Ohio Watershed Academy 2009

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Assignment EDMA1-1

Answer the questions below and turn in your written results for review.

Learning Objective 1

Identify your watershed health in reference to the State of Ohio goal of 80% attainment by 2010.

  1. Use the information at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/bioassess/AquaticLifeGoal.html to answer the following questions:
    1. What is the current level (reported in percentages) of statewide aquatic life use attainment based on the 2008 Integrated Report?
    2. What is the name(s) and 11 digit HUC code(s) for your watershed?
    3. Does your watershed include watershed assessment units, large river assessment units, or both?

  2. Using the applicable "Aquatic Life Use Status" map found in Section K of the 2008 Integrated Report at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/tmdl/2008IntReport/2008OhioIntegratedReport.html, locate the 11 digit HUC watershed(s) you selected in your response to Question 1.b. Print a copy of the map and use it to find the same 11 digit HUC watershed(s) on the applicable 2008 map(s) shown at "Average Watershed Scores" or "Large Rivers Scores" at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/bioassess/AquaticLifeGoal.html.
    1. What is the current level (reported in percentages) of aquatic life use attainment for your OVERALL watershed(s)?
    2. How, if at all, has the level (reported in percentages) of aquatic life use attainment for your watershed changed between 2002 and 2008? (For example, in 2002, attainment was 20% for watershed X, but in 2008 it was 0%).

    Learning Objective 2

    Use Ohio regulations to identify, for any water body: designated beneficial uses; applicable numeric water quality criteria; and antidegradation category.

    1. Using the list of watershed links found below the Water Body Use Designation Index heading at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/rules/3745-1.html#use_designations:
      1. Name your watershed and cite the portion of the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) that applies to your watershed (e.g., rule 3745-1-08).
      2. Click on the applicable rule of the OAC and select a stream of interest in your watershed (scroll down to the list of waterbodies) and list its beneficial use designations. Note that a key to the beneficial use abbreviations is located at the end of the rule.
      3. What is the basis for the aquatic life habitat use designation (see paragraph (D) on the first page of the applicable OAC rule for a key to the symbols used here)?

    2. Using the information found at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/rules/01-07.pdf (OAC rule 3745-1-07, water use designations) provide the definition for the designated aquatic life habitat use in the stream you have selected (e.g., warmwater habitat, exceptional warmwater habitat, etc.).
    3. Using the information found at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/wqs/designation_summary.pdf and the designated beneficial uses identified in your answer to Question 3.b, list the key attributes and identify the practical impacts of those use designations.
    4. Read the "Antidegradation Provisions" text found at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/wqs/index.html#antidegradation and click on rule 3745-1-05 to answer the following questions:
      1. What is antidegradation?
      2. To what types of general activities does it apply (see paragraph (B)(1) of the rule)?
      3. What is the appropriate antidegradation category for the stream you have selected (see paragraph (E)(1) of the rule)?

    5. Using the information found at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/wqs/antideg_categories_summary.pdf and the antidegradation category identified in your answer to Question 6.c, list the key attributes and identify the practical impacts of this category.
    6. Read the "Numeric Water Quality Criteria" text found at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/wqs/index.html#Numeric_Criteria.
      1. What are numeric water quality criteria?
      2. What are the three types of numeric criteria?

    7. Review Table 7-15 found at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/rules/01-07.pdf and the Ecoregion Map (Ohio_Ecoregions.pdf).
      1. Which of the numeric water quality criteria are referenced in Table 7-15?
      2. To which use designations do the criteria in Table 7-15 apply?
      3. In which ecoregion is the stream you selected in Question 3 (note the key to ecoregion abbreviations is located at the bottom of Table 7-15)?
      4. Do the criteria in Table 7-15 apply to the stream you selected in Question 3.b? If not, why not?
      5. If the criteria in Table 7-15 DO apply to the stream you selected in Question 3, identify the applicable Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI), Modified Index of Well Being (MIwb), and Invertebrate Community Index (ICI) scores that represent attainment for the designated aquatic life use you identified in your response to Question 3.b?

    Learning Objective 3

    Understand how to identify if a stream is in attainment with designated aquatic life uses, and what information is available about any applicable sources and causes of impairment.

    The questions below are focused on APPLYING the facts collected in your answers above. This application will allow you to determine if the stream you chose in Question 3.b is in attainment with designated aquatic life uses and, if not, what types of information are available to help you determine the causes and sources of impairment.

    1. Go to "Determining Use Attainment" at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/owa.html and click on Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report. Select the 2008 version of the report.
      1. Click on "Are there more or fewer impaired waters?" In 2008, in how many watershed assessment units were there sufficient data to determine the level of attainment? (See Section D.1 of the Integrated Report where these are defined.)
      2. Locate Table B-3 in the 2008 Integrated Report.
        1. How many watershed assessment units (WAUs) are there in Ohio?
        2. As of 2008, how many WAUs had been assessed?
        3. How many large river assessment units (LRAUs) are there in Ohio?
        4. As of 2008, how many LRAUs had been assessed?
      3. Locate Section K: Maps and, using your answer to Question 1.b, click on "Section 303(d) Reporting Category, Watershed Assessment Units" or "Section 303 (d) Reporting Category, Large River Assessment Units," as applicable.
        1. Which reporting category(s) (1 through 5) applies to your watershed?
        2. Does a TMDL need to be produced?
      4. Click on "What does the report say about my watershed?" and then click on the applicable link to locate your watershed. (Note: a key to the information presented in these summaries is available in Section M.1.)
        1. Identify the watershed name, 11 digit HUC code, and sampling years for the watershed.
        2. What percentage of the watershed is in full, partial and non-attainment with designated aquatic life uses?
        3. What is the difference between aquatic life use impairment causes and sources?
        4. What are the high magnitude causes of aquatic life use impairment?
        5. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and identify whether there are any WAU comments. If so, summarize what they tell you.
    2. Go to "Determining Use Attainment" at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/owa.html and click on Total Maximum Daily Load Reports.
      1. What are four phases of a TMDL?
      2. What is the status of TMDL reporting for your watershed?
      3. If an approved or draft TMDL report is available for your watershed, open the document and answer the following questions. If not, choose one in a nearby watershed to answer the questions below:
        1. What does the TMDL report state are the primary CAUSES of impairment within the watershed?
        2. For which of these causes were TMDLs calculated?
        3. Look at the TMDL findings
          1. Summarize the conclusions regarding biological communities.
          2. What is the recommended TMDL target for habitat (usually expressed in terms of Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index or QHEI)?
          3. What is the current deviation from that target in the watershed? (For example, see section 5.1.3 of the Big Walnut TMDL Report).
    3. Go to "Determining Use Attainment" at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/owa.html and click on Biological and Water Quality Reports. Note: If a draft or approved TMDL exists, a summary of this information is GENERALLY included in the TMDL Report or Appendices.
      1. What is the purpose of a Biological and Water Quality Survey? (see http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/bioassess/ohstrat.html for an explanation.)
      2. Is there a Biological and Water Quality Report for your watershed?
      3. If so, when was it published?
      4. Open the document (if there is no report for your watershed, choose a watershed nearby) and choose a stream segment where Ohio EPA has conducted fish and macroinvertebrate assessments. Identify the stream segment by name, HUC code and river miles. For example, Chagrin River (headwaters to below Aurora Branch), 0411003020-010, river miles 49.2 to 40.
      5. For the stream segment you have selected, find the aquatic life use attainment data table and identify the following for each sampling point in the segment:
        1. The IBI, MIwb, ICI and QHEI scores, the attainment status, and causes of impairment where applicable.
        2. Using your responses to Question 9.e, identify the difference between the appropriate target bio-index values with your actual watershed's bio-index values, paying attention to the ecoregion(s) in which it lies, the aquatic life use designation, and the type of waterbody. (For example: the Chagrin River is in the EOLP ecoregion, and RM 40.0 is designated WWH and is in the wading portion of the stream. So a target IBI score of 38, an MIwb score of 7.9, an ICI score of 34, and a QHEI score of 60 indicate attainment. Your actual watershed scores at RM 40.0 are an IBI score of 48, an MIwb score of 8.8, an ICI score of 50, and a QHEI score of 82. Therefore, this sampling location is in full attainment with the WWH aquatic life use.)
      6. Locate the "Recommendations" section of the report. Summarize the information presented there. Note: If coldwater habitat aquatic life use designations are recommended, identify the basis for this recommendation.
    4. If you have any questions as a result of completing this assignment, please note them here.

    Evaluation

    Assignment EDMA1-1 Evaluation