Section 319
NONPOINT SPURGE PROGRAM SOCCFSS STORY
Educating Citizens and Implementing Waste Management Plans Reduces
Bacteria Levels
WatPrbodlPS ImnroVPd Bacteria from livestock enterprises, communities without
sanitary systems, urban runoff, landfills and wastewater
discharges contaminated Puerto Rico's Rio Grande de Manati sub-basin PRNR8A2. As a result,
the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) listed the Rio Grande de Manati's Assessment Units
PRNR0056g, PRNR0056L01 and PRNR0056L02 (resegmented as PRNR8A2 in 2006) on Puerto
Rico's 2002 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired waters. After several years
of conducting outreach and ensuring that livestock enterprises developed and implemented
waste management plans, EQB found that water quality had significantly improved. Therefore,
EQB has determined that the Rio Grande de Manati sub-basin PRNR8A2 (comprised of
three assessment units) has attained its secondary contact designated uses as of the
2010 assessment cycle.
Problem
Rfo Grande de Manatf and its tributaries include
243.6 stream miles with a drainage area of
176.79 square miles, crossing the municipalities
of Barceloneta, Florida, Manatf, dales, Morovis,
Corozal, Orocovis, Naranjito and Barranquitas. The
Rfo Grande de Manatf sub-basin is composed of
two lakes (reservoirs), Guineo Lake and Matrullas
Lake.
EQB included the 38.1-mile-long impaired PRNR8A2
sub-basin of the Rfo Grande de Manatf on the CWA
section 303(d) list of impaired waters in 2002 for not
meeting primary and secondary contact designated
uses because of high fecal coliform levels. EQB
identified the primary pollution sources as livestock
enterprises (Figure 1), communities without sanitary
systems, urban runoff, landfills and wastewater
discharges.
Before 2004, all the facilities located in the sub-
basin discharged animal waste to nearby waterbod-
ies, causing adverse effects on water quality. In
many cases, best management practices (BMPs) for
controlling bacteria levels, such as cattle exclusion
fencing, were absent or malfunctioning.
Figure 1. Livestock enterprises, such as the
one in the distance, contributed pollutants to
the Rfo Grande de Manatf sub-basin.
Project Highlights
The Livestock Permit and Compliance Division
(LPCD) of EQB's Water Quality Area operates a pro-
gram to help ensure that owners of the sub-basin's
four active livestock enterprises design, implement
and operate a systematic approach to managing the
fecal animal waste. The livestock enterprises, which
have an average of 140 animal each, must submit
an Animal Waste Management Plan that establishes
BMPs for managing their fecal animal waste. The
plan includes the methods for collecting, storing and
adequately disposing of the fecal animal waste. The
plan's main purpose is to focus on preventing water,
air and land contamination and its consequences.
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LPCD evaluates and approves the Animal Waste
Management Plans submitted by livestock enter-
prises such as dairy facilities, poultry facilities
and horse farms. It also performs inspections and
ensures that the plans have been implemented.
When a violation of an Animal Waste Management
Plan occurs, LPCD issues a Notification of Violation
to the livestock enterprise that specifies the
reasons for citing the violation and lists the ele-
ments of the plan that are not being followed.
If the deficiencies are not addressed within the
allocated time frame, EQB issues an Order under
the Environmental Public Policy Law (Law 416,
September 22, 2004), as amended.
EQB has performed significant outreach activi-
ties in these communities during the past six
years. The activities have included conferences,
workshops and fairs in local schools presenting
the following educational programs: Protection
and Conservation of the Environment, Protection
of Natural Resources, and Environment and Water
Quality. After several years of EQB's performing
both educational outreach and inspections, facilities
in Rfo Grande de Manatf sub-basin are no longer
discharging their waste directly to waterbodies.
Data collected at sampling stations in the assess-
ment unit show that water quality has significantly
improved.
In addition to undertaking compliance efforts, EQB
developed a management plan for the restoration
of watersheds. The strategy includes actions for the
following activities:
(1) Increasing the number of monitoring stations to
obtain additional water quality data
(2) Promoting the implementation of BMPs, such
as vegetation management techniques, that will
reduce nutrients, pesticides, fertilizers and sedi-
ments in runoff
(3) Excluding cattle from the river
(4) Targeting educational efforts at farmers and
landowners.
Results
Rfo Grande de Manati sub-basin monitoring data
show that surface water quality has improved over
the past six years. Figure 2 shows the fecal coliform
geometric mean for the sub-basin during this time
period. According to the Puerto Rico water quality
standards for secondary contact recreation, the use
support evaluation is based on the geometric mean
of a series of representatives samples (at least five)
of fecal coliform bacteria. When the geometric
mean is less than or equal to 2,000 colonies/100
milliliters (ml) and 20 percent of the individual sam-
ples do not exceed the value of 4,000 colonies/100
ml, the assessment unit is classified as supported.
The segment met the above-mentioned criteria
during the 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010 cycles. As
a result, the sub-basin has attained standards for
secondary contact uses as of the 2010 assessment
cycle.
Fecal Coliforms PRNR8A2
-2 3000
2000
1500
1000
500
2006
-Fecal Coliforms
Figure 2. Fecal coliform geometric mean levels in the Rfo Grande
de Manatf sub-basin from 2002 through 2010.
Partners and Funding
The Puerto Rico EQB partnered with cattle
farmers in the Rfo Grande de Manatf sub-basin.
Approximately $4 million in CWA section 319 funds
supported compliance and restoration efforts.
Additional funding came from Puerto Rico's
Performance Partnership Agreement/Grant and
CWA section 604(b) water funds.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-10-001V
September 2010
For additional information contact:
Angel R. Melendez Aguilar
787-767-8181 Ext. 3543
angelmelendez@jca.gobierno.pr
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