Action Plan III Updates Santina Wortman, Danielle Green, and T. - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan III Updates

Santina Wortman, Danielle Green, and

• T. Kevin O’Donnell, US EPA GLNPO

Great Lakes Sediment Management Workshop November 18, 2019

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

GLRI is a true partnership!

• EPA + 15 federal agencies
• Our key partners are

states, tribes, and local governments, as well as NGOs, academia and industry

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

5 Year Action Plans

Action Plan I: FY2010-2014 Action Plan II: FY2015-2019 Action Plan III: FY2020-2024

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

GLRI has 5 Focus Areas

1) Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern 2) Invasive Species 3) Nonpoint Source Pollution Impacts onNearshore Health 4) Habitats and Species 5) Foundations for Future Restoration Actions

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

> 4,850 Projects

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

• $35 M spent annually on HABs prevention & research

– About half ($17.5 M) in Lake Erie

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

Focus Area 3: Nonpoint Source Pollution Impacts on Nearshore Health

On farms or in urban areas, the goal is the same: Slow it down, soak it up, filter pollutants

Objectives:

3.1. Reduce nutrient loads from agricultural watersheds. 3.2. Reduce untreated stormwater runoff. 3.3. Improve effectiveness of nonpoint source control and refine management efforts.

(NEW)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

Accomplishments to date

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

Edge-of-Field Effectiveness Monitoring

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

Tools & Technology

• HABs forecasting models
• Runoff Risk Advisory Tool
• Tipping Points Planner

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

What’s new in FA3 under Action Plan III?

• Outcome-based metrics

– New measure 3.1.2 for increasing adoption

• f nutrient management

– New measure 3.2.2 for streambank restoration

• New Objective 3.3 evaluating

effectiveness of nonpoint source control efforts

• Ambitious Targets for primary measures (3.1.1 phosphorus & 3.2.1 stormwater)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

➢ Emphasize work in the priority watersheds for P reduction ➢ For Nutrient Management Implement systems of conservation practices Expand outreach & education ➢ Leverage NRCS conservation program partners & small grant programs to:

3.1 Priorities

❖ Encourage adoption of innovative technologies and performance-based approaches to reduce nutrient runoff and soil losses; ❖ Promote practices that slow down and filter agricultural stormwater runoff, (two-stage ditches, wetlands, and saturated buffers); and ❖ Expand demonstration farms

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

3.2 Priorities

• Strategically target green

infrastructure

• Promote new approaches &

partnerships

• Protect and restore

streambanks and riparian zones

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

• 1. Continue the BMP monitoring

studies underway, and establish new sites to test the effectiveness of innovative practices;

• 2. Use the tools and lessons learned

under Action Plan II to optimize

• utcomes of nutrient and stormwater

reduction projects; and

• 3. Promote development of new

strategies for nonpoint source control, such as market-based approaches, nutrient recovery, and manure transformation technologies.

3.3 Science Priorities

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

Focus Area 4: Key Differences for Coastal Systems Between Action Plan II & III

• APII: Set Aggressive Coastal

Wetland Targets, Raise Attention to Issue, Make a Significant Impact to the Resource

• APIII: Encourage Larger and

Sustainable Projects Through Systematic Approaches

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

Open Embayments Protected Embayments Barrier-Beaches

Photo from Minc and Albert (2000) and taken by Ted Cline (1996)

Drowned River Mouths

Focus Area 4: Continue to Recognize Importance of Coastal Wetlands

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

Maintain Robust Monitoring of Coastal Wetlands (2011-2019)

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

– Invertebrates – Fish – Plants – Birds – Amphibians – Chemical/Physical

Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Indicators

• f Health

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

Focus Area 4: Provide Local Partners with Project-Scale Restoration and Monitoring Information

• https://www.epa.gov/

great-lakes-monitoring

• Consider if a an

existing effort deserves attention (e.g., Phase II) before a new project start is considered

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New GLRI Focus Area 4 Projects Will Increasingly Be Viewed in a Regional Context

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

Additional Considerations for Focus Area 4 Coastal Projects

• Consider a pragmatic

approach to restoration which considers coastal processes

• Are your expected

project outcomes appropriate for the characteristics of the associated coastal system?

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

• Would pre-

monitoring and implementation

• f pilot coastal

projects be a better strategy than full-scale project implementation?

Focus Area 4: Opportunities for Supporting Science and Documenting Key Processes

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

• Past GLRI

Projects in a particular region likely targeted individual or groups of species

• Be aware of

this!

https://blockclubchicago.org/ June 7, 2019

Focus Area 4: Build Upon Past GLRI Species Efforts

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office

Questions?

Danielle Green 312-886-7594 green.danielle@epa.gov