Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
Yellow Water River
Subsegment 040504 / Land Use Map
Pollution Source Tracking and Education and Outreach Helped Reduce
Bacteria in the Yellow Water River
A , . , , I , Sewage leaking from improperly managed septic systems led to fecal
VVaterDOay improved C0|iform bacteria impairments in the Yellow Water River. The Louisiana
Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) added the waterbody to the state's 2002 Clean Water Act
(CWA) section 303(d) list for not supporting its primary contact recreation (PCR) and secondary contact
recreation (SCR) designated uses because of high bacteria
levels. Beginning in 2007 the LDEQ contracted with the Lake
Ponchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF) to implement a series
of initiatives such as pollution source tracking, education and
intensive water quality monitoring. Recent data indicate that the
river no longer exceeds the fecal coliform standard for SCR; as a
result, LDEQ removed the waterbody's SCR bacteria impairment
listing from the state's 2012 Integrated Report (IR). The Yellow
Water River remains listed as impaired for PCR (bacteria).
Problem
The Yellow Water River watershed drains approximately 11,047 acres.
It contains wetlands, and stream flow is heavily tidally influenced. The
watershed has experienced rapid development in the last decade.
Primary land use in the watershed is developed/open space, woody
wetlands and developed/low intensity (Figure 1).
Subdivisions and mobile home parks with improperly managed septic
systems caused high bacteria loadings to the Yellow Water River.
Louisiana's water quality standards for PCR require that no more than
25 percent of the fecal coliform samples collected on a monthly or
near-monthly basis from May to October may exceed a fecal coliform
density of 400 colonies per 100 milliliters of water (col/100 mL). For
SCR, no more than 25 percent of the fecal coliform samples collected
on a monthly or near-monthly basis may exceed a fecal coliform
density of 2,000 col/100 mL year-round. Between 1991 and 2002, 42 of
71 sampling events exceeded 2,000 col/100mL. On the basis of these
data, LDEQ added the Yellow Water River to its 2002 CWA section
303(d) list of impaired waters for not fully supporting the water quality
standard for PCR and SCR due to fecal coliform bacteria.
Subsequent IRs listed the suspected cause of the bacteria impairment
in the river as on-site treatment systems (septic systems and similar
decentralized systems). Problems from on-site treatment systems
include poor installation or maintenance. Due to a court ordered man-
dated schedule, a total maximum daily load (TMDL) was not developed
until 2012. The TMDL report indicated that bacteria needed to be Figure 1. The Yellow Water River is in eastern
reduced by 86.7 percent in the summer and 93.3 percent in the winter. Louisiana.
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Project Highlights
From 2005 through 2010, work began in the Yellow
Water River watershed to track fecal pollution
sources within the Pontchartrain Basin. LPBF and
LDEQ inspected 117 waste water treatment plants
from January 2005 through June 2007, and found
that most were not properly permitted or function-
ing correctly. Through LPBF and LDEQ's Small
Business Assistance Program's partnership, plant
owners and operators were educated on the opera-
tion and maintenance of small package systems.
From 2008 through 2014, LDEQ's Nonpoint Source
Pollution Section contracted with LPBF and the
Capital Resource Conservation and Development
Council (CRC&D) to fund watershed coordina-
tors to conduct additional watershed restoration
activities (e.g., educational outreach, sewage
inspections, water quality monitoring). This out-
reach work has been aided by a 2009 cooperative
agreement between LDEQ and LPBF, "Water
Quality Monitoring and Education in North Shore
Watersheds," to locate and track pollution sources
through a water quality and land use analysis. As a
result of the outreach conducted across the water-
shed, many homeowners in the Yellow Water River
repaired their failing septic systems.
In recent years, work has continued, with LDEQ,
LPBF, CRC&D, Tangipahoa Parish, and the Louisiana
Department of Health and Hospitals (LDHH) offer-
ing educational seminars for businesses operating
small treatment systems. This coordinated effort is
facilitated by monthly meetings of the Tangipahoa
Task Force. In addition, from 2013 through 2015,
CRC&D and LPBF worked closely with Tangipahoa
Parish Department of Health and Hospitals (TDHH)
staff to conduct individual home sewage inspec-
tions. CRC&D, along with LPBF, have inspected
approximately 1,060 home waste systems.
Results
Water quality data show improvements as a result
of septic system repairs. Fecal coliform data
from October 2009 to September 2010 exceeded
2,000 col/100 mL only 10 percent of the time (i.e.,
a 10 percent annual exceedance rate), well below
Annual SCR Exceedance Rate (Water Year)
• Percent Exceedance n, % exceedance
Figure 2. Fecal coliform levels decreased in the Yellow Water
River after stakeholders implemented watershed restoration
and education projects.
the 25 percent annual exceedance rate limit noted
in the water quality standard. These data indicated
that the Yellow Water River supports its SCR desig-
nated use (Figure 2).
On the basis of these data, LDEQ removed SCR as
a bacteria-impaired designated use for the Yellow
Water River in 2012. The river remains listed as
impaired for failing to support its PCR designated
use because of elevated bacteria. It also fails to
support its fish and wildlife propagation designated
use because of low dissolved oxygen levels.
Partners and Funding
Partners responsible for making this project a
success include USEPA, LDEQ, TDHH, CRC&D, city
of Hammond, LPBF, the Louisiana State University
AgCenter, Louisiana Sea Grant, city of Pontchatoula
and Keep Hammond Beautiful. From 2011 through
2015, stakeholders have used $453,945 in CWA
section 319 funds (grant number C9-996102-16,
federal fiscal year 2009) for the project, "Water
Quality Monitoring and Education in North Shore
Watersheds." From 2008-2014, another $540,374
in CWA section 319 funds were used to fund
restoration activities. From 2013-2015 LDEQ used
$538,092 in CWA section 319 funds to contract
with CRC&D to fund a watershed coordinator, septic
system inspections and water quality monitoring.
UJ
(9
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-15-001Z
May 2015
For additional information contact:
Karen Vidrine
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
225-219-1208
Karen.Vidrine@la.gov
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