INTERIM REPORT 208 AREA-WIDE WASTE TREATMENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM LEWIS AND CLARK REGIONAL COUNCIL FOR DEVELOPMENT MANDAN, NORTH DAKOTA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY JULY 1977 This Report was Funded by Public Law 92-500, a Section 208 Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ------- INTRODUCTION The Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 established as a national goal that wherever obtainable, a water quality which provides for the protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife and provides for recreation in and on the water be achieved by July 1, 1983. Section 208 of the Act provided a mechanism for the development and implementation of state and areawide water quality menagement plans to achieve the above goal. Because of significant water quality problems associated with agriculture and the potential impact of energy development in west central North Dakota, Governor Arthur Link designated the Lewis & Clark 1805 Regional Council for Development as the 208 Planning Agency for the 10-county region. As a designated 208 Planning Agency, the Regional Council is required to initiate a planning process with extensive public participation that addresses all sources of water pollution. The Act requires that a detailed inventory be made of water resources in the area and the present or potential sources of pollution; the existing pollution control laws; and the agencies or political subdivisions which have regulatory authori Finally, after study and evaluation, one or more agencies would be designated as the area pollution control agency. The development of the Water Quality Management Plan for the Lewis & Clark Planning Area involves five major plan elements. They are: ------- 1. Water Quality Assessment 2. Assessment of Pollutant Sources 3. Land Use Assessment 4. Management & Regulatory Assessment 5. Citizen Participation II. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING The 10-county planning area is bisected by the Missouri River. The area north and east of the river has a nonintegrated drainage system characterized by a gently rolling landscape with numerous wetland areas. The area south and west of the river is characterized by a well-defined drainage system resulting in rapid runoff. Much of this area is underlain with stripable lignite deposits resulting in intensive development. III. EXISTING CONDITIONS Population The population of the study area is primarily rural and is sparsely settled. The Bismarck-Mandan area is the growth center of the region. From 1950 to 1970 the region experienced a significant rural to urban migra- tion trend as the Bismarck-Mandan population increased 77 percent while the total population of the region increased only slightly. Increased levels of energy development since 1970 has resulted in rapid growth in many smaller rural com- munities. There has also been a trend toward increased rural nonfarm housing. ------- Economy The economic base of the region is agriculture. Total value of sales of agricultural products in 1974 exceeded 205 million dollars. Most of the region's industry is located in the Bismarck-Mandan area. In recent years mining, utilities, and construction have impacted the region's economy. Land Use Agriculture is the dominant land use activity with 92 percent of the region's land area classified as either cropland or rangeland. Urban or built-up land accounts for less than 1%. Water and wetlands combined account for 5% of the region's land area. Woodlands account for 2% and barren land 1% of the total land area. Local governments have become increasingly involved in the formulation of land use controls. Special emphasis has been placed on the coal impact area where adequate planning and proper land use controls are needed to control growth and mitigate the adverse impacts of too rapid development. Regulatory Agencies and Their Powers Over Sources of Pollution The legislature has designated the State Health Depart- ment as the North Dakota Enforcement Agency with regard to water pollution and solid waste management. With regard to solid waste management and land pro- tection, Section 23-29-05, of the North Dakota Century Code, provides that any political subdivision of the state may enact and enforce a solid waste management ordinance if it is equal to or more stringent than the ------- rules and regulations of the state. Such powers, with regard to water pollution control, have not been delegated to political subdivisions. The State Health Department then is the sole regulatory and enforcement agency for water pollution control. Only municipalities and water management districts have the power to construct, operate or maintain waste treatment works or to charge for waste treatment. Water Quality Assessment Information for this assessment was obtained from water quality monitoring data by the U.S.G.S. and the North Dakota Health Department. Additional data for the Knife and Spring Creek areas was obtained from the NDSU Bacteriology Department study of the Knife River Basin. The following six parameters were chosen as the most important indicators of water quality in a rural area with little industry, small municipalities but pre- dominantly agricultural usage: 1. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD - 5-day) A measure of the organic material present in water or sediment. It is determined by the amount of oxygen required by the organisms for the degredation of the wastes. 2. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) A measure of the amount of chemically oxi- dizable organic and inorganic material present in water or sediment. ------- 3. Total. Phosphates as Phosphorus (TP) A measure of all forms of phosphates. 4. Total Nitrogen (TN) A measurement of all forms of nitrogen. 5. Suspended Solids (SS) A measure of the organic and inorganic particulate matter in water which is sus- pended in the water or settleable from the water. 6. Fecal Coliforms (FC) A measure of the number of bacteria of fecal origin, either human or animal, per 100 ml of water. Within the study area 104 monitoring sites have been established. However, very few data points were actually collected for the above pollution parameters. As a result of the limited monitoring data judgements concerning the quality of the region's water resources must be viewed with caution. However, the North Dakota Game & Fish Department has conducted an evaluation of the biological conditions of the region's lakes, rivers and streams. The findings indicate that many of the streams and lakes have become so seriously degraded by poor water quality that many fishery areas in the region are in danger of being lost. The three most common causes given for the degraded water quality are: agricultural and feedlot runoff; overgrazing; and municipal wastes. It is very apparent that a greatly increased monitoring system should be instituted in this area so heavily ------- impacted by mining and agriculture in order to detect point and nonpoint source pollution. Enforcement of regulations consistent with realization of the 1983 Water Quality goals is another obvious necessity. FUTURE CONDITIONS Future conditions of the will be affected largely energy development which Three alternative levels been identified for this Level II. Lewis and Clark Planning Area by the amount and rate of occurs in the study area, of energy development have study: Baseline, Level I, and The Baseline alternative assumes no large-scale energy development beyond that already in existence or pre- sently under construction. The Level I alternative includes the following energy related projects: Coyote Station I and supporting mine located near Beulah. Antelope Valley Station and supporting mine located near Beulah. ANG Coal Gasification Plant and supporting mine near Beulah. Natural Gas Pipeline Company Coal Gasifi- cation Plant and mine near Dunn Center. The Level II alternative includes the Level I projects plus the following: 1. Expansion of the Glenharold mine near Stanton. ------- 2. Coyote Station II generating plant located near Beulah. 3. The Nokota Company mine to be located near Garrison 4. Four separate mines located in Mercer and McLean counties and operated by Consolidation Coal Company Population forecasts for each alternative were obtained through the Regional Environmental Assessment Program. These projections substantiate that the most significant impacts resulting from Levels I and II will occur in Mercer County where the population will more than double by 1985. Changes in land use resulting from energy development have also been estimated. Over 1,800 acres of cropland and 79 acres of wetland will be permanently disturbed by Level I energy projects in the region. Over 84,000 acres of land will be temporarily disturbed by mining acitivities resulting from Level II development. New urban/built up acreage resulting from population growth is estimated to exceed 3,000 acres by 1989, with half of this growth occuring in Beulah. The water quality relationships to these land use changes will be addressed in the next phase of the 208 Project. ------- |