Draft California 2012 Integrated Report( 303(d) List/305(b) Report)

Supporting Information

Regional Board 6 - Lahontan Region

Water Body Name: Blackwood Creek
Water Body ID: CAR6342002119990128133830
Water Body Type: River & Stream
 
DECISION ID
20634
Region 6     
Blackwood Creek
 
Pollutant: Nitrogen
Final Listing Decision: List on 303(d) list (being addressed by USEPA approved TMDL)
Last Listing Cycle's Final Listing Decision: List on 303(d) list (TMDL required list)(2010)
Revision Status Revised
Sources: Source Unknown
TMDL Name: Lake Tahoe Nutrients/Sediment
TMDL Project Code: 198
Date TMDL Approved by USEPA: 08/16/2011
Impairment from Pollutant or Pollution: Pollutant
 
Regional Board Staff Conclusion: This pollutant was considered for placement on the section 303 (d) list in a previous listing cycle. 303(d) listing decisions made prior to 2006 were not held in an assessment database.

Regional Board conclusion: No new data were assessed for this assessment cycle, however; the final listing decision has changed since the Lake Tahoe TMDL, which partly addresses the nitrogen impairment within Blackwood Creek, was adopted after the 2010 Integrated Report.

Blackwood Creek is a tributary to Lake Tahoe. On-the-ground efforts required by the Lake Tahoe TMDL will also achieve pollutant load reductions in waters tributary to Lake Tahoe, including Blackwood Creek. There is also a water-body specific Blackwood Creek TMDL that addresses historic channel disturbance and bedded sediment instabilities.

The largest source of nitrogen in the Lake Tahoe (and Blackwood Creek) watershed is transportation-related emissions that lead to atmospheric nitrogen deposition. The Lake Tahoe TMDL includes implementation measures to reduce atmospheric nitrogen sources. The TMDL relies on the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to lead efforts to improve transportation infrastructure and reduce overall vehicle miles traveled in the Lake Tahoe region to reduce emissions that lead to atmospheric nutrient loading. Public transit and vehicle fleet turnover are expected to further reduce nutrient-laden emissions in the Tahoe basin that will reduce nitrogen loading in the Blackwood Creek watershed.

Furthermore, Federal, State, and larger local restoration agencies have well defined multi objective watershed restoration programs to address historic disturbances to Lake Tahoe tributary stream channels. Implementation of USFS-Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit's Blackwood Creek Restoration Project between 2008 and 2009 helped restore the functional channel/floodplain relationship within the most degraded section of Blackwood Creek which is expected to reduce sediment and nutrient loading to Blackwood Creek. The California Tahoe Conservancy has also implemented additional work on Blackwood Creek to treat channel incision at the Highway 89 crossing that will further reduce pollutant loading. These projects are all part of the Blackwood Creek TMDL implementation plan that targets restoration to address channel instability and re-establish natural geomorphic function.

Finally, the Lake Tahoe TMDL requires the USFS-Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit to undertake restoration actions to reduce erosion and treat urban storm water runoff from paved and unpaved roadways, campgrounds, and recreational trails within the Blackwood Creek watershed. Storm water collection, conveyance, and treatment facilities coupled with revegetation of previously disturbed lands and stabilizing areas designated for recreational use are expected to reduce nutrient loading to Blackwood Creek.

Pollutant load reductions within Blackwood Creek will be tracked through implementation of detailed performance and compliance measures and assessment and reporting protocols included in the Lake Tahoe TMDL. The TMDL Management System project is establishing activity-based tracking and reporting requirements to assess activities that are expected to reduce pollutant loading from non-urban sources.

The Lahontan Water Board and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection will implement a Lake Tahoe TMDL Management System for managing, tracking, integrating and evaluating new information generated from TMDL implementation actions, effectiveness monitoring, research efforts, and other factors such as climate change and wildfires.

The Management System is based on an adaptive management framework to (1) link load reduction effectiveness with project implementation monitoring to improve project design and to assess if actual environmental improvement is occurring as expected; (2) establish guidance and operation protocols for how new information will be incorporated into project designs and TMDL program implementation; (3) establish prioritized TMDL research needs to fill data gaps and reduce uncertainties, and (4) implement a process for updating and reporting pollutant load reduction estimates and tracking projects within the TMDL implementation timeline.

The Lake Tahoe TMDL requires implementation, effectiveness, and status and trends monitoring. Tributary stream status and trends monitoring will track long-term changes in water quality conditions relative to established water quality standards or goals, and project-specific monitoring will be used to assess the efficacy of various implementation measures.
Long-term water quality trends and pollutant load reduction tracking in Blackwood Creek will be captured through the ongoing efforts of the Lake Tahoe Interagency Monitoring Program (LTIMP) whose primary objective is to monitor discharge, nutrient load, and sediment loads from representative streams that flow into Lake Tahoe. Nitrogen and phosphorus loading calculations are performed using the LTIMP flow and nutrient concentration database. LTIMP has monitored Blackwood Creek and other tributaries to Lake Tahoe since 1988; this data is stored on the USGS website at http://wdr.water.usgs.gov/.
 
Regional Board Staff Decision Recommendation: No new data were assessed for this assessment cycle. After review of the available data and information, RWQCB staff concludes that the water body-pollutant combination should not be removed from the section 303(d) list because applicable water quality standards for the pollutant are being exceeded. However, the final listing decision for this waterbody pollutant combination has changed for this listing cycle to "being addressed by a USEPA approved TMDL." This waterbody pollutant combination has been and continues to be addressed by implementation of the Lake Tahoe TMDL, which was approved by the USEPA on August 16, 2011.
 
 
Line of Evidence (LOE) for Decision ID 20634, Nitrogen
Region 6     
Blackwood Creek
 
LOE ID: 4587
 
Pollutant: Nitrogen
LOE Subgroup: Pollutant-Water
Matrix: Water
Fraction: Not Recorded
 
Beneficial Use: Cold Freshwater Habitat
 
Number of Samples: 0
Number of Exceedances: 0
 
Data and Information Type: Not Specified
Data Used to Assess Water Quality: Unspecified--This LOE is a placeholder to support a 303(d) listing decision made prior to 2006.
Data Reference: Placeholder reference pre-2006 303(d)
 
SWAMP Data: Non-SWAMP
 
Water Quality Objective/Criterion: Unspecified
Objective/Criterion Reference: Placeholder reference pre-2006 303(d)
 
Evaluation Guideline: Unspecified
Guideline Reference: Placeholder reference pre-2006 303(d)
 
Spatial Representation: Unspecified
Temporal Representation: Unspecified
Environmental Conditions: Unspecified
QAPP Information: Unspecified
QAPP Information Reference(s):
 
 
DECISION ID
27246
Region 6     
Blackwood Creek
 
Pollutant: Phosphorus
Final Listing Decision: List on 303(d) list (being addressed by USEPA approved TMDL)
Last Listing Cycle's Final Listing Decision: List on 303(d) list (TMDL required list)(2010)
Revision Status Revised
Sources: Source Unknown
TMDL Name: Lake Tahoe Nutrients/Sediment
TMDL Project Code: 198
Date TMDL Approved by USEPA: 08/16/2011
Impairment from Pollutant or Pollution: Pollutant
 
Regional Board Staff Conclusion: This pollutant was considered for placement on the section 303 (d) list in a previous listing cycle. 303(d) listing decisions made prior to 2006 were not held in an assessment database.

Regional Board conclusion: No new data were assessed for this assessment cycle, however; the final listing decision has changed since the Lake Tahoe TMDL, which partly addresses the phosphorus impairment within Blackwood Creek, was adopted after the 2010 Integrated Report.

Blackwood Creek is a tributary to Lake Tahoe. On-the-ground efforts required by the Lake Tahoe TMDL will also achieve pollutant load reductions in waters tributary to Lake Tahoe, including Blackwood Creek. There is also a water-body specific Blackwood Creek TMDL that addresses historic channel disturbance and bedded sediment instabilities.

The primary source of phosphorus in Blackwood Creek is associated with historic watershed disturbance actions that have caused elevated watershed erosion rates and altered natural geomorphic processes in the stream itself. Recreational uses, including informal camping, paved and unpaved access roads, and user-created trails are all additional sources of sediment and associated phosphorus loading to the creek.

The Lake Tahoe TMDL requires that the USFS-Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit undertake restoration actions to reduce erosion and treat urban storm water runoff from paved and unpaved roadways, campgrounds, and recreational trails within the Blackwood Creek watershed. Storm water collection, conveyance, and treatment facilities coupled with revegetation of previously disturbed lands and stabilizing areas designated for recreational use are expected to reduce sediment and associated phosphorus loading to Blackwood Creek.

Maintenance activities, including vegetation management work and restoration of small disturbed sites that are underway, or planned and expected, within the forested uplands of Blackwood Creek will further reduce or avoid increases in fine sediment and associated phosphorus loads).

Furthermore, Federal, State, and larger local restoration agencies have well defined multi objective watershed restoration programs to address historic disturbances to Lake Tahoe tributary stream channels. Implementation of USFS-Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit's Blackwood Creek Restoration Project between 2008 and 2009 helped restore the functional channel/floodplain relationship within the most degraded section of Blackwood Creek which is expected to reduce sediment and nutrient loading to Blackwood Creek.

The California Tahoe Conservancy is also planning to implement additional work on Blackwood Creek to treat channel incision at the Highway 89 crossing that will further reduce pollutant loading. These projects are all part of the Blackwood Creek TMDL implementation plan that targets restoration to address channel instability and re-establish natural geomorphic function.

Finally, the Lake Tahoe TMDL requires implementation dust control measures which help reduce pollutant loads of fine sediment. Implementation of these measures helps address the phosphorus loading (associated with these fine sediments from dust sources) that impairs Blackwood Creek.

Pollutant load reductions within Blackwood Creek will be tracked through implementation of detailed performance and compliance measures and assessment and reporting protocols included in the Lake Tahoe TMDL. The TMDL Management System project is establishing activity-based tracking and reporting requirements to assess activities that are expected to reduce pollutant loading from non-urban sources.

The Lahontan Water Board and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection will implement a Lake Tahoe TMDL Management System for managing, tracking, integrating and evaluating new information generated from TMDL implementation actions, effectiveness monitoring, research efforts, and other factors such as climate change and wildfires.

The Management System is based on an adaptive management framework to (1) link load reduction effectiveness with project implementation monitoring to improve project design and to assess if actual environmental improvement is occurring as expected; (2) establish guidance and operation protocols for how new information will be incorporated into project designs and TMDL program implementation; (3) establish prioritized TMDL research needs to fill data gaps and reduce uncertainties, and (4) implement a process for updating and reporting pollutant load reduction estimates and tracking projects within the TMDL implementation timeline.

The Lake Tahoe TMDL requires implementation, effectiveness, and status and trends monitoring. Tributary stream status and trends monitoring will track long-term changes in water quality conditions relative to established water quality standards or goals, and project-specific monitoring will be used to assess the efficacy of various implementation measures.

Long-term water quality trends and pollutant load reduction tracking in Blackwood Creek will be captured through the ongoing efforts of the Lake Tahoe Interagency Monitoring Program (LTIMP) whose primary objective is to monitor discharge, nutrient load, and sediment loads from representative streams that flow into Lake Tahoe. Nitrogen and phosphorus loading calculations are performed using the LTIMP flow and nutrient concentration database. LTIMP has monitored Blackwood Creek and other tributaries to Lake Tahoe since 1988; this data is stored on the USGS website at http://wdr.water.usgs.gov/.
 
Regional Board Staff Decision Recommendation: No new data were assessed for this assessment cycle. After review of the available data and information, RWQCB staff concludes that the water body-pollutant combination should not be removed from the section 303(d) list because applicable water quality standards for the pollutant are being exceeded. However, the final listing decision for this waterbody pollutant combination has changed for this listing cycle to "being addressed by a USEPA approved TMDL." This waterbody pollutant combination has been and continues to be addressed by implementation of the Lake Tahoe TMDL, which was approved by the USEPA on August 16, 2011.
 
 
Line of Evidence (LOE) for Decision ID 27246, Phosphorus
Region 6     
Blackwood Creek
 
LOE ID: 4588
 
Pollutant: Phosphorus
LOE Subgroup: Pollutant-Water
Matrix: Water
Fraction: Not Recorded
 
Beneficial Use: Cold Freshwater Habitat
 
Number of Samples: 0
Number of Exceedances: 0
 
Data and Information Type: Not Specified
Data Used to Assess Water Quality: Unspecified--This LOE is a placeholder to support a 303(d) listing decision made prior to 2006.
Data Reference: Placeholder reference pre-2006 303(d)
 
SWAMP Data: Non-SWAMP
 
Water Quality Objective/Criterion: Unspecified
Objective/Criterion Reference: Placeholder reference pre-2006 303(d)
 
Evaluation Guideline: Unspecified
Guideline Reference: Placeholder reference pre-2006 303(d)
 
Spatial Representation: Unspecified
Temporal Representation: Unspecified
Environmental Conditions: Unspecified
QAPP Information: Unspecified
QAPP Information Reference(s):
 
 
DECISION ID
20633
Region 6     
Blackwood Creek
 
Pollutant: Iron
Final Listing Decision: List on 303(d) list (TMDL required list)
Last Listing Cycle's Final Listing Decision: List on 303(d) list (TMDL required list)(2010)
Revision Status Original
Sources: Erosion/Siltation | Natural Sources | Nonpoint Source
Expected TMDL Completion Date: 2022
Impairment from Pollutant or Pollution: Pollutant
 
Regional Board Staff Conclusion: Regional Board Conclusion:

This pollutant was considered for placement on the section 303(d) list in a previous assessment cycle.

No new information was reviewed for this current assessment cycle. Therefore, the previous conclusion remains unchanged, and is as follows:

303(d) listing decisions made prior to 2006 were not held in an assessment database. The Regional Boards will update this decision when new data and information become available and are assessed.
 
Regional Board Staff Decision Recommendation: No new data were assessed for this assessment cycle. The conclusion reached in the previous cycle remains in same. The Regional Board will update this decision when new data and information become available in a future assessment cycle.
 
 
Line of Evidence (LOE) for Decision ID 20633, Iron
Region 6     
Blackwood Creek
 
LOE ID: 4586
 
Pollutant: Iron
LOE Subgroup: Pollutant-Water
Matrix: Water
Fraction: Not Recorded
 
Beneficial Use: Municipal & Domestic Supply
 
Number of Samples: 0
Number of Exceedances: 0
 
Data and Information Type: Not Specified
Data Used to Assess Water Quality: Unspecified--This LOE is a placeholder to support a 303(d) listing decision made prior to 2006.
Data Reference: Placeholder reference pre-2006 303(d)
 
SWAMP Data: Non-SWAMP
 
Water Quality Objective/Criterion: Unspecified
Objective/Criterion Reference: Placeholder reference pre-2006 303(d)
 
Evaluation Guideline: Unspecified
Guideline Reference: Placeholder reference pre-2006 303(d)
 
Spatial Representation: Unspecified
Temporal Representation: Unspecified
Environmental Conditions: Unspecified
QAPP Information: Unspecified
QAPP Information Reference(s):
 
 
DECISION ID
20635
Region 6     
Blackwood Creek
 
Pollutant: Sedimentation/Siltation
Final Listing Decision: List on 303(d) list (being addressed by USEPA approved TMDL)
Last Listing Cycle's Final Listing Decision: List on 303(d) list (being addressed by USEPA approved TMDL)(2010)
Revision Status Original
Sources: Source Unknown
TMDL Name: Blackwood Creek
TMDL Project Code: 182
Date TMDL Approved by USEPA: 07/11/2008
Impairment from Pollutant or Pollution: Pollutant
 
Regional Board Staff Conclusion: Regional Board Conclusion:

This pollutant was considered for placement on the section 303(d) list in a previous assessment cycle.

No new information was reviewed for this current assessment cycle. Therefore, the previous conclusion remains unchanged, and is as follows:

In October 2007 the Lahontan RWQCB approved a sediment TMDL for Blackwood Creek, with an implementation program recognizing ongoing watershed restoration work by the U.S. Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. The TMDL was adopted under Resolution 6T-2007-0027 and did not involve a Basin Plan amendment. The USEPA approved the TMDL on July 11, 2008.
 
Regional Board Staff Decision Recommendation: No new data were assessed for this assessment cycle. The conclusion reached in the previous cycle remains in same. The Regional Board will update this decision when new data and information become available in a future assessment cycle.
 
 
Line of Evidence (LOE) for Decision ID 20635, Sedimentation/Siltation
Region 6     
Blackwood Creek
 
LOE ID: 4589
 
Pollutant: Sedimentation/Siltation
LOE Subgroup: Pollutant-Water
Matrix: Water
Fraction: Not Recorded
 
Beneficial Use: Cold Freshwater Habitat
 
Number of Samples: 0
Number of Exceedances: 0
 
Data and Information Type: Not Specified
Data Used to Assess Water Quality: Unspecified--This LOE is a placeholder to support a 303(d) listing decision made prior to 2006.
Data Reference: Placeholder reference pre-2006 303(d)
 
SWAMP Data: Non-SWAMP
 
Water Quality Objective/Criterion: Unspecified
Objective/Criterion Reference: Placeholder reference pre-2006 303(d)
 
Evaluation Guideline: Unspecified
Guideline Reference: Placeholder reference pre-2006 303(d)
 
Spatial Representation: Unspecified
Temporal Representation: Unspecified
Environmental Conditions: Unspecified
QAPP Information: Unspecified
QAPP Information Reference(s):