Nonpoint Pollution | Success Stories | Urban | 2003

Urban Success Stories: Archives (2003)

Note: Highlighted projects are not necessarily funded by the Coastal Nonpoint Program nor do they necessarily represent projects that have been approved by NOAA and EPA to remove remaining conditions on state programs.

PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS

Minnesota forms Regional Storm Water Protection Team: In an effort to protect coastal waters in Northeastern Minnesota and increase citizen awareness about the effects of storm water runoff, eight communities (including one across the boarder in Wisconsin), St. Louis County, the University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Minnesota SeaGrant, a local County Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation teamed up to create a Regional Storm Water Protection Team. The team's short term goal is to develop and carry out an effective education and outreach program. Outreach efforts include airing a series of public service announcements on television and radio and developing a brochure and mailing flyers to educate people about the importance of a watershed approach to storm water management and steps the public can take to protect their local waters. Specific topics will address landscaping for watershed protection, maintaining septic systems, identifying and reporting illicit discharges, controlling erosion, and keeping debris out of ditches and streams. With assistance from art students at the University of Minnesota Duluth, the Team will also develop a recognizable logo for surface water protection to accompany their campaign. The Regional Storm Water Team is the first time these government and academic entities have come together to address a nonpoint source pollution problems in a holistic manner. The long-term goal of the coordinated Team effort is to promote better regional planning and regional protection of major watersheds and subwatersheds of the area. In addition, regionalizing the effort allows the Team to develop an cost-effective, innovative program by pooling regional resources to address a shared problem. The Storm Water Protection Team's outreach efforts are supported in part by a grant from Minnesota's Lake Superior Coastal Program. For additional information, contact Marnie Lonsdale.

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Louisiana Parishes Pass OSDS Ordinances: Two Louisiana coastal parishes have passed new ordinances addressing onsite disposal system (OSDS) maintenance and inspection in unincorporated areas of the parishes (incorporated areas are already connected to municipal sewer systems). St. Tammany Parish's new ordinance requires that an individual sewage system inspection permit must be issued by the St. Tammany Parish Department of Environmental Services before electrical service is connected to the building or home or transferred to a new owner. These inspections will be supported by a $25 inspection fee.

Calcasieu Parish most individual on-site systems consist of above ground mechanical treatment systems that discharge effluent into nearby drainage outfalls or roadside ditches. Conventional below-ground septic systems are not appropriate due to the high water table. When property owners do not maintain these systems properly, they can malfunction, discharging poorly treated sewage. Therefore, to combat this problem, the Parish passed an ordinance making it unlawful for an individual OSDS to discharge untreated effluent into any drainage outfall or roadside drainage ditch. The ordinance also ensures that disposal systems will be installed and operated properly. Prior to installation, a sewage disposal permit must be obtained from the parish, but only after written authorization from the state health agency. In addition, the Parish Division of Planning and Development must inspect all individual systems for proper installation and operation. All existing sewerage systems two years and older must be inspected by the Parish or a licensed sewer system inspector and issued an inspection tag that will be valid for three years, at which time the system must be re-inspected. If the system is malfunctioning, the ordinance empowers the parish to make all necessary repairs and bill the property owner. The parish can place a lien on the property if the owner fails to pay the invoice. The ordinance became effective in September 2003 and will be phased in through 2005. The inspections will be funded by application and permit fees. For additional information, contact Greg DuCote.

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North Carolina to Host Microbial Contamination Workshops: Microbial pollution has become a major issue in coastal North Carolina in light of the increasing numbers and length of shellfish bed closures and swimming advisories due to microbial contamination. Therefore, to address these growing concerns, the North Carolina Coastal Nonpoint Source Program has contracted with the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve (NCNERR) to conduct four, one-day workshops on microbial pollution in coastal waters. The workshops, which will be held throughout the coastal region this September and October, will educate local governments, planners, and citizens about the problems of microbial pollution. Specifically, the workshops will focus on the extent and sources of microbial (bacteria and viruses) contamination in NC coastal waters, their impacts, and what is currently being done to address the issue. The workshops will also discuss the scientific methods used to determine the sources of microbial pollution (or microbial source tracking) and management tools that can be used to prevent and reduce microbial pollution. As part of the workshop, staff from the NC Shellfish Sanitation Section will lead participants in hands-on field surveys where they will gain experience looking for potential sources of microbial pollution, analyzing the data gathered, and framing strategies to address identified problems. Finally, the workshop will conclude with a discussion of ways local governments, planners, and citizens can reduce microbial runoff, providing participants with information on tools to address this issue in their own communities. Leading up to the workshops, the NC Coastal NPS Program also contracted with NC NERRS to develop a basic handbook, entitled "Addressing Microbial Pollution in Coastal Waters - A Reference for Local Governments," so attendees can have a reference guide to take back with them. The Handbook will also be distributed more widely throughout the coastal zone to target local governments and planners not able to attend the workshop. For additional information, contact Gloria Putnam.

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Maryland's Onsite Sewage Disposal Systems (OSDS) Management Efforts: Recently, there has been increased emphasis on management of Onsite Sewage Disposal System (OSDS) impacts in Maryland. Since a statewide OSDS regulatory approach was defeated in the General Assembly three years ago, Maryland's approach has been to support local government regulatory and management efforts. Over the past two years, the State has targeted portions of their 6217 and 319 funding toward counties to enable them to address the OSDS management issue. The communities will use the funds to conduct inventories of existing OSDS to provide a realistic handle on where concentrations of inadequately functioning OSDS may be impacting water quality, and develop reliable local data on the scope of the problem. These efforts will enable local governments to pursue OSDS rulemaking more effectively.

In addition, to educate local and state government staff about the OSDS issue, the Coastal Nonpoint Program, in cooperation with the Maryland Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategies Development Work Group and Maryland's National Estuarine Research Reserves, held a Coastal Decision-Makers' Workshop entitled: "Reducing Nitrogen Pollution from Septic Systems" on March 12, 2003 at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. The forum was very informative and well attended by numerous county and state agency staff. Agenda topics included national, regional and local perspectives on: (1) the impacts of septic systems on water quality; (2) alternative OSDS technologies; and (3) OSDS management and policy issues. The management and policy issues were discussed in the context of three case studies of Maryland counties and focused on how they identifying the problem, mapped Areas of Special Concern for nutrients, ensure maintenance of nitrogen-removing systems, overcome OSDS maintenance challenges, and deal with land use implications of nitrogen-removing systems.

The forum also highlighted three local OSDS projects the Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with an the Department of the Environment, funded using 6217 and other NOAA funds to help coastal counties manage septic impacts:

1) Eight counties are currently developing accurate and complete inventories, databases, and maps of properties served by septic systems. The projects address the outdated, incomplete or missing system records and information that have hampered local OSDS management efforts in the past. These funds will enable local governments to reduce the impacts of septic systems and protect environmentally sensitive areas by: (a) identifying areas in need of increased monitoring due to potential water quality impacts; (b) identifying areas that should be hooked-up to sewer systems; and (c) targeting homeowners for outreach on system maintenance.

2) Four counties and one tri-county council are developing OSDS management strategies based upon protection of nitrogen-sensitive waters. The strategies are being designed as transferable examples to help ensure that OSDS are appropriately sited, designed, operated, and maintained. Under this grant, localities will delineate nitrogen sensitive waters, develop an appropriate OSDS management plan, and propose regulatory changes or programs to successfully implement the plan. These program changes could include: incorporating requirements to strengthen the OSDS inspection, maintenance and/or replacement processes, or establishing programs to increase the use of innovative OSDS.

3) The University of Maryland, Center for Environmental Science, has received a grant award to conduct a demonstration study to support local governments quantify septic system input to surface waters. Funds will be used to assess and map the plumes of sewage and septic derived nitrogen within the Choptank and Patuxent Rivers to assist with planning and targeting of local watershed strategies. The goal is to use this information to develop incentives for the implementation and tracking of coastal nonpoint source management measures, especially where inadequately treated effluent is contributing to surface water nitrogen loads. The study will also augment other long-term water quality improvement efforts at the local level by helping to identify the impacts of housing density and distribution on nutrient loading from septic systems, and help to elucidate the effectiveness of shared septic facilities.

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North Carolina Holds Clear Water Contractor Training Workshops: Sediment runoff is one of the greatest threats to coastal waters. In order to help address this problem, the North Carolina Coastal Nonpoint Source Program organized Clear Water Contractor Training Workshops. The Program was developed to assist businesses involved in land clearing activities to better under the state's sediment and erosion control laws and techniques they can employ to minimize sediment runoff. Unlike many other sediment and erosion control training programs that focus on the needs of engineers, architects, or others design and/or direct development, the Contractor Training Program is designed specifically for operators and contractors conducting earth moving activities on a daily basis: bulldozer operators, grading contractors, pond builders, and excavators.

The State's Division of Land Resources (DLR) originally developed the workshops for contractors located in western North Carolina's mountains. While that program was very successful, there was also a need to reach earth movers along the North Carolina coast. Therefore, the NC Coastal NPS Program contacted DLR and offered to fund and organize workshops for the coast. With cooperation from DLR, the Division of Water Quality, the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program, and the NC State University Cooperative Extension Service, four coastal workshops were held this past January and February. The free day-long workshops consisted of four modules dealing with North Carolina's Sedimentation Pollution Control Act, erosion control practices, the Army Corps of Engineers and NC Water Quality Regulations and Buffer requirements, and how to estimate erosion control costs and materials. Workshop participants also received a free copy of DLR's "Erosion and Sediment Control Field Manual" and Clear Water Contractor decals to display. In addition, attendees also receive exclusive access to the Clean Water Contractor logo for marketing and will be listed as a Clear Water Contractor on the internet and in other materials. For additional information, contact Gloria Putnam, NC Coastal NPS.

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