Download Water Management and River Basin Planning in the United States

Water Management and
River Basin Planning in
the US
Elizabeth Albright
Doctoral Candidate
Duke University
Fulbright Scholar
Mississippi River Basin
http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/subbasins/index.htm
Chesapeake Bay
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The Chesapeake Bay is the
largest of 130 estuaries in
the United States.
Includes parts of six states
(Delaware, Maryland, New
York, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, and West Virginia)
and all of the District of
Columbia.
64,000 square-mile
drainage basin or
watershed (163,480
square kilometers)
Chesapeake Bay Program
partnership
Issues: nutrients, oysters,
toxics
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/
Columbia River Basin
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Fourth Largest
Basin 250,000
square miles
Main issues:
• Dams, Salmon
There are over
250 reservoirs and
around 150
hydroelectric
projects in the
basin.
http://www.nwd.usace.army.mil/ps/colrvbsn.htm
North Carolina River Basins
Water Management in the United
States
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Federal/ National Level Management
State Management
Local Management
Federal System of Management
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Federal Law
• Clean Water Act
• Safe Drinking Water Act
• National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA)
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Environmental Impact Statements
Federal Agencies
• United States Environmental Protection Agency
• US Department of Agriculture
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Non-point source controls
Wetlands
• Army Corps of Engineers
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River regulation
• Department of Interior
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Endangered species
National Parks
• United States Geological Survey
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Flow Monitoring
US Clean Water Act
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Goals of Clean Water Act
• Federal Water Pollution Control Act
Amendments of 1972, 1977, 1987
• „The objective of the Act is to restore
and maintain the chemical, physical,
and biological integrity of the Nation’s
waters.”
• Discharge of pollutants into the
navigable waters be eliminated by 1985
• The Act does not deal directly with
ground water nor with water quantity
issues
Point Source Pollution
http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/cwa/cwa38.htm
Non-Point Source Pollution
• Voluntary programs
• Total Maximum Daily Load
• During the last decade more attention
has been given to physical and
biological integrity.
Big Picture of Water Quality
Management
State Water Management
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Monitor water quality
• Chemical parameters
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Dissolved oxygen, nutrients, heavy metals, fecal coliform, pH,
chlorophyll a, turbidity
• Aquatic Toxicology
• Biological Assessment
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Develop water quality standards for all water bodies
• Different uses of waters
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Recreation, drinking water supply, biological integrity, High Quality
Waters, fish consumption
• Approved by EPA
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Designate Waters as Impaired
• Similar to EUWFD „good status”
• Chemical Impairment (e.g., dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform)
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River Basin Management Plans
State River Basin Management Plans
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River basin plans developed on rotating basis
In North Carolina, plan developed every five years
(17 basins)
The goals of basinwide planning are to:
• Identify water quality problems and restore full use
to Impaired waters.
• Identify and protect high value resource waters.
• Protect unimpaired waters yet allow for reasonable
economic growth.
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DWQ accomplishes these goals through the
following objectives:
• Collaborate with other agencies to develop
appropriate management strategies.
• Assure equitable distribution of waste assimilative
capacity.
• Better evaluate cumulative effects of pollution.
• Improve public awareness and involvement.
http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/basinwide/
List of Impaired Waters 303(d)
http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/cwa/cwa27.htm
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)
Program
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Clean Water Act: Mandates that TMDL must be
developed for all impaired water bodies
A TMDL or Total Maximum Daily Load is a
calculation of the maximum amount of a
pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still
meet water quality standards, and an allocation
of that amount to the pollutant's sources.
 http://www.tmdls.net/
Weaknesses:
• How to deal with water bodies that are
biologically impaired but meet chemical
standards (e.g., erosion, sedimentation, loss of
stream habitat, channelization)
• Frequently no implementation
• Lawsuit driven
Local Water Management
(City and County)
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Wastewater Treatment Plant Facilities
Drinking Water Facilities
Additional Monitoring
Storm Water Management
Land Use Planning
Status of Water Bodies throughout
United States
http://www.epa.gov/305b/2000report/factsheet.pdf
Challenges to Water Quality
Management
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Fiscal concerns
• State versus Federal funding responsibility?
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Non-Point Source Pollution
• Current voluntary programs versus mandatory programs
• Storm water controls
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Monitoring Networks
• Frequently monthly monitoring
• Spatial extent of monitoring
• Uncertainty
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Interstate Cooperation
• Different water quality standards, monitoring, values, pollutants,
financial resources
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Wetland and stream buffer protection
• Private property versus common good debate
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Dam and levee maintenance
Dam removals
Comparison of CWA and EUWFD
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Similar goals
• WFD „Good Water Status”
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Ecological status
Chemical
• US CWA
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More vague on description
Does not list specific parameters to monitor
Similar focus on water quality
EUWFD subsidiarity principle versus US Federalist approach
Monitoring
• CWA leaves it to the state and EPA, offers little guidance
• EUWFD—Annex 5, sampling parameters
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River Basin Planning
• EUWFD mandates river basin plans
• CWA does not require river basin plans per say, TMDLs