60 Ways to Leave Your Groundwater … Cleaner

Audrey Eldridge, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

Kevin Fenn, Oregon Department of Agriculture

Support and Progress for Implementing

a Groundwater Protection Plan

What is a GWMA?

A Groundwater Management Area

(GWMA)

is a tool used by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to address a large scale groundwater contamination when the contaminants originate from non-point sources.

GWMA Process (in general)(1) Document contamination

(2) Declare a Groundwater Management Area (GWMA)

(3) Appoint an Advisory Committee

(4) Form an Action Plan

(5) Implement the Action Plan

(6) Rescind the GWMA declaration

What are the GWMA parameters and limits of

concern? Think of the Public

Drinking Water rules ~ 20 years ago

Then divide the MCL by 50%

That is the limit of contamination that, when exceeded, can trigger a GWMA

Except, when it comes to nitrate ….

Nitrate Standards The public

drinking water standard is

10 mg/L

“Action Level” for Oregon GWMA declaration is 7 mg/L

SWV Groundwater Resource

Shallow (20-40 ft.) Unconfined In some areas, the shallow groundwater overlies a larger and deeper regional aquifer

Nearly all of the GWMA Residents Rely on

Groundwater

Potential Nitrate Sources Human and Animal Waste

Potential Nitrate SourcesFertilizers

Function of rate, timing, and water

Cemeteries, parks, crops, lawns, golf courses

Land Use is Predominat

ely Agriculture

Hydrogeologic Units

Willamette Silt

Alluvial Materials – younger

Alluvial Materials – older

Sampling Programs using domestic wells

2000-2001 Nitrate TestingLooked for good coverage ofthe area, and targeted

shallowwells

2002 Study Looked to confirm

earlier results and determine if

anyother parameter of

concernwas present

2000-2001 Nitrate Study

Shallow wells (less than 75 feet deep)

Good overall coverage 476 Wells

437 Private Wells 29 PWS 10 Irrigation Wells

2002 Geochemical Study

Of the 107 wells that were sampled, most were from the group of 2000-2001 wells that had NO3 greater than 7 mg/l

Also analyzed for pesticides, metals, bacteria, inorganics and caffeine

2002 Nitrate Results

10.1-28 mg/L = 49 wells

7.1-10.0 mg/L = 43 wells

3.1 -7.0 mg/L = 9 wells

> 3 mg/L = 6 wells

Hydrogeologic Composition and Nitrate

Values

The GWMA boundaries were also designed to

Be recognizable to the general public, so they would know if they are “in”

Capture most of the high nitrate values seen in the 2000-2002 studies

Where Are We Now?

GWMA declared in 2004 A committee was appointed An Action Plan was finalized Dec

2006 Outreach and implementation

continues

Southern Willamette Valley Groundwater Management

Committee 3 County Commissioners Small City Mayor 2 Farmers, 1 CAFO and a Fertilizer Rep. Watershed Council and CPRCD Realtors & Residents Small and Large Businesses Engineering Firm Public Water Supply Operator Natural Resources Advocate

Measuring Overall Groundwater Quality - Long

Term Programs Volunteer

Monitoring network

Long Term Network - 40 domestic and monitoring wells

Nitrate Results

Average Nitrate Value 1st 9 Events for all GW wells = 5.37 mg/L

Average Nitrate Value for 1st 9 Events for all DW Wells = 4.94 mg/L

Average of Last 4 Events (2009)

GW Wells = DW Wells = 5.05 mg/L 4.75 mg/L

Check out these Trends!

200817 Domestic

Wells4

decreasing8 steady5

increasing

24 Monitoring Wells

7 decreasing

7 steady9

increasing1 no

show

200915 Domestic

Wells10

decreasing 2

steady 4

increasing

24 Monitoring Wells

10 decreasing

6 steady 7

increasing 1 no

show

Sampling Data

60 Voluntary Strategies From All Land Use Sectors

Voluntary Strategy Categories

Agricultural

Residential

Commercial, Industrial, and Municipal

Public Water Supplies

Integrated Voluntary and Regulatory Approach

Soil and Water Conservation

District Annual Work

Plans

GWMA Action Plan Implementation

Agricultural Water Quality Plans and

Rules

Residential Focus Approximately 21,000 people living in the

GWMA and nearly all of the GWMA residents rely on groundwater for their drinking water supply.

Many landowners still use hand-dug or driven wells.

Septic Systems--68% of the septic systems in the GWMA do not have a septic system record.

Home and garden fertilizer use

Education and Outreach Free nitrate well water

testing. Volunteer monitoring

network Rural Living Basics

Classes Festivals--Daffodil

festival Kids Day for

Conservation Envirothon

Commercial, Industrial, and Municipal

Businesses outside the urban growth boundaries must manage their own wastewater. Five onsite treatment facilities.

Four municipal wastewater treatment lagoons. Three bulk fertilizer facilities in the GWMA. Fertilizer application practices (golf courses,

cemeteries, etc…)

City of Coburg: Wastewater Treatment System

Currently, all 410 residential homes have individual septic systems.

Also, three commercial and industrial sites would be treated at the public wastewater treatment facility.

Has been a very long and contentious process, but now has enough public support to move forward.

Agricultural Focus 113,350 acres (93 % of

the area) Includes grains, hay and forage, seed crops, field crops, vegetables, fruits, and various specialty seed crops. Known as the “grass seed capitol of the world.”

Eight permitted Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)

Small acreage agricultural landowners.

Agricultural Changes

Rise in fertilizer & fuel cost = Farm management changes (= Manure more valuable)

Loss of Vegetable Processing Ability Increase in Grass Seed (uptake

Nitrogen) Declining Peppermint Price Crop diversification toward grass seed Adoption of precision agriculture

practices

These Changes = Less Nitrogen Input and Loss

DEQ 319 Grant Implementation

Partnership between Upper Willamette, Linn, and Benton SWCDs.

Funds for Education and Outreach and for implementation of projects.

Projects included irrigation efficiency upgrades, riparian plantings, manure facilities, and pasture upgrades.

Four Sources of Nitrate Analyzed

by the Nitrogen Budget

Percentage Nitrogen Contribution by Source

90%

4% 6% 0%Crops

Septic Systems

CAFOs

Large WastewaterSystems

1,704 annual tons

74 annual tons

109 annual tons

Uptake ratios take into account

conditions and management

practices

Nitrogen Potentially Lost Per Acre Depending on Utilization (conditions and management practices)

NRCS EQIP GWMA Prioritization

Identification of priority area

Recruitment of landowners

$250,000 allocated for:- Conservation crop rotation- Cover crops- Nutrient Management- Irrigation Water Management- Irrigation system upgrades

Agricultural Chemical Removal Project

Provided, a free no-risk opportunity for farmers to get rid of legacy agricultural chemicals.

Resulted in the removal of approximately 25 tons of undesired chemicals. Of this, approximately 18 tons were pesticides, including nearly a ton of DDT.

Overall GoalClean Drinking Water

http://gwma.oregonstate.edu/