WRWA Water Quality Projects and Improvements @ Head of Westport

Water QualityImprovementsRoberta CarvalhoScience DirectorWestport River Watershed Allianceemail– [email protected]

WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport2

Making a Difference Swimmable and Shellfishable Westport River• Shellfishing – the MA Division of Marine Fisheries began testing in the

1960s in the Westport River – shellfish beds were increasingly being closed in the River due to fecal coliform contamination.

• WRWA sampling program begins 1991.• In 2006 WRWA established a Watershed Improvement Fund (WIF) to

provide partial funding for projects that make a significant contributions to improving the health of the Westport River watershed.

• Priority was given to projects that addressed major pollution problems.• Since the implementation of multiple best management projects,

WRWA has observed improvements in water quality parameters at the Head of Westport area.

• This presentation describes some of the watershed improvement projects and details water quality improvements seen at the Head of Westport.


Pathogens – Waste Related BacteriaBacteria. Bacteria do not generally damage the ecosystem, but can make people sick when they eat tainted seafood, or swim in contaminated water. They are also a marker to identify the possible presence of other pathogens that come from the same fecal sources. Cesspools do not do an adequate job of treating bacteria. Functioning traditional septic systems (Title V approved) are effective at treating bacteria. High bacteria counts are why shellfish beds and/or beaches are closed.

Bacteria in the river comes from human wastewater and domestic and wild animal waste. The majority of bacteria are conveyed to the River via stormwater, although ground water is significant, too, particularly during wet weather.


Pathogens - Bacteria• What is measured – the number of

bacteria colonies present in the water sample.

• Indicator species = fecal coliform indicates the presence of bacterial pathogens in the water

• How to measure – place 1 ml of water on an agar petri dish, incubate for 24 hours. Count bacteria colonies.

• Desired range – • Drinking water 0/100 ml• Swimming < 200/100 ml• Boating < 1000/100 ml• Naturally present in ecosystems

• Comes from– animal waste, sewage• In 1960 the state (DMF) began

testing fecal coliform levels and used the data to open and close shellfish areas


Making a Difference – Decreasing PollutionThere are two main types of pollution in the river – 1) bacteria, an indicator of sewage – which can make you sick and close shellfish beds and beaches, and 2) nutrients, which fuel algae growth and create unhealthy ecosystems.

These two issues are often confused.


WRWA monitors bacteria weekly June-August

Map the dataPut results on our wesbsite and facebook page each week


Pollution at the Head of Westport• This part of the Westport River is on the 303d

list AKA Clean Water Act’s dirty waters list• Direct discharge of untreated road runoff built

in the 1960’s• Bacteria pollution (fecal coliform) at levels of in

the hundred-thousands (not suitable for recreation activities).


Timeline of Area Watershed Improvement Projects

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5

2

1. Ferry Farm Retention Ponds installed in 2001. WRWA donated $12,000 of watershed improvement funds to help offset construction costs.

2. Install catch basins and route road runoff to vegetated area. Work done by Westport Highway Department as part of a MA DEP funded 319 grant written in partnership with WRWA.

3. Constructed wetland built by Westport Highway Department as part of a MA DEP funded 319 grant written in partnership with WRWA. WRWA supported the project with$41,000 funds and volunteer efforts to plant and maintain since 2006.

4. Raingardens—second 319 grant to reduce polluted runoff from municipal properties (WMS) built in 2012.

5. Larger raingardens built in 2013 at the Westport Middle School complex to treat parking lot, roof and road runoff.


Ferry Farm on Gifford Road – Retention Ponds1. Ferry Farm Retention Ponds were built in 2001. WRWA donated

$12,000 of watershed improvement funds to help offset construction costs.

Retention ponds

The retention ponds prevent cow manure and other polluted runoff from leaving the farm and draining into the River.


Grant Writing – working with State and Federal Agencies to fund solutionsIn the early 2000’s WRWA worked with Buzzards Bay National Estuaries Program

(Dr. Joe Costa – Director) to write a series of grants for the Town of Westport to assess and remediate polluted stormwater runoff at the Head of Westport.

Multiple grants were written for engineering services and BMP (Best Management Projects) to engineer design stormwater solutions for the area

This series of grants segued into a successful grant application to the MA DEP – 319 Grant program – these funds were to implement the designs.


Work with the Westport Highway Department 2. Work with the Westport Highway Department to install catch basins on Gifford Road and change the road runoff area to drain to a vegetated area. Work done by Westport Highway Department as part of a MA DEP funded 319 grant written in partnership with WRWA. The total grant was $264,332.


Grant funds build a wetland treatment system2. Constructed wetland built by Westport Highway Department and contractors as part of a MA DEP funded 319 grant written in partnership with WRWA. WRWA supported the project with $41,000 of funds to design, plant and maintain since 2006.


Wetland Pond cleans polluted runoffThis system has been treating polluted runoff since 2006. Native wetland plants help slow down and clean up road runoff.


Tweaking the System—Operation and Maintenance

4. In 2012, $4,500 in WRWA funds were used to buy equipment for the Town to fix and improve the road drainage at the Head of Westport into the constructed wetland. WRWA worked with the Westport Highway Department to implement the project.


Raingardens—4. WRWA worked with the Town to secure a second 319 grant to reduce polluted runoff originating on municipal properties, beginning at the then Westport Middle School, a series of bioretention gardens were designed and then built in phases in 2012-13. The total grant for this project was $233,930


Raingardens—4. WRWA worked to secure a second 319 grant to reduce polluted runoff from municipal properties, beginning at the then Westport Middle School, this series of bioretention gardens were built in 2012.


Raingardens—5. More engineered Raingardens were engineered by a environmental firm and constructed by the Westport Highway Department, this was also funded by the 319 grant to reduce polluted runoff from municipal properties (Westport Middle School) built in 2013.


Raingardens—5. After construction by the Westport Highway Department, the area was planted by WRWA volunteers. The plants and vegetation were paid for by WRWA ($7k cost).


WRWA Testing Results - Head of Westport 2001-2015

7/24/1998 4/19/2001 1/14/2004 10/10/2006 7/6/2009 4/1/2012 12/27/2014 9/22/20170

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

f(x) = − 0.555501846915854 x + 22914.2954010207R² = 0.023394686588891

Dates

CFU

per

100

ml


WRWA Testing Results – Average and Geomean

1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 20160

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

f(x) = − 15.5401358989345 x + 31365.1515563047R² = 0.357171028803575

f(x) = − 178.788052724305 x + 359886.880761473R² = 0.338988933322738

Average and Geometric Mean of Fecal Coliform Samples at the Head of Westport 2000-2015 AVG

Linear (AVG )

Geomean

Linear (Geomean)

Year

Feca

l Col

ifom

Con

cent

ratio

n (c

fu/1

00m

l)A geometric mean, Mathematical definition: The nth root of the product of n numbers. unlike an arithmetic mean, tends to dampen the effect of very high or low values, which might bias the mean. This is helpful when analyzing bacteria concentrations, because levels may vary anywhere from 10 to 10,000 fold over a given period. Geometric mean is really a log-transformation of data to enable meaningful statistical evaluations.


WRWA Testing Results – Average and Geomean

1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 20160

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

AVG Geomean

Retentions Ponds at Ferry Farm Built

Gifford Rdcatchbasins and swales improved

Constructed Wetland planted and online

Raingardens built at Mid-dle School


Rough estimation of total spent on remediation work near the Head of Westport

12,000264,332

41,0004,500

233,9307,000

TOTAL =$562,762

Funding SourceWRWA

319 GrantWRWAWRWA

319 GrantWRWA

WRWA provided

almost $65k in cash and also hundreds of hours in staff

time.


Next big issue:Nutrient TMDLHow to address nutrient loads in the watershed


Nutrients - Nitrogen• WRWA works with the Buzzards

Bay Coalition to monitor nutrient levels in the River.

• What is measured – Nutrients (dissolved and particulate nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, phosphorus at freshwater sites)

• Comes from– septic systems, fertilizers, agriculture

• Nitrogen levels will continue to increase until communities decide to reduce source inputs.

• How to reduce input?• Stop development?• Revise septic rules?• No new nitrogen?


• Municipal wastewater treatment (Sewage Treatment Plants) are first to have requirements for limiting nitrogen inputs (Westport does not have these)

• Rhode Island has a property inspection and cesspool phase out requirements in certain management areas began in 2007

• TitleV Septic systems do not remove nitrogen from effluent which leeches into groundwater and eventually the River

• The Massachusetts Estuaries Report and draft TMDL report have determined how much nitrogen needs to be removed from the Westport River to ensure that it is a healthy ecosystem – The amount is close to 19%

• A Comprehensive Water Management Plan is needed to guide the Town (watershed) on how to proceed with nutrient reduction.

Environment

WRWA Water Quality Projects and Improvements @ Head of Westport