^tDS%
©
I NONPOINT SOURCE SUCCESS STURY
V,>~
nnwh?(Miifc
Lake Wallenpaupack Improves After Best Management Practices and
Outreach are Implemented to Reduce Nonpoint Source Pollution
Waterbody Improved
Excess nutrients from agricultural and road runoff impaired Lake
Wallenpaupack, one of Pennsylvania's most important recreational
resources. As a result, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) added the lake to
its 1996 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired waters. Providing technical assistance and
implementing best management practices (BMPs) reduced phosphorous levels and has improved water
quality. As a result, PADEP removed Lake Wallenpaupack from Pennsylvania's list of impaired waters in 2016.
Problem
Beginning in 1980, an initial Phase i Diagnostic-
Feasibility Study of Lake Wallenpaupack was conducted
to establish water quality and identify potential sources
of point source and nonpoint source pollution inputs
to the lake. Based on these data, Lake Wallenpaupack
was listed on the 1996 CWA section 303(d) list for
nutrients, suspended solids and mercury, and was given
high priority for the development of a total maximum
daily load (TMDL) (Figure 1). The lake impairments
are attributed to nutrients and suspended solids from
agricultural runoff, and to mercury from atmospheric
deposition. The TMDL was completed in 2005 and
targeted total phosphorus to control algal blooms.
Project Highlights
Lake Wallenpaupack, located in the heart of the
Pocono Mountains' Lake Region, is a popular destina-
tion for boating, fishing, swimming, snowmobiling
and other activities. With 52 miles of shoreline and an
overall length of 13 miles, Lake Wallenpaupack boasts
5,700 acres of open water, making it the third largest
lake in Pennsylvania.
Restoration began in 1987 with a Phase II Lake
Restoration project at Lake Wallenpaupack for the
development and implementation of a variety of BMPs
in the 219-square-mile watershed. The Phase II proj-
ects were completed in 1993. in 1998 and 1999, the
Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Management District
(LWWMD) received a total of $2,200,000 from two
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants for
watershed investigations; the development of pollut-
ant budgets for Lake Wallenpaupack, additional lake
Figure 1. Lake Wallenpaupack is in eastern Pennsylvania. Red
lakes represent areas not fully attaining standards; green lakes
are attaining water quality standards.
and stream water quality monitoring, public education
seminars and workshops, and the design and construc-
tion of BMPs throughout the watershed to control
nonpoint source pollution to Lake Wallenpaupack.
Examples of BMPs installed include stormwater
conveyances, shoreline revegetation and stabilization,
wetland and floodplain enhancement, manure storage,
and barnyard runoff mitigation. An environmental edu-
cation curriculum developed for the Wallenpaupack
Area School District under a separate EPA CWA section
319 grant project won the 1998 Governor's Award for
Environmental Excellence in Environmental Education.
'Wayne
Lake ( |
Wallenpaupack

-------
In December 2006 an updated watershed manage-
ment plan, completed using the EPA grants, was
presented to the LWWMD. The plan outlined existing
accomplishments and made 22 recommendations for
future action and priority areas. Many of the actions
recommended in the plan are currently underway.
In mid-2010 LWWMD acted on a key recommendation
of the 2008 Strategic Plan and created a new executive
director's position. Planning for future growth of the
organization and improved protection of the water-
shed is ongoing.
Results
Based upon trend analysis, the water quality of Lake
Wallenpaupack has generally improved over the past
35 years (1980-2014). Total phosphorus concentrations
in surface and bottom waters and Secchi transparency
(water clarity) have gradually improved (Figure 2).
These decreases in TP concentration and increase in
visibility led to trophic state index (TSI) scores below
50 beginning in 2013 for both total phosphorus and
Secchi depth, indicating an improvement from eutro-
phic to mesotrophic status. Based on these data, Lake
Wallenpaupack was removed from Pennsylvania's
2016 impaired waters list. It now attains its aquatic life,
recreation, and potable water designated uses.
Partners and Funding
In Setember 1979 Pike and Wayne counties and the
14 townships in the Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed
formed the LWWMD. Currently the LWWMD is man-
aged by a board of directors that includes a county
commissioner and a township supervisor from both
Wayne and Pike counties, as well as representatives
from surrounding area interests: Wayne and Pike coun-
ty conservation districts, Lake Watch, Lackawanna
County, Monroe County, Brookfield Renewable, a
wastewater treatment plant operating in the water-
shed, the Marine Trades' Association, and several
at-large representatives. LWWMD programs that
supported the restoration of the lake include water
quality monitoring, public education and outreach,
and cost-share funding for BMP implementation.
Secchi Depth-Lake Wallenpaupack
Station 3
5.00
4.00
3.00
IE 2.00
1.00
0.00
Time in Years (Average from May through October)
—O— Station 3
Linear (Station 3)
Figure 2. A trend line shows that Secchi disk depth has
increased in Lake Wallenpaupack over time.
From 1987 to 1990, $479,400 in a Phase II Clean Lakes
project were used for BMP implementation in the
watershed, including a 50 percent match from the
LWWMD. This funding was extended with $240,529 in
additional finances from 1990 to 1994. A groundwater
survey and water quality study were conducted by PPL
Electric Utilities Corporation for a total of $75,000 in
1991 and $50,000 in 1993, respectively.
More recently, over $2.2 million has been pro-
vided through several different EPA grants, including
approximately $116,000 of CWA section 319 funding.
Over $800,000 in funding has been provided by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources
Conservation Service. Additional state funding for
watershed management and BMP implementation
was provided in 2001-2012 with $249,580 in Growing
Greener grants. These diverse grant-funded projects
included $99,460 for watershed assessment and
monitoring in 2001, $7,300 for the Mangan Cove
Stabilization project in 2007, and $40,530 for a manure
management project in 2012. Additional technical
assistance has been provided by the Pennsylvania
Fish and Boat Commission; funding for the LWWMD
Cost-Share Program was provided by Holtwood, LLC,
through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's
Relicensing Settlement Agreement of 2006.
^£DSrX
PRO^°
ro
s
o
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-16-001KK
December 2016
For additional information contact:
Nick Spinelli
Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Management District
570-226-3865 • nick@wallenpaupackwatershed.org
Barbara F. Lathrop
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
717-787-5017 • blathrop@pa.gov

-------