Mercury and PCBs TMDL Implementation Tom Mumley San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board

Status of TMDLs Mercury –Regional Board adoption September 2004 –State Board action still pending PCBs –Draft Basin Plan package Fall 2005 –Regional Board action Winter 2006 Clx

Impairment Problem Sources Implementation Actions Numeric Target Linkage Allocations TMDL Regulatory Actions TMDL Process Elements

Key Challenge Make decision despite numerous uncertainties! Hmmm… Mercury…

Adaptive Implementation Early actions –Scope based on available information –Improve understanding of problem, sources, system, and solutions Make progress towards attaining water quality standards –Take action prevent, manage, control observe systems response

Impairment Problem Sources Implementation Actions Numeric Target Linkage Allocations TMDL Regulatory Actions TMDL Process Elements

Impairment Problem Sources Implementation Actions Numeric Target Linkage Allocations TMDL Regulatory Actions TMDL Process Elements

Mercury Sources and Allocations SOURCE EXISTING LOAD (kg/yr) ALLOCATION (kg/yr) Central Valley Watershed Urban Runoff16082 Guadalupe River Watershed 92 2 Wastewater20 Dredging and Disposal net loss ambient concentration In-Bay Hotspots ?

PCBs Sources and Allocations SOURCE EXISTING LOAD (kg/yr) ALLOCATION (kg/yr) Central Valley Watershed 42 Urban Runoff4010 Guadalupe River Watershed ~ 1 Wastewater33 Dredging and Disposal net loss ambient concentration In-Bay Hotspots ? ?

Risk Reduction Pollutant related health risks to consumers of bay fish Clean Estuary Partnership Work Team –Water Board, BACWA, BASMAA –Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Dept of Health Services –CEP Environmental Tech Rep

Central Valley Watershed Actions Mercury –Cache Creek TMDL Summer 2005 –Delta TMDL Summer 2006

Guadalupe River Watershed Actions Mercury –TMDL Winter 2006/07 –New Almaden Mine District –Reservoirs

Dredging and Disposal Actions Implement LTMS –Long Term Management Strategy for the Placement of Dredged Material in the San Francisco Bay Region In-bay disposal ambient

Wastewater Actions Maintain performance –Pollution prevention –Treatment systems Confirm no local effects Assist with studies Assist with control of other sources –Strategic treatment of runoff Watershed Permit

In-Bay Hot Spots Actions Hunters Point Seaplane Lagoon –(Alameda NAS) Stege Marsh –(Richmond) Others? –Relative significance –Opportunity

PCBs in Watersheds

Mercury and/or PCBs - Urban Runoff Control Hypotheses Hg and PCBs are distributed throughout urban watersheds There are hot zones of Hg and/or PCBs (elevated levels) Sediment bound Hg and PCBs accumulate in the transmission system There is buildup of polluted sediment near some storm drain discharge points

Urban Runoff Action Pollution prevention (light bulbs) Clean-up on-land, storm drain, and discharge point hot spots Strategic retrofit Operation and maintenance

Urban Runoff Action Pollution prevention (light bulbs) Clean-up on-land, storm drain, and discharge point hot spots Strategic retrofit –Site design –Intercept/treatment –Route to sanitary sewer system Operation and maintenance –Street sweeping –Inlet and storm drain cleaning

Adaptive Implementation Studies Sediment and sediment-bound pollutant fate and transport –Erosion of in-bay sediments –Recovery of the bay Urban runoff loading and effectiveness of controls Methylation –How, where, and when? –Can we manage it? Hmmm… Save Bay …

Multibox model Manage methylation – if we can Mine cleanup Strategic hot spot cleanup - in bay, in storm drains, and on land Strategic urban runoff management Mercury and PCBs TMDL Implementation