Luzerne County’s pollutant-reduction plan unveiled

Luzerne County now has a draft plan to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus in its waterways without imposing additional fees or mandates on property owners, according to a recent unveiling.

The state Department of Environmental Protection had asked all 36 counties in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed to develop the plans outlining projects they want completed to meet federal pollutant reduction requirements.

Because the state must meet these cleanup targets by 2025, projects proposed in the plan are more likely to receive government funding and other support, officials said.

If the state fails to comply, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may take actions that include subjecting more livestock operations and municipalities to federal regulations, withholding or redirecting funding and implementing new stream-by-stream water quality standards, officials have said.

County council asked the Luzerne Conservation District to develop the plan, which in turn worked with state-funded consultant Josh Glace, of Larson Design Group.

Glace and Conservation District Executive Director Josh Longmore presented the draft to council last week for feedback before the Conservation District’s board of directors votes to approve the final plan in September. The document is posted as an attachment to council’s Aug. 24 work session at luzernecounty.org.

The plan will not increase regulatory or financial burdens on residents or business owners, the county or local government entities, Longmore told council. That was a condition both the Conservation District and county council made before they agreed to draft a plan because they did not want to be on the hook or penalized if projects are not completed.

Many area property owners already have been hit with controversial stormwater fees to fund pollutant reduction projects in municipalities requiring municipal separate storm sewer system, or MS4, permits because they have urbanized areas and drainage outlets discharging stormwater directly into waterways without first being treated.

Pollutant reductions from these MS4-related projects will be quantified and tracked in the new action plan to ensure the county as a whole is receiving the full credit it is due, said Longmore and Glace.

In July 2019, the state set a county target to stop 231,000 pounds of nitrogen and 47,000 pounds of phosphorus from getting into waterways by 2025.

If all work underway, pending or proposed in the plan is completed, the county will far surpass those goals with a projected reduction of 693,000 pounds of nitrogen and 116,000 pounds of phosphorus, Glace said.

The state also is required to reduce sediment under the federal mandate, but Glace said the county was only asked to focus on nitrogen and phosphorus in the plan.

Council reaction

County Councilman Walter Griffith, who served as council’s designee in the extensive plan-drafting process, said during last week’s presentation that the experience working with the expert team was “refreshing,” “amazing” and not dry and boring as he had expected.

“These individuals make it very, very interesting. The things we can do to clean up our environment through this program are monumental,” Griffith said.

Councilwoman Linda McClosky Houck said the roster of projects and programs presented in the plan are clear and organized.

“It gives me a lot of confidence in our environmental future,” McClosky Houck said.

Council Chairman Tim McGinley described the plan as “well done.”

Agriculture

Farming is a major focus of the county action plan, with initiatives aimed at keeping manure and fertilizer out of waterways and preventing soil erosion.

Based on the presentation Glace made to council, these include helping farmers:

• With soil samples, manure analysis and other information when they are applying fertilizer on their land to make sure they do not use too much.

• Install fencing to keep farm animals away from streams and to plant free or low-cost trees to act as riparian buffers.

• Create or enhance wetlands on agricultural lands in environmentally sensitive or less productive areas.

• Continue ongoing initiatives to improve soil health, including encouragement of n0-till planting and cover crops.

• Make sure barnyard animal feeding and travel areas are properly contained to prevent direct stream discharge.

Another proposed initiative — the “manure to mine lands program” — was completed in the 1970s but proposed for restoration at the urging of project planners, Glace said.

It would put excess manure from farmers “to good use” by depositing it on nutrient-deficient abandoned mine lands to encourage vegetative growth on the blackened remnants of coal mining, he said.

Urban/developed areas

While the fertilizer agricultural operators apply to their fields is highly regulated, golf courses and expansive mowed lawns are not required to have have turf management plans to make sure they’re not over applying, Glace said.

The plan proposes creation of an outreach program to provide guidance and encourage such plans, he said.

Plan drafters also discovered golf courses typically already have implemented plans on their own to make sure they’re not spending too much on maintenance, he said. Existing plans should be reviewed and quantified to capture pollutant reduction credits, he said.

Among other proposals:

• Planting more trees, shrubs and wildflowers in grass yards and other urban spaces.

• Develop a technical assistance and cost-share program for residential property owners to install rain barrels and rain gardens to capture runoff.

• Upgrading and maintaining older water collection basins and drainage systems to ensure they meet current stormwater standards.

Wastewater

Plan drafters want to create a program educating residential property owners on the proper maintenance of on-lot septic systems, particularly new homeowners.

Glace said regular pumping and other measures will increase the longevity and functioning of these systems.

A substantial volume of sewage pumped from on-lot septic systems in the county also is transported to wastewater treatment facilities, and this quantity should be tracked because the county is not receiving the resulting pollutant reduction credit, he said.

Watersheds

Acid mine drainage is another focus. The county should start receiving credit for work already being performed to remove pollutants, the plan said. It also encourages evaluation of new technologies to address this drainage.

The plan also calls for forest management plans, more riparian buffers on private land with streams and stream bank restoration.

Each recommendation in the plan identifies potential implementation challenges and resources that are both available and needed.

It urges state officials to provide funding and staff to advance the projects and revise grant procedures to remove obstacles in high-priority conservation projects, such as expensive match requirements and lengthy landowner agreements.

Like Pennsylvania, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, West Virginia and Virginia had to come up with plans on how they will meet their 2025 pollution reduction targets for the bay watershed.

Longmore told council the plan drafting brought together many local entities and professionals to plan water quality projects, which “strengthened partnerships” that will benefit the region environmentally in the future. The Conservation District already focuses on agricultural best management practices and other initiatives to conserve land and water resources, he has said.