Monmouth Park Racetrack
Monmouth Park sample sites 1997-2005
Monmouth County Health Department 8/1/07
• THE PROBLEM:
• A mature 1,000-to-1,200 pound horse will produce 40 to 45 pounds of manure per day (manure is about 75 to 80 percent water, so the actual dry matter weight is 8 to 9 pounds).
• Monmouth Park boards 1600 transient horses during the season. • 1600 x 45= 72,000 pounds/day • Contaminated stormwater runoff from Monmouth Park Racetrack goes into Branchport Creek in the Shrewsbury River watershed.
Enterococcus is generally not a good predictor of fecal coliform levels based on results of overall 2006 data (r = 0.45).
2004 PROJEC T CODE
r value
n (# samples)
2005 PROJECT CODE
r value
n (# samples)
2006 PROJECT CODE
r value
n (# samples)
ALL SAMPLE TYPES
0.46
356
ALL SAMPLE TYPES
0.55
234
ALL SAMPLE TYPES
0.45
313
MONP
0.998
25
MONP
0.80
18
MONP
0.91
69
However, Monmouth Park data has yielded consistently strong correlations for 3 years.
According to the EPA, Monmouth Park has 1 of 6 CAFO NPDES Permits issued nationally for racetracks (as of March 14, 2007).
Region R1 0 New Jersey – Monmouth Racetrack Delaware – Delaware Racetrack
No. of Permitted Racetracks
State
R2 R3
1 1
R4
0
R5
New Mexico – Sunland Park Race Track
R6 R7
1 0
R8
0 California – 3 or 4 equestrian clubs in LA area; 1 possible stormwater permit covering a racetrack at Cal Expo in Sacramento Washington – Emerald Downs, issued by Dept. of Ecology Oregon – MEC, Inc., issued by ODEQ
R9 R10
3-5 2
Manure runoff from farms is exempted from regulation by the DEP.
PERMIT CHRONOLOGY
1989 - Monmouth County Health Department begins sampling in response to complaints from Oceanport. 1991 – NJDEP executes Administrative Consent Order to Monmouth Park for violating Water Pollution Control Act. 1992 - Best Management Practices (BMPs) implemented for manure handling and storage.
1993- NJPDES/DSW permit issued. Monmouth County Health Department sampling indicates bacteria levels still elevated.
Manure shed built , leachate diverted to sanitary line
• 1994-Proposals to build a stormwater collection system to collect “first
flush “ stormwater (CSO for manure); to be diverted to the Two Rivers Reclamation Authority. • 1995- Stormwater collection system constructed • 1996 – NJPDES/DSW permit to discharge to 2 Rivers sewer plant. • 2003– Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation permit issued. Must collect wet weather discharge for a 25 yr storm (6.6”; 2.5 M gals.) by 2006.
Stormwater pump station to sanitary line. Originally designed for:
100,00 gallons dry weather
250,000 gallons wet weather (total)
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES 2004- 2006
As bacteria levels increased, additional Best Management Practices are initiated in the barn areas; by the end of 2004, manholes in the stormwater collection system are being vacuumed. During 2005, Monmouth Park develops a monthly maintenance program of the stormwater collection system, which includes regular vacuuming out of collection system manholes and collection pit (JetVac collection system).
overflowing dumpsters
sweeping w/ hose
Barn# 1 2 3
Date
Hay on ground
ponding water
y
4
5 6 7 8 y y y
Example of MCHD’s BMPs Inspection form.
9
10
11
12
SIGNAGE
7/21/06 – MCHD and LBHD post advisories for Branchport Creek up to the Port au Peck Av. bridge (the same area posted from ~1989-1995. 8/10/06 – meeting with NJSEA, DEP, MCHD and Oceanport; NJSEA hires a consultant on 8/14. 8/17/06 – consultant first visits MP; COA press conference.
Outfall pipe to Branchport Creek (sample site 6).
From July through the remainder of 2006
•Monmouth Park performs further cleaning and inspection of collection system. •Stormwater collection system was determined to be failing due to faulty tide check valves and sediment accumulation in trunk lines.
Infield pond outfall and overflow pit. (site 1 and 5)
Tide check valve ( “duckbill”) stops creek water from entering system
9/05/06 - DEP PROVIDES SHELLFISH SAMPLING DATA that is compared with MCHD sampling data.Signage expands beyond Port au Peck Av. bridge.
Branchport Creek is Special Restricted, but it is not a harvestable area.
There are 2500 active water monitoring stations statewide associated with the shellfish program, (16 are for phytoplankton); they are sampled 2 to 12 times per year, in estuaries and in the ocean up to 3 nautical miles offshore. Between 1998 and 2003, 1975 surface water samples were collected at the 43 sampling stations on the Shrewsbury.
DEP SHELLFISH
GEOMEANS FOR TOTAL COLIFORM
The 2006 Expanded Sampling indicates a reduction in bacteria, limited
to onsite and in Branchport Creek at the RR bridge (6A).
No horses present, March and December Dry vs. rain, cold water temps
DATE 3/30/200 6 12/14/2006
SAMPLE TIME
TIME OF LAST TIDE BEFORE SAMPLING 24 HR RAIN SITE# SITE NAME
1130-1230
HIGH 1036A 0
1008-1140
HIGH 507A 0.12
FCOLI
2 TURTLE MILL 30
ENTERO
10
FCOLI
100
ENTERO
40
1
5 6 6A 7 14 13 12
POND OUTFALL
TRACK 3 OUTFALL TO BPRT CRK RR BRIDGE BRANCHPORT AV BRDG OPORT LND MARINA 84 SENECA PORT AU PECK BRDG
30
<10 70 10 <10
40
10 <10 10 <10
100
100 60 100 30 40 30 40
140
200 80 240 110 70 20 90
15
16
PLEASURE BAY MARINA
POCONA DR
70
10
80
20
Dry Weather, after horses arrive, June
DATE SAMPLE TIME TIME OF LAST TIDE BEFORE SAMPLING 24 HR RAIN SITE# SITE NAME FCOLI 2 1 5 6 6A 7 14 13 TURTLE MILL POND OUTFALL TRACK 3 OUTFALL TO BPRT CRK RR BRIDGE BRANCHPORT AV BRDG OPORT LND MARINA 84 SENECA 400 12300 9500 7700 4600 2200 6/6/2006 1230-110P HIGH 625 A 0
12
15
PORT AU PECK BRDG
PLEASURE BAY MARINA
16
POCONA DR
Wet weather sample results <.50”
DATE SAMPLE TIME TIME OF LAST TIDE BEFORE SAMPLING 24 HR RAIN SITE# 2 1 5 6 6A 7 14 13 12 SITE NAME TURTLE MILL POND OUTFALL TRACK 3 OUTFALL TO BPRT CRK RR BRIDGE BRANCHPORT AV BRDG OPORT LND MARINA 84 SENECA PORT AU PECK BRDG FCOLI 4900 8700 360000 66000 700 31000 6/28/2006 930-1015 LOW 724A 0.35 ENTERO 27000 8000 3400000 340000 4800 71000 FCOLI 40000 700 300 1700 46000 25000 3200 2000 200 7/19/2006 1020-1140 HIGH 535A 0.2 ENTERO 660 200 2300 33000 49000 7200 260 120 60 FCOLI 600 6800 2300 14000 6300 4900 1400 250 1900 9/6/2006 1030-1230 HIGH 929 0.48 ENTERO 560 4100 3600 1700 1800 2200 270 150 510
15 16
PLEASURE BAY MARINA POCONA DR
900 160
320 40
Wet Weather Samples >1.00”
DATE 7/6/2006 10/12/2006
SAMPLE TIME
TIME OF LAST TIDE BEFORE SAMPLING 24 HR RAIN
1000-1200
HIGH 629A 1.02
1035-1230
LOW 855A 1.84
SITE#
2
SITE NAME
TURTLE MILL
FCOLI
4700
ENTERO
22000
FCOLI
10
ENTERO
10
1
5 6 6A 7 14 13
POND OUTFALL
TRACK 3 OUTFALL TO BPRT CRK RR BRIDGE BRANCHPORT AV BRDG OPORT LND MARINA 84 SENECA
12000
130000 23000 70000 7000
50000
2300000 160000 270000 31000
21000
2700 13000 15000 9000 2000 3000
7000
10000 19000 20000 11000 2200 3100
12
15
PORT AU PECK BRDG
PLEASURE BAY MARINA
1700
1400
1900
3500
16
POCONA DR
1500
1100
4/12/07 -1.61” of rain, ~ 44F water temperature, just before the horses return
Site 2, Turtle Mill Creek upstream of Monmouth Park, has the highest instream fecal coliform levels when Monmouth Park is not actively discharging manure related runoff. Instream fecal coliform levels gradually drop until Site 14, when enterococcus levels become higher than fecal coliform. This shift may be due to enterococcus’ preference over fecal coliform for higher salinity levels; possibly the influence of the pond at Monmouth Park; and this site, as well as the other anomalously high site, Site 15, being a marina.
WATER QUALITY INFLUENCES
MARINAS
INFIELD POND URBAN WETLANDS
STORMWATER
MARINAS
Marinas and parks in the Branchport Creek, as well as in the Parkers Creek estuary, are piled with goose and sea gull droppings (by cracked shells), especially during the off season. The NJDEP shellfish monitoring program automatically classifies waters around marinas as prohibited for shellfish harvesting. Bacteria levels at the sites immediately downstream of 14 and 15 (13 and 16) drop very significantly; this indicates that the bacteria spikes at 14 and 15 are from low-volume sources that transiently spike local bacteria levels.
INFIELD POND
The pond outfall into the onsite collection “box” in Monmouth Park (Site 1), has not been found to be a significant source of manure runoff, and has never been directed into the Park’s storm water treatment system - like any other pond or lake. The field around the pond is carpeted with waterfowl droppings. While Site 1 has 9000 colonies of enterococcus, Site 6, the outfall discharging into Branchport Creek, has 2100 colonies, slightly higher than the enterococcus level at Turtle Mews Creek (Site 2), which has 1600 colonies.
URBAN WETLANDS
Site 2 at Oceanport Av., upstream of Monmouth Park, is located immediately adjacent to a wetlands corridor running along Rt. 36; urbanized wetlands are known to become sources of fecal bacteria, rather than sinks, because of animal and bird density, and because they become overwhelmed with stormwater volume from runoff from impervious surfaces, which can generate up to 16 times more runoff volume than woods. es.epa.gov/ncer_pubs/full_text/10919.pdf
STORMWATER
There are corporate ponds upstream of Oceanport Av. that have resident waterfowl populations, as does Franklin Lake, which West Long Branch has plans to dredge; and a golf course.
Advisory signs were re-posted. Results are now posted online at http://www.visitmonmouth.com/health/environmental/water/MonmouthPark/index.asp There was a pycnocline,,indicating a fresh water discharge, preventing full water column mixing at the Branchport Av. bridge. This shows the benefit of reducing the freshwater discharge from the pond.
5.25.2007 site visit - one tide check valve might be failing and allowing infield pond water into the collection system, and NJDEP was informed. 06.22.07 - The collection system was online. Most BMP’s were being adhered to, but the barn area was starting to accumulate hay that is blown around in some areas. In comparison, the area is significantly better than previous years.
• Salinity and temperature data indicate there was significant mixing of stormwater and marine waters from the nearly 10 hours of tidal movement after the rainfall, which ended at 00:42 AM, and before sampling. • While onsite inspection and sampling indicated the collection system was operating, the data is inconclusive because of the time gap between rainfall and sampling (the first 2 sampling events were conducted in or at the very end of rainfall).
STORMWATER
On March 21 2007, a meeting was hosted by the Monmouth Beach Environmental Commission to discuss Monmouth Park. Attending were various environmental commissions in the Shrewsbury River watershed; Clean Ocean Action; and DEP, MCHD, and MCPB. Suggestions were made for stormwater, not wastewater, from the environmental commissions/COA.
SUGGESTIONS
• 1) MP’s stormwater plan should include the runoff that is not routed to the Two Rivers Reclamation Authority. Specifically noted was the paddock area and the parking lots by the paddock, which discharge into 3 outfalls, ranging from 1 foot to 3 feet in diameter. • 2) The MP pond should be used for irrigation, since the volume of the pond discharge is so large and it is not routed to the Two Rivers Reclamation Authority; and to conserve potable water use.
• 3) Practicing Low Impact Development techniques to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff. This could reduce the size and extent of the pycnoline so full water column mixing (and dilution) could occur closer to the Park outfall, and further reduce the area where we would have to post signs.
• On June 22, 2007 an Administrative Order and Notice of Civil Administrative Penalty Assessment was issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to Monmouth Park Racetrack.
Sampling immediately after rain on 7/18/07.
Three “duckbilled” outfalls along the southern barn area were discharging into Branchport Creek (OF5, 6 and 10).
Discharging outfalls 07.18.07
Pond (left) and back barn in pit.
Duck bill
Duck bill
Track 3 with sand bag in pit.
DATE 7/18/2007 SAMPLE TIME 1020-1135 TIME OF LAST TIDE BEFORE SAMPLING 809am low 24 HR RAIN 1.34 inches SITE# SITE NAME FCOLI 2 1 5 6 6A 7 14 13 12 15 16 3 OF6 OF5 OF10 TURTLE MILL POND OUTFALL TRACK 3 OUTFALL TO BPRT CRK RR BRIDGE BRANCHPORT AV BRDG OPORT LND MARINA 84 SENECA PORT AU PECK BRDG PLEASURE BAY MARINA POCONA DR BACK AREA OUTFALL Outfall East of Myrtle Outfall West of Myrtle Outfall behind Barn 30 ENTERO
>80000 430000 29000 220000 >80000
60000 490000 53000 170000 50000
480000 730000 510000 >600000 320000 400000 580000 550000