United States
      Environmental Protection
      Agency
Total  Maximum Daily Loads
    TMDL at a Glance
    Deer Creek Reservoir Total
    Phosphorus
    (approved September 2002)
    www.waterquality.utah.gov/TMDL/Deer_Creek_Reservoir_
    JMDLpdf
    Factors causing impairment
    Coldwater aquatic life use impaired by low dissolved
    oxygen levels at the bottom of the reservoir caused
    by excessive phosphorus loads and high surface water
    temperatures that affect the reservoir's fisheries
    Sources contributing to impairment
    Nonpoint source runoff from urban areas and
    agricultural activities; a fish hatchery
    Restoration options
    Implement agricultural best management practices,
    cleanup potential concentrated animal feeding
    operations, streambank restoration, load reduction
    from fish hatchery, and develop comprehensive
    nutrient management plans for feedlots casing water
    quality impairments
    Stakeholder involvement
    Wasatch, Salt Lake, and Utah counties, Midway
    Fish Hatchery, Jordanelle Reservoir Water Quality
    Technical Advisory Committee, five regional
    conservancy districts, Utah Department of
    Environmental Quality
    Status of waternody
    Met annual phosphorus load reductions established
    by the TMDL to allow for future growth and a margin
    of safety during 2006 and 2007; mixed success in
    meeting other endpoints established by the TMDL to
    maintain good water quality
Using  the  TMDL Process to Maintain and  Protect

Water Quality

In 1941, the Bureau of Reclamation completed construction of the Deer Creek Reservoir,
located on the Provo River in Wasatch County, Utah. Since that time, Deer Creek
       Reservoir has become a vital source of drinking water for over one million people,
       as well as a source of irrigation water and a popular recreation destination. In
       the 1980s, concerns over excessive nutrients in Deer Creek Reservoir led to
       the formation of the Jordanelle Reservoir Water Quality Technical Advisory
       Committee (JTAC), the group responsible for the development of a water quality
       management plan for Deer Creek  and Jordanelle reservoirs. Although Deer Creek
       Reservoir at one time did not support the coldwater fishery beneficial use due to
       low dissolved oxygen (DO) levels and high temperatures, analysis of recent data
       from Deer Creek Reservoir through the TMDL process revealed that stakeholder
       efforts led to  significant improvements in both water quality and the health of the
       reservoir's fishery. Despite these improvements, the TMDL analysis revealed that
       DO levels remained a concern under certain conditions. Too much phosphorus
       beyond the current loads could lead to algal blooms that would affect the quality
       of the drinking water supply and require costly treatment. As a result, the TMDL
       for Deer Creek Reservoir established quantifiable targets to maintain current
       water quality and identified phosphorus reductions to provide a margin of safety
       and allow for future growth in the watershed.

       How are TMDLs at work in  the Deer Creek Reservoir?
       The TMDL process provided stakeholders with a framework for compiling,
       analyzing, and understanding data for parameters affecting DO levels in the
       Deer Creek Reservoir. The data analysis of factors contributing to the coldwater
       fishery beneficial use impairment  identified for Deer Creek Reservoir, including
       dissolved oxygen levels, temperature, algae levels, water clarity, and fishery health,
       all showed  signs of improvement at the time of TMDL development. These
       improvements are attributed to years of water quality improvement projects and
       programs. Although the TMDL development process did reveal improvements
       in water quality, it also highlighted the sensitivities of Deer Creek Reservoir. The
       final TMDL report states that although major improvements are not needed, it
       is important to have a plan in place that stresses protection and management of
       current conditions—particularly in light of growth and development pressures
       in Wasatch County. As a result, stakeholders were able to participate in the
       development  of a TMDL that establishes quantifiable goals to maintain current
    Benefits to stakeholders
    Clean water, recreation, aesthetics, economy, funding,
    partnerships and education

       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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Deer Creek-2
phosphorus loads and identifies phosphorus reductions necessary to maintain a margin of
safety and allow for future growth.

Who were the  participating  stakeholders and key partners?
Development of TMDLs in the state of Utah is the responsibility of the Utah Department
of Environmental Quality (UDEQ). To develop total phosphorus TMDL for Deer Creek
Reservoir, UDEQ worked with key stakeholders and partners at the federal, state, and local
levels. The JTAC and the Central Utah Water Conservancy District (CUWCD) provided
data and technical tools used in developing the TMDL. Unlike TMDL development,
TMDL implementation is largely in the hands of other stakeholders and partners,
depending on the actions recommended by the TMDL. In the case of Deer Creek
Reservoir, there are nine key projects and programs identified in the TMDL necessary
to maintain current phosphorus loads, as well as provide additional load reductions.
These projects are  the responsibility of local, state, and federal partners, including
Wasatch County, JTAC, CUWCD, the Utah Association of Conservation Districts, the
Utah Mitigation Reclamation and Conservation Commission, UDEQ, and the Natural
Resources Conservation Service.

How did stakeholders  participate in the TMDL development process?
The overall TMDL process includes the following elements: Clean Water Act (CWA)
section 303(d) listing decisions, TMDL development, and TMDL implementation. Each
element of the TMDL process provided stakeholders with an opportunity to express
concerns and share information about the water quality problems in Deer Creek Reservoir
with UDEQ and other key partners. A description of each element of the TMDL process is
provided below.

Section  303(d)  Listing Decisions
If a waterbody does not meet water  quality standards (i.e., numeric or narrative criteria)
for one or more pollutants, it goes on a state's CWA section 303(d) list. Impaired
waterbodies on this list require a TMDL for each pollutant contributing to the
impairment. Stakeholders have the opportunity to provide input during the 303(d) listing
process. UDEQ placed Deer  Creek Reservoir on Utah's 303(d) list in 2000 due to low
dissolved oxygen levels at the bottom  of the reservoir and high surface water temperatures
—factors that affect the reservoir's cold water fisheries. UDEQ made the state's 2000
CWA section 303(d) list available to the public for review via the UDEQ Division of Water
Quality web site and published two public notices in two newspapers.

TMDL Development
To initiate the development of the Deer Creek TMDL, UDEQ analyzed existing data to
verifythe dissolved oxygen and temperature impairments. As a result of this analysis, the
final TMDL report recommended that UDEQ consider removing Deer Creek Reservoir
from the state's 303(d) list as having a temperature impairment. Removal from the CWA
section 303(d) list of impaired waterbodies is referred to as delisting.
Although the analysis revealed that Deer Creek Reservoir and its fishery are both healthy,
the data also indicated that the water quality is very sensitive. Changes in the current
phosphorus loads could affect the quality of the drinking water supply and result in
the need for costly treatment to control odor and improve taste. As a result, the TMDL
report emphasized the need  to maintain phosphorus loads at current levels. The TMDL
development process included identifying quantifiable goals, also referred to as endpoints
or targets, established to maintain current phosphorus loads. The TMDL report identifies
seven endpoints that would serve as a yardstick to measure progress toward maintaining
current water quality conditions. The  seven endpoints are as follows:
O Percent of the water column with dissolved oxygen concentrations below the target
   threshold value to support beneficial use

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O No fish kills
O In-lake phosphorus concentration
O In-stream phosphorus concentration
O Annual and monthly (August-October) phosphorus loads to lake
O Average Trophic State Index (i.e., a measure of the relationship among nutrients, algal
   biomass, and lake clarity)
O Algae biomass

To provide a margin of safety and to account for future sources, the TMDL analysis
identified point and nonpoint sources of phosphorus to the Deer Creek Reservoir and
assigned phosphorus load reductions to those sources. The TMDL analysis assigns
the Midway Fish Hatchery a wasteload allocation of 400 kilograms per year (kg/yr), a
160 kg/yr decrease in its current phosphorus load of 560 kg/yr. The TMDL reserved a
phosphorus wasteload allocation of 500 kg/yr for future point sources. Urban nonpoint
sources received a load allocation of 1,300 kg/yr, requiring a 300 kg/yr load reduction
from the current load of 1,600 kg/yr. The TMDL assigned a load allocation of 3,595 kg/yr
to agricultural nonpoint sources, a reduction of 2,465 kg/yr from the current phosphorus
load of 6,060 kg/yr. The TMDL analysis included a 900 kg/yr load allocation for future
nonpoint sources to allow for future growth. The TMDL also included a ten percent
margin of safety.
Throughout the TMDL development process, UDEQ worked with members of the JTAC
to obtain stakeholder input. In addition, UDEQ made the draft  TMDL available for public
review and comment using both local newspapers and the Internet. UDEQ did not receive
comments from the public, but the final TMDL reflects input from the JTAC.

TMDL  Implementation
The final TMDL report identifies nine restoration projects that, at the time of the final
TMDL, were either in process or recently completed. The nine projects identified as key to
TMDL implementation are as follows:
O Provo River Restoration Project
O Conversion to Sprinkler Irrigation Systems
O Heber Valley Water Quality Basins
O Cleanup of Potential CAFOs
O Integrated Watershed Information System
O Main Creek Stream Bank Restoration
O Agricultural BMP Projects
O Midway Fish Hatchery Settling Pond Installation and Maintenance
O Cautious Responsible Growth in Heber Valley and Jordanelle Basin.

The TMDL report estimates that these projects, implemented by local, state, and federal
partners, will generate approximately 2,965 kg/yr in phosphorus reductions at a cost of
approximately $38,100,000. Two of the nine projects—the Provo River Restoration Project
and the Conversion to Sprinkler Irrigation Systems—are associated with the Central Utah
Project Completion Act; as a result, phosphorus reductions associated with these projects
are secondary goals.
                                                                                                         Deer Creek-3

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                                      What is the current status of Deer Creek Reservoir as a result of the
                                      TMDL process?
                                      The 2008 Water Quality Implementation Report for the Provo River, Jordanelle Reservoir,
                                      and the Deer Creek Reservoir, prepared for the Provo Watershed Council, provide a
                                      summary of the data collected during the 2006 and 2007 water years. Table 1 provides
                                      a summary of an assessment of progress in Deer Creek Reservoir during 2006 and 2007
                                      using the endpoints established through the TMDL development process as a yardstick.
                                      According to the 2006 and 2007 data, annual phosphorus loads to Deer Creek Reservoir
                                      were below the 15,300 kg/yr total load allocation (i.e., current and future allocations to point
                                      sources and nonpoint sources) established in the TMDL. However, monthly phosphorus
                                      loads during the critical period of August-October exceeded the target loads set by the
                                      TMDL during 2006 and 2007. The data show that Deer Creek Reservoir met the endpoints
                                      for no fish kills and in-lake phosphorus concentration, but did not meet the endpoints for
                                      DO concentrations in the water column, trophic state index, and algae biomass.
Table 1. Summary of Deer Creek Reservoir Endpoint Assessment for 2006 and 2007
Parameter (Proposed Target)
Percent of the water column with dissolved oxygen
concentrations below the target threshold value to support
beneficial use (<50% of column with DO <4.0 mg/l)
Fish habitat (No fish kills)
In-lake phosphorus concentration
(0.025 mg/l TP (Avg all depths))
In-stream phosphorus concentration
(0.030 mg/l TP and 0.020 mg/l DTP)
Total Phosphorus loads to lake: Annual
(15,300 kg/yr TP and 9,700 kg/yr DTP)
Total Phosphorus loads to lake: August-October
(560 kg/mo TP and 350 kg/mo DTP)
Average Trophic State Index (40-45)
Algae biomass (5.1 ug/l Chlorophyll a; 6.5 x 107um3/ml
Biomass; 3.3x 107um3/ml Cyanophyta)
Meet Endpoint in 2006?
No
Yes
Yes
Meet Endpoint in 2007?
No
Yes
Yes
[Information on this endpoint not provided
in the 2008 report]
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
                                      How did local stakeholders benefit from the TMDL process?
                                      Through the TMDL process, stakeholders had the opportunity to claim credit for water
                                      quality improvements in Deer Creek Reservoir and play a role in establishing the future
                                      direction of water quality management for the reservoir. Striving to achieve the water
                                      quality management goals established in the TMDL will benefit stakeholders in a number
                                      of ways.
                                      O Allowing future growth without sacrificing water quality. By incorporating
                                         pollutant load reductions and a margin of safety, the TMDL takes into consideration
                                         the growth of Wasatch County without compromising the quality of the drinking
                                         water and irrigation supply.
                                      O Ensuring a high quality drinking water supply while keeping down treatment
                                         costs. Deer Creek Reservoir is a major source of drinking water for over one million
                                         people, distributed by five separate utilities located in Salt Lake, Utah, Wasatch,
                                         and Summit counties. Although Deer Creek Reservoir supported its drinking water
                                         designated use at the time of TMDL development, the TMDL process revealed the
                                         sensitive nature of the reservoir and helped stakeholders set goals to prevent future
                                         drinking water designated use impairment.
Deer Creek-4

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O Improved recreational opportunities and aesthetics. Maintaining and reducing
  phosphorus loads will help to keep Deer Creek Reservoir free from nuisance algae
  blooms that can affect recreational enthusiasts desire to enjoy activities such as
  swimming, boating, and fishing on the reservoir.

O Established sustainable, effective partnerships. The cooperation among partners
  at all levels, including UDEQ, JTAC, local communities, conservation districts, water
  suppliers, and watershed groups, have established a strong foundation for maintaining
  the water quality of Deer Creek Reservoir and addressing future issues.
                           SEPA
                      December 2009 • EPA841-F-09-0020
          For more information on the Deer Creek Reservoir phosphorus TMDL, contact
    Dave Wham, Utah Department of Environmental Quality, dwham@utah.gov, (801) 538-6052
     For more information on the Utah TMDL Program, visit www.waterquality.utah.gov/TMDL/
Deer Creek-5

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