The Napa River watershed was recognized in 1998 under section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water act by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as having impairments to water quality due to excessive sediment loading, nutrient loading, and pathogen. Potential sources for the loading have been identified as fertilizer and livestock runoff, defective septic systems seepage, and wastewater treatment plant effluents. Currently, the watershed is listed as having a high priority impairment for sedimentation and siltation, and a medium priority impairment for nutrients and pathogens. A total maximum daily load (TMDL) reduction plan is currently in progress by the San Francisco-Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) and the TMDL reduction plans for nutrients and pathogens are anticipated to be submitted by December 3, 2005.
This Masters
Thesis Project will focus on the nutrient impairment of the watershed. By working through calculations of estimated daily loads,
source identification and linkage analysis, this project will create a nutrient
management plan designed to aid in the development of the Napa River watershed
TMDL. Deliverables will include a comprehensive report providing several alternative scenarios for nutrient load
allocations based on technical, economic, and policy considerations.
Accompanying the report will be a GIS based nutrient loading schematic
for the Napa watershed and model simulations produced using the programs BASINS
(Better Assessment
Science Integrating point and Non-point
Sources)
and WARMF (Watershed Analysis Risk
Management Framework).
This project proposal is to serve as a guide to the steps that will be
taken to complete the Napa
River Watershed TMDL Group Thesis, which
is intended to be completed by April, 2004.