Weeki Wachee BMAP StoryMap
Background
The Weeki Wachee Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) area consists of 200,474 acres located in southern Hernando County, including a portion of the City of Brooksville, and northern Pasco County. The BMAP area contains the Weeki Wachee Spring Group which is composed of a single, large main spring and numerous smaller springs spread over an area of nearly five square miles. Weeki Wachee Spring is the primary source of the Weeki Wachee River and the largest spring (by discharge) in the group. The BMAP area also contains Magnolia-Aripeka Springs Group; Mud Spring, Salt Spring, Wilderness Spring (collectively referred to as the Wilderness-Mud-Salt Springs Group); and Jenkins Creek Spring which are located within the Weeki Wachee riverine system Outstanding Florida Water (OFW) boundaries.
The BMAP was adopted to implement the total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for the protection and restoration of Outstanding Florida Springs (OFS). The TMDLs established monthly average nitrate targets of 0.28 milligrams per liter (mg/L) for Weeki Wachee Spring and 0.20 mg/L for Weeki Wachee River. DEP adopted nitrate targets of 0.23 mg/L for Magnolia- Aripeka Springs Group; Wilderness- Mud-Salt Springs Group; and Jenkins Creek Spring.
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Springs Priority Focus Area
The Priority Focus Area (PFA) comprises 90,415 acres and includes a region in the western part of the springshed for Weeki Wachee Spring. The PFA represents the area in the basin where the aquifer is most vulnerable to inputs and where there are the most connections between groundwater and the springs.
Find more information on the PFA here .
Nitrogen Sources
Based on the Nitrogen Source Inventory Loading Tool (NSILT) estimates, the table and pie chart in the link below depict the estimated percentage of nitrogen loading to groundwater by source in the Weeki Wachee springshed. Onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS)/ septic systems represent 30% of the nitrogen sources, agriculture (farm fertilizer and livestock waste) represents 27%, and urban turfgrass fertilizer represent 22%. Stormwater loading to groundwater is incorporated into the various source categories.
Click to enlarge.
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Policies
Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal System (OSTDS) Remediation Policy
- Installation of New OSTDS
- This OSTDS remediation plan prohibits new conventional systems on lots of less than one acre within the PFAs, unless the OSTDS includes enhanced treatment of nitrogen or unless the OSTDS permit applicant demonstrates that sewer connections will be available within five years.
- Modification or Repair of Existing OSTDS
- The remediation policy for existing systems applies to all existing OSTDS within the PFAs lots of all sizes.
- Upon the need for repair or replacement, an existing OSTDS must include at least one of the following nitrogen reducing enhancements listed in the BMAP document, unless the OSTDS permit applicant demonstrates that sewer connections will be available within five years.
- All conventional OSTDS in areas subject to the remediation policy for existing systems are required to adopt enhanced treatment of nitrogen or connect to sewer no later than 20 years after BMAP adoption.
Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) Effluent Standards
- The Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act prohibits new domestic wastewater disposal facilities within the BMAP, including Rapid Infiltration Basins (RIBs), with permitted capacities of 100,000 gpd or more, except for those facilities that provide advanced wastewater treatment (AWT) that reduces total nitrogen in the effluent to 3 mg/L or lower, on an annual permitted basis. DEP requires the nitrogen effluent limits listed below in any new or existing wastewater permit, unless the utility/entity can demonstrate reasonable assurance that the reuse or land application of effluent would not cause or contribute to an exceedance of the nitrate concentrations established by the TMDL.
- The nitrogen effluent limits listed in the table will be applied as an annual average to all new and existing WWTFs with a DEP-permitted discharge or disposal area within the BMAP. New effluent standards for existing facilities within the BMAP will take effect at the time of permit issuance or renewal or no later than five years after BMAP adoption, whichever is sooner.
Wastewater Treatment Facility Standards. Click to enlarge.
Agriculture
- Subsection 403.067, F.S., requires agricultural nonpoint sources in a BMAP area either to implement the applicable Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)-adopted Best Management Practices (BMPs), which provides a presumption of compliance with water quality standards, or conduct water quality monitoring prescribed by DEP or Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) that demonstrates compliance with water quality standards.
- Based on the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act, Subsection 373.811(5), F.S., prohibits any new agricultural operations within the BMAP that does not implement applicable FDACS BMPs, measures necessary to achieve pollution reduction levels established by DEP, or groundwater monitoring plans approved by a Water Management District (WMD) or DEP.
- FDACS will work with applicable producers within the BMAP area to implement BMPs.
- Further reductions may be achieved through implementing additional agricultural projects or practices, including land acquisition and conservation easements.
Water Quality
Monitoring
Monitoring is required by all BMAPs. The purpose of the Outstanding Florida Spring (OFS) monitoring network is to support the evaluation of progress made toward achieving the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) target nitrate concentration for the impaired OFS.
BMAP implementation involves an iterative process, therefore, the monitoring efforts are related to primary and secondary objectives. The primary objectives focus on achieving water quality targets, while the secondary objectives focus on water quality parameters that can be used to provide information for future refinements of the BMAP. The monitoring strategy may be updated as necessary.
Documenting water quality improvements for the OFS will require periodic surface water sampling at the spring vent, groundwater monitoring, and biological monitoring. Surface water quality data are collected to determine if TMDL nitrate targets are being achieved. Flow data are collected in support of the secondary objective of calculating total nitrogen (TN) loading and tracking changes in TN loading in the basin. Groundwater well data are collected because the Upper Floridan Aquifer (UFA) well network is expected to respond to changes in nitrate concentration before the spring vents and rivers and will help identify the response of the UFA nitrate levels to different land uses and recharge rates.
At a minimum, the core parameters will be tracked to determine the progress that has been made towards meeting the TMDL and/or achieving the numeric nutrient criteria (NNC). For this BMAP, nitrate is considered to be the key core parameter measured to track progress in decreasing nitrogen concentrations in groundwater and the water surfacing at the spring vent. The other parameters are considered supplementary parameters for the BMAP, as they build information about water quality in the groundwater and at the spring vent but are not direct measurements of impairment.
Biological responses to BMAP implementation may also be tracked. A significant amount of time may be needed for changes to be observed.
DEP uses several monitoring tools designed to measure direct biological response to the water quality improvement or decline in springs. Rapid periphyton surveys (RPS) are conducted to assess the extent and abundance of attached algae (periphyton) and evaluate the autecological information associated with the dominant algae. Linear vegetation surveys (LVS) are conducted to assess the types and density of vegetation present and to identify the native versus non-native species. The LVS was designed to evaluate the ecological condition by determining how closely a site’s flora resembles that of an undisturbed system. Stream Condition Index (SCI) will be conducted to measure the number of different organisms present in the river and/or springs. In addition, habitat assessments (HAs) are conducted to assess the conditions and habitat present to support the SCI evaluation. Water quality samples should also be collected with the biological monitoring.
DEP continuously monitors the effectiveness of the monitoring network to fulfill the objectives stated in the BMAP and will continue to coordinate within and across jurisdictions to achieve water quality targets.
Water Quality
The Protecting Florida Together water quality map delivers statewide water quality information. On this site, you can explore the Florida regions that are of interest to you. Individual waterbodies are color-coded based on the assessment status of nutrients and whether they are meeting standards.
The water quality map has information on impairments under the “Water Impairment” tab based on the DEP watershed assessment process, in accordance with the Impaired Waters Rule. When sufficient data is available, you can click the button called “View Waterbody Trends” to see a graph of annual geometric mean concentrations (AGMs) for each parameter over the last 10 years. Additionally, the “Get More Data” button below the graphs allows users to search for additional monitoring data from the statewide database, Watershed Information Network .
The Protecting Florida Together water quality maps and graphs can be accessed at the following link.
Projects
Stakeholders submitted management strategies to the department with the understanding that the strategies would be included in the BMAP, thus requiring each entity to implement the proposed strategies in a timely way and achieve the assigned load reduction estimates. While the 20-year planning period for this BMAP is 2018 to 2038, projects completed since January 1, 2013, count toward the overall nitrogen reduction goals. The management strategies are ranked with a priority of high, medium, or low. Projects used in this BMAP that could have a significant impact in reducing nitrogen loads to the springs include extensive septic to sewer projects, wastewater system upgrades, stormwater pond construction, and implementation of farm fertilizer, livestock waste, and golf course BMPs.
Examples of stakeholder projects for the Weeki Wachee BMAP to reduce nitrogen sources:
- Construction and improvements of stormwater ponds for flood storage and treatment of stormwater runoff to reduce sediment, nitrogen, and other contaminant loads to waterways.
- Connection of septic systems to central sewer.
- Upgrade of wastewater treatment plants for better nitrogen removal.
- Cost share programs with agriculture to improve irrigation efficiency and reduce fertilizer use.
- Hydrologic restoration of wetlands to establish natural flows to the aquifer, improve recharge rates, and biological removal of nitrogen.
The BMAP implementation process uses adaptive management to adjust when circumstances change, or monitoring indicates the need for additional or more effective restoration strategies. Adaptive management measures may include recommending additional restoration projects, updating the information in the water quality model, updating the model itself, adjusting allocations, or including new statutory requirements.
Information on progress in the Weeki Wachee BMAP can be found in the latest Statewide Annual Report.
Progress
Annually, DEP works with stakeholders to track BMAP project implementation and to review progress. The updated project list for the prior calendar year is presented by July 1 in the Statewide Annual Report. A complete project list can be downloaded from this site, for those interested in detailed project information. To promote progress and implementation, BMAP stakeholders meet annually to follow up on plan implementation, share new information, and continue to coordinate TMDL restoration–related issues.
In this BMAP, the following statements summarize the progress of the overall reductions and provide an indication of the challenges related to reducing pollutants from different sources.
Overall
- Total nitrogen reductions are on track to meet the next milestone.
Urban Turfgrass Fertilizer (UTF)/Sports Turfgrass Fertilizer (STF)
- While substantial progress has been made implementing stormwater projects, additional treatment needs to be added to achieve the TMDLs.
- Further implementation of source control measures is needed to decrease the amount of nutrient loading. Examples of source controls include public education and local ordinances to address residential fertilizer, over-irrigation, and pet waste.
Farm Fertilizer/Livestock Waste
- Some agricultural producers are not compliant in their requirements to enroll in applicable BMPs or conduct water quality monitoring.
- Since owner-implemented BMPs are also cost effective, these BMPs may have been implemented prior to enrollment and are, therefore, not a new reduction in loading.
- Agricultural cost-share implementation may be needed to address these sources.
- As agricultural loadings are an important source of loadings in this BMAP, regional projects and cost-share BMPs, which are the responsibility of the state, need to be identified and implemented to reduce agricultural loads.
- More information is needed on agricultural practices that improve loads to groundwater for springs protection.
Wastewater
- The wastewater provisions in the BMAP have not yet been fully implemented but will be added as permits are renewed.
- Some important infrastructure projects are underway but may not result in immediate reductions because of the time it takes to design, permit, and build these projects. Only WWTF projects that are completed and have post-project water quality data are included in the reduction totals.
OSTDS
- This BMAP has additional requirements for OSTDS enhancement or septic-to-sewer conversions that have recently gone into effect and have not been fully implemented.
- Some important septic-to-sewer conversion projects are underway but may not result in immediate reductions because of the time it takes to design, permit, and build these projects. Only septic-to-sewer conversion projects that are completed are included in the reduction totals.
- Expanding the BMAP requirements for OSTDS enhancement or additional septic-to-sewer conversion projects may be necessary in future iterations given the magnitude of OSTDS loads in this springshed.
Contacts & More Information
For more information on the Weeki Wachee BMAP, please contact:
Chandler Keenan
Phone: 850-245-8555
Resources
For more information on the Division of Environmental Assessment and Restorations BMAP program, click here.
For more information on all of the restoration plans developed with specific provisions for the protection and restoration of the state’s Outstanding Florida Springs, click here .