United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Total Maximum Daily Loads
TMDLataGlance:
Peconic Bay Nitrogen TMDL
(approved September 2007)
www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/23835.html
One of the 'last Great Places in the Western
Hemisphere"
The east end of Long Island, New York is home to Peconic Bay—a vital economic,
recreational, and scenic resource for residents and tourists alike. The Peconic Bay
watershed, shown in Figure 1, has 340 miles of coastline that supports a variety of marine
life, birds, and wildlife. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) has designated Peconic
Bay as an "estuary of national
significance" and The Nature
Conservancy refers to it as
one of the "last great places"
in the western hemisphere.
Essential to preserving
this estuary of national
significance is ensuring that
Factors causing impairment
Impaired aquatic life designated use due to low
dissolved oxygen levels from excessive loadings of
nitrogen
Sources contributing to impairment
Atmospheric deposition, groundwater, sewage
treatment plants, and stormwater runoff
Restoration options
Establish achievable nitrogen loading rates from key
sources
Stakeholder involvement
New York Department of Environmental
Conservation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
the Suffolk County Department of Health Services,
Peconic Estuary Program
Status of waterbody
Implementation phase; demonstrated water quality
improvement is expected to take several years due to
the severity of the problem
Benefits to stakeholders
Improved recreational opportunities, economic
benefits, better aesthetics
the water quality throughout
the entire estuary can R9ure L The Peconic ^ watershetL
adequately support the dependent marine life. Over the years, environmental
quality in the Peconic Estuary System has declined, with low dissolved oxygen
(DO) levels in tidal creeks and poorly flushed embayments as one of the primary
problems. Low DO levels are harmful to aquatic life. Sampling performed by
the Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDHS) showed frequent
periods of low DO levels during the warm weather months in areas where there is
limited circulation and high nutrient loadings—particularly nitrogen. These low
levels of DO violate the State of New York's water quality standards and result in
impairment of the aquatic life designated use for Peconic Bay.
The TMDL addressed the key sources of nitrogen. A sophisticated computer model
provided a better understanding of the complex links between nitrogen loading,
water temperatures, plant growth, bottom sediments, water depths, and DO levels.
With this improved understanding, the Peconic Estuary Programs (led primarily by
the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), EPA, and Suffolk
County) were able to develop a practical load reduction strategy and identify
recommended implementation activities for all the key sources.
What is a total maximum daily load (TMDL)?
It is a study or analysis that calculates the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet
water quality standards. The TMDL establishes a pollutant budget and then allocates portions of the overall budget to
the pollutant's sources. For more information on TMDLs, visit EPA's website at www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl.
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How are TMDLs at work in Peconic Bay?
The Peconic Bay nitrogen TMDL provided a framework
to analyze the large amounts of data collected by Suffolk
County and the Peconic Estuary Program and identify a
practical strategy for reducing nitrogen.
The Peconic Estuary Program is targeting full
implementation of the TMDL by 2022. The schedule
takes into account current expectations for full build-
out and land acquisition programs, development and
implementation of education and outreach programs, full
participation in the agricultural stewardship program,
implementation of Clean Air Act programs, and other
necessary efforts.
Several activities led or supported by the Peconic
Estuary Program have already occurred that will help to
implement the TMDL. These include the following:
O Working cooperatively with 34 golf courses to reduce
nitrogen loads to groundwater through improved
management practices.
O Imposing limits on nutrient discharges from the major
sewage treatment plants in the Estuary, and securing
funding to construct treatment systems to remove
nitrogen at publicly owned facilities.
O Working with the agricultural community and the
Farm Bureau to reach an agreement which sets, as a
goal, reducing the nitrogen load from agriculture by
25 percent and working to secure funding to develop
and implement the necessary farm plans to achieve
that goal.
O Evaluating the use of the effluent from the Riverhead
Sewage Treatment Plan to irrigate and "fertigate"
the County-owned Indian Island Golf Course, and
supporting the allocation of funding to pilot test and
fully implement this project.
O Working with the Association of Marine Industries to
secure a Vessel Waste No Discharge Zone designation
for the entire Peconic Estuary to eliminate this
pollution source.
O Preserving thousands of acres of open space through
town Community Preservation Funds (CPFs) and
county and state programs. The CPFs are funded by
a real estate transfer fee imposed on buyers and have
generated $526 million in revenues, approximately
half of which has been invested in open space in the
Peconic watershed.
O Imposing special permit requirements for municipal
separate stormwater systems to reduce nitrogen
loadings from stormwater discharges.
O Managing the use of fertilizers by conducting the
following activities:
- Enacting a county law banning the application of
nitrogen-based fertilizers on turf grass between
November 1 and April 1,
- Prohibiting fertilizer use on county property at any
time (except county golf courses, ballfields, the
County farm, and newly seeded/sodded areas—
in all these instances best management practices
(BMPs) must also be followed);
- Requiring licensed "home improvement
contractors" (which includes landscapers) to
complete a turf management course;
- Mandating informational signs and brochures at
retail establishments that sell fertilizers, as well as
calling for an annual report on fertilizer sales; and
- Establishing a public education effort.
O Developing and implementing detailed sub-watershed
management plans that emphasize stormwater quality
and quantity management, while also serving as focal
points for intensive public participation efforts; four
plans are complete and in the implementation phase
with more plans scheduled for development.
O Restoring clam and scallop populations, important
filter feeders that can improve water quality.
O Working to restore eelgrass beds, a valuable habitat
for many species that also serves as an important
reservoir for nutrients.
Implementation of this TMDL is overseen by the
Peconic Estuary Program as part of a comprehensive and
coordinated ecosystem-based management approach
that is intended to be cost effective. For example, the
sub-watersheds effort noted above is aimed primarily at
implementing pathogen TMDLs to restore shellfishing
waters that are impaired, but will also include actions to
reduce nitrogen loads.
What is the current status of Peconic Bay as a
result of the TMDL process?
The localized problems in Peconic Bay are the result of
many years of excess loading, including legacy loadings
from the numerous duck farms that surrounded the
western estuary from the early 1900s to the 1970s (today
only one duck farm remains). Stakeholders acknowledge
that reversing the trends will take time and sustained
effort. For example, the TMDL modeling indicates that
reductions in nutrient loading will take approximately six
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years to have an effect due to the complicated relationship
with bottom sediment. Nitrogen loadings are also only
one challenge in the estuary. Other challenges include the
degradation, fragmentation, and outright loss of open space
and habitats, closed shellfish beds, harmful algal blooms,
and reduced landings of fin fish and shellfish. The Peconic
Estuary Program plans to track and report on progress
in implementing and achieving this TMDL at five-year
intervals with the goal of full implementation by 2022.
How did local stakeholders benefit from the
TMDL process?
Management practices applied in the Peconic Bay
watershed to achieve the TMDL targets and restore the
Bay's beneficial uses are expected to provide the following
benefits to the stakeholders:
O Improved recreation. Peconic Bay is a unique
ecosystem that, while threatened, can be saved.
Restoring the Bay to its full potential will yield
significant benefits to local residents and tourists
because of improved fishing, swimming, and boating
opportunities.
O Increased economic benefits. Improved DO
conditions in poorly flushed embayments and
tidal creeks can help prevent fish kills and improve
conditions for bait and juvenile fish, as well as other
species that are commercially, recreationally and
ecologically important. The bays of Long Island were
once renowned for their production of bay scallops,
providing up to 28 percent of the national harvest.
Harmful algal blooms, degraded water quality and loss
of habitat resulted in bay scallop harvests dropping
"An old proverb tells us that 'If you don't change direction,
you'll end up where you're heading.' The stakeholders in
the Peconic Estuary have seen the impact that increased
human populations have had on the bay and have
chosen to take steps to change direction and address the
challenges before them. This will involve both regulatory
and voluntary initiatives affecting all segments of society,
but the outcome—a healthy bay for this and future
generations—makes it worthwhile."
—Kevin McDonald, Peconic Estuary Program Citizens
Advisory Committee Chair
to less than one percent of what they were until the
mid 1980s. Figure 2 shows one of the signs used in
the Peconic Bay to help educate the public about the
importance of protecting a shellfish nursery area.
Figure 3 shows bay scallops grown in a shellfish
nursery in the Peconic Estuary. Meeting the goals
of the TMDL has the potential to contribute to the
restoration of these critical components of the local
economy.
Improved aesthetics. Peconic Bay and its coastline
support a wide variety of marine life, birds, and
wildlife. Implementing the TMDL has the potential
to enhance the enjoyment of this unique ecosystem
through clearer water, restored eelgrass beds, and
fewer algal blooms.
I
SHELLFISH NURSKRY
AREA
I he hmtcim land ;iinJ water vviihjn
these signs is ticing used lit niise
shellfish lhat will ho irnnspUuitcJ into
-in-', thruughoui Peconic Ba\.
M:u M-Minn or (Iklurhance in this
area is pnthihiicd.
,/';
Figure 2. Public education sign informing readers about shellfish nursery
area protection.
Figure 3. Bay scallops from a Peconic Bay shellfish nursery.
For more information on the Peconic Bay TMDL, contact Ron Entringer, Chief, Water Quality Management Section,
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, raentrin@gov.dec.state.ny.us, (518) 402-8176
For more information on the New York TMDL Program, visit www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/23835.html
For more information on the Peconic Estuary Program, visit www.peconicestuary.org/
&ER&
December 2009
EPA841-F-09-002F
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