphorus reduction goals. The object was to develop a program that
recognized the limitations of personnel and funds and the need to focus
efforts on the sources and areas which provided the best opportunities
for low cost programs. Since rapid results were needed, most built on
the demonstration experiences rather than the creation of new programs.
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6-3
6.1
United States Plan
An individual strategy wes developed for each of the three basins
identified in the Supplement to Annex 3. The Lake Erie strategy
includes drainage areas from five states. Quantification of the phos-
phorus reductions expected from existing program effort through 1990 is
presented in the following subsections.
6.1.1 Lake Erie
The existing program in the five states and the sources where
phosphorus reductions will occur are summarized in the following table.
Lake Erie Basin
Present Program Projected Through 1990
(Reduction Goal 1700 MT)
Animal Conser- Nutri-
STP
IN (90MT) 0
MI (185MT) 0
NY (20MT) 1.4
OH (1390MT) 0
PA(15MT) 0
CSO
0
1.1
0
?
0
Indus-
trial
0
0
0
0
0
Waste
Mgt.
7.1
3.7
.6
8.0
.5
Structural vat ion
Practices
5.7
25.2
5.3
168.0
5.9
Tillage
92.0
79.2
0
98.3
.5
ent
Mgt.
0
51.8
0
0
0
Total
104.8T(95.0MT)
167.6T(145.0MT)
8.3T(7.5MT)
274.2T(248.8MT)
6.9T(6.3MT)
1700ttT
6.1.2 Lake Ontario
555.0T(503.4MT)
The Lake Ontario drainage lies entirely within New York State. The
reduction expected from their present program through 1990 are as
summarized in the following table.
-------
Figure 6.1
I
. o
*> T
£ J
D
-2
Dl
-------
6-4
Lake Ontario Present Program - 1988
(Reduction Goal 235 MT)
Animal Conser-
Waste Structural vation
STP CSO Mgt. Practices Tillage Total
New York (235MT) 82.8T (7.3T) 10.3T 149.2T 3.2 245.5T(222.7MT)
+ (7.3T)
6.1.3 Saginaw Bay
The Saginaw Bay drainage lies only in the state of Michigan. The
reductions expected from their present program efforts through 1990 are
summarized in the following table.
Saginaw Bay Present Program - 1990
(Reduction Goal 225 MT)
Animal Conser- Nutri-
Waste Structural vation ent
STP CSO Industrial Mgt. Practices Tillage Mgt. Total
MI (225MT) 3.6T 1.3T 7.6T 4.6T 36.2T 61.3T 46.3T 160.9T
(145.9MT)
6.2 Additional Program Efforts Required to Meet Goal
The minimum additional program efforts recommended by the state task
forces are summarized in this section. Only the type of program and
estimated costs are presented. More detailed information can be found
in Chapter 5 and in the individual state Phosphorous Reduction
Strategies.
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6-5
6.2.1 Lake Erie
Indiana
- No additional efforts required. If conservation tillage increases
drop below projections, an additional technician will be required.
Michigan
- Conservation tillage and nutrient management in three priority
counties. Technician will provide direct assistance on 12/000
acres. $114,000 per county, $570,000 over five years.
- Cost share funds to accelerate acceptance of conservation tillage.
Estimated need on 16,000 acres for three years for a cost of
$720,000.
- Increased information and education effort in the nine county Lake
Erie drainage basin. Emphasis on nutrient management and
conservation tillage through demonstrations and direct assistance.
Cost would be $38,000 per year for five years, total cost
$190,000.
New York
- Single program effort for Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, see details
in Section 6.2.2.
Ohio
- Conservation tillage acceleration in 112 priority watersheds west
of Cleveland, Ohio. Yearly cost of $225,000. Total cost for five
years, $1,125,000.
- Cost share funds for animal waste management facilities and
practices in support of conservation tillage effort. $400,000 per
year for five years, $2,000,000.
- Educational effort in western basin of Lake Erie aimed at dealers
and fertilizer and pesticide distributors. $150,000 per year for
five years, $750,000.
Pennsylvania
- Construction erosion specialist and a conservation tillage and
erosion control technician @ $27,500 per person per year for five
years, $275,000.
- Cost share for acceleration of conservation tillage on 7500 acres
§ $45.00 per acre over three years, $337,500.
-------
Figure 6.2
CO
CD
0)
£
"o
o
c
CD
0>
Q.
0)
CD
ffi
cc
0)
0>
CD
0>
O
CO
-------
6-6
- Cost share for erosion control practices to reduce erosion by
35,000 tons over five years @ $2.50 per ton, $87,500.
- Cost share for animal waste management facilities at $7500.00 per
facility. Twenty facilities in Erie County, ten facilities in
Crawford County. Total cost/ $345/000.
6.2.2 Lake Ontario (includes selected Lake Erie sub-basins)
- Pre-implementation planning. Data base update, refinement of
assumptions, and priority sub-basins. Total cost, $403,000
- Educational program. One specialist @ $50,000, two technicians @
$75,000, part-time labor @ $30,000, equipment and operating
expenses of $200,000. First year cost, $355,00; year 2, 3, & 4 @
$230,000. Four year cost $1,045,000.
- Implementation program. One pollution abatement specialist @
$32,000, six technicians i $20,000 each, four soil
conservationists @ $32,000, travel and equipment $21,000. Cost is
$321,000 per year for four years, $1,284,000.
- Cost share. Animal waste management control § $3,000 per facility
and 75 facilities, $225,000. Structural and cultural practices,
$1,011,000. Total for four years/ $1,018,000.
6.2.3 Saginaw Bay
- Conservation tillage and nutrient management in four priority
counties. Technician will provide direct assistance on 12,000
acres, $114,000 per county, $760,000 over five years.
- Three soil conservationists § $38,000 to accelerate structural
practices in support of conservation tillage and nutrient
management. Cost for five years, $570,000.
- Increased information and education effort in the fourteen county
Saginaw Bay basin. Emphasis on nutrient management and
conservation tillage. Cost would be $152,000 per year for five
years, $760,000.
- Cost sharing to accelerate conservation tillage in the priority
counties estimated on 46,000 acres @ $15.00 per acre for three
years, $2,070,000.
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6-7
Lake Erie Summary
IN
MI
NY
OH
PA
Target
Reduction
90MT
185MT
20MT
1,390MT
15MT
Present
Program
95.0MT
167.8m
7.5MT
248. 8MT
6.3MT
Short
Fall
+ 5.0MT
17.4MT
12.5MT
1,141.2MT
8.7MT
Recommended
Program
_
29.0MT
10.0MT
795. OMT
7.2MT
Estimated
Cost
$ N/A
1,480,000
(see L. Ont.)
3,875,000
925,000
1,700WT
525.2 1,174.8
Lake Ontario Summary
834.3
Target
Reduction
Present
Program
Short
Fall
NY 235MT 222.7m1 12.3MT
* Includes cost of reductions in Lake Erie
Recommended
Program
15.8MT
Estimated
Cost
$3,750,000*
Saginaw Bay Summary
MI
6.3
Target
Reduction
225MT
Present
Program
145.9MT
Short
Fall
79.1MT
Recommended
Program
76.6MT
Estimated
Cost
$4,160,000
Summary
The GLPTF feels confident that the acceleration efforts proposed and
the maintenance of the existing program efforts will accomplish the
phosphorus reductions assigned in the Supplement to Annex 3 of the
Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Although the targets will not be
met within five years, a strategy was developed which would cause the
least distruption to the current program. Refinements are expected in
the estimates and adjustments in the projections made as additional
information becomes available. Also, the GLPTF is aware of the fiscal
constraints in state and federal budgets. For those reasons only those
programs expected to yield the greatest return were proposed. Programs
were recommended where demonstration efforts were proving successful
and where landowner interest and adoption rates were high.
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6-8
The projected short falls in load reductions are of concern to the task
force/ particularly in Lake Erie where earlier projections have been
very optomistic for increase in conservation tillage.
Ohio EPA has recently computerized data for the state and has developed
projection techniques which indicate a steady growth in adoption of no-
till/ but reduced rates of increase in adoption of conservation
tillage. There is debate over the accuracy of some of the conservaiton
tillage before 1984 and the impact of the PIK program in 1985 data. The
projection techniques which lead to the low projections, must be tem-
pered by PIK and stricter criteria now being used. If Ohio adopts a
detergent phosphate limitation, as much as 296 MT of the short fall
could be recovered. New York and Pennsylvania will find it difficult
to achieve the goals that were assigned for Lake Erie. Limited
opportunities for an easily implemented remedial program due in part to
the small drainage area will require the use of programs that will be
slightly more costly to achieve the load reductions but will be
effective and produce many side benefits.
Most of the states relied heavily on increasing the use of no-till
technology. It is very effective in reducing soil erosion losses. It
also requires a high degree of managerial skill. The use of direct
technical assistance to provide guidance to new users is appropriate.
Other forms of conservation tillage have not been emphasized in the
state plans. They are not as effective in reducing erosion losses but
are applicable on many soils where no-till presently results in reduced
-------
6-9
yields. They do not require the intensive management skills and are
more easily adopted with less technical assistance. These lesser lornis
of conservation tillage may need to be considered when the state
strategies are updated.
-------
CHAPTER 7
Tracking and Monitoring
7.0 Introduction
Monitoring of tributary loadings of phosphorus in the Great Lakes is
based primarily upon monthly samples from key tributaries combined with
USGS stream flow data. This data is reported to the IJC Regional
Office in Windsor, Ontario/ where annual loading estimates are made
using a statistical technique known as the Beal Ratio Estimater
designed to flow weight measured phosphorus loads. The annual
tributary loads are essential in measuring long term trends and as
input values to lake simulation models.
Annual tributary loadings can not be used to directly measure the
effects of nonpoint source remedial programs because of the many varia-
bles related to the delivery of sediment and phosphorus. These
variables are discussed in the WQ Board Nonpoint Task Force report
(1983) and in the general literature. The variables are primarily
weather related. Seasonal variation in precipitation amount/ intensity
and time of occurance are among the most important. Vegatative cover,
soil moisture and frost condition also effect runoff events and the
delivery of soluable and sediment adsorbed phosphorus.
The GLPTF has concluded that in the short time frame of this Plan, that
tributary mouth loadings alone would not adequately reflect the impact
of the remedial programs. The recommended monitoring approach is
estimation of the resulting load reductions based upon the known
results from small scale field studies.
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7-2
7.1 Tracking
One of the considerations in planning a system for the tracking imple-
mentation of nonpoint source remedial measures is cost. There
are a variety of tracking methods now being used by agencies involved
in the implementation of erosion control measures. These tracking
methods were established to measure progress for administrative pur-
poses and attainment of programatic goals. None of the currently used
tracking methods has a specific goal the quantification of phosphorus
reductions.
Common tracking outputs are the acres of land protected from excessive
erosion/ quantities of animal waste managed, acres of cropland using
conservation tillage, and numbers and extent of structural practices
installed. Estimates of gross erosion before and after implementation
are increasingly being utilized to determine impacts. Using research
data from small scale projects, it is possible to make valid assum-
ptions for larger areas to determine gross erosion reductions, phos-
phorus contents of soils, and delivery rates of eroded soils. Sediment
enrichment ratios have been determined for many soils. This provides
guidance in estimating the phosphorus contents of sediments due to
differential transport of the clay fraction.
Since the tracking methods were available and because of the short time
and limited resources available to develop the plan, the existing data
sources were used to estimate phosphorus reductions from existing
programs and to make projections for the plan period. Tracking data
for agricultural nonpoint remedial programs is collected primarily on a
county basis. This makes it difficult to assign the effects of
remedial measures to hydrologic units. It is not possible to precisely
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estimate the effect of land use load reductions on river mouth
loadings. Coding of implementation to hydrologic units is considered an
important step in correlating the impact of the measures
with measured tributary loads.
Tracking the implementation of conservation tillage in the basin is
important because of the reliance being placed upon it in meeting
target loads. The LEWMS Report on Lake Erie projected high phosphorus
reductions from this practice. Conservation tillage amounts are
currently being tracked by the Conservation Tillage Information Center
(CTIC). It is also reported on a county basis but its validity is
strengthened because it has specific reporting criteria based on the
amount of surface cover.
The Conservation Reporting and Evaluation System (CRES) developed by
USDA is being used for all practices which are cost shared by ASCS. It
provides estimates of erosion rates as a result of implementation.
Animal waste management practices are also tracked by CRES if they are
cost shared. CRES provides information on animal type, numbers/ manure
generated/ and distances to streams.
The SCS uses a number of tracking tools in addition to CRES. Acres of
land adequately protected from excessive erosion/ and practice instal-
lation and extent are also reported. Estimates of gross erosion
reduction are made but are not consistent between the states for all
practices. Estimates of all remedial measures installed in a county are
also generated. This is in addition to those cost shared or applied as
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a result of direct technical assistance. Soil and Water Conservation
Districts also track implementation for their own program use where
they have employees or state programs for which they have
responsibilities.
Phosphorus fertilizer use on cropland has been found to be generally
excessive throughout the basin. Available tracking methods include
records of fertilizer sales/ soil tests/ surveys of typical fertilizer
application rates by crop and manure usage. It is difficult to asser-
tain which fields in a watershed received phosphorus fertilizer in
excess of crop needs without extensive surveys and documentation. The
amounts available for transport also vary by fertilizer type/ time
applied, and method of application.
Tracking of point sources is less difficult than nonpoint source since
all operate under a permit system which requires the monitoring of
discharges and reporting of concentrations of pollutants and flow, on a
regular basis to the state water quality agencies.
7.2 Monitoring
An extensive fixed station tributary monitoring system exists through-
out the Great Lakes basin for the purpose of determining annual
loading. In lake and near-shore sampling as well as instream biologi-
cal and chemical sampling are also conducted. The IJC, Water Quality
Board/ reports in detail on the scope of monitoring efforts on toxics/
metals and nutrients. Of importance to this plan is the tributary
mouth sampling of phosphorus concentrations. All of the states
indicated a need for additional funds to more effectively monitor
impacts for current nonpoint source control programs and any new
programs that may be implemented.
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It has been demonstrated that runoff event sampling is critical for
determining nonpoint source loadings of sediment and phosphorus. This
is especially true for "event response" streams which exhibit high
concentrations as flow increases. This is not true of even flow
streams or those dominated by point sources. The typical regime using
monthly samples often misses the high flow events and does not
correctly measure nonpoint source sediment and phosphorus loads. The
increased use of event sampling is critical in assessing the present
nonpoint contribution and in relating future water quality changes to
the remedial measures implemented.
The GLNPO routinely monitors the performance of municipal and
industrial point sources around the Great Lakes. In 1982 GLNPO
supported a contract effort to review the monthly performance records
of all municipal and industrial discharges in the Great Lakes Basin. A
complete inventory of discharges was established and is updated
annually. The results of the annual review is reported to the IJC.
This annual review is used by GLNPO to focus enforcement attention on
the top 30 discharges that are not meeting their permit limits for
phosphorus. Most of the major point source discharges have come into
compliance. Some smaller municipal facilities have still not met their
permit provisions. The focusing of attention on the top 30 discharges
identified annually has progressively reduced phosphorus discharges to
the Great Lakes from point sources. GLNPO intends to continue to
affect compliance from a broader range of treatment facilities as
remedial actions are taken.
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7.3 Tracking and Monitoring Utilized In This Plan
The fixed station tributary mouth monitoring which was described in 7.2
will be the evaluation tool used to measure longer term impacts of
remedial programs on the lakes in the next five to ten years. This
system of stations is funded and operated as a cooperative effort by
federal and state agencies. It is under review and may change during
the time period of this Plan. More stations will be improved to
monitor high flow events in order to quantify nonpoint source
contributions. Funding constraints will likely continue during the
five year period.
In the short run/ tracking of agricultural nonpoint source remedial
measures will be accomplished using agency records and estimates will
be based on the known effects of such practices on phosphorus
reductions. Research, demonstrations/ and long term monitoring of small
watersheds are continually providing more reliable data for making
these estimates. A continual update and revision of the projections
and impacts of new programs is contained in each state strategy. The
tracking methods and some of the assumptions used in preparing esti-
mates of phosphorus reductions are presented in greater detail in the
following state summaries.
7.3.1 Tracking and Monitoring Strategy - Indiana
The success of the strategy depends on a continual increase in the
adoption of conservation tillage in a three county area. The Soil
Conservation Service has agreed to provide the geographical location as
well as the number of acres of the various tillage types in each
county. This will provide data for model simulation of the area each
year through the use of the ANSWERS model by Purdue University. This
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will provide a low cost tracking format that can be related to
phosphorus and sediment delivery. This method was chosen because of
cost consideration/ although other techniques may be more accurate.
Funds are being sought to improve monitoring animal waste management.
The first step will be to develop a better data base of the numbers of
animals under permit. These numbers would be analyzed by an existing
computer program at Purdue University. This will provide a more
accurate estimate of the amount of animal waste and phosphorus being
produced. The degree to which the waste is being properly handled will
also be determined/ and improved application methods will also be
tracked. The scope of the existing problem can only be subjectively
estimated since fund limitations have restricted follow-up reviews of
existing permits. There is confidence that a significant improvement
can be measured. If a program of this type produces good results, the
State Board of Health will consider the efforts in other portions of
the State with large concentrations of animals.
As a portion of the strategy/ estimates of the types and amounts of
herbicides being used in the three counties will also be collected.
Herbicide use is increasing rapidly for both conventional and conserva-
tion tillage. The inpact of this is poorly understood. A
screening for these herbicides and other pesticides in the St. Joseph
River will be performed at the Fort Wayne water filtration plants.
7.3.2 Tracking and Monitoring Strategy - Michigan
The basic assumption in the development of the implementation monitor-
ing and evaluation system is: water quality monitoring alone will not
be sufficient to determine phosphorus load reductions and that tracking
methods are necessary. Equating remedial measure implementation to
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phosphorus reduction will be the basis of the evaluation process with
water quality monitoring also being an evaluation tool. Because of the
diversity of the reporting processes of the programs involved,
different evaluation methods will have to be used for each type of
remedial measure.
Discharges from point sources are reported as required by the NPDES
permit program and can be summarized on a hydrologic basis making
evaluation relatively easy. All point source discharges must have a
NPDES permit indicating allowable phosphorus discharges. Any reduction
of the phosphorus limit in the permit below 1 mg/1 will be counted
toward meeting the goals. As other sources such as combined sewer
overflows are corrected or reduced, the water quality agency will
track the actual reductions.
The reporting processes for agricultural programs in Michigan are on a
county basis. The county reports will serve as the basis for the
implementation monitoring for the Saginaw Bay and Lake Erie. The
agency responsible for the program will be the lead agency. Conserva-
tion tillage will be determined at the county level by the agencies
working in the county and reported to the CTIC. A computerized report
of tillage type and accomplishments will be available. Phosphorus
reductions will be calculated using the same assumptions as used in the
projections developed for the strategy. Michigan would like to
intensively monitor several small watersheds in order to verify the
estimate used in making their projections.
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Fertilizer management will be tracked by CES through a voluntary survey
of crops, fertilizer type, and amounts used. This will be supplemented
by site visits by CES staff. Soil tests will be monitored by the MSU
soil test laboratories for the counties in the Saginaw Bay and Lake
Erie drainage.
Most of the animal waste management systems are cost shared by ASCS and
reported in CRES by type/ number of animals and months in confinement.
An estimate of the amount of waste reaching a body of water before and
after installation of the practice is also reported. The agencies
working in the county will supply similar information on non cost
shared installations to the water quality agency.
Erosion control activities of SCS are tracked on a county basis and
will be available for evaluation of the effectiveness of the implemen-
tation of the strategy. The erosion reductions accomplished from
technical assistance are currently being reported by staff year and
county basis.
There are three basic water quality monitoring regimins in Michigan.
They are monthly monitoring of tributary loads, high flow event
monitoring, and the USGS NASQUAN stations which monitor water quality
changes over time as well as stream flow measurements. The results of
the phosphorus reduction efforts will require monitoring during the
Plan period and for a minimum of 3-5 years afterward to allow for
minimal error in measuring load reductions.
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7.3.3 Tracking and Monitoring Strategy - New York
The task force concluded that the effect on water quality of the 235
metric ton phosphorus reduction probably would not be discernible with
the low-sensitivity sampling methods being employed currently. Much of
the data required to predict changes in phosphorus loading is already
being collected for other purposes. The tracking of point source
controls will be done through a regulatory system already in place
which monitors compliance of discharge permits by routine sampling.
Evaluation will be on a hydrologic basis.
Erosion control practices will be tracked through several systems
already being used by the agricultural agencies. All cost shared
practices are tracked by ASCS using the CRES. SCS tracks those
practices for which it provides technical assistance. An estimate of
practices installed without technical assistance or cost share is made
annually. SWCD's report acres protected and practices installed by
county. Consideration of modifying the report to include watershed
identification has been requested by the Department of Environmental
Conservation (DEC).
Animal waste management is more difficult to track since many indi-
vidual decisions are involved in the rates/ timing, and application
methods. It was concluded that field surveys may provide better infor-
mation. A more complete and accurate tracking system is being
stressed to improve the data now being collected. In particular/ the
reporting of barnyard runoff management is not being consistently
reported. There is an inter-agency effort to try to improve data
collection.
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Tracking of fertilizer management is also difficult, but soil testing
is a key component. Trends can be monitored on a county basis over
time. Current conditions can be determined with field surveys and
sample collection, especially in priority watersheds. When farm sur-
veys are made, data on pesticide and herbicide usage will also be
collected.
The tributary mouth sampling at fixed stations is not adequately
monitoring high flow events. DEC plans to establish a more sensitive
and comprehensive sampling of the Lake Ontario Basin.
7.3.4 Tracking and Monitoring Strategy - Ohio
The plan recognizes the shortcomings of many of the existing data
sources in tracking a phosphorus reduction strategy. Storm event
sampling on key tributaries is needed to better quantify the loadings
from nonpoint sources. The number of stations now equipped to sample
during runoff events needs to be expanded. The Task Force will begin
cooperative discussions with the agencies in 1985 to develop a plan for
increased monitoring of runoff events. The value of tributary mouth
monitoring for determining long term trends is recognized, but for the
period of this plan, it is concluded that the tracking of changes in
land cover and practice installation will be a better indicator of
reductions in phosphorus transport.
Industrial and municipal point sources operate under a permit system
and must report phosphorus discharges to OEPA monthly. The reporting
of point sources with smaller flows is not consistently required.
Municipal point sources with discharges of less than 1 mgd may need to
be added to the reporting system. The data will be organized by hydro-
logic areas to better quantify the loadings from these sources.
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Data on urban runoff indicates that phosphorus loadings from these
sources is relatively low. Studies are now in progress which will
provide better data on phosphorus loadings from urban runoff and com-
bined sewer overflows. Monitoring of these sources is not proposed
until such data is available.
A special watershed monitoring program is proposed in several completed
nonpoint source demonstration areas to better quantify phosphorus
reductions from implementation. This will provide a basis for improved
predictions from larger areas where implementation is proposed. Some
monitoring is presently being done but a longer term data base is
expected to improve the reliability of the data.
Reliance upon the current reporting systems now being used by the
agricultural agencies for tracking of the implementation of remedial
nonpoint source control programs was proposed initially. The task
force now agrees that current reporting systems must be systematically
evaluated and revised to develop reliable tracking mechanisms. It is
proposed that tracking systems used by agricultural agencies include
hydrologic reference to relate their data to tributary mouth monitoring
in 1985.
7.3.5 Tracking and Monitoring Strategy - Pennsylvania
The tracking system proposed for use would be at the county level using
a computer program developed to tabulate accomplishments by federal and
state programs. Separate sampling and surveys will be used to gather
data on management practices such as fertilizer applications not
tracked by the current systems. The Conestoga RCWP in eastern
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Pennsylvania is currently monitoring the effectiveness of nonpoint
source pollution control practices and will provide data which will
serve as the basis for estimating phosphorus load reductions.
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CHAPTER 8
Issues and Research Needs
8.0 Introduction
There has been much progress in the state of knowledge in the area of
nonpoint pollution control since the PLUARG reports in 1978.
Confidence in the ability to control pollution from nonpoint sources is
much improved. The demonstration programs of GLNPO/ the Corps of
Engineers Lake Erie Wastewater Management Study, MIP's and the RCWP
projects continue to add insight into the development and
implementation of cost effective remedial methods. Additional data has
been added from the NURP studies for urban nonpoint pollution control.
Although the level of confidence has been raised, many of the questions
raised in early studies still remain and new issues are beginning to
emerge. This chapter will emphasize some of the new issues and
previously identified research needs that are becoming more clearly
defined as implementation progresses. There is a growing acceptance of
the concept of a holistic or ecosystem approach to the management of
the Great Lakes. The link between land or watershed management and the
ecological health of the Great Lakes needs to be more clearly
articulated since the remedial measures are often implemented far from
the Lakes. These remedial measures provide soil resource and economic
benefits far beyond the reduction of phosphorus transport. These
multiple goals and program initiatives are often acknowledged but
seldom articulated because of the difficulty of quantifying the
benefits in economic terms.
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8.1 Issues
It is generally accepted that conservation practices will have positive
effect on reducing phosphorus transport to water courses. Research
data and computer modeling have increased confidence that erosion
control which protects the soil resource base will also provide water
quality benefits. This plan relies heavily on this fact and utilizes
this multiple benefit as a means of implementation. The actual benefit
is difficult to quantify and still remains an issue although not such a
critical issue as to preclude beginning implementation.
8.1.1 Bioavailability of Phosphorus
This remains as a critical issue in determining the actual effects of
an erosion control program that relies on reduction in sediment tran-
sport and therefore a reduction in particulate phosphorus. It is
generally accepted that phosphorus adsorbed to sediments that are
bioavailable is in the range of 20 to 40 percent. This needs to be
more accurately determined.
Accurate estimates of the forms and bioavailability of phosphorus
loadings are necessary in order to determine algal responses of lake
ecosystems. Salisbury/ et. al. (1984) studied total and bioavailable
phosphorus concentrations in Lake Erie; while total phosphorus
concentrations have dropped substantially/ bioavailable phosphorus
forms have not experienced a comparable rate of reduction. Existing
ecosystem models for the Great Lakes are based on total phosphorus
concentrations. Future modeling may have to consider bioavailability
of phosphorus forms in order to properly assign algal growth rate
responses.
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8.1.2 Practice Effectiveness
The effectiveness cf conservation practices for reduction cf sheet and
rill erosion can be fairly accurately determined. This effectiveness
varies by site and soil type. A good ranking of practice effectiveness
in reducing soil erosion can be made. The quantity of erosion reduced
by a practice still remains as a function of the site where it is
implemented. The fraction of the soil (i.e. sand, silt or clay) that
is controlled is not well known. Scientists believe that many
practices still permit the transport of the active clay fraction upon
which the phosphorus/ pesticides and other minerals are attached.
8.1.3 Pesticide Transport
Increased use of pesticides for agricultural production poses an
increased hazard for water quality. No-till practices use a different
mix of pesticides and often an increase in the amounts of herbicide
used. Pesticides which adsorb to soil particles will be retained on
land as erosion is reduced, but pesticides which are not readily
adsorbed may reach streams and ground water in increasing quantity.
8.1.4 Nitrogen
Nitrate levels in ground and surface waters is increasing. Erosion
control practices do little to reduce the transport of nitrogen because
of its solubility. Increased percolation as a result of some conserva-
tion practices may actually increase nitrate movement to the ground
water on some soils. Reduced and no-till cultivation may increase both
surface and groundwater nitrogen levels. The trade-off benefits are
not clear.
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8.2 Research Needs
There i& a great need to begin to reexamine many of the common aoil
conservation practices. The original research was done from the point
of view of effecting a reduction in gross sheet and rill erosion. The
increasing importance of nonpoint pollution control suggests a great
need to reexamine these practices from the standpoint of what is the
"quality" of the erosion reduction. It is known that the clay fraction
of the soil is the chemically active portion. Maintenance of soil
productivity and water quality depend on keeping the clay fraction in
place. The Agricultural Research Service (ARS-USDA) and the land grant
colleges should begin a program of reexamination and testing of the
conservation practices now available in light of broadened objectives.
The area of urban nonpoint pollution control has been the subject of
much recent study. Quantities and concentrations of pollutants have
been determined. Most available control methods are very expensive to
install in developed areas. The quantities are small in terms of total
lake loads but may have significant impact in local streams and near-
shore areas of the Lakes.
8.2.1 Sediment Delivery
The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) has been widely accepted as a
management tool in determining sheet and rill erosion and the relative
effects of different soil conservation practices. The USLE does not
measure potential erosion losses from "ephemeral" (gullies obscured by
tillage) gullies. Estimates of soil losses from "ephemeral" gullies
range from 50-100 percent greater than estimated by the USLE. A method
to accurately estimate these soil losses needs to be developed. Models
are increasingly being used which will quantify the transport of
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nutrients and pesticides in solution and adsorbed on sediments. The
Black Creek, Indiana project reported that small areas of the landscape
delivered the major amounts of sediment and adsorbed phosphorus. There
is a need for an additional tool to be used with the USLE to deter-
mine those areas where practice implementation will be roost effective
in reducing sediment transport and delivery. Sediment delivery is now
based on data developed from relatively large watersheds rather than
fields or small sub basins.
8.2.2 Evaluation Tools
Reduced resources and the need to become more cost effective in the use
of these resouces has increased the need for better evaluation tools.
The trend toward problem solving in all programs rather that general
implementation has focused attention on specific geographical areas.
Critical to the problem solving approach is the identification of
sources of the pollutant. Quantification of the pollutants whether
erosion/ phosphorus or others is needed. Quantification of the amounts
of the targeted pollutants controlled by various techniques and the
costs of the implementation become critical. Only rough measures are
now available.
Evaluation tools must be those which can be easily used by technicians
in the field making judgements on the physical location of practices
and the amount of control that can be expected. A method to quickly
ascertain the delivery of pollutants from the edge of a field to a
stream to be used in conjuction with the USLE would be very helpful.
Tools are also needed to make the determination of when to cease
further implementation as not cost effective for the
quantity of the targeted pollutant being controlled. The lag time in
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watersheds before instream monitoring can measure the watershed
response is typically longer than the project implementation period.
Sound evaluation tools will permit cost effective implementation on
critical source areas and limit the implementation to the extent that
will solve the problem. These new tools will allow implementaion to be
completed and new areas to begin treatment long before the impacts will
be detected using long term instream monitoring.
8.2.3 Wind Erosion and Airborne Deposition
The impact of wind erosion on the transport of phosphorus has not been
quantified. Recent studies in the Saginaw Bay area suggest that the
quantities being deposited in local streams and ditches may be larger
than previously reported. It is also thought that the "quality" or the
bioavailability may be higher than the phosphorus attached to
waterborne sediments. Further work in quantification and bioavail-
ability needs to be undertaken. The wind erosion formula currently
available needs to be improved to more accurately measure the clay and
organic fraction of the soil eroded by wind action.
Only rough estimates of airborne deposition have been made. It is
assumed by some researchers that only that portion that falls upon the
lake surfaces are of concern and that deposition on the land becomes a
function of land runoff to be controlled through runoff controls. A
question remains concerning the bio-availability of the airborne phos-
phorus that attaches itself to soil or becomes a part of the wind
erosion deposition component that is deposited in adjacent streams and
ditches.
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8.2.4 Resuapension
Resuspension of phosphorus absorbed sediments is recognized as a
continuing supply of nutrients for algal growth. Whether this will
remain a problem particularly in the western basin of Lake Erie long
after widespread implementation of a phosphorus reduction plan take
place is not known. There is some speculation that "cleaner" sediments
covering the lake bottom or the flushing of the lakes will solve any
problems from resuspension. Few facts are available to justify either
contention.
8.3 Implementation
Many of the technical answers regarding phosphorus transport and
control measures are known or have been determined to the extent that
confidence in being able to deal with the problems is high. Institu-
tional arrangements that insure good program delivery have also
evolved. There are long traditions which need to be overcome which
will require new and innovative approaches to program delivery. Multi-
ple decision making in the area of agricultural nonpoint pollution
control is one such area. A decision to implement nonpoint source
remedial measures affects a large geographical area and many people.
Agricultural pollution control is accomplished by a large number of
persons each making a decision based on his own personal circumstance.
Delivery of pollutants is not the same from one land ownership to
another. A major institutional concern is to be able to direct an
implementation program to those ownerships where cost effective
reductions can occur and do this within the context of a voluntary
program.
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8.3.1 Identification of Critical Areas
The PLUARG recommended the identification of Hydrologicallv Active
Areas (HAA's). At that time the concept was that these areas were
major erosion sites. This concept has been further refined as those
areas with a high delivery of the targeted pollutants. They may not be
the same area. The term critical area is now being used to identify
these pollutant source areas. Methodology for the determination of
these areas is not well developed. Any technical determination must
also pass the test of "political" acceptability. Whether the area is
perceived as critical by the local implementors of any remedial program
is of great importance. Local leadership and support in a voluntary
effort has been found to be necessary if a remedial program is to
succeed. A technically sound and unbiased method needs to be developed
that also allows for local input and acceptance. This method needs to
be at sufficently large scale to compare portions of a watershed down
to about 50/000 acres and not the farm level determinations noted in
8.2.1 and 8.2.2.
8.3.2 Fine Textured Soils
Fine textured soils were identified in PLUARG as major sources of
phosphorus. They are usually high in organic matter and nutrients
with poor internal drainage. The gross erosion rates are generally not
high but the delivery of the highly dispersed clays is great. Most
conservation practices which retard overland flow are not applicable
where internal drainage is impaired and artificial drainage required
for good crop production. New techniques which will reduce the
dispersion of the clays and keep them from being suspended in the
overland flow are needed. Cultural methods which leave the soil sur-
face protected from rainfall impacts seem to be effective in reducing
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phosphorus delivery. These large and unique soil areas deserve more
study not only for a phosphorus reduction plan but also as a
significant soil resource.
8.3.3 Nutrient Management
Data being developed in the remedial plans by the States document very
high phosphorus applications on much of the cropland in the Basin.
Relatively low cost and long standing recommendations for "banking"
excess phosphorus in the soil are two reasons. Costs have risen and
most recommendations now call for only enough phosphorus to be applied
for the current crop needs. A relatively low percentage of the
landowners fertilize by soil test results and those who soil test may
still apply by tradition rather than need. An inexpensive phosphorus
control method is to reduce its availability. By applying phosphorus
at lower rates either incorporated into the soil or as row applica-
tions/ reduces the amounts available for transport and the landowners
costs. The number of soil tests performed at the land grant colleges in
the Basin indicates a slow but steady decline. New methods and
techniques need to be developed to increase the number of soil tests
taken/ improve their interpretation and provide better information to
the landowner of the economic value of better nutrient management.
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Documents Used in Preparation of this Plan
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Phosphorus Reduction Plan for Counties in the Lake
Erie Drainage Basin/ Bureau of Soil and Water Conservation, June, 1985.
New York State Phosphorus Reduction Strategy for Lake Erie and Lake Ontario,
Department of Environmental Conservation, August/ 1985.
State of Indiana, Lake Erie Phosphorus Reduction Strategy, Indiana Stream
Pollution Control Board, October, 1985.
State of Michigan, Phosphorus Reduction Strategy for the Michigan Portion of
Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay, Michigan Department of Natural Resources,
August, 1985.
State of Ohio, Phosphorus Reduction Strategy for Lake Erie, Ohio Environmental
Protection Agency, June, 1985.
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References Recommended for Additional Background
Allen County Soil and Water Conservation District. Environmental Impact of
Land Use on Water Quality. Black Creek Project - Executive Summary, 1981,
12 pp.
Baker, D., 1984, Fluvial Transport and Processing of Sediments and Nutrients in
Large Agricultural River Basins.U.S. EPA, Athens, Georgia, EPA 600/8-83-
054.
Baker, D., et al., 1982, Lake Erie Nutrient Loads, 1970-1980. Lake Erie
Wastewater Management Study, U.S. Corps of Engineers, Buffalo, N.Y.
District.
Burton, T., 1978, The Felton-Herron Creek Mill Creek Pilot Watershed Studies.
EPA-905/9-78-002.
Cahill/ Thomas, 1979, Lake Erie Basin Land Resource Information System. Lake
Erie Wastewater Management Study, U.S. Corps of Engineers, Buffalo, N.Y.
District.
Cook, Ken, 1984, Cross-Compliance: Is It-Bold, Menacing or Just Plain Dumb.
Journal Of Soil and Water Conservation, Volume 39, Number 4, page 250.
Crosson, Pierre, 1984, New Perspectives on Soil Conservation Policy. Journal
of Soil and Water Conservation, Volume 39, Number 4, page 222.
Donahue, Michael/ Institutional Arrangements for Great Lakes Management. A
presentation to the Interuniversity seminar on the Great Lakes, Wingspread
Conference Center, Racine, WI, July, 1984.
Great Lakes Commission, A Report to the Natural Resources Management Committee.
Great Lakes Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Survey, October/ 1984, 66 pp.
Great Lakes Water Quality Board, Report to the International Joint Commission.
1983 Report on Great Lakes Water Quality, November, 1983, 97 pp.
Hirsoh, R., et al., 1982, Techniques of Trend Analysis for Monthly Water
Quality Data. Journal of Water Resources Research, Volume 18, Number 1,
pages 107-121.
IJC, 1983, A Review of the Municipal Pollution Abatement Programs in the Great
Lakes Basin. Task Force Report to the Great Lakes Water Quality Board,
IJC/ Windsor, Ontario.
IJC/ 1983/ Inventory of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities in the Great
Lakes Basin. Appendix A of the Task Force Report on Municipal Pollution
Abatement, IJC/ Windsor/ Ontario.
IJC/ 1983/ Nonpoint Source Pollution Abatement in the Great Lakes Basin, An
Overviev of Post-PLUARG Developments. A report by the Nonpoint Source
Control Task Force of the Water Quality Board of the LJC/ IJC/ Windsor/
Ontario.
IJC/ 1983, 1983 Report on Great Lakes Water-Quality. Great Lakes Water Quality
Board Report to the IJC, IJC, Windsor, Ontario.
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1JC, 1982, 1982 Report on Great-Lakes Water-Quality. Great Lakes Water Quality
Board Report to the IJC/ IJC, Windsor, Ontario.
IJC, 1980, Phosphorus Management for the Great Lakes. Final Report of the
Phosphorus Management Strategies Task Force, IJC, Windsor, Ontario.
IJC, 1980, Pollution in the Great Lakes Basin from Land Use Activities. Report
of the Pollution from Land Use Activities Reference Group, IJC, Windsor,
Ontario.
IJC, 1978, Environmental Management Strategy for the Great Lakes System. Final
Report to the IJC from the International Reference Group on Great Lakes
Pollution from Land Use Activities, IJC, Windsor, Ontario.
IJC, 1978, Fifth Year Review of Canada United States Great Lakes Water Quality
Agreement. Report of Task Group III, A Technical Group to Review
Phosphorus Loadings, IJC, Windsor, Ontario.
IJC, 1978, Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Great Lakes Regional Office,
IJC, Windsor, Ontario.
Karr/ Toth, and Gorman, 1983, Habitat Preservation For Midwest Stream Fishes:
Principles and Guidelines. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Corvallis, Oregon, EPA-600/3-83-006, 120 pp.
Little, Charles E., 1984, Farmland Preservation; Playing Political Handball.
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Volume 39, Number 4, page 248.
Nonpoint Source Control Task Force, A General Survey of Governmental Programs
to Plan and Manage Nonpoint Source Water Pollution Abatement in the United
States Great Lakes Basin. Harbridge House, June, 1983, 47 pp.
Nonpoint Source Control Task Force, Report to the Great Lakes Water Quality
Board, Nonpoint Source Pollution Abatement in the Great Lakes Basin: An
Overview of Post-PLUARG Development. August, 1983, 129 pp.
Reichelderfer, Katherine, 1984, Will Agricultural Program Consistency Save More
Soil?. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Volume 39, Number 4, page
229.
Resources For The Future, Inc., Cropland Soil Erosion and Surface Water Quality
in the United States. April, 1980.
Richards, R. P., 1983, Monte Carlo Investigation of Strategies for Sampling
Event-Response Rivers for Loading Calculations. Draft Final Report, U.S.
EPA, Region IV, Chicago, Illinois, 37 pp.
Salisbury, D., DePinto, J., and Young, T., 1984, Impact of Agal-Available Phos-
phorus on Lake Erie Water Quality; Mathematical Modeling. EPA 600/53-84-
027.
Smith, et al.» 1982, A Study of Trends in Total Phosphorus Measured at NASQAN
Stations. U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper, No. 2190.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, Summary Report of the Lake Erie
Wastewater Management Study. June, 1983, 31 pp.
-------
U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/ The
Model Implementation Program/ Lessons Learned From Agricultural Water Quality
Projects. February, 1983, 13 pp.
U.S. EPA, 1984, Defiance County - Lost Creek Demonstration Project 1983 Demon-
stration Report. Prepared by the Defiance Soil and Water Conservation
District, Available through the Great Lakes National Program Office, U.S.
EPA, Chicago, IL.
U.S. EPA, 1984, Lake Erie Demonstration Projects, Evaluating Impacts of Conser-
vation Tillage on Yield, Coat and the Environment. Available through the
Great Lakes National Program Office, U.S. EPA, Chicago, IL 60605.
U.S. EPA, 1984, Report to Congress: Nonpoint Source Pollution in the U.S..
Report prepared by the U.S. EPA office of Water Program Operations, Water
Planning Division.
U.S. EPA, 1981, Environmental Impact of Land Use on Water Quality, Final Report
on the Black Creek Project Phase II. EPA-905/9-81-003.
U.S. EPA, 1979, Combined Sewer Overflow Abatement Program. Rochester, N.Y.,
Volume I and II, EPA-600/2-79-031a.
U.S. EPA, 1979, Washington County Project. Final Report EPA-905-9-80-003.
UJ5. EPA, 1977, Environmental Impact of Land Use on Water Quality, Final Report
on the Black Creek Project (Project Data). EPA-905/9-77-007-C.
U.S. EPA, Final Region V Water Monitoring Strategy. May, 1984, 44 pp.
U.S.EPA, National Nonpoint Source Policy. December, 1984, 7 pp.
U.S. General Accounting Office, Agriculture's Soil Conservation Programs Miss
Full Potential in the Fight Against Soil-Erosion. Report to the Congress,
November, 1983/ 79 pp.
U.S. Soil Conservation Service, Water-Quality Field Guide. SCS-TP-160,
September, 1983, 63 pp.
Yaksich, S., 1983, Summary Report of the Lake Erie-Wastewater Management Study.
U.S. Corps of Engineers, Buffalo, N.Y.
Yaksich, S., Rumer, R., 1980, Phosphorus Management in the Lake Erie Basin.
Lake Erie Wastewater Management Study, U.S. Corps of Engineers, Buffalo,
N.Y.
-------
Appendix A
PHOSPHORUS LOAD REDUCTION
SUPPLEMENT TO ANNEX 3 OF THE 1978 AGREEMENT
WE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AMD CANADA ON GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY
1. The purpose of this Supplement is to outline measures to fulfill the
commitments undertaken pursuant to paragraph 3 of Annex 3 of the 1978 Great
Lakes Water Quality Agreement which requires that:
...The Parties/ in cooperation with the State and Provincial
Governments/ shall within eighteen months after the date of entry into
force of this Agreement confirm the future phosphorus loads/ and based
on these establish load allocations and compliance schedules, taking
into account the recommendations of the International Joint Commission
arising from the Pollution from Land Use Activities Reference...
2. Phosphorus Target Loads
Table 1 establishes the recommended phosphorus target loads which represent
planning guides for the Parties. Table 1 replaces the table contained in
paragraph 3 of Annex 3 of the 1978 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
(GLWQA).
Table 1
Phosphorus
Target Loads
Basin (metric tons per year)
Lake Superior (see section 3(b) below)
Lake Michigan "
Main Lake Huron "
Georgian Bay "
North Channel "
Saginaw Bay 440 (Note 1)
Lake Erie 11000 (Note 2)
Lake Ontario 7000 (Note 2)
Notes: (1) Target load designed to alleviate drinking water taste and odor
problems.
(2) Target loads proposed to meet ecosystem objectives in Annex 3.
The allocation of the phosphorus target loads between the two
countries shall be consistent with the equal rights of both
Parties in the use of their boundary waters.
-------
3. Phosphorus Load Reductions
(a) Lower Lakes:
Table 2 summarizes the estimated phosphorus loadings that will be
discharged to the Lower Lakes basins when all municipal waste
treatment facilities over one million gallons per day achieve
compliance with the one milligram per litre (1 mg/1) effluent
concentration (on a monthly average basis) as required by Article VI,
l(a) of the 1978 GLWQA. The table also shows the further reductions
required to meet the Phosphorus Target Loads.
Table 2
Phosphorus Load Reduction Targets - metric tons
per year
Estimated
Loadings
at lmg/1
(Note 1 )
13,000
8,210
Phosphorus
Target
Load
11,000
7,000
Estimates
of Further
Reductions
Required
2,000
1,210
Basin
Lake Erie
(b) Upper Lakes:
Load reductions for the Upper Lakes will be accomplished by achieving
the 1 mg/1 phosphorus effluent concentration (on a monthly average) at
municipal waste treatment facilities discharging more than one million
gallons per day. The Parties further agree to maintain the present
oligotrophic state of the open waters and relative algal biomass of
Lake Superior and Huron. In addition, the United States agrees to
undertake efforts to achieve the substantial elimination of algal
Note: (1) Estimated loading when all municipal waste treatment facilities
of over one million gallons/day achieve 1 mg/1 phosphorus
effluent target levels.
-------
nuisance growths in Lake Michigan. Further measures will be
implemented as required for Saginaw Bay/ various localized nearshore
problem areas and Green Bay.
(c) Table 3 presents the distribution of further reductions in phosphorus
loading required for Lake Erie (in metric tons/year) in order to
achieve the estimated target loads. These figures will be used by the
Parties in the development of detailed plans for achieving further
phosphorus reductions as described in 4(a) and (b) below.
Table 3
Allocation of reductions to meet target loads for
Lake Erie as shown in Table 1
Canada U.S. Total
__ _,_ 2000
(d) For Lake Ontario/ the Parties/ in cooperation and full consultation
with State and Provincial governments/ agree to review the measures to
achieve further phosphorus reductions in this Basin and will/ within
one year/ meet to allocate the further phosphorus reductions between
the Parties. Plans to achieve the required reductions set out in
Table 2 will be developed using these figures in accordance with the
procedures described in 4(a) and (b) below.
4. Phosphorus Load Reduction Plans
(a) Phosphorus load reduction plans will be developed and implemented by
the Parties in cooperation and full consultation with State and
Provincial governments to achieve the phosphorus reductions for Lake
-------
Erie and Ontario described in Table 2. The Plans will include phos-
phorus control programs and other measures as outlined in Section 5
and will describe any additional measures which will be undertaken to
evaluate and review progress in achieving the phosphorus load
reductions. A staged approach/ incorporating target dates for
achieving further reductions will be included in the plans to provide
the Parties and State and Provincial governments with a framework for
implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of controls.
(b) These detailed plans shall be tabled by the Parties with the
International Joint Commission 18 months after agreement on this
Supplement to Annex 3. The Parties will provide the Commission with
progress reports and annual updates of these plans.
5. Programs and Other Measures
The following phosphorus control programs and measures will be developed
and implemented by the Parties in cooperation and full consultation with
State and Provincial governments to achieve the required reductions in
accordance with the plans developed pusuant to Section 4. The Parties
recognize that the responsibility for the control of nonpoint sources is
shared between the Parties and the State and Provincial governments.
-------
(a) Municipal Waste Treatment Facilities
(i) Priority will be given to the continuation and intensification
of efforts to ensure that municipal waste treatment facilities
discharging more than one million gallons per day achieve an
effluent concentration of 1 mg/1 total phosphorus on a monthly
average.
(ii) Where necessary/ consideration will be given to operating
facilities capable of greater phosphorus reduction at higher
levels of phosphorus removal than that required in 5(a)(i).
(iii) Where necessary/ municipal waste treatment facilities designed,
built expanded or modified after October I/ 1983 should allow
for later modification to provide for greater removal of
phosphorus than that required under 5(a)(i).
(b) Detergent Phosphorus Limitation
Priority will be given to continuing efforts to limit phosphorus in
household detergents.
(c) Industrial Discharges
Reasonable and practical measures will be undertaken to control
industrial sources of phosphorus.
(d) Nonpoint Source Programs and Measures
Priority management areas will be identified and designated for
application of urban and agricultural programs and measures which
include:
-------
6
(i) Urban drainage management control programs where feasible
consisting of level 1 measures throughout the Great Lakes
Basin; and level 2 measures where necessary to achieve reduc-
tions or where local environmental conditions dictate (note 1);
and
(ii) Agricultural nonpoint source management programs where feasible
consisting of level 1 measures throughout the Basin and level 2
measures where necessary to achieve reductions or where local
environmental conditions dictate (note 1).
(e) Research
Pursuant to the provisions of paragraph 2(e) of Annex 3, the Parties
will make special efforts to assure that their research activities
will be responsive to the Programs and Other Measures described
herein.
Note (1): Level 1 nonpoint source control options include:
Agricultural: adoption of management practices such as: animal husbandry con-
trol measures/ crop residue management, conservation tillage, no-till, winter
cover-crops, crop rotation, strip cropping, vegetated buffer strips along
stream and ditch banks, and improved fertilizer management practices.
Urban: adoption of management practices such as: erosion controls, use of
natural storage capacities and street cleaning.
Level 2 nonpoint source controls include Level 1 plus
Agricultural: adoption of intensive practices such as contour plowing, contour
strip-cropping, contour diversions/ tile outlet-terraces, flow control
structures, grassed waterways/ sedimentation basins and livestock manure
storage facilities.
Urban: adoption of practices such as: artificial detention and sedimentation of
stormwater and runoff/ and reduction of phosphorus in combined sewer overflows.
-------
(f) Monitoring and Surveillance
The Parties will develop and implement surveillance and monitoring
measures to determine the progress of the Phosphorus Load Reduction
Plans for the Lower Lakes as called under Section 4 above/ and to
evaluate efforts taken by the Parties to reduce phosphorus in the
Great Lakes Basin. These measures will include an inventory of areas
treated, watershed modelling and improved measurement of tributary
loadings to the Lower Lakes for the purpose of providing improved
nonpoint source loading estimates and the monitoring of mass-loadings
to the Upper Lakes to maintain or improve the enviromental conditions
described in Section 3(b).
6. Review
The Parties shall meet no later than December 31 / 1988, to review the
effectiveness of the programs and measures described herein, and any
remaining load reduction measures required to achieve the target loads.
-------
Appendix B
Techr.icel Background on
Phosphorus Loading Estimates - Canada/United States
Greet let.es Mater Quality Agreement Annex 3 Negotiations
The 'best estimates" of 1976 phosphorus loads provided by the Phosphorus.
Kanageneni Strategies Task Force and confirmed by the International Joint
Commission 1n Us January 30, 1981 Supplemental Report on Phosphorus
Management Strategies are to be used as the reference values for developing
phosphorus control policies for the Upper Lakes. For the Lower Lakes.
the governments of Canada and the United States, working with staff of
the 1JC Resional Office in Windsor, have developed a series of mutually-
satisfactory loading estimates for the Lower Great Lakes. Key to this
analysis was the determination of loads in the base year. The base
year being defined, for purposes of the Agreement, as the year In which
loadings from municipal STPs > 1MGD will have attained the 1 oig/1
phosphorus objective as required by the 1972 Great Lakes Water Quality
Agreement and reconfirmed in the 1978 Agreement. The estimate of the
base year load also required that an assessment of the likely tributary
nonpoint, industrial, atmospheric and upstream phosphorus loadings in
that year be determined. The sur?, of these loading estimates will the-i
allow the two parties to assess the residual phosphorus loading still
requiring removal 1f the agreed upon targets for the Lower Lakes are
to be met.
Calculation of Base Year Phosphorus Loadings
The municipal Indirect and direct contribution to the base year load
was derived by nultiplying the 1979-80 plant flow by 1 mg/1. Recently
the U.S. runicipal co-nponent has received a thorough review, and is
considered to be the most reasonable estimate of this component.
-------
Therefore, the 1979-BD figures were used 1n the calculation. The
Canadian portion of the municipal Input 1s considered to be quite
accurate, and, after review by the IJC, the 1979 flow was used 1n the
calculation. The Industrial component is not expected to change greatly
1n the future; therefore, the 1979 loading figures were used where
available.
The nonpoint source component, because of Us high variability, as shown
1n Table II. presented the largest problem 1n developing a base year load.
To obtain the best IJC nonpoinl loading, an average was obtained for 1976
to 1979 period. Data prior to 1976 were not considered reliable by the
IJC. Other 1976 load estimates were obtained from PLUARG and PMSTF. It
was necessary to decrease the latter amount of indirect municipal and
Industrial Input. Task Group III had provided a base year number for
the nonpoint Input. This was based on the nean tributary flow times a
unit area loading.
The mean nonpoint input for Lake Erie was obtained by averaging the mean
of the 1976-79 IJC inputs and the 1976 loading estimates made by the
PLUARG. PKSTF and Task Group III. All the later estimates drew heavily
upon the Lake Erie Waste Water Management study data base. In those
cases where tributary estimates included indirect municipal STP and
Industrial loadings, these were subtracted to provide a better estimate
of the nonpoint loading. The atmospheric input was taken from the PLUARG
studies, and the Lake Huron Input to Lake Erie was that of the Upper
Lakes Reference Study.
-------
The base year loadings to Lake Ontario were derived 1n the tame way as
for Lake trie, the only exception was that the Lake trie load to Lake
Ontario was divided by jurisdiction. To obtain this division, loss
factors for 1ntra-bas1n exchange were Incorporated Into the calculation
(Table III). When the 11,000 metric ton loading to Lake Erie 1s achieved.
the Lake trie Input to lake Ontario will be 2858 metric tons. Of this.
1438 metric tons are from the tastern Basin of Lake trie, and the other
from nearshore resuspenslon. This estimate of loading reduction (1438)
compares favorably with 1400 mt reduction calculated by Task Group 111.
Tables 1- 6 provide a detailed description of the loading estimates made
for each lake Including a breakdown of the tributary loading calculations
for each lake.
-------
Kunlclpal-D
Industrfal-D
Hunlctpal-1
Industrial-!
Honpolnt x
Total
Atmospheric
L. Huron
GRAND TOTAL
TABLE 1
PHOSPHORUS LOADING (t/yr)
LAKE ERIE
TOTAL
U.S.
1.868
161
452
51
5,836
Cdn.
71
23
180
5
2,406
Total
1,939
184
632
56
. 8,242
8.368 (76%) 2,685 (24*) 11,053
800
1,000
13.000
-------
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-------
TABLE 4
BASE YEAR TOTAL PHOSPHORUS' - LAKE ONTARIO
(t/yr)
Municipal - Direct
Industrial - Direct
Municipal - Indirect
Industrial - Indirect
Tributary Nonpoin
Lake Erie Load
SUBTOTAL
Atmosphere
TOTAL
U.S.
547
36
181
7
1.767
963
3,501 (565)
Cenadc
744
65
143
41
1.333
475
2.8D1 (445)
Total
1,291
101
324
48
3.100
2.858?
7.722
48B
8.210
*Base year municipal loads « 1979 flow (103 m3/d) x 1.0 mg/1 x 0.365
Average of nonpoint source for 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979
^Includes 1420 t/yr attributable to shoreline resuspension
-------
TABLE S
LAKE ONTARIO PHOSPHORUS LOADS*
Data Source
1JC 1976
1977
1978
1979
"x
S.D.
V
Task Group III**
PLUARG
Task Force***
U.S.
2.292
1.208
927
1.363
1.44B
591
41%
2.292
2.169
CDK.
1.161
871
1,207
1,115
1,089
150
14}
1.161
1.088
TOTAL
3,453
2.079
2,134
2.478
2,537
636
25%
3,453
3.257
3.010
7 1,970 (64S) 1,113 (36?) 3,100 (100?)
* Tributary « Total Tributary - Indirect Mun. £ Ind. Discharges
** Task Group Loading Estimates Reduced by Total of Mun. ft Ind. Indirect Loads for 19
***Task Force Loading Estimates Reduced by Total of Mun. ft Ind. Indirect Loads for 19
-------
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-------
APPENDIX C
Calculation and Apportionment of Base Year Phosphorus Loads/ Load
Reductions> and Target Loads
Values for four types of loads and load reductions are identified in
Table No. 1-2: 1976 loads, annual target loads/ annual load reduc-
tions, and an average base year. Load reductions have been proposed
but not finalized for Lake Ontario. An unpublished technical paper
entitled "Technical Background on Phosphorus Loading Estimates -
Canada/United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement Annex 3 Nego-
tiations" is included in Appendix 3 to this report and gives a de-
tailed description of the methods used to arrive at load reductions for
all of the Great Lakes under the Supplement to Annex 3. An explanation
of the basis of calculation of the four types of loads and load
reductions is given below.
1976 Loads
As part of its efforts PLUARG provided an estimate of Canadian and
United States phosphorus loads to each of the Great Lakes. Because
most of PLUARG's detailed studies of tributaries were conducted during
the mid-1970's, the estimates of a "present" PLUARG load to the lakes
are for the year 1976. These estimates partitioned loads from U.S. and
Canadian municipal STPs, industrial point sources/ and from diffuse
sources associated with Canadian and U.S. drainage basins. Atmospheric
loads/ and connective channel loads from upstream lakes were estimated
but not attributed to either country. These load estimates did not
include phosphorus from shoreline erosion or from recirculation of in-
lake sediments. Various groups examined the validity of the PLUARG
estimates for 1976 and proposed different figures depending on their
interpretation of the source loads.
-------
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2
Average Base Year Loads
The 1976 "best estimates" of lake loads were not used in the Supplement
to Annex 3 for determining phosphorus loads for the lower Great Lakes
and Saginaw Bay. Rather, an "average" base year was established in
which it is assumed that loadings from the major municipal STPs with
discharges greater than 1 MGD will have attained the 1 mg/1 phosphorus
objective as required by the 1972 GLWQA. The municipal contribution to
the base year were derived by multiplying 1979-80 plan flow by 1 mg/1.
This estimate of loads in an average base year also required that an
assessment of likely tributary nonpoint, industrial, atmospheric and
upstream phosphorus loadings in an "average" water year be determined.
Figures from previous studies (PLUARG, Task Group III) and IJC data
from 1975 through 1979 were used to determine the nonpoint source
contribution. The difference between this "average" base year and the
in-lake target loads will represent the annual load reduction for
purposes of the Supplement.
Annual Target Loads
Target loads are those annual phosphorus loads resulting from modeling
for a specific lake, that will result in trophic state conditions that
will preserve the potential uses (i.e. water supply, recreation,
fisheries) of that body of water. The total phosphorus objectives used
by the various study groups have been appreciably the same. The
objectives were developed by the Great Lakes Science Advisory Boards
Committee on the Scientific Basis for Water Quality Criteria. The
objectives are applicable for the early spring. They were developed as
lake wide or sub-basin average concentrations, and presume in-lake
total phosphorus concentrations which correspond to trophic state in
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3
the following manner: <_ 10 ug/1 total phosphorus signifies
oligotrophic waters, _< 20 ug/1 total phosphorus signifies mesotrophic
waters/ > 20 ug/1 total phosphorus signifies eutrophic waters.
Assuming these concentration levels as appropriate indices of trophic
state the Board developed the following goals from which the target
loads were subsequently determined.
- Restoration of year-round aerobic conditions in the bottom
waters of the central basin of Lake Erie;
- Substantial reduction in the present levels of algal biomass to
a level below that of a nuisance condition in Lake Ontario/
including the International Section of the St. Lawrence River;
- The elimination of algal nuisance in bays and in other areas
wherever they occur.
Several different models were used and reviewed by the various study
groups that examined the target loads. Models were calibrated against
existing conditions in each lake and then rerun to determine necessary
reduced phosphorus target loads to meet total phosphorus or dissolve
oxygen goals. The overall criteria for each of the waterbodies were:
Saginaw Bay - An in-lake phosphorus concentration of 15 ug/1 as
measured at the White Stone Point Water Filtration Plant. This
load would place Saginaw Bay in a mesotrophic state.
Lake Ontario - In-lake phosphorus concentration of 10 ug/1 was
determined as necessary to eliminate nuisance algal populations.
Lake Erie - Dissolved oxygen concentration for Lake Erie's central
basin was the primary criterion around which modeling decisions
revolved. A load of 11/000 metric tons was determined to be
necessary to reduce the central basin anoxic area by 90 percent
and to limit sediment phosphorus re-release.
While base year loads have differed somewhat among the various study
groups the target loads (Saginaw Bay 440 metric tons/yr./ Lake Erie
11/000 metric tons/ and Lake Ontario 7000 metric tons) have been found
to be reasonable and appropriate. These target loads are confirmed in
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4
the Supplement to Annex 3 and have been utilized for purposes of
preparing the current phosphorus reduction plan.
Load Reductions and Apportionment of U.S./Canadian Load
Reductions
Load reductions were originally computed by PLUARG by subtracting the
in-lake target loads from 1976 base year loadings. Since the 1976
water year may or may not have been representative, subsequent study
groups resorted to the preparation of hypothetical "average" base
years. In some cases they made the assumption that STPs over 1 MGD had
met the 1 mg/1 level in other cases they did not. (Load reductions for
the Supplement to Annex 3 have been computed by subtraction of
previously confirmed target loads from newly calculated hypothetical
base years.)
Apportionment of calculated load reductions is proportional to the
relative Canadian and U.S. contributions to the overall lakes loading.
Final agreement on the apportionment of the load reductions for Lake
Ontario has not taken place at the time of preparation of this plan but
is anticipated shortly. Provisional figures are identified in Table
No. 1-1.
Apportionment of U.S. Load Reductions to Hydrological Basins
In order to prepare phosphorus reduction plans and compliance schedules
for individual drainage basins the relative contribution of these
basins had to be assessed. For this purpose it was agreed that 1982
water year data would be used for Lakes Erie and Ontario and 1980 water
year data for Saginaw Bay. These years were chosen because they
represented the most recent years for which complete and accurate
tributory phosphorus data and point source data was available.
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5
Phosphorus load reductions for individual tributaries were then
weighted in response to the nonpoint phosphorus delivery calculated for
the tributary.
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Phosphorus Reduction Strategies For The Great Lakes
The phosphorus reduction strategies that were developed by the
individual State Task Forces had multiple objectives. The immediate
objective was to develop the basis for a five year phosphorus reduction
plan for Lake Ontario/ Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay as required by the
Supplement to Annex 3 of the Water Quality Agreement. Each State was
requested to develop a strategy to achieve their share of the
reduction, which was allocated primarily on their land drainage area.
Each Task Force was to evaluate the reductions that would be achieved
by existing programs during the plan period 1984-1988. The next
important step was to determine the most cost effective mix of point
and nonpoint source programs to achieve any additional reductions
required to meet the target goals.
This second step in the state Task Force planning process was the most
significant since it served as a basis for new program initiatives for
the Great Lakes. Each State was requested to incorporate their
strategy into the State W.Q.M. Plan. This action will allow for review
and comment and legitimize the strategy for the Great Lakes drainage.
In the selection of program initiatives for phosphorus reduction, the
states needs for local in-stream water quality concerns were to be
considered to minimize the impact of any new efforts.
Each state Task Force was requested to have as their first priority the
needs of their own water quality concerns as they developed the
programs and locations for most cost effective implementation. It was
expected that each state strategy would differ to reflect the potential
for reduction from various sources, local needs and opportunity for
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implementation. During the development of the U.S. Plan by the Great
Lakes Phosphorus Reduction Task Force/ a number of apparent
inconsistencies were noted. The short time frame for the development
and lack of good data may account for what appear to be errors.
This review has been done to highlight these differences without
commenting on whether it is "right" or "wrong". There are differences
between state needs/ data available and importance of sources. The
hope is that each Task Force in reviewing their strategy will note
these apparent differences and refine or explain them so that a solid
Great Lakes Plan can be supported by all of the states. A great deal
of progress has been achieved by individual state and federal
initiatives. It is felt that a specific Great Lakes initiative based
on the state W.Q.M. Plans will not only achieve the needs of the
Supplement to Annex 3 but implement the priority needs of the
individual States.
Most of the apparent inconsistencies were in the areas of nonpoint
agricultural sources. This is not unexpected since most of the
strategies focused on this area. Impacts from remedial implementation
of agricultural practices are not well documented particularly when the
emphasis is on phosphorus reductions to a lake. A number of
assuaptions have to be made. Differences in delivery/ soils and types
of farm enterprise all contribute to what would appear to be errors
between state strategies. Some general areas of concern for
consideration will be discussed first with more specific comments on
each state strategy.
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You will note that there are differences between the proposals in the
state strategies and the draft U.S. Plan. A uniform presentation was
made in the U.S. Plan which meant that it was impossible to directly
abstract the individual state strategies. Some data was missing and
interpretations were made. The basis was documented as well as
possible. Some errors were probably made but an effort was made to
utilize the assumptions which were indicated in the development of the
base program and working backward through the data presented. It
appeared that different assumptions may have been used to generate the
data for the base program and the proposed program. The base program
data was used in the U.S. Plan. It was remarkably consistent from one
state to the other. There may have been some confusion by the state
task forces in developing their proposals between what they felt was
needed for a sound conservation program and what was needed to reduce
phosphorus delivery to meet the target goals.
Erosion Control From Permanent Conservation Practices
Most of the state strategies included a strong emphasis on conservation
tillage. In order to quantify the impacts of the erosion control from
practices other than tillage/ an attempt was made to estimate the
effects of these practices. It was difficult to ascertain these
quantities since most records are based on the erosion control aspects
of all practices installed in a county. Some of the data in the
strategies were on the basis of a county total for other than tillage,
and in other cases it was based on tonnage per person.
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Erosion control opportunities between counties and states vary widely
because of land forms and cropping patterns. Estimates of tonnage
varied from 1,500 tons per county to 4,500 tons per person. There are
a number of possibilities for this difference. Land form is one; poor
data/ errors in estimation or not including all program efforts are
other possibilities.
Conservation Tillage
Conservation tillage was stressed in all of the strategies. It was
often not clear whether reference was being made to no-till or other
forms of conservation tillage. The request for personnel and equipment
suggested an emphasis on no-till. The acreage that would be effected
per person varied widely between states. Experiences to date do
suggest that conservation tillage is spreading to other farms even if
their farms are not involved in a specific program effort. The acreage
of this "fall out" from such a program effort may be quite large. Some
of the states had data problems from past years which made it difficult
to determine the rate of increase in order to make projections.
Little emphasis seemed to be placed on the less management intensive
conservation tillage techniques. The large acreage of soils that
presently are not adapted to the known no-till technology suggest an
opportunity for high rates of adoption of other forms of conservation
tillage. The erosion control opportunities would be less/ but the
program costs for an educational effort may also be reduced.
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Nutrient Management
All of the state strategies made reference to over fertilization with
phosphorus. Estimates, which were relatively well documented,
suggested phosphorus application of 50-100% above crop needs. Several
of the strategies had highly developed proposals for additional
personnel to emphasize the economic as well as potential pollution
aspects of over fertilization. One strategy called for emphasis in the
regular agency programs and an information and education effort.
Little or no mention of a nutrient management program was made in other
strategies.
If over fertilization is widespread, it would follow that an effort to
reduce the amounts of phosphorus being applied makes economic sense as
well as for pollution reduction. How intensive or the best method of
accomplishing this reduction would likely vary between states.
Cost Effective
It was stressed that the strategies should be cost effective. No
request was made for a strategy analysis. If funding is to be expected
for the strategies that were developed, they must be less costly than
upgrades of municipal treatment plants. The Phosphorus Management Task
Force and the LEWMS estimated phosphorus reductions to .5 tag/liter from
municipal treatment plants at about $8,000 per metric ton. This was an
estimate and certainly will vary between plants.
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If it is a reasonable number to use for comparison/ evaluation of some
of the state strategies indicate that the proposals made are greater by
a magnitude of three based on phosphorus reduction. There are other
benefits from the proposals made that have not been counted. Whether
these benefits are great enough to justify implementation or whether
the proposals need to be evaluated is not known. The strategies are
unclear on this point.
Phosphorus Contents
Phosphorus levels in soils varied from state to state. This was
expected since the natural phosphorus levels decrease from west to east
because of the soil and parent material differences. The use of soil
test data which roughly measures "plant available" phosphorus caused
some confusion and potential error since the phosphorus reduction goals
were based on total phosphorus. The general phosphorus levels used in
the strategies or interpreted from them were in the range of 1.5 - 2.5
pounds per ton of soil in place. Enrichment ratios were generally low
(1.25 - 1.5) in most of the strategies. These are very conservative
estimates for planning purposes but likely will underestimate the
actual program impacts. A sediment delivery ratio of about 10% was
generally used by all of the state strategies. This also is a
relatively conservative estimate but is a "good" number for the larger
basins in the drainage areas involved.
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