Highway Water Quality Improvement
Monroe County,
NY
Grantee:
Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District
Basin Program Funds:
$24,557
Non-federal Funds:
$8,621
Project Duration:
06/1998
-
12/1999
Status:
complete
Problem Statement
Roads and road construction contribute significant sediment and other pollutants
to the Rochester Embayment of Lake Ontario which is designated an Area of Concern
under Annex 2 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The Monroe County
Department of Transportation requires technical support in order to design water
quality protection features into county highway projects.
Background
The Rochester Embayment of Lake Ontario is one of 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern
designated under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Urban stormwater and/or
construction site erosion are known sources of pollutants, responsible for 8
of 112 use impairments in the Embayment. Additional sources of sediment and
pollutants, however, are roads and road construction.
The Monroe County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) owns and operates over
650 miles of roads in the county. Approximately $15 million is spent annually
on repairing, rebuilding or maintaining these roads and 4 associated bridges.
Given the size of MCDOT's operations, a full-time water quality professional
is required to review plans and inspect construction sites in order to identify
and mitigate nonpoint source pollution associated with roadway construction.
In 1994, a group of staff from the MCDOT, Monroe County Department of Health,
the municipalities and the Monroe County Conservation District addressed water
quality concerns related to road construction. The group developed a “Highway
Project Water Quality Improvement Strategy” which was designed to include
water quality objectives in road construction projects. The strategy integrates
water quality concerns early in the design phase of all highway projects that
could have a potential impact on water quality.
MCDOT has already begun to implement water quality initiatives. These include
improved construction-phase erosion and sediment control practices during county
highway construction, incorporating stormwater management practices, such as
the use of stormwater wetlands, into county highway projects and active participation
on the county's Water Quality Coordinating Committee. This project will provide
MCDOT with the additional technical support it requires to ensure water quality
initiatives continue to be incorporated into road repairs and new projects.
A civil engineering intern will be trained in roadway erosion and sediment controls
and water quality by the certified erosion control technicians from the Monroe
County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Activities
The Monroe County Conservation District met with the county Director of Transportation
to discuss the scope of the project and role of the water quality highway engineer.
The conservation district began the process to hire the engineer to fill this
position. In the interim, conservation district personnel reviewed the status
of current highway projects in the county, toured recently constructed projects
and met with county DOT personnel to discuss maintenance issues related to water
quality. Conservation district personnel also attended three county Water Quality
Committee meetings and attended a water quality seminar sponsored by local soil
and water conservation districts. In house, conservation district staff reviewed
proposed best management practices for practicality and implementation and reviewed
standard details used on MCDOT projects.
Results
To date, project personnel have reached 160 highway designers and consultants
in field and office meetings as well as a two-day workshop. They discovered
that highway personnel are not well versed in the need for compliance with the
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The primary
construction issue appears to be the need for controlling erosion and developing
an understanding about the importance of timing, sequence and scheduling as
it affects construction erosion control. Best management practices need to be
expanded or modified because the traditional practices, such as straw bales,
silt fences and check dams, are the only ones being employed when alternative
practices are now available. These include channel protection down stream of
culvert pipes and directing water along the toe of fill slopes.
Project personnel estimate that their efforts have affected 60 acres of land.
Over the year they estimate that 600 tons of soil with an associated 6,000 tons
of phosphorus and 1,200 tons of nitrogen have been saved. They anticipate that
almost 140 additional highway designers and consultants will be contacted through
outreach efforts.
Contact: Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District, (716) 473-2120
Related publications:
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