The April 2000 document Total Maximum Daily Loads of Nitrogen and Phosphorus for Corsica River reported that, in the Corsica River, algae, DO, and light limitation problems caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus loading to the watershed have caused impairments and prevented the river from meeting designated uses.
The Corsica River Pilot Project was developed in an effort to improve water quality throughout the 25,298-acre watershed and to remove the river from the impaired waters list for algal blooms and low DO.
To achieve those goals, federal, state, and local government agencies, and nonprofit groups plan to implement a series of BMPs, including cover crops, wetlands restoration, stormwater retrofits, septic system upgrades, wastewater treatment plant upgrades, and habitat restoration. The BMPs will focus on reducing nutrients from agricultural sources, which account for 86 percent of the nitrogen load and 84 percent of the phosphorus load, based on model results.
Water quality and biological monitoring will be used to determine the success of the pilot project. Water quality monitoring will include assessing DO, chlorophyll a, nutrients, and water clarity. Monitoring will include a new long-term ambient monitoring station in the tidal area, two continuous monitors, and water quality mapping (Bricker et al. 2007).
Reference:
Bricker, S., B. Longstaff, W. Dennison, A. Jones, K. Boicourt, C. Wicks, and J. Woerner. 2007. Effects of Nutrient Enrichment In the Nation’s Estuaries: A Decade of Change. NOAA Coastal Ocean Program Decision Analysis Series No. 26. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Silver Spring, MD. Accessed October 2016. https://yosemite.epa.gov/oa/EAB_Web_Docket.nsf/(Filings)/3BE82A42C7ED8C3585257B120059CB8A/$File/Opposition%20to%20Petition%20for%20Review%20–%20Ex.%2010%20Part1…23.53.pdf.
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