Connoquenessing Creek Watershed Conservation Plan - Western ...

Connoquenessing Creek Watershed Conservation PlanChapter 3. Water ResourcesThe Connoquenessing Creek Watershed is located in the Ohio River Basin. Five regionalpriorities have been developed by the Ohio Regional Water Resources Committee. These include:• Maintaining water supply (loss prevention), considering the impacts of mining, loss ofresidential water, groundwater/stormwater recharge/old infrastructure andmalfunctioning sewage systems, and contingency plans• Implementing appropriate, applied technologies, including remediation and conservationtechnologies• Identifying and planning for economic development opportunities, including how toreplace water used, developing positive incentives for economic growth, and definingintended water uses• Conducting public education and outreach on water resources, including obtainingfeedback and providing information• Balancing multi-purpose uses, including protecting existing uses, water budgeting, anddeveloping a balance between different uses under both regular and emergencyconditionsWater Quality TradingWater quality trading is when facilities with higherpollution control costs, called “buyers” purchase the right topollute from “sellers”, or other companies that have reducedtheir pollution output below their required limits. This canenable polluters to reduce pollution at a lower cost than itwould be to make reductions at their facilities. For instance,it may be cheaper for a polluter that discharges nitrates to buycredits from a polluter that can reduce its nitrate dischargesmore easily. Or, it may be cheaper for a polluter to pay forthe installation of BMPs on a farm than to developtechnologies to reduce pollution from nitrates. If the samepollution reduction goal can be achieved through trading,then it is a benefit to both the company and the farmer.Connoquenessing Creek drains into theBeaver River just beyond the railroadbridgeGenerally, certain criteria must be met for a WaterQuality Trading program to work. There must be a “driver,” or reason why pollution reductions are beingsought. This is usually a TMDL, which requires point-source polluters to reduce their level of pollutionby a certain amount in order for water quality standards to be met. The water quality trading will be mosteffective if the sources within the watershed have different costs to control their pollution, making it moreeconomically profitable to trade. Also, the levels of pollution must be such that not all sources in thewatershed must reduce their inputs. This provides a reason to bargain. Finally, watershed stakeholdersand state regulatory agencies must be willing to try an innovative approach and to engage in tradingdesign and implementation issues. Water Quality Trading should be conducted within a legal, regulatoryframework, such as the NPDES Program, which requires point source polluters to obtain permits todischarge pollutions in waterways of the United States.3-24