International Water Resources and Wetlands Conference, Tulcea, Romania

1. Balancing Nonpoint Source Water
Quality Management with Wetland and
Stream Preservation: Lessons Learned
Andrew T. Der, C.E.P.
Andrew T. Der & Associates, LLC
Environmental Consulting
Hybrid
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Summary of Stormwater
Management (SWM) Principles

3. Habitat Avoidance Alone is Insufficient
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4. What Happens
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5. How SWM is Applied at the Project Level
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Current SWM best management practices (BMPs) were in infancy
during the first project which drove future design – BMPs can be
structural or non-structural
- Early planning
- Local stream buffers and setbacks
- Minimize or disconnect impervious surfaces
- Maximize sheet flow and open section pavement
- Then BMP devices

6. Water Quality Standards
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Can be numeric and narrative, and basis for sensitive water requirements
Needs to maintain the designated uses (e.g. recreation, aquatic habitat,
drinking water)
Numeric – Dissolved Oxygen, Temperature, pH, turbidity, bacteria, toxics,
etc.
Narrative - Protection of aquatic life...fishable…swimmable
Includes federal Clean Water Act Antidegradation (ADP) policy:
“…To accomplish the objective of maintaining existing water
quality…nonpoint sources shall achieve all cost effective and reasonable
best management practices for nonpoint source control…”

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Summary of Project Site

8. Location of Project Area
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9. Location of Project Area
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10. Initial Project at Watershed Low Point
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Summary of Federal/State
Agency Review Process

12. Permit Review Steps
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•County review already completed based mostly on quantity SWM prior to
the first federal/state(Maryland Department of the Environment) Wetland
and Waterway Permit application
•Watershed determined to be higher quality
•Purpose and need documentation
•Avoidance and minimization of wetlands/streams from roads, utilities,
and other disturbances
•On-site quality SWM via MDE policy required
•Public interest coordination with local authorities, NGOs, and
stakeholders

13. MDE Applies Own SWM Preferences
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Vegetative buffers, disconnects, open section
pavement
Infiltration practices if soils allow
Bioretention, swales, wetland filtering
Retention or extended detention wetland pond (to
satisfy quantity management requirement) with
habitat

14. Site-specific Wetland Mitigation and BMP’s
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Stream/wetland impacts limited to necessary roads/utilities
In-waters SWM in marginal/poor areas only
Minimum stream buffer of 100‘ (30.5 meters)
Wetland mitigation and replanting in cropped riparian buffer areas
“First flush” stormwater quality management in uplands
Infiltration/filtration where feasible (permeable soils and depth)
Primary quantity stormwater management in “horseshoe” pond
Water pooling areas planted with wetland vegetation

15. Public & NGO Involvement
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MDE Public Notice
Waters may have cold-water salmonid species
potential
Temperature and ponds potential concern
Implemented trout stocking and sampling
Findings - no higher quality cold water stream

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Summary of Proposed BMPs
and Mitigation (foundation for
future projects and current
principles)

17. Work with Forest and Wetlands
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18. Utilize Site Character
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19. Create Wetlands and Manage Stormwater
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20. Impact Avoidance and SWM
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21. Transitional Habitat and Landscaping
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22. “Ecological” BMPS – Not Just Engineered
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23. First Stream Stabilization and Restoration
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One of first then
Can be effective
watershed
sediment
control practice
Can be a traded
credit
Can be out-of-
kind wetland
mitigation

24. Title
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Additional Water Quality
Conditions from Public Interest
– and Outcome

25. Stream and Water Quality Monitoring
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One of first then – basis for
first ever county special
protection area
Preconstruction, construction
and post-construction essential
Included macroinvertebrate,
chemistry, and geomorphology
biomonitoring

26. Initial and Primary Monitoring Components
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27. Historic Rapid Biological Assessment
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Rapid Bioassessment Metric Comparisons to Pre-Constru
Year ST2 ST6 ST
1993 Non Impaired ** Non Impaired **
1994 Non to Mod. Impaired Non Impaired No
1995 Non to Mod. Impaired Non to Mod. Impaired No
1996 Non to Mod. Impaired Moderately Impaired No
1997 Non to Mod. Impaired Non to Mod. Impaired Mo
1998 Moderately Impaired No
1999 Moderately Impaired Moderately Impaired Mo
2000 Moderately Impaired Non to Mod. Impaired
2001 Non to Severely Impaired Moderately Impaired No
2002 Non to Mod. Impaired Mod. to Severely Impaired
* Non Impaired value is given to the first (reference) date for comparison purposes;

28. Historic Dissolved Oxygen Data Summary
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Piney Branch Mean Dissolved Oxygen Levels for Stations 2, 6 and 10
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Year
mg/l
ST. 2 Mean D.O. ST. 6 Mean D.O. ST. 10 Mean D.O. Use I Min. D.O.

29. Historic Temperature Data Summary
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Piney Branch Instream Peak Temperatures
Stations 2, 6 and 10
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Year
Temperature
(oC)
ST. 2 ST. 6 ST. 10

30. Lessons Learned
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• Contributed to “how we do it now”
• Final watershed buildout under current criteria continued up drainage of this first
project completed in 2010 – 2015 showing a net gain over pre-existing conditions
• Contributed to current ecologically based MD SWM criteria and policies
• Contributed to state-level sensitive and cold-water SWM and BMP strategies when
waters and wetland permits are required
• Contributed to the first ever innovative county special protection area legislation
• Basis for future evolving local, state, federal coordinating and public processes

31. Contacts
Andrew T. Der, C.E.P.
Andrew T. Der & Associates, LLC, Environmental Consulting
AndrewTDer@Comcast.net
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wrw_conference@limnology.ro
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