# Presentation: 689394

## Nutrient Monitoring on the Ohio River: Balancing Information Needs

## The Ohio River Basin

## Ohio River/ Basin Facts

- 981 Miles long from Pittsburgh, PA, to Cairo, IL
- Drainage basin covers 204,000 sq. miles in 14 states
- Basin home to 25+ million people
- Drinking water for 3 million people
- 120+ species of fish live in the Ohio River

- 20 dams and 49 power-generating facilities
- 230 million tons of cargo transported annually

## About ORSANCO

- Interstate Compact agency
- Member states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia.
- 3 Commissioners per state plus 3 federal

## Authority: Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Compact

- The Compact is incorporated in the laws of each of the member states.
- The Compact is also incorporated in Federal law.
- The Compact was signed by the Governors and State Commissioners on June 30, 1948.

## Guiding Principle: Wastes discharged in one state shall not harm the waters of another state.

## Commission Structure

- 3 Commissioners per State = 24
- 3 Federal Commissioners = 3
- Total Commissioners = 27

- Standing
- Committees

- Special
- Committees

- Advisory
- Committees

- Program Advisory
- Committees

- ORSANCO Staff

- Technical

- Administrative

- Public
- Information

## ORSANCO Commissioners Represent:

- Municipal Utilities (4)
- State/Fed environmental
- 	agencies (8)
- Attorneys (4)
- Elected Official (1)
- Environmental
- 	consultants (3)
- Educational institutions (1)
- Industry (1)

## Current Program Areas

- Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment
- Biological Studies
- Spill Detection and Response
- Pollution Control Standards
- Public Involvement

## Monitoring/Assessment Requirements of the Ohio River VWS Compact

- No specific mention
- Article I sets water quality goals for interstate waters, pledges states to work cooperatively to reach them.
- Article VI sets water quality requirements for intrastate waters.
- Implied need – status and trends monitoring/assessment.

## Monitoring/Assessment Requirements of the Ohio River VWS Compact

- Article VIII charges the Commission to study the pollution problems of the District.
- Implied need  - any monitoring/assessment effort that identifies causes of water quality problems.

## Current Monitoring and Assessment Activities

- Monitoring of the Ohio River on behalf of the states
- Biennial water quality assessment (305[b])
- Special studies as directed –currently wet weather studies, biological criteria development

## Routine Monitoring Programs

- Bimonthly ambient monitoring
- Bacteria and Dissolved Oxygen
- Fish Population studies
- Macroinvertebrate sampling
- Fish Tissue analyses

## ORSANCO Nutrient Related Activities

- Algae and Nutrient Monitoring
- Nutrient Criteria Development
- Participation in Gulf Hypoxia Meetings
- Nutrient Loading Project
- Organize and coordinate Ohio River Sub Basin Committee

## Algae Monitoring

- Taste and Odor problems in drinking water supplies
- Need for consistent data
- Cooperative sampling with water utilities

## Nutrient Criteria Development

- Need for cause (nutrient) and effect (algae, chlorophyll a) data
- Desire for multiple observations to define relationships

## Current Algae/ Nutrient Monitoring Program

- Cooperative monitoring by ten Ohio River drinking water utilities.
- Samples collected two times per month.
- Analyses for algae, chlorophyll a, turbidity, total P, TKN, ammonia N, nitrite + nitrate N.

## Ecoregions of the Mainstem

- TN – 0.69 mg/L
- TP – 0.037 mg/L

- TN – 0.31 mg/L
- TP – 0.010 mg/L

- TN – 2.18 mg/L
- TP – 0.076 mg/L

## Slide 20

## Average Nitrogen Concentrations

- Default USEPA Criteria
- Ecoregion VI – 2.18 mg/L
- Ecoregion IX – 0.69 mg/L
- Ecoregion XI – 0.31 mg/L

- River-wide Average
- TN = 1.50 mg/L

- 1.15 mg/L

- 2.22 mg/L

- 1.94 mg/L

- 1.67 mg/L

- 1.36 mg/L

- 1.68 mg/L

- 1.44 mg/L

- 1.56 mg/L

- 1.50 mg/L

- 1.22 mg/L

## Wheeling, WV

## Wheeling, WV

## Slide 24

## ORSANCO Participation in Gulf Hypoxia Deliberations

- Attended meetings on behalf of member states since 1995.
- Have attended all Task Force meetings.
- Full Commission met in conjunction with Task Force in 2002.
- Received funding for 1st year of Sub Basin Committee operation in June, 2005.

## Actions Assigned to Sub Basin Committees

**Develop strategies for nutrient reduction for each sub-basin**
** ****Reduce loadings from point sources**
**Increase assistance to agricultural producers/ businesses for implementation of best management practices**
**	**

**Notes:**
Nutrient strategies – major cooperative effort needed here among States, Tribes and Federal agencies.

COE - -also needs to work with states, tribes and federal agencies on their project plans

Point sources – although a small contributor, need exists to evaluate sites where tertiary treatment would reduce nitrogen loadings. 

## Total N Yield Delivered to the Gulf of Mexico

## Tributary Nitrogen Loads

|  | Drainage
Area | Total N
Lb/day | Total N
Lb/sq mi |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wabash | 33,100 | 1,630,000 |      49.2 |
| Great Miami |   5700 |    236,000 |      43.6 |
| Tennessee | 40,910 |    404,000 |       9.9 |
| Cumberland | 17,920 |    323,000 |      18.0 |
| Scioto |   6510 |    168,000 |       25.8 |

**Tributary Nitrogen Loads**

## Estimated peak season total nitrogen loads on selected tributaries (lbs/day/sq.mi.)

## Information Needs for Gulf Action Plan

- Quantify Ohio River nutrient loading to the Mississippi over time.
- Quantify tributary loads for prioritization.
- Track tributary conditions to assess program effectiveness

## Monitoring Program Design Questions

- Can current program meet Gulf Action Plan needs?
- Can resources be shifted away from criteria development?
- Role of probabalistic design