Technical Assistance Center for
Water Quality

A. Activities:

In December 1999, the Director and Dr. Chris Groves (Task 3) met with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, officials of the Marion (Kentucky) Division of Public Works, and several other stakeholders to evaluate a situation whereby atrazine, a chemical used as a pesticide in corn production, was found in several watersheds in Marion, Ky. Concentrations exceeded the MCL at several times during the summer and fall of 1999. Efforts continued to establish WKU and the Technical Assistance Center for Water Quality as a Field Testing Organization (FTO) under the Environmental Technology Validation (ETV) Program. Biological denitrification is among those technologies we are pursuing to pilot. We intend to collaborate with Dr. Robin Collins, the Director of the University of New Hampshire Technical Assistance Center for Small Water Systems, in establishing an FTO at WKU. Collaboration is also expected with Montana State University in pursuing pilot studies in denitrification projects.

The Technical Assistance Center has acquired and begun modification of approximately 24 386/486 personal computers (PCs) that were donated by departments within Western Kentucky University. These computers are being modified and developed into functional computers and retrofitted with software packages that will provide small water systems with word processing and spreadsheet capabilities. We are also installing on these machines software developed by Dr. Ouida Meier and the Database Management Team that will give water systems the capability to easily generate monthly water loss reports, monthly operating reports, and annual consumer confidence reports. Internet connection capacity will also be provided. These PCs will be provided at no cost to systems based upon specific selection criteria. Technical assistance will also be provided in setting up and operating the computers.

B. Expenditures:

Total administrative expenditures to date from the year 1 budget are $52,546.91. Administrative expenditures borne by the grant in the first quarter of the second year totaled $459.66 from the year 1 budget, and $18,164.58 from the year 2 budget. WKU has contributed $37,784 in the first year of the Water Quality project under the administration task. From Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 1999, WKU contributed $2,132 to the administration budget. The budget status of all tasks is depicted in Appendix A

A. Work Progress:

The bulk of activity related to the Utility Management Institute (UMI) during this quarter was spent in researching and developing the second year’s courses with the assistance of Western Kentucky University’s (WKU) Center for Math, Science, and Environmental Education. The introductory course has been developed and consists of three days of classroom activity concentrating on subjects such as the history of drinking water, drinking water regulation, financial management, personnel management, and customer relations. The three specific subject courses will be covering areas of Utility Finance, Organization, Regulation & Law, and Human Resource Management.

The Utility Management Institute, as part of the WKU Technology Assistance Center, will be offered in conjunction with the Kentucky Rural Water Association’s Management Conference in Bowling Green, KY on April 11-13, 2000. A second offering of the introductory course will be presented on June 20-22 in Lexington, Kentucky. These two opportunities will allow 60 individuals to complete the introductory course during 2000.

B. Difficulties Encountered.

No unanticipated difficulties were encountered.

C. Preliminary Data Results.

No empirical data has been produced as a result of Task 1 activities.

D. Anticipated Activities.

The introductory course will be offered twice during the year and the next three courses will continue in their development stage with the participation of the WKU Center for Math, Science, and Environmental Education.

A. Work Progress.

During the quarter the Circuit Rider made 93 technical assistance visits to non-community and community water systems for a total of 608.75 program hours. Three of the on-site visits were spent conducting water audits, while four visits involved leak detection. The Circuit Rider assisted with five public meetings on wellhead protection efforts, and three contaminant source inventories were completed. The Circuit Rider also taught six hours of water-related mathematics to participants at a KRWA sponsored training session. In addition, 21 on-site visits were made concerning assistance with the Consumer Confidence Report.

During the quarter, the Circuit Rider has identified six small systems that are in need of computers for some aspect of their operations, either in the administrative office or in the treatment plant. These systems have completed applications explaining their need and await the availability of the machines.

B. Difficulties Encountered.

No unanticipated difficulties were encountered.

C. Preliminary Data Results.

See Work Progress above.

D. Anticipated Activities.

During the next quarter, the WKU Small System Circuit Rider will continue to assist systems with Consumer Confidence reporting and other regulatory issues. An increasing amount of the Circuit Rider’s time is expected to be spent with systems that have made specific requests for assistance through the KRWA office. Many of these requests have resulted from on-site visits. The Circuit Rider will also continue to identify systems that have computer needs in anticipation of future availability.

A. Work Progress.

Water Sampling at Source Water Demonstration Watersheds.

The monthly water quality-sampling program at our seven karst demonstration watersheds will begin in January 2000. The drought that has plagued Kentucky for the past seven months continues through most of the state. We were able to get our "dry characterization" samples during late 1999, but conditions have not been appropriate for our "wet characterization" samples. We have decided to begin the synoptic portion of our sampling program, in which we will sample source water each of the seven demonstration sites every 28 days, and which will provide the baseline data for studies of the relationship between land use and water quality. This sampling regime will produce statistically appropriate data with which we can make quantitative comparisons between source water quality before and after the land use modifications which are at the heart of our source water protection program in years three and four of the grant. We have thus modified the work plan to collect the "wet sample" during a wet period during the first month in which the conditions are classified as "near normal" as indicated by the Palmer Drought Index calculated by NOAA. Any water quality parameters of concern that are revealed in this comprehensive "wet sample" will be added to the synoptic program.

At the request of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, we have chosen, with EPA concurrence, the water supply for Marion, Kentucky as one of our demonstration sites. Concentrations of the herbicide Atrazine have been found to exceed the maximum contaminant level (MCL) by as much as a factor of ten in the drinking water at Marion. In December Ed Houston and Chris Groves attended a meeting at Marion of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the Kentucky Division of Water, the National Resource Conservation Service, the Novartis Corporation, local officials, watershed farmers, and other local stakeholders. This chemical is used widely in corn production in Kentucky because it is effective and relatively inexpensive, however in drinking water it is hazardous in the parts per billion range, with a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of three ppb. This MCL is currently under special review by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Novartis Corporation is the primary manufacturer of Atrazine, and is quite interested in working with local and state governments to solve problems associated with its use and to develop appropriate land use and application practices that will allow its continued sale and use.

We are working with the various stakeholder groups interested in Marion to provide technical assistance (to include hydrologic study and interpretation, along with sampling, analysis, and interpretation of drinking water source water quality) in the remediation of this problem. We also attended a meeting in Lewisburg, Kentucky, which has similar Atrazine problems and are working with the town and various agencies to provide assistance at that site, as we are able. As a result of these meetings, we will also meet further with the Novartis Corporation, to discuss common goals in developing BMP practices related to agricultural chemicals. The Marion site will replace the Louisville, Kentucky, airport site, which we had originally intended to serve as one of our two non-karst sites. The urgency of the problems at Marion, along with protracted difficulties in access and stakeholder cooperation at Louisville has prompted this decision. At the request of Grant director Ed Houston, the change in sites was approved by the EPA program officer in December 1999.

Description of site: The city of Marion, Kentucky (Figure 1) is located in the heart of the western Kentucky fluorspar mining district. The city obtains its water from two surface impoundments located approximately one kilometer south of the city. This portion of Crittenden County, Kentucky is characterized by relatively complex structural geology associated with the fluorspar, sphalerite (zinc), galena (lead) and barite (barium) and other Mississippi-Valley Type (MVT) ores. The two lakes serving the city currently have collected agricultural runoff that is high in Atrazine concentrations (some greater than 30 parts per billion). In addition to surface water impacts, this site is geologically complicated enough to warrant detailed assaying of surface water impacted by both surface water and groundwater recharge. Because of faulting in the vicinity of the lakes, there are several different geologic formations all of Mississippian age over which water flows or flows through before reaching the lakes.

The lakes supplying the city are situated at roughly 570 feet elevation in undifferentiated Chesterian Cypress Sandstone, Paint Creek Shale and Bethel Sandstone. The lakes are situated between the northeast southwest trending Claylick Creek Fault to the north and the roughly east-west trending Chapel Hill Fault to the south. At least two major tributaries supplying the largest lake run across the aforementioned formations, the Golconda Formation and a portion of the Hardinsburg Sandstone such as in the vicinity of Wilson Hill. To the south of the Chapel Hill Fault, additional tributaries supplying the largest city lake traverse stratigraphic units including the Glen Dean Limestone, and the undifferentiated Menard Limestone, Waltersburg Sandstone, Vienna Limestone, and Tar Springs Sandstone. A few other stratigraphic units are traversed in the area by tributaries supplying the lakes but these are negligible.

We also continue Geographic Information Systems (GIS) spatial database development and landuse analysis in the seven demonstration watersheds. We have completed development of the GIS laboratory for this work, including all software and hardware. The program’s GIS manager is overseeing undergraduate and graduate students working on the watershed landuse analyses who have been trained (and continue to develop more sophisticated GIS skills) under the program.

Study of Organic Carbon and Trihalomethane (THM) Production.

Water sampling for trihalomethanes (THMs), organic carbon, and other physicochemical data at another 10 primary and 35 secondary sites within the Salt River and other Kentucky watersheds is underway. These data will be used in year 3 to develop mathematical models designed to ultimately lower costs of providing drinking water under increasingly stringent regulations for THM levels.

We initiated the basin wide stream sampling program this fall. We were able to collect two baseline low pool samples from most of our THM study sites. Of the sites sampled, several had significant levels of Trihalomethane formation potential (THM-FP, reported as total THM from the Ogden Environmental Lab at WKU). In particular, some of the tributaries near Louisville such as Floyd’s Fork and Harrod’s Creek had fairly high THM-FP. A subset of theses stream is presented in Figure 2.

We conducted a multi-watershed survey assessing THM levels in the Ohio River and its major tributaries in Kentucky and Indiana, all of which serve as drinking water supplies. We found generally lower THM-FPs in these larger order rivers. The Ohio River, particularly downstream, seemed to serve as a sink for THMs. The results from the first of these surveys is presented in Figure 3.

We have started a monthly sampling protocol at one reservoir in the Salt River watershed, Taylorsville Lake. We sampled the lake at its inflow and outflow and also at two depths, epilimnetic and hypolimnetic, in the lake proper. We only have data available for the October 1999 sampling so no trends are evident yet. The graph of these data is shown as Figure 4.

We also performed a preliminary bloom study using the mesocosms at UofL’s Ohio River Experimental Station. This experiment was designed to give us a rough idea of the effects of algal bloom formation on THM-FP and to help us design more quantitative experiments in the future to develop the THM model. The results were variable, with THM levels climbing rapidly on sample date 2 as expected with an algal bloom, but then dropping off slightly at the end of the experiment. This indicates will have to begin our sampling earlier and continue it longer than we had anticipated for the bloom analysis portion of the project (this experiment ran 12 days). A graph showing THM level in this experiment may be found in Figure 5.

Other Activities.

We developed and contributed to a cost-share program with WKU’s Ogden Water Laboratory to equip and train the lab for Atrazine (and other pesticide) analysis using the immunoassay method. This method provides relatively inexpensive screening analysis and is will allow us to develop cooperative programs to assist the Kentucky Divisions of Pesticides and Water with drinking water quality programs that coincide with Task 3's goals.

We are continuing field, laboratory and mathematical modeling research into the potential for Atrazine transport in karst groundwater by sediments. One of the objectives in the workplan is to study processes associated with movement of contaminants in karst systems. The grant is continuing to provide undergraduate and graduate students training in water sampling and other fieldwork and water resource issues, GIS, and data analysis, and web page design.

B. Difficulties encountered.

Kentucky’s 1999-2000 drought caused a delay of several months to the beginning of our synoptic monitoring program at the seven source water demonstration watersheds, and a change in the workplan that pushes back the wet characterization sampling round until we have hydrologically appropriate conditions. However, we have now adjusted our workplan according, and everything is now moving very smoothly. In the final sites that were selected and at which we have begun sampling, stakeholder cooperation has been excellent.

C. Preliminary data results.

At this report date the January 2000 demonstration site water samples are still undergoing laboratory analysis, and an analysis of these data and those for February and March 2000 will be provided in the next quarterly report.

We expect that the next quarter’s focus will be to continue the synoptic monitoring program, and hopefully the wet characterization samples at the seven source water demonstration sites of hydrologic condition permit. We also expect to continue research into the special problems of water storage, contaminant transport mechanisms and emergency procedures for spills associated with karst terrains/aquifers.

A. Work progress.

Efforts by Task 4 this quarter were focused in five areas: (1) ongoing website development as a tool for providing information to water systems; (2) development of software and information tools for the direct use of water providers themselves; (3) beginning to expand our information services to those states in EPA Region 4 beyond Kentucky; (4) ongoing construction and maintenance of the project database; and (5) reconstruction and refurbishing of donated, retired computers for use by water systems in need.

B. Difficulties encountered.

No insurmountable difficulties have been encountered during this quarter.

C. Preliminary data results.

Included in this report are original maps of annual water system compliance data (MCL violations), by county, from the southeastern U.S. (EPA Region 4) for 1996-1998. These data were taken from the EPA SDWIS (Safe Drinking Water Information System) database. The maps shown here represent a preliminary assessment or interpretation, because we will need to examine carefully whether the states analyzed have identical reporting requirements for the contaminants in question.

Coliform MCL violations (including both fecal coliform and total coliform) are shown both for the stake of Kentucky (Figure 7) and for the southeastern U.S. (Figures 8-10). Patterns suggest that coliform violations appear to be concentrated in coastal areas, plus central Florida and Appalachian regions. The density of coliform violations also appears to be increasing over time.

Total Trihalomethane violations (TTHM's) (Figures 11-13) are low in number in the southeastern U.S., may be decreasing slightly over time, and seem to be restricted to a belt running east-west across the central portion of the eastern U.S. Potential geological factors or soil or stream characteristics underlying this pattern may be of interest here.

Turbidity / Surface Water Treatment Rule violations (Figures 14-16) appear to be concentrated in the northern reaches of the southeastern U.S., but it may be that Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida show none of these violations because of different reporting requirements; this must be checked.

Finally, Nitrate violations (Figures 17-19) are not common, but they do appear repeatedly over time in particular regions of the Carolinas and in central Florida. Specific agricultural or livestock practices in those areas would be worth investigating as a potential cause of source water problems.

We believe this information and subsequent analyses of these observations have tremendous potential to help target both problems and solutions. Active conversion of data into succinct, comprehensible information is potentially one of our Task's most valuable contributions. The ability to examine patterns over time is a very powerful tool.

D. Anticipated activities.

Web site renovation will be a major effort next quarter as we strive to maximize its accessibility and utility for all users. We look forward to publicizing the availability of the free MOR Advisorsoftware for distribution following completion of beta-testing. Work will continue in our data gathering and information harvesting, with GIS as a primary mode of analysis and display. Ongoing development and maintenance of the structure and content of the project database will also continue. In the next quarter we will complete our rehabilitation of old computers for long-term loan to small rural water systems, and will begin distributing them to applicants. We will also continue to respond to requests for data and information as the need arises. Three members of Task 4 will receive additional ArcView training at the University of Kentucky on 19-20 January 2000. We will also hold our first demonstration of the MOR Advisor software and of the rehabilitated computers on 1 February 2000 at a KRWA staff meeting.

A. Work Progress

1. Pilot Studies.

During the past year the Center has visited, viewed, and reported on several pilot studies including:

• The Actiflo pilot on the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River in Martin County, Kentucky.
• The Actiflo pilot located at the Princeton, Kentucky water plant on Lake Barkley.
• A dual pilot utilizing the Ultrafiltration and Microfiltration systems at the Duck River Utility Commission that serves Manchester and Tullahoma, Tennessee.
• Spatial Data Integrations, working with KRWA and WKUTAC, is conducting a pilot with the Lake Village Water District. This is a GIS mapping project utilizing a program developed by Spatial Data Integrations, Inc.

2. FTO Certification.

Representatives of WKU met with NSF in Ann Arbor to discuss becoming a certified FTO. A dual pilot utilizing Actiflo followed by a membrane filter had been planned at the Kentucky American (Lexington, Kentucky) plant on the Kentucky River, but was postponed because of the drought last summer.

3. Sanitary Survey Self Assessment Field Guide.

The Sanitary Survey Self Assessment Field Guide for Ground Water operators is approximately 95% complete. The Sanitary Survey Self Assessment Field Guide for surface water operators is approximately 50% complete and will be finished as time permits.

B. Difficulties Encountered

As reported, the only difficulty encountered has been finding funding to finance the pilot studies. It is hoped that WKUTAC will become a NSF Field Testing Organization and qualify for NSF funding.

C. Preliminary Data Results

The Actiflo and Membrane Filtration pilot studies were discussed in previous reports. There are no new developments to report this quarter. The Actiflo – Membrane Filtration pilot planned at the Kentucky American water plant in Lexington on the Kentucky River was postponed because of the drought in Kentucky this past year.

Status of the SDI/TACWQ/LVWA Innovative Technology Demonstration Project: The innovative GIS mapping project with Spatial Data Integrations, Inc. and Lake Village Water Association is going well. Mike Royalty, the manager of Lake Village Water Association, is quite happy with the software program, WaterWorks/FMä by Spatial Data Integrations, Inc., as it stands to date. He has finished inputting all the line-and-point features and is ready to start the coding. During the coding phase, the user assigns attribute information to each feature of the potable water delivery system that has been mapped. This information is written to the database which is attached to the map features, and is used for archival storage of the information as well as GIS query and analysis.

Mr. Royalty has been extremely helpful to the developers of the WaterWorks/FMä software in making suggestions about changes and additions that he feels would enhance its functionality and usefulness. Other interested parties, including members and staff of KRWA, have also made suggestions. These changes, and other improvements, are currently being written into the software and are due to be released in a new version around the end of February. Mr. Royalty is finding that the new, digital maps of the LVWA pipe network are helping him to make decisions about the operation of his system.

D. Anticipated Activities

TACWQ plans to submit a preproposal to the Montana Water Center for funding to conduct a pilot for the verification of the NSF protocol on the Biological Denitrification of drinking water. TACWQ will work with Dr. Robin Collins, PE of the University of New Hampshire, a Technical Assistance Center and an approved FTO.

TACWQ has discussed with a manufacturer’s representative to conduct a pilot of an Actiflo process followed by a Membrane Filtration system on the Barren River in Bowling Green.

TACWQ is planning to sponsor a seminar on the SDWA and the Amendments of 1986 & 1996 with the Kentucky Tennessee Section of American Water Works Association (KY/TN AWWA), Kentucky Rural Water Association (KRWA), and the Tennessee Association of Utility Districts (TAUD).