Illinois alternative funding strategies
Issues Difficulties with nutrient standard development Increasing reliance on watershed groups to address tmdls (adaptive management) Water quality standards of concern: Do and narrative offensive condition (nuisance algae and plant growth)
Dupage River Salt Creek Workgroup (DRSCW) 20 major POTWs, ms4s and local stakeholders Suburban, county-sized Initially formed to address do and chlorides Aiming at dam removal/mods, stream restoration to get to ‘fishable’ biology Science shows nutrients lower priority
Drscw ‘trading’ NPDES permitting challenges State nutrient loss reduction strategy and gulf hypoxia goals Local stream issues with do and ‘offensive conditions’ Pressure to apply phosphorus treatment limits in potw permits Negotiated POTW permit provisions Extend p treatment compliance schedule Participate in stream/dam projects funding Study watershed nutrients
DRscw nutrient studies Non-point (urban) sources Point to point trading Stressor/response evaluation and local standard applicability Other projects: pool elimination with dam removal/modification, riffle and pool construction, channel restoration, streambank erosion protection, habitat feature improvements (instream and riparian), etc Plan development to address do and offensive condition impairments, keeping ‘fishable’ goal in view
Blue sky trading concept Delay point-source reductions in lieu of higher priority watershed improvements Dedicate nutrient treatment costs to highest priority restoration projects to move more rapidly towards fishable goals Incidental ‘nutrient’ reductions, until nutrients express as stressors in local watershed
Applicability across illinois POTW NPDES Permits including numeric p limits and compliance schedules Where local nutrient issues are apparent, Permits require nutrient assessment reduction plans Plans to address local do and offensive condition impairments Plans to include nutrient reductions (point and non-point) or other measures Plans can include trading provisions to help meet goals