Strategies for the Identification of Sources of Pollution in the
Transcription
Strategies for the Identification of Sources of Pollution in the
November 10, 2014 To: Protectores de Cuencas, Inc. Roberto Viqueira Ríos and Jeiger Medina Muñíz Box 1563 Yauco, Puerto Rico 00698 From: Lori A. Lilly 10520 Old Frederick Rd. Woodstock, MD 21163 RE: Final Deliverables for Strategies for the Identification of Sources of Pollution in the Municipalities of the Northeastern Ecological Corridor and Culebra, PR Dear Roberto and Jeiger, Thank you again for the opportunity to participate in the above referenced project for Protectores de Cuencas, Inc. We identified many priority pollution remediation projects through our field assessment and I am hopeful that Protectores de Cuencas will provide leadership with the local municipalities to address these problems. Please find enclosed and in the referenced dropbox folder the following items that serve as my final deliverables to you for this project. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns regarding these items. Final water quality monitoring data in an Excel spreadsheet; Final water quality monitoring data in GIS shapefiles – Sample sites are in a GIS shapefile and an accompanying .csv file can be joined to the shapefile for display; Drainage areas in a GIS shapefile; Photos in folders organized by sample site; Formatted maps for reporting – these are in .pdf and .jpg files; and Suggestions regarding next steps for pollution remediation. Please note the following with regards to these deliverables: Stormwater infrastructure data was not available in GIS format therefore all drainage area delineations are based on topography only and may not be accurate. Drainage area delineations, particularly for outfall pipes, should be field verified and are not to be used for construction or other project related activity. Existing watershed boundaries were utilized for drainage area delineations for consistency however; these boundaries appear to be incorrect in some locations, particularly the Rio Grande area where it appears the lower watershed has been modified by channelization and ditching. The location of sample site LUQ7 is unknown and not portrayed on the maps though data from this site as collected by Jeiger is included in the spreadsheet. Background Staff from Protectores de Cuencas, Inc. and Lori A. Lilly completed field work between 10/8/2014 and 10/16/2014 to identify sources of pollution in the municipalities of the Northeastern Ecological Corridor and Culebra, PR. These two study areas are shown in Figure 1. Sources of pollution sought were primarily sewage sources and their identification followed the methodology outlined in Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) guidance developed by the Center for Watershed Protection (Brown et al 2004) with some modification for coastal waters. Figure 1. Project study areas: Study Area 1 – the Northeast Corridor and Study Area 2 – the island of Culebra. The work in Study Area 1, the Northeast Corridor, was focused on an initial broad-scale sweep to identify pollution hotspots in the municipalities of Fajardo, Luquillo and Rio Grande. The work in Study Area 2, Culebra, was focused on source tracking efforts of previously identified problems. Findings Study Area 1 Forty three sites were visited, shown in Figure 2, between 10/8/2014 and 10/16/2014 in the Northeast Corridor of Puerto Rico. Table 1 displays those sampling results for parameters that have established water quality standards. Table 2 displays those sampling results for which there are currently no identified standards but are known indicators for potential sewage contamination (Brown et al, 2004). Based on this sampling effort, nine sites were identified as high priority and 13 sites as medium priority for pollution remediation (Figure 3). Results of the full sampling effort can be found in Attachment A. Figure 2. Sample locations in Study Area 1. Table 1. Water Samples Exceeding Standards* in Study Area 1 Parameter Standard pH Between 6.0 and 9.0 Total Number of Samples 31 # of Samples Exceeding Standard % of Samples Exceeding Standard 1 3% Table 1. Water Samples Exceeding Standards* in Study Area 1 Parameter Standard Total Number of Samples # of Samples Exceeding Standard % of Samples Exceeding Standard Turbidity <50 NTU 39 0 TDS <500 mg/l 27 0 Total <1 mg/l (certain ammonia rivers) 42 9 *http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/wqslibrary/upload/prwqs.pdf Table 2. Study Area 1 Water Sampling Results** Parameter Temp (°C) pH Cond (mS) Sal (mg/L) Turb (NTU) Op. Brightener (RFU) Chlor a (µg/L) NH3 (mg/L) Enter. (raw count/1 ml) Enter. (count/100 ml) TDS (ppt) Flow (cu. ft.) Minimum Maximum 23.6 32.7 5.0 829.0 1.1 954.6 0.1 25.0 0.3 39.3 0.0 1.9 0.0 16.1 0.0 12.4 0 280 0 28000 0.5 532.8 0.0 1137.9 Sample size Average (n) 28.0 31 34.2 31 295.1 27 2.1 27 5.2 39 0.7 43 3.7 43 1.2 43 118 33 11845 33 169.8 27 91.0 27 **Enterococcus counts in this table exclude Too Numerous To Count (TNTC) samples 0% 0% 21% Figure 3. Study Area 1 priority for pollution remediation and drainage areas for sampling locations. Multiple severe sewage contaminated waters were encountered during the field work, esp. in the Fajardo basin. Representative photos of those locations are shown in Figures 4 - 5. In addition, a sanitary sewer overflow was also encountered at coordinates 18.310995, 65.662488. Although PRASA was on-site fixing the issue, their staff noted that the problem has a very high recurrence and, indeed, the overflow can even be seen from aerial photography (Figure 6). (a) (b) (c) Figure 4. (a) Severely polluted water in the stream and from the outfall pipe in downtown Fajardo (FAJ13 and FAJ14); (b) Duck in sewage water at FAJ 17; and (c) Turtles in sewage water at FAJ18. (a) (b) (c) Figure 5. (a) Septage leakage at FAJ5; (b) Sewage contamination at FAJ7; and (c) Sanitary sewer overflow encountered during field work. Location of recurring SSO – note staining on road Figure 6. Site of recurring sanitary sewer overflow (SSO). Findings - Study Area 2 Five sites were visited, shown in Figure 7, on 10/9/2014 in Culebra. These locations had previously been identified by Protectores de Cuencas as potential pollution source areas. Table 3 displays those sampling results for parameters that have established water quality standards. Table 4 displays those sampling results for which there are currently no identified standards but are known indicators for potential sewage contamination (Brown et al, 2004). Based on this sampling effort, three sites were identified as high priority and two sites as medium priority for pollution remediation (Figure 9). Figure 7. Sample locations in Study Area 2. Table 3. Water Samples Exceeding Standards* in Study Area 2 Parameter Standard pH Between 6.0 and 9.0 Total Number of Samples # of Samples Exceeding Standard 1 0 % of Samples Exceeding Standard 0% Table 3. Water Samples Exceeding Standards* in Study Area 2 Total Number of Samples Parameter Standard Turbidity TDS Total ammonia <50 NTU <500 mg/l <1 mg/l (certain rivers) # of Samples Exceeding Standard % of Samples Exceeding Standard 5 1 1 0 20% 0% 5 2 40% *http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/wqslibrary/upload/prwqs.pdf Table 4. Study Area 2 Water Sampling Results** Parameter Temp (°C) pH Cond (mS) Sal (mg/L) Turb (NTU) Op. Brightener (RFU) Chlor a (µg/L) NH3 (mg/L) Enter. (raw count/1 ml) Enter. (count/100 ml) TDS (ppt) Flow (cu. ft.) Minimum Maximum 29.9 29.9 8.1 8.1 2.9 2.9 1.5 1.5 6.4 59.2 1.7 49.8 1.3 24.8 0.5 2.0 140 340 14000 34000 1.4 1.4 n/a n/a Sample size Average (n) 29.9 8.1 2.9 1.5 34.1 11.6 14.3 1.2 260 26000 1.4 n/a n/a 1 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 3 3 1 **Enterococcus counts in this table exclude Too Numerous To Count (TNTC) samples Figure 8. Study Area 2 priority for pollution remediation and drainage areas for sampling locations. Source tracking efforts were undertaken for CUL2, CUL5 and CUL6 to a lesser extent. Those efforts are described below. CUL2 – This sample was very high in turbidity (59.2 NTU), very high in ammonia (1.96 mg/l), bacteria was too numerous to count (TNTC) and was high for optical brighteners (1.97 RFU) and chlorophyll a (13.14 (µg/l). The sample was also very greasy. Tracking efforts were undertaken as displayed in Figure 9. The flow was followed to the top of the street to a stormwater inlet (Figure 10). The inlet was covered in trash, sediment and horse manure. Flow was entering the inlet via the street. The surface flow was tested for ammonia and recorded as 0.8 mg/l. The surface flow emanated from a crack in the street northwest of the inlet. It is possible that an illicit connection exists between the inlet and the outfall. It is also possible that the high ammonia and bacteria are the result of the dry weather flow interaction with horse manure and trash that cover the inlet. It is recommended that the inlet be completely cleaned and the storm drain line flushed, if possible, with clean water. If dry weather flow remains after cleaning, water samples should be collected and analyzed and further action taken from that point. CUL5 - This sample was high in turbidity (37.8 NTU), high in ammonia (0.66 mg/l), high in bacteria (14,000 CFU/100ml) as well as high for optical brighteners (2.25 RFU) and chlorophyll a (21.67 (µg/l). Tracking efforts were undertaken as displayed in Figure 11. The flow was followed to a storm drain inlet to the southwest. Three flows were found at this location, two flows from two separate pipes discharging from within the inlet and one flow from the street (Figure 12). All three flows had elevated ammonia (0.39-0.75 mg/l), turbidity (25.6-40.9 NTU) and bacteria (18,000-36,000 CFU/100 ml). The surface flow was tracked on the street to several houses where the water was found to be seeping from yards. These may be drinking water leaks as no odor was detected. The houses should be inspected for leaks and further tracking conducted for the pipe flows. CUL6 – Sampling at CUL6 indicated very high ammonia (1.93 mg/l), optical brightener (49.83 RFU) and bacteria (TNTC). The upstream stormdrain inlets were inspected and not found to have such high concentrations of pollutants. The original sample location was close to the shoreline and may have been influenced by tidal waters, confounding initial results. In addition, chickens were noted near the sampling location and their activity and defecation in the area may have influenced the results to some extent. However, it is also possible that a nearby house has a leak or illicit connection that is carried in with the tide. Further sampling should be conducted along the shoreline in this location and, if possible, dye tests conducted at adjacent homes to ensure proper connections. Surface flow origin from crack in the street Storm drain inlet Figure 9. Pollution source tracking for CUL2. Figure 10. Storm drain inlet with flow from CUL2. (a) (b) Figure 11. (a) Surface flow to CUL5 and (b) two flows from pipes draining to CUL5. Storm drain inlet Figure 12. Pollution source tracking for CUL5. Suggestions for Next Steps and Pollution Remediation The following recommendations are made to Protectores de Cuencas and the local municipalities for next steps in remediating pollution problems identified in this study. 1.) Protectores de Cuencas, municipalities, PRASA and other relevant agencies should conduct source tracking efforts to eliminate high priority pollution problems identified in Study Area 1. This effort should happen as soon as possible; contamination from these sewage sources is significant. 2.) Protectores de Cuencas, municipalities, PRASA and other relevant agencies should conduct work to address locations where the recurrence interval for sanitary sewer overflows is high such as described above in Study Area 1 Findings. This effort should happen as soon as possible. 3.) In Culebra, follow-up as indicated above in Study Area 2 Findings. 4.) Many storm drain inlets were dirty and covered in sediment, trash and manure. Inlet cleaning is a best management practice that could be implemented in local municipalities and may result in some reduction of bacteria and other pollutants to local waters. Consideration may be given to link this effort with a broader workforce development program and a shared work crew to reduce costs. 5.) No stormwater infrastructure mapping data was available for either Study Area. This information is vital to eliminating point source pollution. If this data is not available, consideration should be given to mechanisms for obtaining it through grants or other resources. Closed circuit television (CCTV) video footage of stormdrain pipes can be used to both map pipe infrastructure and inspect for illicit discharges. Implementing CCTV inspection would be an overall excellent best management practice for local municipalities to invest and costs could be shared to reduce the burden on any one municipality. 6.) Determine an appropriate drinking water indicator for IDDE efforts; many potable water leaks were noted during the field work. Since drinking water in Puerto Rico is not fluoridated, consider using chlorine (free and total) or hardness. 7.) Protectores de Cuencas may consider investing in a flow or velocity meter in order to obtain more accurate flow measurements, esp. if river sampling is expected to continue. Other equipment that may be useful: a. Sampling line: https://www.enasco.com/product/B01368WA b. Swing sampler: https://www.enasco.com/product/B01366WA c. Ammonia colorimeter: http://www.lamotte.com/en/industrial/individual-testkits/3680-01.html 8.) Puerto Rico has a water quality standard for surfactants, a useful indicator of wastewater and washwater. We did not use this indicator during our field work but Protectores de Cuencas may consider adding this to their list of monitored parameters, particularly since there is a known standard. These test kits are easy to use however, they do result in broken glass (sharps) and toxic reagent: http://www.chemetrics.com/detergents+(anionic+surfactants,+mbas)/Visual+Kits/K9400 References Brown, E., D. Caraco, and R. Pitt. 2004. Illicit discharge detection and elimination: A guidance manual for program development and technical assessments. Prepared by the Center for Watershed Protection and University of Alabama.EPA X-82907801-0. Washington, DC: US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management. Attachment A. Sampling Results Sample CUL1 CUL2 Date 10/9/2014 10/9/2014 Temp (°C) 29.9 n/a pH 8.1 n/a Cond (mS) Sal (mg/L) Turb (NTU) Op. Br. (RFU) Chl. a (µg/L) NH3 (mg/ L) 2.85 1.5 6.4 1.676 10.78 0.97 n/a n/a 59.2 34000 1.395 TNTC Priority n/a Airport channel Yes High n/a Outfall to airport channel; greasy sample Yes High n/a n/a Tracking for CUL2, water is surface flow to inlet that was covered in sediment, trash and horse poop n/a n/a Near Carlos Jeep and AAA, in-strea Yes Medium Yes High n/a n/a n/a n/a CUL4 10/9/2014 n/a n/a n/a n/a 26 2.14 24.75 0.49 300 30000 n/a n/a CUL5 10/9/2014 n/a n/a n/a n/a 37.8 2.254 21.67 0.66 140 14000 n/a n/a CUL5a 10/9/2014 n/a n/a n/a n/a 25.6 3.299 27.44 0.75 360 36000 n/a n/a Airport channel Tracking CUL5, one inlet upstream from outfall, surface flow n/a Tracking CUL5, one inlet upstream from outfall, right pipe n/a n/a n/a Tracking CUL5, one inlet upstream from outfall, left pipe n/a n/a n/a Close to shoreline - marine influence? Chickens noted in sampling area Yes Medium CUL5c CUL6 10/9/2014 10/9/2014 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 40.9 37.1 41.1 2.223 2.392 49.83 21.84 20.45 1.278 0.48 0.39 1.93 n/a Hotspot n/a n/a n/a TNTC Notes n/a n/a 0.8 340 Flow (cu. ft.) n/a n/a n/a 1.96 TDS (ppt) 10/9/2014 10/9/2014 n/a 13.14 Enter. (count/ 100 ml) CUL3 CUL5b n/a 1.966 Enter (raw count/ 1 ml) 180 240 TNTC 18000 24000 TNTC n/a n/a n/a Sample CUL6b CUL7 CUL8 FAJ1 Date 10/9/2014 10/9/2014 10/9/2014 10/10/201 4 Temp (°C) 29.8 29.4 pH Cond (mS) Sal (mg/L) Turb (NTU) Op. Br. (RFU) Chl. a (µg/L) NH3 (mg/ L) 7.76 1.756 0.903 23.2 1.243 9.923 0.13 8.4 826.9 0.4 29.4 8 713.9 0.34 28.2 8.44 123.5 0.05 28.5 829 1.078 29.6 8.21 0.725 3.562 0.25 Enter (raw count/ 1 ml) Enter. (count/ 100 ml) TDS (ppt) n/a n/a 861.1 n/a n/a n/a 405.7 n/a 350.3 Yes Medium No n/a Yes High 0.361 1.025 0.45 156 15600 528.6 7.5 39.76 21.76 2.3 0.423 0.728 0.92 148 14800 19.3 0.107 14.2 0.84 7.749 0.8 111 11100 6.9 1.176 16.14 12.38 TNTC TNTC error FAJ14 10/11/201 4 n/a n/a n/a 7.6 1.607 2.528 11.96 TNTC TNTC n/a 8.29 122.4 0.7 0.081 0 0 13 1300 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0.704 6.677 0 160 16000 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0.665 2.633 6.7 TNTC n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0.616 1.09 1.62 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1.535 9.732 5.39 FAJ3 Medium 1.6 error FAJ2 Yes 0.53 error FAJ19 n/a 360 8.48 FAJ18 No 61 32.7 FAJ17 n/a 4900 10/11/201 4 FAJ16 n/a 49 FAJ13 30.5 n/a 0.3 277.2 10/11/201 4 10/16/201 4 10/16/201 4 10/16/201 4 10/16/201 4 10/10/201 4 10/10/201 4 n/a 0 7.08 FAJ15 n/a Tracking CUL6, Second manhole from street / school 0.107 27 n/a n/a 1.4 10/11/201 4 0.05 n/a 60.49 Priority n/a 0.53 FAJ12 Hotspot Outfall to CUL6 9.734 FAJ11 Notes n/a 1.211 10/11/201 4 10/11/201 4 FAJ10 Flow (cu. ft.) n/a n/a n/a 1.5 Tracking CUL6, first manhole from street / school Upstream of WWTP Stream near gas station Outlet of Rio Fajardo Abandoned development site Channel in downtown Fajardo 0.0025 Outfall draining to FAJ13 Yes High 245.8 Mainstem in upper watershed No n/a n/a No n/a n/a 1.1 TNTC n/a 28.5 Sewage Yes High TNTC TNTC n/a 1.5 Sewage Yes High TNTC TNTC n/a 0.0005 Sewage Yes High Pipe No n/a Stream Yes High 31.1 6.9 390.3 error 0.5 0.029 0 0.11 0 0 191.7 32.5 8.04 390.6 error 3.4 0.958 8.644 1.75 200 20000 191.9 n/a 2.5 Sample Date Temp (°C) pH Enter (raw count/ 1 ml) Enter. (count/ 100 ml) TDS (ppt) 233 Cond (mS) Sal (mg/L) Turb (NTU) Op. Br. (RFU) Chl. a (µg/L) NH3 (mg/ L) 454.1 0.201 4 0.658 1.324 0 93 9300 15.4 1.178 7.049 2.53 280 28000 0.15 88 8800 Flow (cu. ft.) Notes Hotspot Priority Stream No n/a Sewage / septage Yes High n/a No n/a Sewage stream Yes High Near mobile home park at Seven Seas beach Yes Medium Near hotel / rooster pens No n/a FAJ7 10/10/201 4 10/10/201 4 10/10/201 4 10/10/201 4 FAJ8 10/11/201 4 26.6 8.3 954.6 0.469 3.5 0.425 2.604 0.6 148 14800 468.3 FAJ9 10/11/201 4 27.6 8.1 527.7 0.24 1.1 0.671 1.327 0 163 16300 n/a 29.9 7.53 818.6 0.392 4.1 0.677 6.261 1.43 TNTC TNTC 398.7 n/a Luquillo plaza (veterinarian) Yes High n/a n/a n/a 17.1 0.487 3.007 0.42 TNTC TNTC n/a n/a n/a Yes Medium 25 6.41 n/a n/a 3.9 1.591 12.21 0.64 105 10500 n/a n/a Interference Yes Medium 27.7 7.06 8.215 8.2 0.362 1.558 0.55 220 22000 3.997 n/a Near Balneario y kioskos Yes Medium n/a Near pumping station; surface flow ammonia 0.18 No Medium n/a No n/a Water very turbid Yes Medium n/a No n/a FAJ4 FAJ5 FAJ6 LUQ2 10/15/201 4 10/22/201 4 10/15/201 4 LUQ3 10/15/201 4 LUQ1 LUQ10 LUQ4 LUQ5 LUQ6 LUQ7 LUQ8 LUQ9 RG1 10/15/201 4 10/15/201 4 10/15/201 4 10/22/201 4 10/22/201 4 10/22/201 4 10/13/201 4 27.1 n/a 5 n/a n/a n/a 26.5 7.2 206.2 0.06 2.9 0.306 0.624 29.4 6.79 255.2 0.095 10.2 0.369 1.981 n/a 4.738 >1* TNTC TNTC n/a 2.0 0.0017 101.5 125.9 5.5 n/a 0.13 0.0024 27.3 7.3 328.4 0.135 1.4 0.837 4.5 0.06 101 10100 161.8 26.9 7.21 232.3 0.083 12.4 0.309 1.115 0.19 140 14000 114.3 7.9 27.5 7.74 223.1 0.78 39.3 0.554 9.924 0 105 10500 101.8 39.3 n/a n/a n/a n/a 0.6 0.536 0.94 0.24 81 8100 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0.4 0.122 0 0 12 1200 n/a n/a n/a No n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 12.6 0.152 0 0 n/a n/a n/a No n/a 0.3 0.186 0 0.05 n/a No n/a 26.7 7.58 181 0.08 n/a n/a 51 5100 89.1 0.0267 465.0 Sample RG10 RG11 RG12 RG13 RG14 RG2 RG3 RG4 RG5 RG6 RG7 RG8 RG9 Date Temp (°C) 10/13/201 4 10/15/201 4 10/15/201 4 10/15/201 4 10/15/201 4 10/13/201 4 10/13/201 4 10/13/201 4 10/13/201 4 10/13/201 4 pH 8.04 23.6 8.36 25.1 Sal (mg/L) Op. Br. (RFU) Chl. a (µg/L) n/a Notes Hotspot Priority Interference with multi-parameter; stream not accessible Yes Medium Rio Arriba en el Verde No n/a Car wash No n/a n/a No n/a pulse of suds No n/a 0.17 75.5 0.05 0.9 0.271 1.189 0 37 3700 37.5 6.38 289.6 0.113 1.3 0.409 2.872 0.008 109 10900 142.4 26.9 8.5 447.5 0.198 1 0.66 1.781 0.16 11 1100 219.8 25.6 183.3 0.062 1.7 0.294 0 0 76 7600 95.24 26.4 7.4 10.1 9 457.2 0.203 0.8 0.726 4.009 0.13 200 20000 224.7 97.1 n/a Yes Medium 27.3 7.88 347.9 0.144 1.2 1.098 7.277 0.3 148 14800 170.5 23.6 n/a Yes Medium n/a n/a n/a n/a 0.4 1.042 3.774 0 200 20000 n/a 0.0031 n/a No n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0.3 0.807 3.556 0.24 145 14500 n/a 0.0010 No n/a 30.4 7.97 42.87 24.97 13.4 1.863 11.23 0.59 49 4900 20.78 n/a Outlet of Ria Mar(?) Yes Medium 28.3 7.44 error 0.05 1.7 0.797 1.821 0.92 240 24000 0.5 3.7 Interference with multi-parameter Yes Medium 27.6 7.34 587.4 0.272 0.5 0.476 0.594 0.12 179 17900 288.3 0.17 n/a No n/a 28.5 8.52 1.086 0.54 0.4 0.116 0 0 91 9100 532.8 Golf course No n/a *Measurement not recorded in field 0.5 Flow (cu. ft.) 7.793 Gray text - tracking points TNTC TDS (ppt) 0.966 Brown cells - Exceed standards TNTC Enter. (count/ 100 ml) 2.1 Red cells = Potential Hotspots error Turb (NTU) Enter (raw count/ 1 ml) 0.5 10/13/201 4 10/13/201 4 10/13/201 4 29.7 Cond (mS) NH3 (mg/ L) 1138 n/a 27.0 n/a n/a n/a