9 Key Element Watershed Plans What are they

9 Key Element Watershed Plans What are they and why are they important? Presented by: Andrew Craig and Chad Cook DNR Nonpoint Source Planning Coordinator and UWEX WI Land Water Conference - March 2015 “Nonpoint source pollution continues to be the leading source of water quality impairments throughout the United States. ” Draft Sect. 319 Grant Guidelines – November 2012

What are 9 Key Element Plans? �Watershed based (HUC 12 size – 35 square miles) �Restore impaired waters by reducing nonpoint runoff sources (agriculture and urban) �Can also protect non-impaired waters �Mimic TMDL’s – ID sources and reduce pollutant loads to meet water uses (fishable, swimmable, drinkable) �Framework to incorporate existing activities/plans: �County LW plans, Farmland Preservation Program �NR 151 implementation, Ordinances �Grants – state and federal – TRM, NOD, Lakes and Rivers �Water Quality and Habitat Monitoring, TMDLs

9 Key Elements �Identify the causes and sources that need to be controlled to achieve pollutant load reductions � Quantify significant sources and background levels � Use Maps and Tables �Describe management measures that need to be implemented to achieve load reductions � Map priority areas for practices �Estimate the load reductions expected from selected management measures � SWAT, SNAP+, STEPL, EVAAL, BARNY

9 Key Elements �Estimate amounts of technical and financial assistance , costs and authorities relied upon to implement the plan � Long Term Operation and Maintenance of BMPs � Monitoring and Evaluation �Information/education component to encourage participation and plan implementation �Schedule for implementing the management measure � 5, 10, 15 or 20 years? � Include plan milestones

9 Key Elements �Interim, measurable milestones to assess if plan is being implemented �Set of criteria to determine whether plan objectives are or are not being achieved over time If little progress, how and when will plan be revised? �Monitoring component to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation efforts over time using criteria from above �Integrate with schedule and milestones �Use WQ and habitat monitoring; WQ modeling

Importance of 9 KE plans

County LW plans �ATCP 50 revised in 2014 �Revisions to LW plan content and development ATCP 50. 12 �Revisions DO NOT REQUIRE meeting 9 Key Elements or EPA approval �Revisions are CONSISTENT with 9 Key Elements �Over time, some LW plans will meet 9 Key Elements in specific watersheds (TMDL’s, etc); not the entire county

ATCP 50. 12 - Content Element 1 Element 4 Element 2 & 3 Element 1, 3, 6 Element 3 Element 1 & 3

ATCP 50. 12 Content Element 4, 6, 7 Element 7, 8, 9 Element 5 Element 1 - 9

ATCP 50. 12 - Development Element 1 - 9

County LW plans Two options to address the 9 Key Elements: �Develop a separate 9 Key Element plan � Use existing information from LW plan, TMDL, WQ data AND � Reference the 9 element plan in LW plan �Revise LW plan to reflect the 9 Key Elements � For specific watersheds, not county wide

EPA 2015 grant requirements �DNR Nonpoint activities funded with EPA 319 grant funds should be linked to water quality outcomes �Focus on restoration of impaired waters via watershed based plans �At least 50% of 319 funds must be used in 319 eligible areas � 319 eligible area = has a plan consistent with EPA’s 9 Key Elements - DNR/EPA review

Pink = approved TMDLs Cross-hatch = 319 eligible Expire in 2016 -2019 Pink and some cross hatch areas will become ineligible in 2015 w/o 9 element plan Green = Impaired Water

� Green /Red = Recently Approved � Yellow =Expire in 2016 � White = Expire in 2019 � Green = Impaired Waters

EPA & DNR Review of 9 Element Plans �“EPA regions will annually review a sample of WBPs from each state and provide feedback and recommendations to help ensure the plans lay a good foundation for efforts to restore and/or protect waterbodies. ” �“EPA will select the plan(s) for review and conduct each review using a protocol that will be communicated with the states in advance of the reviews. ”

9 KE plans under development �In 2014, DNR used Federal 319 funds to help develop 9 Key Element plans across the state �Provide ‘example plans’ to help meet the 9 Key Elements � 5 projects selected �Eau Claire, Marinette, Brown, Outagamie and Marathon Counties �Not likely Federal 319 funds can used to develop plans in future

9 Element Plan Timeline �December 2014 - 319 project $ awarded �January – September 2015 – develop 9 Key Element Plan �October – November 2015 - submit draft plan to DNR and EPA for review �November - December 2015 - revise plan and get ‘approval’ plan is consistent with 9 Key Elements

9 KE TMDL plans under development �Lafayette County – 2 TMDL basins �Red Cedar TMDL - Barron and Dunn Counties �Rock River TMDL – 8 counties �Jackson and Mason Creeks – Rock River TMDL – Walworth County �Little Lake Wissota TMDL – Chippewa County � Wisconsin River Basin? ? �Milwaukee River Basin? ? �Upper Fox and Wolf River Basins? ?

DNR, GLRI grants & 9 Key Elements

DNR Grants �TRM, NOD, Lakes and River grants are funded with Federal 319 and State $ �Multiple funding sources used to increase number of nonpoint projects across the state �Projects using 319 Federal funds must have an approved 9 Key Element plan

GLRI grants �GLRI projects funded with a combination of Federal and local /state funds �In 2015, projects using Federal GLRI funds must have an approved 9 Key Element plan �EPA and DNR will be reviewing the plans for consistency with 9 Key Elements

319 Funds and Grant Structure $4 million dollars per year Program Funds ≤ 50% ≥ 50% Project Funds

Program Funds (est. $2 million) � 20 DNR staff used implement Wisconsin NPS Program Management Plan �Program administration �NPS Monitoring �NPS Research �TMDL Development �All planning-related activities – NPS, TMDL, etc. �NPS-related staff time

Project Funds (est. $2 million) �Project #1 – Eligible DNR Staff (4 FTEs) � NPS Coord, Lakes, WQ Biologists �Project #2 – DATCP Contract (staff costs) �Project #3 – TRM and NOD Grants – $ 1 million �Project #4 – Lake and River Protection Grants – $200 K �Project #5 – Tier I & III Monitoring (USGS/SLOH/LTE costs)

Measuring & Tracking Progress �National performance measures for NPS Program �WQ-9 - Estimate annual load reductions of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment achieved by § 319 funded projects �WQ-10 - Number of waterbodies primarily NPSimpaired that are partially or fully restored �WQ-SP 12 - Improve water quality conditions in impaired watersheds using the watershed approach NPS Success Stories: http: //water. epa. gov/polwaste/nps/success 319/index. cfm

Resources to develop 9 Key Element plans

DNR 9 Key Element Web Page �dnr. wi. gov - keyword: 9 Key Element

Your watershed determines the health of your wetlands, lakes and streams fyi. uwex. edu/watershedplanning

Why? • Concise, easy to use. • Focused on Wisconsin. • Restored and protected water resources require good comprehensive planning and management. • Certain elements of planning required to meet DNR grant requirements. 29

“Good” planning • Need buy-in and participation from key stakeholders from the start. • Meet guidelines, yes…but also be implementable. • Not a plan to sit on the shelf. • Dynamic…can be modified easily. • Leads to restored and protected water bodies. 30

Getting Started (chapter 1) • Why and how to create a watershed plan. • Geographic scope of your plan. • Gathering stakeholders (contacting, meeting, organizing). • Education and outreach. 31

What You Need to Know and How to Find It (chapter 2) • A “Watershed Profile”. • Water quality standards. • Designated uses. • Water quality criteria. • Watershed assessment. • Watershed protection. 32

Creating Your Plan (chapter 3) • Prioritizing sources of pollutants. • Vision, goals, objectives, action items, cost estimates. • US EPA’s “Nine Elements of a Watershed Plan”. • Civic engagement. 33

Putting Your Plan into Action (chapter 4) • Overseeing implementation. • Keeping the momentum going. • Defining success. • Monitoring progress. • Modifying your plan. 34

Chad Cook Natural Resource Educator chad. cook@uwex. edu 920 -232 -1990 fyi. uwex. edu/watershedplanning Presentation produced by the UW–Exrtension Environmental Resources Center Photos by Jeffrey J. Strobel and Kris Stepenuck

EPA Handbook for 9 Key Element Watershed Plans

DNR Watershed Plan Guidance http: //dnr. wi. gov/topic/surfacewater/documents/Watershe d. Planning_Guidance_final_2013. pdf

DNR Healthy Watersheds Assessment http: //dnr. wi. gov/topic/watersheds/hwa. html/

Other Tools and DNR Contact Info �Tools to develop LW plans �dnr. wi. gov – keyword: � 9 Key � EVAAL � STEPL �Andrew Craig – DNR Nonpoint Source Planning Coordinator Andrew. craig@wisconsin. gov (608)267 -7695