Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs Public Meeting

1. A Fairfax County, VA, publication
Department of Public Works and Environmental Services
Working for You!
Draft TMDL Action Plans for
Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Public Meeting
December 14 and 15, 2016

2. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Agenda
• Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Overview
• Water Quality Protection and Restoration
– Impaired Waters
– Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)
– TMDL Action Plans
• Draft Sediment TMDL Action Plan
• Draft Bacteria TMDL Action Plan
• Draft Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) TMDL Action Plan
• Next Steps
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3. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management/DPWES
MS4 Permit Overview
• Permit Re-issued to Fairfax County on April 1, 2015
– Compliance coordinated by Stormwater Management
– Requirements implemented by many County agencies and partners
• Authorizes Specific Discharges from the MS4 to Waters of the
State/U.S.
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• Requires Development and
Implementation of an MS4
Program to:
– Reduce the contamination
of stormwater runoff
– Prohibit illicit discharges

4. Stormwater Management
Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Example MS4 Components
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1 Downspout
2 Untreated runoff
5 Stormwater outfall
6 Urban stream
3 Storm drain
4 Sewer system

5. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Water Quality Protection and Restoration
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“The State Water Control Law mandates the protection
of existing high-quality state waters and provides for
the restoration of all other state waters so they will
permit reasonable public uses and will support the
growth of aquatic life.
The adoption of water quality standards under Section
62.1-44.15(3a) of the law is one of the State Water
Control Board's methods of accomplishing the law's
purpose.”
– Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)

6. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management 6
Virginia’s Water Quality
Monitoring, Information and
Restoration Act Requires DEQ to:
• Monitor and assess surface water
quality
• Identify surface waters that do
not meet Water Quality
Standards (WQS)
– Impaired waters
• Develop plans to address
impaired waters
– Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)
Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment

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8. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Next Step – TMDLs
• DEQ develops, Virginia State Water Control Board and U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approve
• A TMDL is a pollutant budget
– Amount of a pollutant that a surface water can assimilate and still meet
WQS
– Must be developed for each impaired water
– Pollutant-specific
• Generally, TMDL development includes:
– Endpoint identification (WQS or reference condition)
– Source assessment
– Modeling
– Pollutant allocations
• Wasteload Allocations (WLAs) versus Load Allocations (LAs)
– Reasonable assurance of implementation
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9. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
An Example TMDL
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Existing Load Allocated Load
PollutantLoad
Pollutant
Allocations
(WLAs +LAs)
Margin of Safety
TMDL
WQS
Reduce the existing
pollutant load to the
total maximum load
that is expected to
restore water quality

10. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Approved TMDLs in Fairfax County
• Sediment (Benthic Stressor)
– Difficult Run
– Bull Run (includes Bull Run, Cub Run, Little Rocky Run, and Johnny Moore
Creek)
– Popes Head Creek
• Bacteria (fecal coliform and/or Escherichia coli)
– Difficult Run
– Four Mile Run
– Hunting Creek, Cameron Run, and Holmes Run
– Accotink Creek
– Popes Head Creek, Bull Run, and the Occoquan River
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
– Tidal Potomac River (direct drainage areas)
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11. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Finally, the TMDL Action Plan Process!
• MS4 permit requires development of TMDL Actions Plans
where a WLA is assigned to the County’s MS4
• TMDL Action Plans must be submitted to DEQ no later than
March 31, 2017 for TMDLs approved prior to April 1, 2015
• Local TMDL Action Plans involve the integration of several
efforts:
– Delineation of the MS4 service area
– Specific local TMDL Action Plan content required by DEQ
– Coordination and strategies to meet multiple TMDLs, including the
Chesapeake Bay TMDL
– Leveraging stream restoration and retrofit projects from the
County’s Watershed Management Plans (WMPs)
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12. Stormwater Management
Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Fairfax County’s MS4 Service Area
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13. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Required Local TMDL Action Plan Components
• DEQ issued guidance for Local TMDL Action Plan Development
on 11/21/16 (GM-16-2006)
• Local TMDL Action Plans must include
– Name of the final TMDL
– Pollutant(s) causing the impairment
– The WLA assigned to the MS4 (individually or aggregated)
– Assessment of significant sources of the pollutant(s) from facilities owned
or operated by the County and not covered by another permit
– Existing and new management techniques
– Legal authorities to reduce or eliminate the pollutant(s)
– Enhancements to public education and employee training programs
– An implementation schedule
– Methods to assess plan effectiveness
– Measurable goals and metrics
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14. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Chesapeake Bay TMDL Action Plan
• Separate Chesapeake Bay
TMDL Action Plan focuses on
reducing nitrogen,
phosphorus, and sediment
loads County-wide
• DEQ encourages coordination
and strategies to meet
multiple TMDLs
• For example, the benthic
(sediment) Action Plan
leverages sediment
reductions for the Chesapeake
Bay TMDL Action Plan
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15. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
However, there are key differences…
• Assignment of Pollutant Reductions
– Bay TMDL: Specific to Fairfax County
– Local TMDLs: Aggregated with other MS4s such as Fairfax County Public
Schools (FCPS), Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), etc.
• Deadline for Compliance
– Bay TMDL: Must be achieved over three permit cycles
– Local TMDL: Iterative over multiple permit cycles
• Sediment Loading Factors
– Bay TMDL: Assumes transport loss in sediment reduction from stream
restoration to the Bay
– Local TMDLs: Full credit for stream restoration
• Reduction Efficiencies
– Nutrients and Sediment: Techniques have specific reduction credits
– PCBs and Bacteria: Mostly non-structural, no specific reduction credit
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16. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Watershed Management Plans
• Fairfax County
developed Watershed
Management Plans (WMPs) for
each of the County’s 30
watersheds
• Plans identify and address
issues affecting water quality
• Include policies and projects
relevant to local TMDLs
• Plans can be found at
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/
watersheds/
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17. Stormwater Management
Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Benthic (Sediment) TMDL
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18. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Reduction Targets
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Waterbody Aggregated MS4s
Existing Sediment
Load (lbs/yr)
% Reduction
Load Reduction
(lbs/yr)
Bull Run
Fairfax County
VDOT
FCPS
38,941,000 77.1% 30,039,800
Difficult Run
Fairfax County
City of Fairfax
Town of Vienna
VDOT
FCPS
GW Memorial Parkway
10,633,200 32.0% 3,443,200
Popes Head Creek
Fairfax County
VDOT
FCPS
4,350,000 27.7% 1,207,000

19. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Key Existing and Planned Program Elements
• Control sediment from new development
– Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance during construction
– Stormwater Management Ordinance post-construction
• Achieve load reductions through redevelopment
• Identify and eliminate illicit discharges
– Dry weather outfall monitoring
– Staff training
– Public education and reporting mechanisms
• Assess opportunities to reduce sediment loads
– 2013 County Facility Site Assessment Project
– County WMPs
• Leverage Chesapeake Bay TMDL Action Plan
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20. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Retrofit and Stream Restoration Projects
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21. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Reductions To-Date and Next Steps
• Continue to coordinate with Chesapeake Bay TMDL Action Plan
– Prioritize projects in watersheds with local sediment TMDLs
– Implement at least one additional project in each watershed by March
31, 2020
• Reassess approach after Chesapeake Bay TMDL reductions are
achieved
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Waterbody
Existing Aggregated Sediment
Load (lbs/yr)
Load Reduction
Required (lbs/yr)
Load Reductions Achieved by
Fairfax County to Date (lbs/yr)
Bull Run 38,941,000 30,039,800 1,407,131
Difficult Run 10,633,200 3,443,200 1,439,143
Popes Head Creek 4,350,000 1,207,000 41,013

22. Stormwater Management
Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Bacteria
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23. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Reduction Targets and Sources
• TMDL reduction targets range from 83% to 99%
• Potential sources:
– Sanitary sewer cross-connections
– Sanitary sewer overflows
– Failing septic systems
– Pet waste
– Wildlife
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24. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Key Existing and Planned Program Elements
• Prohibit illicit discharges to the storm sewer system
– Stormwater Management Ordinance (County Code Chapter 124)
– “Pooper Scooper” law (County Code Section 41.1-2-6)
• Identify and eliminate illicit discharges
– Dry weather outfall monitoring
– Sanitary sewer inspection program
– Staff training
– Illicit discharge complaint response
• Septic system pump out program
• Public education and outreach
– Storm drain marking
– NVRC Clean Water Partners
• Geese and deer management programs
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25. Stormwater Management
Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
PCBs
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26. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Reduction Targets and Sources
• Legacy pollutant banned for most uses in 1979
• Target reduction for areas draining from Fairfax
County = 74.7%
• Potential sources:
– High risk industrial facilities
– Improperly discarded fluorescent light ballast
manufactured prior to 1979
– Improperly discarded or accidentally damaged
transformers
• Some existing Dominion transformers may still contain
amounts above reportable thresholds
– Other electrical equipment containing substances under
the trade names Aroclor, Pyranol, Inerteen, and Noflamol
• No County-owned facilities are listed in EPA’s PCB
Transformer Registration Database
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27. Stormwater Management
Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Area Affected by TMDL
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28. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Key Existing and Planned Program Elements
• Same prohibition on illicit discharges and improper disposal as
with sediment and bacteria
• Industrial and High Risk Runoff (IHRR) program
• Enhanced training for County employees:
– Potential sources that may be encountered at County facilities and in the
field
– What to do if equipment, machinery, or contaminated soil is discovered
that may contain PCBs
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29. Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management
Next Steps
• Public comment period will run through January 23, 2017
• Draft plan and responses to comments will be presented to
the Board of Supervisors’ Environmental Committee on
February 7, 2017
• Plan must be submitted to the DEQ by March 31, 2017
• Draft plans are available at:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/stormwater/sediment-tmdl.pdf
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/stormwater/bacteria-tmdl.pdf
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/stormwater/pcb-tmdl.pdf
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30. Additional Information
For additional information, please contact
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes
Draft TMDL Action Plans for Sediment, Bacteria, and PCBs
Stormwater Management 30
Kate Bennett, MS4 Program Coordinator
(703) 324-5500
Mailing address: MS4 Program Coordination Section
Stormwater Planning Division, Fairfax County DPWES
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 449, Fairfax, VA 22035-0052
E-mail address: DPWESMS4mail@fairfaxcounty.gov