Gulf of Mexico Alliance Nutrients Priority Issue Team National Water Quality Monitoring Council Pensacola, FL February 1, 2011 Kim Caviness MS Dept of Environmental Quality Water Quality Standards Section Chief Gulf 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 Assessment 2.Environmental Education 3.Habitat Conservation and Restoration 4.Nutrients 5.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 Year Plan 6 Priority Issue Teams (PITs) 1. Coastal Community Resilience 2. Ecosystem Integration and Assessment 3. Environmental Education 4. Habitat Conservation and Restoration 5. Nutrients 6. Water Quality

Action Plan 2 Nutrients PIT Goals Action 1:Nutrient Characterization Action 2:Support Development of Nutrient Criteria Action 3:Hypoxia Action 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?