Jah tian Pee eee are of 2009 Surface Water Quality AssessmentCity of Pensacola Public Works Department Surface Water Quality Assessment + March 2009 Overview ‘The bayous, creeks and bays on its boundaries, and within its borders, have always been che defining characteristic ofthe City of Pensacola. Though the city has looked toward the water throughout its long history, in recent years the contamination of our local waterways has been atopic of cancern and serious discussion. Studies have indicated that years of abusive indusual practices and stormwater contamination have contributed to the virual elimination of aquatic grasses in Escambia Bay and in large stretches of Pensacola Bay. Contamination in Bayou Texar and in Carpenter Creck, which feds Pensacola Bay, has at times reached cite! level ‘in 2000 che Pensacola City Council addreved those concerns by forthe frst time setting goals to improve the quality of surface water runoff the city contributes to local ‘warers. The goal esblished was 250 percent reduction by the year 2012 and an 80 percent reduction by 2020 ofthe average annual stormwater pollutant loads chat cause oF ‘contribute to violations of State of Flosida water quality standards, “To support the work needed to achieve those {improvements the councl also approved storm water uty fe, an assessment based on the amount of impervious surface on each parce of land within the ciy. Eight years, and some $20 million, into the program the city has undertaken a surface ware quality assessment to determine the realistic value ofthe established goals, and how successful the stormwater reduction plan has been in meeting them. City sf considers tis report something of a mid-term report card. In order to determine the effectiveness ofthe city’s program a highly detailed model was created by Stormwater Solutions, Inc. (SSD and Kenneth Horne and Associates, Inc. (KHA). The model encompasses about 18.23 square ‘miles within the City, and includes 63 public and private stormwater ponds and 59 stormvater treatment stuetures, these srucures have been installed a various locations ‘houghour the Cty of Pensseala. Summary “The result ofthe Surface Water Quality Astesemene shows that through is various efforts, encompassing increased street sweeping, revision of public and private retention ponds, and installation of treatment sructures, the Cty of Pensacola has made significant progress in reducing the amounts of sediment, as wells the amount of ‘organic material, phosphorus end nicrogen contributed 9 local waters by its stormwater system. Due toa variety of factors, however, it is doubefl certain goals, particularly a significant further reduction in notrlens, can be mer using ‘our caren technologies and given the parameters within which we ae working, including lace of physical space with the City co construct additional reretion ponds. "The Surfce Water Quali assesment tracks progres in the reduction of dre elements ~ sediment, phosphorus and nitrogen from local waters, Sediment ‘The Pensacola City Council as one ofits primary concerns, identifed the need to reduce the amount of sediment sand, wash, grit and organic materials such as leaves ~ being introduced into local waterways. The Surface ‘Water Quality Assessment indicates the City is already achieving its 2012 sediment target gol in this area by removing 54 percent of povental sediment. “Mach of cis suces in sediment removal can be aribured to an elective sueet sweeping program. Since it is much more dffcule co remove pollutants fom bodies of ‘water chan it isto prevent pollutants fom enteting those bodies street sweeping can dramatically reduce potential pollutant loads on treatment ponds, treatment structures, and subsequently on local waters. Under the City’s plan, street sweeping prevents an annual average of 3,224 tons of sediment fom entering the stormivater sytem, accounting for almost 70 percent of total sediment removal, In addition to seet sweeping and treatment ponds, che City has aso installed 59 serucrures, called baffle boxes. “The sizeof these boxes varies from ewo niload ca-sied boxes installed in Bayview Park ro manhole-sied boxesCity of Pensacola Public Works Department ‘Surface Water Quality Assessment * March 2009 bbeneah residential streets. Though the effectiveness ofthe serucrues varies widely depending on 2 number oF clement, including size the advantage ofthe sructures the Citys ability to retrofit them into densely populated seas where space is ata premium and treatment facilites ‘would otherwise be nonexistent. The sediment collected by structures i periodically removed and taken to a eatment fal. ‘The third clement of the program i evention ponds. ‘The Cty mainly wines dry retention ponds which collect ‘water and hold it, effexively removing all pollurans from ‘runoff hiss rue as long asthe design volume ofthe pond isnot exceeded. In a severe storm event the pond may ‘ovedlow into downstream waser basins. Because of Pensacola’ age and population density ther slice space availble to build new ponds of sufficient sze, something that is key to have a significant impact on the furcher removal of nutrients. ‘When all three aspects of the City’s sedimentation removal plan are considered, che total sediments removed annual fom local waterways is 4.636 8 tons, a 54 percent reduction from what would reach the waters were no action raken, Phosphorus and Nitrogen ‘The removal of phosphorus and nitrogen from local waterways has als improved dramatically under the City’s ‘weatment program. As we have noted, howeves, there are issues tat will make it increasingly difficle to achieve significantly higher levels of removal. Pensacola and Escambia bays have been identified as itmpaited bodies of water for nutrients based on tends in chlorophyll «concentrations. High levels of chlorophyll « indiate excessive nutient pollution, which fuels the ‘growth of algae and blocks sunlight needed forthe growth snd propagation of aquatic grasses. While some algae are necessary 9 main food sources for juvenile sh and inverebrats, large-scale algae blooms ase harsnfl, depleting oxygen level in desper waters. ‘Nuits, suchas nitrogen and phosphorus, have been identified as “sediment contaminants of concern” in Bayou Chico, Bayou Texar, Bayou Grande and Pensacola Bay. The heightened levels of nutrients are associated with ‘stormwace runoff and are indications ofthe poor health of a water body; removing organic material, suchas leaves and twee limbs, Bom azea waterways is one means of regulating the nutrients introduced. ‘Wet ponds, which are used in areas with higher groundwater elevations remove pollutant by either sedimentation, the process by which heavier particles fll the bottom of the pond, or biological action like che use of nuriencabsorbing plans ‘The Cir through the use of “inelligent revisions” in cxsting trescment ponds, “as wel as proper construction techniques for new ponds” has significantly reduced the load of both nitrogen and phosphorus incosurfice waters, ‘Nitrogen has ben reduced by 23.99 tons annually and Phosphorus by 4.33 tons annually chrough the use of retention ponds. When all treatment practices, including suet sweeping and installation of baffle boxes, ae ‘considered, retention ponds account for 85 percent ofthe total nitogen and 84 percent of the voual phosphorus removed. Hloweves, one caveat needs to be noted. Du wo a lack of land available within the City to construct additional ‘retention ponds and che face chat che bafle box system inualled in densely developed ares do noc poses the technology to contribute significandy to the removal of ‘iuogen and phosphorus, its uncertzin ar this time how much incase can be expected in farare levels of removal Conclusion ‘Since the implementation of the City stormwater ‘weatment program, che sum of che pollutants removed through retention ponds, street sweeping and bafile boxes ‘here has been a significant improvement in the quality of ‘the runoff being introduced by che City into local ‘waterways, According to the report, these practices have hhad a “wemendous impact” on the ecosystem and have led ‘tw the emoral of 4.6 milion tons of sediment, 28.09 tons of nitrogen, and 5.12 tons of phosphorus from our ‘waterways annually.