2007-2011 Region 10 Strategy: Protecting and Restoring Watersheds

Region 10 will continue to place strong emphasis on our important watershed protection and restoration work. Several watershed efforts are already well underway and others are being planned. These projects involve a wide crosssection of Region 10 offices, and our collective efforts will be critical to meeting our environmental mission. Specific watershed projects include the following:

Puget Sound, Washington
The State has established a goal of restoring Puget Sound to a healthy state by 2020. To assist the State in attaining this goal, Region 10 will work with our state, federal and tribal partners to accomplish the following by 2011.

Improve water quality and enable the lifting of shellfish harvest restrictions on 1000 acres of shellfish beds
Remediate 200 acres of contaminated sediments
Restore 3,500 acres of nearshore wetlands
Reduce diesel emissions in the airshed by 8%

Columbia River Basin
The Columbia River Basin includes land belonging to Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Columbia River Tribal Governments. We are building an integrated program, with state, nonprofits, and tribal partners, to reduce the concentration of toxins in fish, sediment and water. Toxics reduction efforts in the Columbia River will be enhanced by the ongoing Superfund site-specific activities such as those on the upper Columbia, the lower Willamette, and at Hanford.

By September 2011, working with our partners we will: ensure protection, enhancement, or restoration of 16,000 acres of habitat in the lower Columbia River estuary; ensure cleanup of 150 acres of known highly contaminated sediments; and work toward a 10% reduction in the concentration of contaminants of concern in water and fish tissue, using baseline data from studies conducted by the states of Oregon and Washington.
By the end of September 2007, we will develop a plan to complete the Columbia River temperature total maximum daily load (TMDL).

	Regional Information
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Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Through 2011, we will further reduce elevated blood lead levels in children and improve water quality for the benefit of aquatic life, waterfowl and other wildlife by engaging in a suite of activities to include:

By the end of 2007, reissue three key NPDES Permits for Idaho phosphorus dischargers to the Spokane River.
By the end of 2008, complete all residential and source control cleanup in the Bunker Hill Box and, by the end of 2011, complete
residential cleanup throughout the Coeur d’Alene Basin.
By the end of 2008, ensure the completion of the Lake Coeur d’Alene Management Plan.
By the summer of 2009, approve no fewer than five TMDLs to address dissolved oxygen, PCBs, sediment, temperature, and
nutrients.
By the end of 2009, improve water quality to provide for recreational uses at two mine and mill sites, and at one Lower Basin recreational area by the end of 2010.
By the end of 2009, reduce lead exposures and complete Phase 1 of the conservation easement project at the Schlepp property and, by the end of 2010, develop a strategy for implementing the lower Basin lead-sediment cleanup actions.

Mercury – A Watershed Contaminant
We will protect human health in all states via appropriate and feasible source reduction strategies and continue to support fish tissue analyses for mercury and public health fish advisories where necessary.

By April 2008, the Region will develop a strategy to implement the EPA ‘Mercury Roadmap’ within Region 10.
By December 2008, determine and characterize the sources of mercury contamination in water bodies of southern Idaho which are subject to fish advisories and TMDLs.

Other Priority Watersheds
Region 10 is using integrated, crossprogram approaches under the Clean Water Act to address water quality problems on a watershed basis. Our primary tools are water quality standard setting, monitoring, listing impaired waters, developing TMDLs for impaired waters, ensuring permits are written to address point sources and stormwater, and providing various grants to encourage implementation of effective actions to address non-point sources. When appropriate, we work with other EPA programs to bring to bear the necessary tools and authorities to address watershed problems whose causes are outside or beyond the scope of Clean Water Act programs (i.e., cross-program efforts to address phosphorus problems in the Portneuf River, addressing mercury in southern Idaho). Our approach to addressing water quality problems depends on building partnerships
with states, tribes and other entities. These integrated efforts are resulting in implementation of actions to address water quality problems in the Snake River, and the Klamath, Boise, Willamette and many other watersheds in the region. Specific objectives are to:

By December 2009, complete remaining TMDLs for the Snake River. This includes the mercury TMDL for the Brownlee portion of the Snake River as well as the temperature TMDL for the Upper Snake Rock section and the dissolved oxygen TMDL for the mid-Snake Succor.
By December 2009, evaluate monitoring data for the mid-Snake River and evaluate effectiveness of implementation efforts and whether progress toward meeting TMDL targets is occurring.
By December 2008, complete the nutrient TMDLs for the Portneuf River and revise NPDES permit limits to be consistent with TMDL waste load allocations.
By December 2008, complete the nutrient TMDL for the Boise River and revise NPDES permits consistent with TMDL waste load allocations. Include water quality trading provisions in the TMDL to enable water quality trading in permits.
By December 2008, complete the TMDLs for the Klamath River.
By December 2009, complete the assessment by the Willamette Partnership (enabled by the EPA targeted watershed grant) to identify types of activities that could generate temperature credits that could be included in NPDES permits to enable trades.

2007-2011 Region 10 Strategy: Protecting and Restoring Watersheds

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