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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: October 5, 2010 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ~- ' -F <br />SUBJECT: Services Agreement Amendment for Surface Water Quality Monitoring -Eno <br />River <br />DEPARTMENT: Planning & Inspections- PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />Erosion Control <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Services Agreement Amendment for <br />Surface Water Quality Monitoring - <br />Eno River <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Ren Ivins, Erosion Control Supervisor, <br />245-2586 <br />Terry Hackett, Stormwater Resource <br />Officer, 245-2588 <br />PURPOSE: To consider amending the existing services agreement for surface water quality <br />monitoring in the Eno River subwatershed to include enterrococci, anew Environmental <br />Protection Agency (EPA) indicator bacteria. <br />BACKGROUND: In March 2010 the Board of County Commisioners authorized Desper <br />Geoscience Consulting & Education, LLC to conduct a one year surface water quality <br />monitoring at seven locations within the Eno River subwatershed. <br />The monitoring is in support of the Town of Hillsborough's National Pollution Discharge <br />Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater permit, specifically to assist in identifying potential <br />illicit discharges to the Eno River and selected tributaries. The water quality monitoring also <br />establishes baseline water quality parameters in the watershed that will be helpful in nutrient <br />assessments for the pending Falls Lake Watershed rules. <br />This proposed services agreement amendment specifically adds an additional parameter for <br />analysis, known as "enterococci." Enterococci is an indicator bacteria and has recently become <br />the EPA's preferred indicator for surface waters rather than fecal coliform. Enterococci are a <br />subgroup within the fecal streptococcus group and are typically more human-specific. EPA <br />recommends enterococci as the best indicator of health risk for contact recreation in surface <br />waters. In fact, enterrococci are now used as the indicator bacteria to make decisions about <br />opening and closing swimming beaches in local reservoirs. Adding enterococci as a parameter <br />would provide additional useful data particularly when compared with the fecal coliform data, <br />especially to determine the possibility of illegal sewer connections, malfunctioning septic <br />systems and/or leaks. <br />