SURFACE WATER QUALITY:
Washington reports that 18% of their surveyed river miles fully support aquatic life uses, 22% partially support these uses, and 60% do not support aquatic life uses. In lakes, 35% of the surveyed acres fully support aquatic life uses, and 65% do not support aquatic life uses.Thirty-two percent of the surveyed estuarine waters fully support aquatic life uses, 24% partially support these uses, and 44% do not support aquatic life uses.
Low levels of dissolved oxygen, often naturally occurring, are the major cause of impairment of designated uses in estuaries. Bacterial contamination, primarily from agricultural runoff, onsite wastewater disposal, and municipal wastewater treatment plants also causes impairment in estuaries. Major causes of impairment in lakes include nutrients, pesticides, siltation, flow alteration, and low dissolved oxygen. Agricultural production is the predominant source of impairment in lakes. Other sources include urban runoff, land disposal, septic tanks, and natural sources. In rivers and streams, agriculture is the major source of water quality degradation, followed by industrial point sources and hydrohabitat modification. Causes of water quality impairment from these sources include thermal modification, pathogen indicators, and ammonia.
GROUND WATER QUALITY:
The highest priority ground water issues in Washington are nitrates, pesticides, and other agricultural chemicals from fertilizer applications, pesticide applications, and septic tanks.
PROGRAMS TO RESTORE WATER QUALITY:
Washington provides financial incentives to encourage compliance with permit requirements, the principal vehicle for regulating point source discharges. The State also has extensive experience developing, funding, and implementing nonpoint source pollution prevention and control programs since the early 1970s. The State has developed nonpoint source control plans with best management practices for forest practices, dairy waste, irrigated agriculture , dryland agriculture, and urban stormwater. The State is now focusing attention on watershed planning. Efforts are currently geared toward prioritizing watersheds and developing comprehensive plans for the priority watersheds.
PROGRAMS TO ASSESS WATER QUALITY:
Washington implements an aggressive program to monitor the quality of lakes, estuaries, and rivers and streams. The program makes use of fixed-station monitoring to track spatial and temporal water quality changes so as to ascertain the effectiveness of various water quality programs and be able to identify desirable adjustments to the programs.
STATE CONTACTS:
For a copy of the Washington 1994 305(b) report, contact: Washington Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600
SURFACE WATER QUALITY:
Suspended solids and dissolved solids impair aquatic life uses in 93% of Kansas’ surveyed streams. Bacteria also prevent 95% of the surveyed streams from fully supporting swimming uses. Runoff from feedlots, animal holding areas, and pastureland introduce pathogen bacteria into rivers and streams. Discharges of undertreated or untreated wastewater from sewage treatment plants also elevate pathogen bacteria levels in Kansas waters. Erosion of farmland soils and urban runoff are the principal sources of suspended solids. Irrigation return flows, oil and natural gas extraction activities, and natural sources introduce dissolved solids.
Cultural eutrophication is responsible for 34% of poor water quality conditions in Kansas’ surveyed lakes, and pesticides impair an additional 23% of the surveyed lakes. Overall, agricultural activities are responsible for almost half of the pollution in the State’s lakes. Agricultural activities and hydromodification are the major sources of impacts in wetlands.
GROUND WATER QUALITY:
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (DHE) has documented ground water contamination from human activities at nearly 350 sites in the State. Underground storage tanks, oil and natural gas operations, and agriculture are the most significant sources of ground water contamination in Kansas. Kansas maintains a ground water monitoring network of 242 wells. During 1990-1993, nitrate concentrations exceeded EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Level in 11% of 618 ground water samples. A State Wellhead Protection Program is still under development, and several Kansas communities are developing local plans.
PROGRAMS TO RESTORE WATER QUALITY:
Kansas requires permits for livestock operations that utilize waste-water control facilities (such as manure pits, ponds, or lagoons); confine 300 or more head of cattle, hogs, sheep, or a combination of all three; or house a commercial poultry flock of 1,000 or more birds. DHE may also require permits for other livestock operations that have the potential to create pollution problems, such as open lots located adjacent to creeks or operations with a history of improper waste-water disposal practices. The major elements of the Kansas Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program include interagency coordination, information and education, technical assistance, enforcement, and water quality certification.
PROGRAMS TO ASSESS WATER QUALITY:
Every year, DHE collects and analyzes about 1,500 surface water samples, 50 aquatic insect samples, and 40 composite fish tissue samples from stations located throughout the State. Wastewater samples are collected at about 50 municipal sewage treatment plants, 20 industrial facilities, and 3 Federal facilities to evaluate compliance with discharge permit requirements. DHE also conducts special studies and prepares about 100 site-specific water quality summaries at the request of private citizens or other interested parties.
STATE CONTACTS:
For a copy of the Kansas 1994 305(b) report, contact: Mike Butler Kansas Department of Health and Environment Office of Science and Support Forbes Field, Building 740 Topeka, KS 66620 (913) 296-5580