Missouri Water Seminar, September 10-11, 2015, Columbia, MO

1. Integrated Planning – Is it here to stay?
2015 Missouri Water Seminar
September 10 & 11, 2015
Elizabeth Toot-Levy
Adrienne Nemura, PE

2. 12 Angry Mayors - 2009

3. Why were they so angry?

4. CWA Compliance Triangle
Endpoints

5. Elements of CWA Compliance
• 100 % Compliance with
CWA Goals
Endpoints
• No more than 20 years
Schedule
• At least 2% MHI
Affordability

6. Endpoints
 NPDES Permit needed to discharge pollutants to
waterways
 NPDES Permit conditions require waterways to be:
 Fishable
 Swimmable
 Drinkable
 NPDES Permit conditions must be met at all times
 Ultimate goal is to eliminate pollutant discharges

7. Affordability – CWA and SDWA Needs
 Can we afford
fishable,
swimmable,
drinkable, at all
times?
 Lack of Federal
Investment
 Future needs
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8. Schedule

9. Integrated Planning Framework – Principles
June 5, 2012
Maintain
existing
regulatory
standards
Prioritize
CWA
requirements
Municipality
driven
Innovative
technologies

10. The Elements of Integrated Planning
• Description of challenges to be addressed
• Identification of human health threats, WLAs, TMDLs, etc.
Water Quality, Human
Health & Regulatory Issues
• Description of existing wastewater and stormwater systems
• Evaluation of current performance
Existing Systems and
Performance
• Open channels of communication with relevant stakeholders
• Allows for public input
Stakeholder Involvement
• Prioritizing investments and renewal of systems
• Green infrastructure for more sustainable solutions
Evaluating and Selecting
Alternatives
• Identified performance criteria
• Monitoring and evaluation program
Measuring Success
• Identification of new projects or modifications
• Changing circumstances
Improving the Plan

11. Elements of CWA Compliance - Revisited
• Adaptive Management
Endpoints
• Low-hanging fruit
addressed first
Schedule
• Consider economic
burden on community
Affordability

12. Integrated Planning Endpoints
 Coordination between State and federal NPDES permit
and enforcement authorities
 Communities can determine how to maximize the
environmental benefit of their CWA actions given limited
resources
 Reopener provisions to better facilitate adaptive
management
 Sustainable solutions for wet weather control (Green
Infrastructure)
 Flexibility
 Water Quality Trading

13. Integrated Planning Affordability
 FCA can include wastewater and stormwater costs
 Not required to spend 2% of MHI to use Integrated
Planning
 Can use SRF funding for planning
 Consider infrastructure rehabilitation/improvement costs
 Consider lifecycle costs and sustainability for alternatives
evaluation
 Weighted Average Residential Index
 Affordability Assessment Tool for Federal Water
Mandates

14. Integrated Planning Schedule
 Extended Compliance Schedules
 Compliance schedules that prioritize the most significant
human health and environmental needs
 Longer timeframes
 Non-CWA projects can be considered when evaluating
overall financial health and burden

15. CWA Compliance Triangle
Endpoints

16. EXAMPLE: Lima, Ohio
 Population = 38,355
(2013)
 Sewer Service
Population = 47,920
 Sewer Accounts =
16,000
 13.80 mi2
 MHI = $26,943
 Industrial history

17. Lima, Ohio
 Wastewater Utility
 Wastewater Treatment Plant
 18.5 MGD dry weather, tertiary treatment
 96.0 MGD wet weather treatment (under construction)
 Sewer Collection System
 20 CSOs
 32 CSOs
 251 miles of sewers
 60% combined
 25 pump station
 Stormwater Utility
 Water Supply System

18. LTCP Timeline
 1998 – Original LTCP Submitted to OEPA
 1999 – OEPA Approves LTCP
 2005 – USEPA R5 Rejects LTCP
 2009 – Original LTCP would have been complete
 2011 – Lima submits revised LTCP
 2012 – Lima Presents Integrated Planning Approach to
USEPA, HQ
 2012 – USEPA Visits Lima (April)
 2012 – City Submits Revised LTCP (May)
 2015 – Consent Decree Approved

19. Consent Decree Reopeners
 Economic Reopeners
 Significant cost increases
 Increased costs as a percentage of median household
income
 Service area poverty levels
 Increasing unemployment
 Decreasing population
 Changes in service area size
 Decreases in revenue due to water conservation efforts
 Closure of major industrial accounts
 Increases in operational costs

20. Additional Consent Decree Reopeners
 New Clean Water Act obligations
 TMDL or NPDES permit changes
 Incorporation of Green Infrastructure
 If equal or better environmental results
can be achieved through adaptive
management

21. Economic
 Declining population:
38,838
 Wastewater utility service
area population ~47,920
 City MHI $26,943 and
declining
 MHI below Ohio Very Low
Income Threshold
 34.7% of City residents
below the poverty level
 Unemployment 20.2%
Clean Water Act
 CSOs
 Ottawa River TMDLs
 Ottawa River – Multiple
stressors
 Low-head dams
 Lake Erie drainage basin
Lima’s Challenges

22. Economics of the Consent Decree
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
Annual Household Income Distribution in Lima, Ohio
“Anyone who has ever struggled
with poverty knows how
extremely expensive it is to be
poor.” – Mayor Berger
July 24, 2014, Water Resources Subcommittee
Testimony

23. Economics of the Consent Decree

24. The Players

25. The Ottawa River – Lima, OH

26. The Study
 Flow balance
 Document pollutants
 Data Evaluation
 Model Development
 Evaluate dam
modifications
 Develop Realistic goals
for the Ottawa River
The Questions
 Can the habitat in the
Ottawa River be
improved?
 Can the dams be
managed in a manner to
improve habitat?
 Can the drinking water
system be managed to
improve the habitat in the
river?
The Ottawa River Feasibility Study

27. The Ottawa River Feasibility Study

28. The Ottawa River Feasibility Study

29. Baseline Flow Predictions
1
10
100
1,000
5/1/2010 5/6/2010 5/11/2010 5/16/2010 5/21/2010 5/26/2010 5/31/2010
Daily
Average
Flow,
in
cfs
Date
Estimated Ottawa River Flow Record Adjustment
USGS Gage Station, May 2010
Original Ottawa River Flow
Ottawa River Flow Adj. for Intakes

30. Low Flow Conditions
4.3
33.0
41.6
48.4
4.3
33.0
33.1
39.9
0.2
10.2
20.2
30.2
40.2
50.2
60.2
Reach 3
Reach 4
Reach 5
Reach 6
Daily
Average
Flow,
cfs
Low Flow Condition Results
Design Flow
With Husky
Without Husky
38.3
PCS @ 3.3 MGD

31. Next Steps
 Field Survey
 Flow Monitoring
 Modeling of Existing Conditions
 Alternatives Analysis
 Options – Low-head dam modification, channel
modification, flow augmentation
 Criteria: Water depth, velocity, aquatic habitat impacts,
aesthetics/appearance

32. The Future
 What does this tell us about realistic expectations for the
Ottawa River?
 Can Lima achieve equal or better environmental results
through adaptive management
 Dam modification
 Flow management
 Responsible use of rate-payer dollars
 Wise investment of private funds

33. Dam Removal

34. Questions
Elizabeth Toot-Levy
etoot-levy@geosyntec.com
440-227-9181