Gulf of Mexico Alliance Nutrients Priority Issue Team

National Water Quality Monitoring CouncilPensacola, FLFebruary 1, 2011

Kim CavinessMS Dept of Environmental QualityWater Quality Standards Section ChiefGulf Alliance Nutrients PIT Lead

The Gulf of Mexico Alliance

Gulf States’ Governors announced Alliance in March 2006

State Led– AL, FL, LA, MS, and TX

Federally Supported– Support from numerous federal

agencies– Federal workgroup chaired by EPA,

NOAA, and DOI– NOAA, EPA, NASA, and others now

providing funding to support Alliance activities

Receiving national recognition

Action Plan 1

Released March 2006 Identified regional priority issues and State

leads Organized into 5 Priority Issue Teams (PITs)

1. Ecosystem Integration and Assessment2. Environmental Education3. Habitat Conservation and Restoration4. Nutrients5. Water Quality

36-month outcomes Approved/Signed by all 5 Gulf State Governors Shoestring budget support Wrapped up March 2009

Action Plan 2

Released in June 2009 5 Year Plan 6 Priority Issue Teams (PITs)

1. Coastal Community Resilience2. Ecosystem Integration and Assessment3. Environmental Education4. Habitat Conservation and Restoration5. Nutrients6. Water Quality

Action Plan 2

Nutrients PIT Goals 2009-2014

Action 1: Nutrient CharacterizationAction 2: Support Development of

Nutrient CriteriaAction 3: HypoxiaAction 4: Nutrient Reduction

Activities

4 Actions, 22 Action Steps

Tier 2 document and Action Implementation Plans provide more detail for implementation

Numeric Nutrient Criteria

Every State has been given the task of developing numeric nutrient criteria for their waters.

Characterizing nutrients and supporting nutrient criteria development are priorities of the GOMA Nutrient PIT.

To set appropriate nutrient criteria, we must first understand and characterize the nutrients in our systems.

Action 1: Nutrient Characterization

Implement regional nutrient characterization studies to evaluate ecosystem responses and to develop the tools for better characterization of nutrients in coastal waters.

– Nutrient Sources, Fate, Transport, and Effects Studies– Ecosystem Impacts– Socioeconomic Impacts– Strategies for Improved Monitoring and Data Collection– Environmental and Biological Indicators of Nutrient Impacts– Increase Understanding of the Role of Coastal Wetlands

and the Contribution from Adjacent, Freshwater Systems

Understanding Nutrients

Conduct a series of nutrient characterization projects under a common research framework

– Apply the Nutrient Criteria Research Framework developed in a collaborative effort by the Nutrients and WQ PITs

– Across varying water body systems and seasonal conditions

– Collect data and information regarding the sources, fate, transport, and effects of nutrients through the different systems

– Assemble and analyze the information to support efforts to establish appropriate nutrient criteria for coastal waters and estuaries across the Gulf

Applying the Framework

Nutrients PIT has worked to identify funding opportunities to conduct Nutrient Sources, Fate, Transport, and Effects studies across the Gulf

– St. Louis Bay, Mississippi Funded through EPA GMPO

– Weeks Bay, Alabama Funded through NOAA FFO in Support of Nutrients PIT

– Mission-Aransas Bay, Texas Funded through EPA GMPO

– Galveston Bay, Texas Funded through EPA GMPO

Leverage on-going efforts in Tampa Bay

Additional On-Going and Future Nutrient Team Objectives

Developing a Benthic Index of Integrity for the Gulf of Mexico

Exploring the Role of Wetlands in Nutrient Dynamics

Determining the Effects of Freshwater Inflows

Action 2: Supporting State Development of Nutrient Criteria

Identify common state needs and priorities for the development of nutrient criteria and provide support and technical assistance to facilitate a regional approach to nutrient criteria development and management.

– Aligned, Gulf States Approach – Annual Gulf Alliance Nutrient Criteria Conference– Technical Workgroup to Evaluate Appropriate Biological

Assessment Tools, Endpoints, and Nutrient Related Thresholds

– Gulf-wide Classification System– Pilot the Process for Developing and Evaluating Nutrient

Criteria

Supporting Criteria Development

Coastal waters and estuaries are challenging water body types.

Estuaries are receiving water from upstream freshwater sources as well as influence from gulf boundary waters

Develop plan and science that all Gulf States can use Move as a “united front” – as much as possible Develop sound science upon which to develop nutrient

criteria Ensures consistency across the Gulf

Supporting Criteria Development

Kicking off effort to develop a “Regional Nutrient Criteria Development Plan”

– A detailed plan laying out exactly how the Nutrients Team is going to support criteria efforts across the Gulf States

– Identify what the Gulf States consider the critical needs or issues that must be addressed before we can establish criteria

– Implement activities to assist State criteria development efforts

Annual conference Technical workshops Sharing “lessons learned”

Action 3: Increasing Regional Coordination to Reduce Hypoxia

Coordinate strategies and provide guidance to better characterize hypoxia and the resulting socioeconomic impacts.

– Includes Both Localized Hypoxic Events and the Gulf Hypoxic Zone

– Coordinate and Leverage with the Efforts of the Hypoxia Task Force (AP2 and GHAP 2008 Coordination Matrix)

– Monitoring and Modeling Components Included– Coordination of Resources and Research– Promote Information and Technology Exchange between

the Upper and Lower MS River Basin States

Action 4: Reducing Nutrient Inputs

Develop management tools and implement nutrient reduction activities in cooperation with local communities to reduce excess nutrient inputs to estuaries and coastal waters.

– Outreach and Education– Decision Support Toolbox– Increasing Partnerships

Implement BMPs Identify Sources Identify Opportunities for Load Reductions

– Pilot New Innovative Technologies– Nutrient Reduction Strategy Template (available now)– Implementing and Evaluating Nutrient Reduction Strategies

Developing & Implementing Nutrient Reduction Strategies

Mississippi Delta Nutrient Reduction Strategies (2009)

Coastal Nutrient Reduction Strategy Template (2010)

Strategies being developed/implemented through the Alliance and the Hypoxia Task Force

Why Nutrient Reduction Strategies?

Based upon Collaboration among Stakeholders, State/Federal Agencies, NGOs, Academia

Road Map for All State/Federal Agencies, NGO’s, Academia, Stakeholders

Consistent, Repeatable Approaches Applicable to All Scales

Facilitate Needed Research and Planning Guide Implementation Quantify Load Reductions, Costs, and Benefits to

Stakeholders Develop Approaches and Tools to Achieve Nutrient

Criteria

Implementation

Implementation at the State Level Focus on Integration, Collaboration, and Leveraging

– Program Integration – Technical Assistance– Funding

Focus on Comparability– Consistency of Approach– Data Comparability

Nutrient Criteria Are Coming – Strategies Provide a Starting Place for States to Begin to Address How to Reduce Nutrients to our Waters

Team Contacts

Regional Coordinator– Ann Porter (MDEQ)

State Leads – Alabama – Lynn Sisk (ADEM)– Florida – Charles Kovach (FDEP) and Steve Wolfe (FDEP)– Louisiana – Kris Pintado (LDEQ) and Dugan Sabins (LDEQ)– Mississippi – Kim Caviness (MDEQ) – Texas – Clyde Bohmfalk (TCEQ), Laurie Eng (TCEQ), and

George Guillen (UH-CL)

Federal Co-Facilitators– Lael Butler (EPA GMPO)– Laurie Rounds (NOAA)

Questions?