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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 Structure3 Commissioners per State = 24
3 Federal Commissioners = 3Total Commissioners = 27
StandingCommittees
SpecialCommittees
AdvisoryCommittees
Program AdvisoryCommittees
ORSANCO Staff
TechnicalAdministrative PublicInformation
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/LTP – 0.037 mg/L
TN – 0.31 mg/LTP – 0.010 mg/L
TN – 2.18 mg/LTP – 0.076
mg/L
Average Phosphorous Concentrations
Default USEPA CriteriaEcoregion VI – 0.076 mg/LEcoregion IX – 0.037 mg/LEcoregion XI – 0.010 mg/L
River-wide AverageTP = 0.15 mg/L
0.24 mg/L
0.25 mg/L
0.15 mg/L
0.18 mg/L
0.11 mg/L0.11 mg/L
0.16 mg/L
0.12 mg/L0.11 mg/L
0.10 mg/L
Default USEPA CriteriaEcoregion VI – 2.18 mg/LEcoregion IX – 0.69 mg/LEcoregion XI – 0.31 mg/L
Average Nitrogen Concentrations
River-wide AverageTN = 1.50 mg/L
1.15 mg/L
2.22 mg/L
1.94 mg/L
1.67 mg/L
1.36 mg/L1.68 mg/L
1.44 mg/L
1.56 mg/L
1.50 mg/L
1.22 mg/L
Total Algae/Total Nitrogen
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
08/0
1/00
10/0
2/00
12/0
5/00
03/0
1/01
05/0
3/01
07/0
9/01
09/0
4/01
11/0
5/01
01/0
7/02
03/0
4/02
05/0
6/02
Tota
l Alg
ae (U
nits
/ml)
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
Tota
l Nitr
ogen
(mg/
L)
Total Algae
Total Nitrogen
Wheeling, WV
Total Algae/Total Phosphorous
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
450008
/01/
00
09/1
5/00
11/0
1/00
01/0
3/01
03/0
1/01
04/1
7/01
06/0
4/01
07/2
3/01
09/0
4/01
10/1
5/01
12/0
3/01
01/2
2/02
03/0
4/02
04/2
2/02
06/1
7/02
Tota
l Alg
ae (U
nits
/ml)
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
1.8
Tota
l Pho
spho
rous
(mg/
l)
Total Algae
TP
Wheeling, WV
MISSISSIPPI – ATCHAFALAYA RIVER BASIN
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
Total N Yield Delivered Total N Yield Delivered to the Gulf of Mexicoto the Gulf of Mexico
DrainageArea
Total NLb/day
Total NLb/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
2
.8
i
19.2
IL IN
OH
WV
KY
TN
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