HWPS**
-------
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ection 319 Success Stories was
prepared for the Nonpoint
Source Control Branch in the Assess-
ment and Watershed Protection
Division (AWPD); Office of Wetlands,
Oceans and Watersheds (OWOW).
Pamela Jill Harris was project manager
and principal editor.
Numerous staff members in state,
territorial, and tribal water quality
agencies responsible for implementing
section 319 funded projects submitted
summary information. Regional EPA
staff also assisted with the preparation
and coordination of the success stories
for their respective regions. Don
Kunkoski of EPA Headquarters also
assisted with funding information
We wish to thank the following
individuals for their contributions to
this document:
+ EPA Region 1
Bob Morehouse and Irvil Kear
Eric Scherer, Connecticut
Norm Marcotte, Maine
Bob Kubit, Massachusetts
Paul Rydel, New Hampshire
JoAnne Sulak, Rhode Island
Rick Hopkins, Vermont
EPA Region 2
Malcolm Henning, Ginger Murphy,
and Barbara Spinweber
Bill Brash, New Jersey
Robin Warrender, New York
Eric Morales, Puerto Rico
Adrian Schottroff, Virgin Islands
EPA Region 3
Sarah Bonin
Nancy Goggin, Delaware
Sheila Besse and Hamid Karimi,
District of Columbia
John McCoy, Maryland
Dan Wilson, Pennsylvania
Stu Wilson, Virginia
Randolph Ramsey, West Virginia
EPA Region 4
Maryann Gerber
Patty Hurley, Alabama
Howard Marshall, Florida
Ginna Tiernan, Georgia
Bill Sampson, Kentucky
Zoffee Dahmash, Mississippi
David Harding, North Carolina
Larry McCullough and Doug Fabel,
South Carolina
Don Green, Tennessee
William T. Young, Poarch Tribe
-------
«• EPA Region 5
Tom Davenport and Belinda
Montgomery
Christy Northrop, Illinois
Sharen Jarzen, Indiana
Thad Cleary, Michigan
Mike Phillips, Minnesota
Larry Antosch, Ohio
Paul Strom, Wisconsin
•*• EPA Region 6
Brad Lamb
Bob Morgan and Traci Fambrough,
Arkansas
Jan Boydstun, Louisiana
JefFLewellin and Jim Piatt,
New Mexico
John Hassel, Oklahoma
Arthur Talley, Texas
«• EPA Region 7
John Houlihan
Kim Coulter, Iowa
Tom Lorenz, Kansas
Betty Keehart, Missouri
ElbertTraylor, Nebraska
+ EPA Region 8
David Rathke
Greg Parsons, Colorado
Jack Thomas, Montana
Greg Sandness, North Dakota
Rich Hanson, South Dakota
Roy Gunnel, Utah
Dick Johnson, Wyoming
* EPA Region 9
Jovita Pajarillo
Dan Salzler, Arizona
Tom Schott and Leah Wills,
California
Shirley Nakamura, Hawaii
Wendall McCurry, Nevada
Pat Young, American Samoa
George Jones, Campo Tribe
* EPA Region 10
Elbert Moore and Susan Handley
Carl Schrader,.^/«^«
Susan Handley, Idaho and Cohille
Confederated Tribes
Dru Keenan, Oregon
Kahle Jennings, Washington
Section 319 Success Stories was
prepared for the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency by JT&A, inc.
Roberta F. Shulman was editorial proj-
ect manager and Jessica A. Johnson was
the graphic designer.
Points of view expressed in this
publication do not necessarily reflect the
views or policies of the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency, nor does
mention of trade names or commercial
products constitute an endorsement or
recommendation for their use.
eatttaet:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds
Assessment and Watershed Protection
Division
Nonpoint Source Control Branch
401 M Street, SW (4503F)
Washington, DC 20460
202/260-7085
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
REGION / 5
Connecticut
Erosion Problem Checked through Stabilization Partnership 6
Maine
Saving Sebago Lake Watershed 8
Ditch of the Year Contest Tenders Technology Transfer 10
Massachusetts
Local Group Working to Reopen Shellfish Beds 11
New Hampshire
Unlined Landfill Closure Protects Groundwater 12
Rhode Island
Technical Assistance and Legislation Helps Communities
Control Runoff 14
Vermont
Septic System Cleanup Stems Discharges 14
REGION 2 17
New Jersey
Wildflower Blooms Buffer Runoff Effects 18
New York
Agencies Coordinate to Rout Runoff 20
Puerto Rico
Reducing Livestock Wastes to Improve Water Quality 22
Virgin Islands
Addressing the Sources to Protect Precious Waters 24
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REGIONS'
27
Delaware
Saving a Recreational Treasure 28
District of Columbia
Educational Project Brings Understanding of Urban NFS 29
Maryland
Cleaning Up the Bay at its Source 31
Pennsylvania
Phosphorus Reduction Program Accomplishes Initial Goals 32
Virginia
Awareness Project Promotes Agricultural BMP Use 34
West Virginia
NPS Training Center Proves an Overwhelming Success 35
Coalition Tackles Acid Mine Drainage 36
REGION 4 39
Alabama
Teacher Education Brings Pollution Prevention
Awareness to Many 40
Florida
The Bath Club Concourse Stormwater Rehabilitation Project 42
Georgia
Revegetation Reigns in Streambank Venture 44
Kentucky
Water Quality Improvements Protect Popular Tourist Attraction 46
Mississippi
Lake Washington—No Longer Muddying Up the Waters 49
North Carolina
Taking a Stand on Animal Waste Management 50
South Carolina
Artificial Wetlands Solving Domestic Septic Problems 52
Tennessee
Tennessee Cleans Up Polluted Abandoned Mine Lands in
Bear Creek 55
Animal Waste Systems Improving Habitat 56
Poarch Tribe
Constructed Wetlands Reduce NPS Pollution 58
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V-
REGION 5 59
Illinois
Streambank Stabilization Stems Erosion on the Waukegan River 60
Indiana
Bank Stabilization Protects Erodible Shoreline 62
Field Day Lets Professionals See for Themselves 63
Michigan
Lake Erie Benefits from Phosphorus Reduction Strategy 64
Minnesota
Forestry Audits Evaluate how BMPs Work 65
Ohio
Equipment Buy Down Promotes Adoption of
Conservation Tillage 67
Wisconsin
Small Changes Clean Up Water 70
REGION 6 71
• Arkansas
Poultry Producers Learn New Methods to Control Waste 72
Louisiana
BMPs Replace Mudding-In for Growing Rice 73
New Mexico
Bluewater is Almost Blue Again 74
Oklahoma
BMPs Reduce Nutrients in Battle Branch Watershed 76
Texas
Voluntary Silviculture BMPs Mark Successful Beginnings 77
REGION 7 79
Iowa
Pesticide Reduction Helps Ensure Safe Drinking Water ' ... 80
Coldwater Stream Recovery Lets Trout and Cows Coexist 84
Kansas
Water Quality Problems in Hillsdale Reservoir .85
Missouri
Poultry Composter Solving Disposal Problems 87
Nebraska
Education Reaps Significant Improvement in Groundwater 90
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(ft
REGION Z 93
Colorado
Boulder Creek Furnishes Laboratory for NFS Treatment 94
Montana
Conducting an Experiment in Forestry Education 96
North Dakota
Conservation Practices Work for Bowman-Haley Reservoir 98
South Dakota
Protecting the Big Sioux Aquifer 100
Utah
Streambank Modification Successful in Utah 102
Wyoming
Rehabilitation in Squaw and Baldwin Creeks a Local Effort . 104
REGION 9 107
Arizona
Partnership Develops Multiple Pasture Grazing System 108
Public Education Tackles Tourist Burden 110
California
Restoration in Tomki Watershed—A Local Cooperative Venture Ill
Wolf Creek Restoration—A Model of Cooperation and Achievement . .112
Hawaii
Pearl Harbor Programs Flourish through Cooperation 113
Nevada
Restoring the Quinn River—An Important Riparian Resource 115
ET Project Moves Public to Action 116
Campo Tribe
Restoration Reaps Unexpected Boon 117
American Samoa
Active Villagers Get Streams Under Control 119
REGION 10 121
Alaska
Water Watch Develops Environmental Stewardship Partners 122
Idaho
Project WET—A Formula for Action 124
Oregon
Nitrate Concentrations Foster Grassroots Actions 125
Washington
Consensus and Cooperation Protect Forest Resources 126
ColvUle Tribes
Stream Restoration Uses Holistic Methods 127
Selected Abbreviations 129
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INTRODUCTION
7he purpose of Section 319
Success Stories is to demonstrate
the successful implementation of the
section 319 program and to document,
to the extent possible, water quality
improvements. The report provides
examples of successful solutions to a
variety of water quality problems caused
by nonpoint source pollution.
Nonpoint source pollution has
become a centerpiece of pollution
control efforts. Because nonpoint source
pollution—contaminated runoff
associated with agricultural, urban, and
other diffuse sources—escaped the
stringent regulations imposed on point
sources over the last two decades, it is
now a principal cause of water quality
impairment.
Congress added section 319—the
nonpoint source management section—
to the Clean Water Act in the 1987
Amendments because it recognized a
need for greater federal leadership to
help focus state and local nonpoint
source control efforts. Section 319
strives to integrate nonpoint source
pollution control into national water
quality protection strategies and is the
cornerstone of the federal nonpoint
source control strategy.
Under the Clean Water Act, non-
point source control is largely voluntary,
not regulatory as is point source control.
As a result, local nonpoint source regula-
tion varies among states, territories, and
tribes in both scope and types of con-
trols required. Nonpoint source
pollution is diffuse and highly variable,
depending on climate, soils, and land
use practices. Effective control of non-
point source pollution requires changes
in land use practices and in personal
behavior. While the impact from indi-
vidual nonpoint sources may be small,
the cumulative impact from numerous
unregulated activities can significantly
degrade water quality.
Since 1990, EPA regional offices
have funded projects in accordance with
national and regional guidance that sup-
plement states' ongoing nonpoint source
management programs.* EPA has com-
pleted its fifth cycle of 319 grants, which
total $270 million nationwide. Other
federal agencies also have programs that
* The term "state" includes territories and tribes, unless otherwise noted.
Source: Adapted from E. Bartfeld, 1992, Section 319 of the Clean Water Act: An Evaluation of
Program Implementation in Region W, EPA 910/9-92-028, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Seattle, WA.
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INTRO
SECTION 319 REGIONAL GRANT AWARDS
FY 1992-i-1993j = $98,401.134*
FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES
| General Assistance $26,324,201
ffl Agriculture $41,249,029
[H Urban Runoff $10,224,772
SH Silviculture $2,652,269
Hf Construction $2,203,626
B Resource Extraction $3,399,355
H Stowage & Land Disposal $930,218
CU Hydrologic Modification $1,943,542
|H Other $9,474,122
GENERAL ASSISTANCE—Funds states' base program, including salaries, equipment, supplies,
travel and contractual items.
OTHER—Includes items such as septic systems, wetlands, and tidal areas.
SECTION 319 REGIONAL GRANT TOTALS
Region 1
Region 2
Region 3
Region 4
Region 5
$5,545,958
$5,857,875
$8,274,311
$17,577,825
$17,299,520
Region 6
Region 7
Region 8
Region 9
Region 10
$12,464,548
$8,095,410
$8,366,788
$9,395,383
$5,523,516
* A small percentage of the 1993 funds appropriated by Congress have not yet been awarded.
Grants to tribes are not included in Regional totals or functional categories. These grant awards are
from the 319(h) set-aside.
help protect water quality. While section
319 alone cannot solve the nation's volu-
minous nonpoint source problems, its
presence demonstrates a federal commit-
ment to assist in finding a solution
through strengthened federal, state, and
local partnerships.
EPA's involvement in nonpoint
source control under section 319 most
frequently takes the form of nonpoint
source assessment, management, and
grant award programs. Section 319
promotes a watershed approach to non-
point source control and outlines a
two-step process that states must follow
in order to qualify for federal grant
money. First, states must complete a
Nonpoint Source Assessment Report,
which identifies state waters that will
require nonpoint source control to
attain or maintain applicable water
standards, and identifies the nonpoint
sources of pollution responsible for
water quality problems.
Second, states develop a Non-
point Source Management Program
that outlines a four-year watershed-
based strategy to bring nonpoint sources
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INTRO
of pollution under control. Based on the
findings of the Nonpoint Source Assess-
ment, the management program forms
the broad framework for each state's sec-
tion 319 program. It identifies programs
that implement best management prac-
tices (BMPs) for categories of nonpoint
sources and provides an implementation
schedule for management programs.
With an EPA-approved management
plan, states are eligible to receive federal
financial assistance under the section
319(h) grant program for nonpoint
source program implementation.
All states, as well as a six tribal
governments and six U.S. territories,
have completed assessments and man-
agement programs.
The section 319 program is much
more than an EPA grant award. Because
each state's grant requires a 40 percent
nonfederal match, section 319 effec-
tively leverages additional money for
nonpoint source control.
EPA has four broad objectives for
section 319 grants:
* Support state activities with the
greatest potential to produce
early, demonstrable water
quality results;
* Encourage and reward effective
performance;
* Assist in building the long-term
capacity of states and local
governments to address
nonpoint source pollution
problems; and
* Encourage strong interagency
coordination and public
involvement.
The process of awarding section
319 grants actually begins before
Congress appropriates funds for the up-
coming fiscal year. A fiscal year (FY)
runs from October 1 to September 30.
The EPA Regional Offices work with
the states over a 10-month period to
develop annual work programs, and
award the grants by February of each
year. Table 1-1 outlines the annual
schedule for award of section 319 grants.
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INTRO
TABLE 1-1.—Schedule for issuing section 319(h) grants.
FY1 995 & BEYOND
April 1
April/May
June 1
August 1
October 1
December 1
Early in new FY but not later
than February 1
ACTIVITY
EPA issues national guidance including planning targets (for
planning purposes, the President's request level is assumed)
EPA Regions meet with states to develop regional guidance
and priorities
EPA Regions issue supplemental guidance
States submit draft work plans to EPA Regions for base and
competitive portions of 31 9(h) grants
EPA Regions provide response to work plans and disclose
final grant amounts
States submit final work plans and grant applications to EPA
Regions
EPA Regions approve work plans and award grants
State water pollution control
agencies, the designated lead agencies,
receive section 319 grants. These
agencies frequently contract grant funds
to cooperating agencies such as local
conservation districts. In each state, a
nonpoint source coordinator oversees
the 319 grant proposals and program
implementation.
All projects described in this
report were funded by section 319 of the
Clean Water Act. They range from
information and educational programs
to highly technical applications of non-
point source control technology. Each
activity supports one of the five basic
themes of the National Nonpoint
Source Program:
•* Increase public awareness about
the effects of nonpoint source
pollution;
* Provide states with successful
examples of solutions to these
problems;
* Encourage economic incentives
for environmentally friendly
practices;
+ Help states improve their regula-
tory capacity to control nonpoint
source pollution; and
* Assist states in developing a good
scientific foundation for water
quality programs and monitoring
. protocols designed to evaluate
nonpoint source controls.
In some situations, measurable
improvements in water quality require a
number of years. Therefore, some
success stories reflect interim improve-
ments and visual observations.
The success stories in this report
represent one or two projects from each
state—this is only a portion of the non-
point source projects and activities
occurring in the states. Also, the stories
may reflect only a portion of the total
project effort for which funds are
awarded. Total state funding allocations
and their functional categories are summa-
rized for FY 1992 and 1993 by Region.
For further information on a
section 319 funded project, contact the
EPA Regional Nonpoint Source
Coordinator or the EPA Headquarters
Nonpoint Source Control Branch in
Washington, D.C., at 202/260-7085.
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REGJON
tfj ew England's nonpoint source
w ^T (NFS) problems largely stem
from rapid development and urbaniza-
tion. Its pollution sources are varied—
urban runoff, including stormwater; ero-
sion and sedimentation; land disposal,
including on-site systems, sludge dis-
posal, and substances leached from
landfills; agricultural practices and
animal wastes; and hydrologic modifica-
tion. The Region's main concern is the
effect of these sources on the states'
drinking water.
State commitment to meet clean
water standards is an important goal in
Region 1. The Region is anxious to
show environmental improvements for
overall water quality to meet water qual-
ity standards. Region 1 is particularly
proud of its public outreach and partici-
pation programs and its manuals that
cover a wide range of information on
NFS pollution.
Through a range of varied pro-
jects, Region 1 is committed to
restoring the designated uses of
waterbodies.
SECTION 31 9 SUCCESS STORIES I
STATE
Connecticut
Maine
Massachusetts
New
Hampshire
Rhode Island
Vermont
LOCATION
* East Windsor
* Portland
• Statewide
* North of
Plymouth
• Boston
• Statewide
H Statewide
• Statewide
PROJECT
Ketch Brook Watershed
Demonstration Project
Sebago Lake Watershed
Protection Program
Ditch of the Year Contest
North River Watershed
Project
Regional Office
Unlined Landfill Closure and
Remediation
Model Ordinance and
Technical Assistance Program
Septic System Cleanup
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REGION 1
SECTION 319 IREGI0N 1 GRANT AWARDS
FY 1992-199| 3 = $5,545,958
FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES
| General Assistance $2,166,875
H0 Agriculture $980,483
H Urban Runoff $787,286
fH Silviculture $45,854
B Construction $457,490
| Resource Extraction $18,000
H Stowage & Land Disposal $229,501
O Hydrologic Modification $202,431
JH Other $658,038
SECTION 319 REG ON 1 STATE GRANTS
Connecticut
Maine
Massachusetts
$1,021,263
$1,023,841
$1,053,068
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
Vermont
$728,558
$675,621
$1,043,607
CONNECTICUT
: source management in
' Connecticut has evolved into a
well-balanced, comprehensive program
involving numerous government and
nongovernment agencies and organiza-
tions. The Connecticut Department of
Environmental Protection (CT DEP) is
the lead agency for nonpoint source
management, responsible for administer-
ing the annual section 319 grants. The
CT DEP Nonpoint Source Program
has developed an effective network of
federal, state, and local agencies includ-
ing the USDA Soil Conservation
Service (SCS), state agriculture and
transportation agencies, and soil and
water conservation districts (SWCDs).
EROSION PROBLEMS CHECKED
THROUGH STABILIZATION
PARTNERSHIP
In September 1989, the Town of East
Windsor asked SCS and Hartford
County SWCD to investigate several
erosion problems near Rockville Road
that were depositing large quantities of
sediment on the road and in a small
watercourse leading to nearby Ketch
Brook. Ketch Brook is a tributary to the
Scantic River—identified in the state's
NPS Assessment and Management
Plan as a high priority for NPS manage-
ment—and, in turn, a tributary to the
Connecticut River.
The SCS and Hartford County
SWCD determined that part of the
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REGION 1
problem was erosion of a nursery stock
field sloping toward Rockville Road.
The field had lost much of its topsoil,
which had been washed downhill onto
the road and through a culvert into a
watercourse leading toward Ketch
Brook. The 4 to 6 inches of sediment on
a stretch of Rockville Road presented a
driving safety hazard, and caused exces-
sive scouring and destabilization of the
watercourse banks.
Another watercourse had been
clogged by sediment from nearby fields
and roads, causing the stream to leave
its channel, flow across a field, and
deposit sediment in wetlands adjacent
to Ketch Brook. The farm operator had
attempted to fill the newly formed gully,
but the fill material had also washed
out, depositing even more sediment
downstream in the wetlands.
Using the Universal Soil Loss
Equation, SCS estimated the annual
soil loss from the two fields, totaling 40
acres, at more than 1,000 tons, with ero-
sion expected to continue. The sediment
delta in the wetland was approximately
30 feet wide by 200 feet long, and 18
inches deep in some areas. These sedi-
ments were harming both water quality
and riparian habitat. Sediment loads to
the watercourses leading to Ketch
Brook were contributing to eutrophica-
tion, organic enrichment/dissolved
oxygen depletion, and siltation down-
stream in the brook and, particularly, in
impoundments on the brook such as
Windsorville Pond. While the natural
wetland habitat exhibits diverse vegeta-
tion, including cinnamon fern and
various mosses, the sediment delta sup-
ported only skunk cabbage and jewel
weed. In addition, the red maple tree
canopy above the sediment delta
showed extreme stress, compared to
nearby healthy trees.
To help correct the erosion and
sediment problem, the Hartford County
SWCD received a FY1990 section 319
grant of $75,000 from CT DEP for the
Ketch Brook Watershed Land Treat-
ment Demonstration Project. The 319
funds were matched by a contribution of
$192,100 from a coalition including CT
DEP, the Town of East Windsor, the
farm operator, SCS, and the USDA
Agricultural Stabilization and Conserva-
tion Service (ASCS).
The primary goal of the proj ect
was to reduce loading of sediment, agri-
cultural nutrients, and pesticides to the
watercourses and wetlands leading to
Ketch Brook. A secondary goal was to
demonstrate the effectiveness of agricul-
tural best management practices to
encourage widespread use throughout
the Ketch Brook and Scantic River
watersheds.
The work plan included develop-
ing a watershed management plan with
a land use inventory and assessment of
other NFS problems in the Ketch
Brook watershed. The primary focus,
however, was to demonstrate structural
and nonstructural erosion and sediment
control BMPs at the Rockville Road
site. Structural practices were aimed at
halting and stabilizing the accelerated
erosion in the agricultural fields and
streambank channels. The main practice
was to construct stone-lined (riprap)
waterways to reduce flow velocities and
protect the highly erosive streambanks.
Nonstructural practices emphasized
cultural activities in the watershed,
including cover cropping, permanent
seeding, and cross-slope row cultivation.
In addition to the Hartford
County SWCD, the project coordinator,
the public/private partnership included
technical assistance from SCS; in-kind
construction, financial assistance, and
permits from the Town of East Wind-
sor; cost-share assistance to the farm
operator from ASCS; and in-kind con-
struction and cost-share for land
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REGION 1
treatment from the farm operator. In
addition, CT DEP provided technical
assistance and helped secure financial
assistance through the Flood and
Erosion Control Bond Commission.
Several local contractors provided advice
on construction alternatives. This assis-
tance was vital to developing a feasible
plan and design.
Construction of structural prac-
tices began in September 1991 and was
completed tihe following spring. Imple-
mentation of nonstructural practices
began in summer 1991 and are being
maintained under a long-term agree-
ment with the farm operator. The
Hartford County SWCD has since
received additional 319 funding for the
Scantic River Watershed NFS Manage-
ment Project, including $65,000 in FY
1993 funds to correct other erosion
problems in the Ketch Brook sub-
watershed.
All the project sponsors and local
residents consider the project a success.
The most obvious result is the reduced
sediment loading to Ketch Brook and
its wetlands. Soil erosion has been re-
duced from over 2,000 tons of sediment
per year to less than 120 tons per year.
The damage to the red maple swamp
has been reversed, with visible improve-
ments to the wetland habitat. The water
quality improvement prompted one
local angler to complain about decreased
fishing because of the water's improved
clarity. Before the project, sediment
loading caused turbidity in the water
column, forcing fish to feed nearer the
surface and making them easier to catch.
MAINE
overall NPS control pro-
gram goal is to develop local
support and capabilities for planning
and implementing actions to prevent or
abate water pollution caused by non-
point sources. Section 319 funds are
used to support State Water Quality
Agency NPS program staff and Maine's
NPS Implementation Grants Program.
Statewide programs include a technical
assistance program that provides clear
guidance and technical support to state
and regional agencies, local govern-
ments, business and individuals; and an
information and education programs
targeted to groups, the general public,
and school children.
The implementation grant pro-
gram provides financial and technical
assistance for comprehensive watershed
protection projects. The watershed pro-
jects are typically carried out by resource
specialists under contract with soil and
water conservation districts. Activities
usually include technical assistance to
landowners and towns, information and
education delivery to targeted groups,
installation of BMP demonstration pro-
jects, and support of local government
inspection/enforcement.
The Sebago Lake Project is an
example of one of Maine's watershed
projects.
SAVING SEBAGO LAKE WATERSHED
Over the last 20 years, the beautiful,
high quality lakes of the Sebago Lake
watershed have attracted significant
residential and commercial growth. But
with this growth has come subtle
declines in lake water quality and
increasing concern about how to protect
these waters.
Sebago Lake is the largest public
drinking water supply in the state and
furnishes Portland, the state's largest
metropolitan area, with drinking water.
The lake drains to the Casco Bay estu-
ary, designated as a National Estuary
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REGION 1
Project. Since 1908, the Portland Water
District (PWD) has been responsible
for protecting and preserving Sebago
Lake's water quality.
In an effort to broaden the water-
shed protection program, PWD joined
with the local soil and water conserva-
tion district to publicize and promote
the use of nonpoint source water pollu-
tion control measures in the 440-
square-mile watershed. From 1990
through 1993, PWD used two section
319 grants totaling $75,000.
The local soil and water conserva-
tion district hired a resource specialist to
work with PWD staff to provide direct
technical assistance, information, educa-
tion, and training to the many
individuals, targeted groups, and general
publics in the watershed's 16 towns.
Technical assistance came in
many forms. Individuals received help in
solving chronic erosion problems, imple-
menting phosphorus control measures,
and repairing and maintaining private
roads and driveways. Program staff
helped developers and contractors install
required phosphorus controls and pre-
pared development site plan review
comments. The program staff also
helped towns establish local phosphorus
control ordinances.
Throughout the program, PWD
staff developed and implemented a
shorefront lot audit program, identified
solutions for priority shoreline erosion
problems, and assisted in demonstration
projects. In addition, staff evaluated and
prioritized road and ditch maintenance
problems and helped towns design and
implement repair and maintenance.
The program also supported a
menu of information and education
activities. The program sponsored BMP
and road ditch seminars for local con-
tractors and seminars and direct
education for local code enforcement
officers. Public information included
speaking engagements, preparation and
distribution of NFS brochures, press
releases, contributions to the Sebago
Lake Watershed Newsletter, and materi-
als for a display booth at a local
shopping mall. The program also pro-
moted a low-cost planting project and
sponsored a conservation tour, activities
in local schools, and mailings to local
hunting and fishing organizations.
The watershed program pro-
duced many lasting achievements.
Public education significantly raised the
public's interest and understanding of
watershed protection and lake water
quality and sparked a new lake associa-
tion to foster protection activities. Six
towns have adopted local phosphorus
control ordinances.
Where PWD formerly offered its
public education program to local
schools, it can no longer satisfy school
requests and has sought assistance from
the Gulf of Maine Aquarium to meet
the demand. Shorefront owners have
shown interest in planting on their prop-
erties, and brochures and other literature
are widely circulated inside and outside
the watershed. The program has in-
creased the awareness of local code
enforcement officers about watershed
and lake protection concerns, and road
maintenance crews more frequently use
BMPs in road ditch improvements and
maintenance.
Only continued nurturing will
ensure that these successes protect
future local water resources. The pri-
mary demonstration of the project's
success is that, since the 319 funding
ended, the PWD now supports a full-
time soil scientist/educator to continue
to promote and improve PWD's water-
shed protection program.
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REGION 1
to
DITCH OF THE YEAR CONTEST
TENDERS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
Municipal road crews constructed prize-
winning ditches and learned erosion
control techniques at the same time by
competing in Maine's 1992 Ditch of the
Year contest. Road crews used BMPs in
daily ditching activities while vying for
locally donated prizes.
Most towns in the Sebago Lake
and Casco Bay estuary watersheds spon-
sored teams. Participating towns sent
team representatives to a training session
to learn about Sebago Lake and Casco
Bay, erosion control BMPs, the cost of
erosion compared to erosion control,
ditching and culvert installation, and
basic grading. Field sessions allowed par-
ticipants to watch grading techniques •
and practice stabilizing new ditches.
To enter a ditch in the contest,
road crews merely notified the Cumber-
land County Soil and Water Conserva-
tion District (CCSWCD) when they
began work. CCSWCD took pictures of
the work and offered advice as re-
quested. Judging was based on the shape
of ditch, successful erosion control mea-
sures used (such as seeding), reaction to
rainfall conditions, and project planning.
Crews received special awards for the
best "bang for the buck" ditch and for
innovative ideas.
The Ditch of the Year contest
was sponsored by Maine's Department
of Environmental Protection (DEP)
section 319 program and Department of
Transportation, Portland Water District,
Casco Bay Estuary Project, and
CCSWCD. Section 319 funds included
$10,000 for the CCSWCD to provide
technical assistance. In addition, 319
partially supported a DEP staff position
that provided technical support. In
general, sponsors worked together to
provide technical assistance—for exam-
ple, the CCSWCD district engineer
coached the road crews on using BMPs.
Road crews competed both indi-
vidually and on behalf of their towns.
Municipal prizes included hosting the
local roads center grading seminar—
which translated into free grading
services valued at some $30,000—one-
day use of a hydroseeder, and various
erosion control materials. Individual
donated prizes included ski passes, a
rafting trip, free bowling, a Casco Bay
Islands boat trip, a Sebago Lake fishing
trip, and a one-hour plane ride for two.
The favorable publicity generated
by the contest further highlighted the
importance of erosion control to avoid
sedimentation of streams and minimize
cost of ditch repairs. It also gave munici-
palities a new and more helpful image of
the environmental resource agencies and
developed new working relationships
with land use groups. Most importantly,
road crews and town managers saw that
using good design and stabilizing road
ditches need not take much additional
time or money and that a littie planning
and simple erosion control will save both.
Since the contest, public works
crews have installed many more erosion
control measures. Occasional direct
contact and technical assistance will do'
much to ensure that road crews con-
tinue using BMPs.
MASSACHUSETTS
eopening polluted shellfish beds
for harvesting is a priority for the
Massachusetts Nonpoint Source Pro-
gram, particularly in the North River.
This river has scenic river protection
status with deed restrictions on almost
all properties within 300,feet of the river-
bank To achieve success, the state has
embarked upon a program to assist local
water quality organizations in identifica-
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REGION 1
tion, construction, education, regulation,
enforcement, and follow-up monitoring.
LOCAL GROUP WORKING TO
REOPEN SHELLFISH BEDS
The closing of shellfish beds contami-
nated from bacterial pollution concerns
many citizens of the North and South
Rivers watershed, located south of
Boston above Plymouth. So the North
and South Rivers Watershed Associa-
tion (NSRWA), made up of a group of
active, concerned volunteers, decided to
tackle the problem.
Although state and local authori-
ties had previously done some water
quality studies, funding had disappeared.
With a combination of private donations,
section 319 funds, a Massachusetts Bays
grant for Action Plan Demonstration
Project, and other monies, the group was
able to restart the monitoring project and
work toward mitigation efforts. More
than 40 volunteers have worked over the
last three years to sample water quality
before, during, and after rainstorms; iden-
tify the hot spots; and work with
landowners and local communities to
clean diem up.
To determine specific pollution
sources, volunteers followed pipes,
inspected catch basins, and searched for
illegal hookups. Their investigation ,
found that the bacterial pollution, partic-
ularly rampant after rainfalls, was caused
by failing septic systems, stormwater
discharges, illegal septic connections,
and roosting birds. Working with indi-
vidual polluters to correct situations and
with the local boards of health to
enforce local "ordinances, the group
made great strides in cleaning up the
North River. Specific actions included
upgrading septic systems, eliminating
illegal connections, installing boat sep-
tage pumping facilities, constructing
stormwater best management practices,
Volunteers from the North and South
Rivers Watershed Association identify hot
spots and work with landowners to
correct them.
and educating landowners and the gen-
eral public. A retrofit infiltration system
for the North River is being con-
structed, with a Massachusetts Bays
grant covering half the construction cost.
The experience in the North
River encouraged the group to take on
the South River, a major tributary that
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REGION 1
had not been looked at for some 20
years. A survey of storm drains identi-
fied five priority areas that were then
monitored before, during, and after rain-
storms. The South River report on
storm drains, including schematic
design and suggested approaches, was
made possible with section 319 money
left at the end of the North River work
With approximately $35,000 of
section 319 money and funding from
other sources, the association has
successfully melded local, state, and
federal resources in an ongoing effort to
clean up the rivers and extend the sched-
ule for harvesting shellfish. Its data will
supplement that of the Massachusetts
Division of Marine Fisheries, the
agency that determines the schedule for
additional harvesting days.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
ew Hampshire's Nonpoint Source
Management Plan lists unlined
landfills—prevalent throughout the
state and affecting groundwater, which
is an important supply of drinking
water—as the state's highest priority
problem. New Hampshire used section
319 funds for needed hydrogeological
analysis and permitting to close land-
fills.
UNLINED LANDFILL CLOSURE
PROTECTS GROUNDWATER
Groundwater protection has been a con-
cern in New Hampshire for many years.
And for at least 10 years, the state has
attempted to close its unlined landfills.
Therefore, when New Hampshire
received its first 319 grant, it was finally
able to establish a database and provide
a quicker and more consistent regula-
tory review to expedite closure.
A statewide database, listing
2,300 contaminated sites, pinpointed
200 unlined landfills that potentially
threaten groundwater. Although state
groundwater protection rules require
that landfills obtain a groundwater
permit, most of these unlined landfills
have not applied. In addition, many
unlined landfills that no longer received
solid waste had not yet been closed to
mitigate impacts to surface and ground-
water.
The permitting process provides
the state a vehicle for tracking landfill
closures. In order to obtain a permit, the
landfill operator must complete a three-
phase hydrologic study, including
geological studies and groundwater
samples. Once the permit has been
issued, the operator can proceed with
the engineering work necessary to
design an appropriate closure system.
The $60,000 section 319 grant,
received in February 1992, enabled New
Hampshire for the first time to provide
a dedicated technical staff person. This
person's duties are to review hydrologic
studies and closure designs submitted by
landfill owners, develop a database to
track the closure process, prioritize land-
fills according to environmental risks,
and enforce state groundwater protec-
tion rules. This oversight is performed
in cooperation with the Department of
Environmental Services Groundwater
Protection Bureau, which regulates
groundwater and potential surface water
impacts through groundwater permits,
and the Waste Management Division,
which regulates closure designs and
post-closure maintenance through solid
waste permits. From February 1992 to
June 1993, the state issued 30 ground-
water permits.
The database lists landfills by risk
level according to their potential to
affect water supplies. For example, a
landfill adjacent to a municipal well
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13
REGION 1
-i 1 1 1 r
Jul-83 I Mar-86 I Dec-88 I Sep-91
Nov-84 Aujj-87 May-90
Sampling Date
Jun-94
Jan-93
Figure 1-1.—Water quality improvement of closed landfill.
might be rated 1—the highest level—
because it presents a major risk. A land-
fill in a rural area where groundwater is
not currently used as a source of water
supply may be rated lower because it
presents less risk. In addition, the data-
base provides a way to monitor the
status of each landfill in the closure
process.
State officials report that closing
landfills has contributed to a significant
reduction in concentrations of volatile
organic compounds (VOCs)—a broad
class of chemicals that contributes to air
and water pollution—in groundwater at
unlined landfills. Prior to dosing land-
fills, the VOC concentrations were
often well above drinking water stand-
ards. However, in many cases VOC
levels have decreased significantly after
landfill closure and now meet drinking
water quality standards.
For example, Figure 1-1 shows
the concentration of total VOCs in
groundwater at a monitor well down-
grade from a municipal solid waste
landfill in the Town of Hudson. A clear
improvement in groundwater quality
can be seen following closure of the
landfill in September 1991. Closure
involved placing an impermeable
synthetic cap over the landfill and con-
structing a groundwater interception
trench to divert shallow groundwater
flow away from the landfill. As the fig-
ure indicates, beginning around January
1993 the water met drinking water qual-
ity standards.
RHODE ISLAND
Island has identified and
targeted runoff as one of the
major contributors to poor water quality
throughout the state. As such, its goal is
to control soil erosion and stormwater
runoff through efforts like the soil
erosion control ordinance.
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REGION 1
14
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND
LEGISLATION HELPS
COMMUNITIES CONTROL RUNOFF
In targeting runoff in its Nonpoint
Source Assessment and Management
Plan, Rhode Island decided to help com-
munities prevent and control water
quality impacts from soil erosion and
stormwater runoff, particularly from
new construction activities. Using
section 319 funds, the Rhode Island
Department of Environmental
Management's (RIDEM) NFS Pollu-
tion Management Program developed a
model ordinance and self-supporting
technical assistance program over three
years to address this issue.
In 1989, a multidisciplinary task
force began work on legislation to allow
communities to adopt a soil erosion con-
trol ordinance. The ordinance was
prepared by the RIDEM NPS Program,
with guidance from the task force, and
was adopted by the state general
assembly during the 1990 session. The
legislation gives communities the
authority to adopt a soil erosion ordi-
nance. The task force also developed
consistent guidelines and conducted
peer reviews for best management prac-
tices to control soil erosion and
stormwater runoff.
In 1990 and 1991, the Rhode
Island conservation districts used
section 319 funds to hire a full-time
engineer. The engineer provided techni-
cal assistance to communities by
consulting with community officials and
builders, reviewing soil erosion and
stormwater runoff plans, and making
site visits before, during, and after con-
struction. The district engineer also
advised communities and builders when
other environmental regulatory approval
from federal and state programs would
be needed.
The district engineer has visited
all communities at least once to meet
and educate local officials about the
need to adopt the ordinance. The
conservation districts also hold a yearly
training program for municipal officials
and private consultants on how to
develop and implement soil erosion and
stormwater runoff plans.
Initially, the conservation
districts used approximately $130,000 of
section 319 funds for seed money to pay
the initial salary for a district engineer,
while developing a fee structure for
localities to pay for the technical assis-
tance. As of 1993, the conservation
districts had established cooperative
agreements with 20 of Rhode Island's
39 cities and towns, enabling the finan-
cially self-sufficient program to provide
necessary and beneficial technical
services throughout the state. Although
the localities have no way to quantify
specific water quality improvements,
they believe that their water qualify has
improved as a result of this program.
VERMONT
ollution from nonpoint sources
continues to be the major source
of water use impairment in Vermont.
The state has identified a series of man-
agement objectives and action plans to
respond to NPS problems and threats.
Vermont plans to achieve visible water
quality improvements and protect high
quality waters from degradation through
education, financial assistance, technical
assistance, monitoring and evaluation,
regulation, and continued planning.
SEPTIC SYSTEM CLEANUP STEMS
DISCHARGES
As one of the most prevalent sources of
groundwater contamination in Vermont
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15
REGION 1
TABLE 1-1.—Septic system cleanup data
DRAINAGE
Lake Champlain
Lake Memphremagog
Connecticut River
Hudson River
TOTALS
CONTACTS
3,278
140
1,346
51
4,815
NOAV
144
18
52
13
227
CORRECTIONS
113
4
17
2
136
ancWbne that poses a serious health risk,
discharging septic systems recently
became the target of a program
designed to identity and clean them up.
The majority of Vermont's popu-
lation relies on individual septic systems
to treat and dispose of domestic waste-
water. The 1988 Vermont Nonpoint
Source Assessment Report identified
untreated waste from domestic septic
systems as a source of pollution affect-
ing nearly 90 miles of rivers and
streams. In addition, 53 of 96 desig-
nated waterbodies have discharging
septic systems that contribute to NFS.
These discharges are not only in
violation of state law, they also pose a
serious risk to human health. They
contribute nutrients, pathogens, and
organic matter and discourage or
prevent important public uses such as
swimming and boating. Failing septic
systems are the state's third most
prevalent source of groundwater.
contamination.
To reduce the problem of
discharging septic systems, the state
surveyed homeowners in high priority
targeted watersheds. Field technicians
interviewed homeowners and took
discharge surveys—for example, dye
flushing or streambank surveys—to
determine if the septic systems were
leaking or discharging improperly. If the
technicians discovered a faulty system,
the homeowner received a notice of
alleged violations (NOAV) along with a
compliance schedule. Technicians
followed up with visits to monitor the
homeowner's progress in cleaning up
the system.
The domestic discharge enforce-
ment activities program received
$146,706 in section 319 funds from FY
1990 to 1992. An additional $42,461
was awarded in FY 1993. During the
project's first 2.5 years, over 4,800
inspections were completed. Of the 227
violation notices issued, 136 violations
have been corrected, resulting in a 61
percent compliance rate (Table 1-1).
The desire to have swimmable
waters in Vermont is of high priority to
the majority of those contacted in the
survey.
The public's reaction to the
project has been positive, and public
involvement has contributed to the
program's success. Tips from citizens
about possible discharging septic
systems in other areas of the state have
led to the correction of 5 out of 12
citizen complaints.
contact:
Nonpoint Source Coordinator
U.S. EPA Region 1
John F. Kennedy Federal Building
Boston, MA 02203
Phone: 617/565-3513
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£ /n Region 2, waterbodies are
f affected by both agricultural and
urban runoff. To combat these nonpoint
source problems, Region 2 has funded
information and education programs in
all the states.
Because of the dominant prob-
lems of animal waste from poultry, dairy,
and swine operations, Puerto Rico is
working on regulations that would
require farmers to register as an agricul-
tural enterprise with the water quality
agency and prepare an appropriate plan
to maintain water quality standards.
To combat the problem of surface
water runoff in urban areas, New Jersey
is demonstrating some effective best
management practices and exploring
maintenance districts as a means of
financing stormwater drain cleanups.
The Virgin Islands recently spon-
sored a NFS conference directed at
developers to address problems such as
septic systems, erosion and sediment
from road construction, and develop-
ment in general.
SECTION 31 9 SUCCESS STORIES I
STATE
New Jersey
New York
Puerto Rico
Virgin Islands
LOCATION
* Mercer
County
• Statewide
• New York
* La Plata
River
• Statewide
PROJECT
Wildf lower Meadows for
Detention Basins
Erosion and Sediment
Control for New
Development
Regional Office
Waste Control from
Livestock Enterprises
Educational Source Controls
/7
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REGION 2
SECTION 319 REGION 2 GRANT AWARDS
FY 1992-1993 = $5,857,875
FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES
H General Assistance $522,619
ffl Agriculture $1,592,110
HI Urban Runoff $1,897,156
UU Silviculture $ 0
H Construction $436,530
H Resource Extraction $80,776
H Stowage & Land Disposal $89,023
I I Hydrologic Modification $ 0
@ Other $1,239,661
SECTION 319 REG ON 2 STATE GRANTS
New Jersey
New York
$1,677,045
$3,398,940
Puerto Rico
Virgin Islands
(1993 only)
$630,093
$151,797
NEW JERSEY
agriculture certainly contrib-
utes to water quality degradation,
intense development has forced New
Jersey to turn its attention to both urban
and suburban sources of nonpoint pollu-
tion. To address this nonpoint source
problem, the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection has shifted
its emphasis from structural abatement
of runoff from a single development site
to a more holistic approach that inte-
grates all phases of site development.
This watershed approach considers the
natural and human interaction through-
out the entire drainage area. New Jersey
is also emphasizing prevention because
it is cost effective and does not rely on
regulations.
However, because even well-
planned land disturbances increase
runoff, New Jersey must still rely on
structures that reduce nonpoint source
pollution.
WlLDFLOWER BLOOMS BUFFER
RUNOFF EFFECTS
More and more observers are appreciat-
ing the beauty and grace of wildflowers,
but few have ever considered using a
meadow to control water pollution.
That is, until New Jersey decided to
compare the effectiveness of seeding
detention basins with wildflowers rather
than traditional turf grass.
This new approach has New
Jersey developers and municipalities
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REGION 2
sitting up and taking notice. Not only
does a wildflower meadow produce a
diverse habitat for wildlife and an
appearance more interesting than that
of a manicured golf course, but develop-
ers have also discovered that a meadow
significantly reduces maintenance costs.
In New Jersey, detention basins
are the most commonly used storm-
water management structures. Turf
grass—which provides a quick, effective
way to control erosion and reduce other
pollutants—is generally planted early to
stabilize the bottom and sides of the
basin and provide long-term ground
cover.
However, methods used to main-
tain turf grass—applying fertilizers and
pesticides and mowing frequently (as
much as 10 times during the growing
season)—can negate any benefits gained
in water quality and cost effectiveness.
Excess soluble pesticides and fertilizers
can mix with stormwater runoff and be
carried into receiving waters. Excess
chemicals can leach into underground
aquifers. Finally, frequent mowing and
disposing of grass clippings is expensive
—even with a reliable volunteer
program.
New Jersey, aware of the problems
of turf grass, was anxious to participate
when the Mercer County Soil Conserva-
tion District (MCSCD) proposed
studying the effectiveness of using wild-
flower meadows instead. In 1990, the
New Jersey Department of Environmen-
tal Protection (NJDEP) provided a
$8,500 grant through section 319.
The study looked at various wild-
flower mixtures and application
methods and identified environmental
factors needed for success. In selecting
test sites, MCSCD looked for construc-
tion projects that needed to comply
with soil erosion and sediment control
regulations—and several developers
volunteered for the project. MCSCD
Basin wildflowers grow profusely one year after seeding.
used various mixes, methods, and rates
of seed and fertilizer on 10 detention
basins. Site preparation was similar,
using mulch and tackifier. MCSCD did
not apply herbicides since the study's
focus was to avoid nonpoint source
pollution.
For several months, MCSCD
collected data daily on numerous
elements—weather conditions; soil
moisture and temperature; and germina-
tion, flowering, and establishment times.
The final site evaluations were based on
several criteria—percent of wildflower
cover, weeds, and total cover; mainte-
nance, including mowing required to
suppress weeds; and appearance, consid-
ering stand density and height.
Soil moisture proved to be the
most important success factor. Moderate
moisture produced the best results; low
moisture encouraged weeds; and long
periods of heavy moisture was detrimen-
tal. Given the proper conditions, most
seed mixtures were effective, suggesting
that any native wildflower seed or
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REGION 2
mixture adapted to a particular region
will thrive with the right conditions and
proper maintenance.
Although weeds were a signifi-
cant problem, mowing twice during the
first year as well as other precautions
provided effective controls. After the
first year, MCSCD recommends mow-
ing in late fall to disperse seeds and
prevent woody growth. Also, overseed-
ing perennial species in fall and annuals
in spring helps maintain density, pro-
mote diversity, and coordinate flowering
schedules. These simple, low-mainte-
nance practices are an appealing
alternative to using nutrients and pesti-
cides on traditional turf grass ground
cover.
The study showed that establish-
ing wildflower meadows may be more
expensive—approximately 1 cent per
square foot more than traditional turf
seeding. However, maintenance costs
have proven to be considerably lower—
$50 per year per acre for wildflower
meadows, as compared to $500 per year
per acre to maintain turf.
NEW YORK
zw York has identified nonpoint
sources as the primary cause of
water quality problems in 91 percent of
its priority waterbodies. The state's Non-
point Source Management Program
provides a blueprint for dealing with
nonpoint source pollution. Funding
through section 319 has enabled the
state to implement many management
program recommendations and to begin
to address problems on priority segments.
Efforts to improve water quality
are underway on waterbodies with state-
wide or national significance—Long
Island Sound, Onondaga Lake, Lake
Champlain, and the Great Lakes areas.
The state has created a framework to
efficiently fund projects on smaller
watersheds as well.
New York is coordinating more
than 50 nonpoint source programs and
numerous federal, state, and local
agencies. Priority source categories
include agriculture, on-site septic
systems, construction, and diffuse urban
runoff, with section 319 funds contribut-
ing to each. In addition, by convincing
agencies to shift emphasis or refocus
efforts, New York has been able to
implement an integrated NFS control
program, with section 319-funded staff
making coordination a reality.
AGENCIES COORDINATE TO
ROUT RUNOFF
Although many state waterbodies suffer
from stormwater runoff in developed
areas, New York is focusing on prevent-
ing new development from causing
further problems. The effort to control
construction site runoff and install
permanent controls aims to prevent
problems during construction and once
construction is complete. The following
activities, using some $285,000 in
section 319 funds, are highlights of New
York's extensive information and educa-
tion program to control stormwater
runoff from new development.
The state's basic tools are two
manuals on stormwater runoff and
erosion and sediment control. New York
Guidelines for Urban Erosion and Sedi-
ment Control'was originally developed
by SCS. In 1991, section 319 funded
$30,000 to reprint the manual, which
contains standards and specifications for
erosion and sediment control measures
common to construction sites. Over
4,000 copies were sent to erosion and
sediment control professionals and
federal, state, and local government
units in New York State.
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st
REGION 2
The manual, which includes both
vegetative and structural measures
(permanent and temporary), has been a
valuable tool for planners, engineers,
local officials, contractors, and others
responsible for development.
With some $130,000 in section
319 funds, the State Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC)
produced Reducing the Impacts of
Stormwater Runoff from New Develop-
ment. Funds were used for research,
writing and editing, and production.
The manual describes water quality
problems caused by urban runoff and
management practices to prevent these
problems, and it suggests performance
standards for local governments to
assure that practices are installed. The
manual also contains a model ordinance
that can be adopted by local govern-
ments. In June 1992, copies of the
manual were sent to over 1,500 chief
elected officials of local governments.
With some $50,000 in section
319 funds, DEC regional staff worked
directly with local governments, explain-
ing the advantages of local ordinances
and assisting them in developing their
own. From October 1992 through
March 1994, staff members made
approximately 250 contacts with local
officials. About a half-dozen towns have
adopted the model ordinance and a
number of others are in the process.
Training is an important part of
any prevention program. From 1991
through 1994, SCS conducted over 110
training sessions for a total of 4,000
people—ranging from local officials and
consultants to local governments to
federal and state agency staff. Sessions
included
* 22 one-day erosion and sediment
control training sessions for
agency and local government
personnel. The basic course
covered factors that influence
erosion, elements of a sound
control plan, SCS standards and
specifications, and hands-on
development of conceptual
erosion and sediment control
plans for two development site
examples.
17 two-day advanced erosion and
sediment control field workshops,
focusing on developing a control
plan for an actual construction
site. Workshops included evaluat-
ing potential problems in the
field, planning management
practices to address specific site
needs, and designing temporary
and permanent erosion and
sediment control practices using
a team approach.
6 one- and two-day training
sessions on hydraulic and hydro-
logic computations for technical
personnel involved with SCS
Technical Release 55. Partici-
pants learned to compute the
total runoff and peak runoff for
small urban watersheds.
3 two-day training sessions for
New York Department of Trans-
portation design staff, as part of a
major interagency effort to intro-
duce regional staff to stormwater
management concepts. Topics
included erosion and sediment
control standards, a conceptual
plan for controlling erosion and
stormwater runoff at road con-
struction sites, a hands-on design
problem requiring oral group
presentations, and a similar
design problem for highway
stormwater management.
3 three-day urban stormwater,
erosion, and sediment control
short courses through Syracuse
University's Continuing
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REGION 2
Engineering Education Program.
Seminars discussed legislation,
ordinances, and the new storm-
water regulation for sediment
control; stormwater management
practices; and urban hydrology
and resource protection.
Through cooperative agreements,
$45,000 in section 319 funds have
contributed to the more than $94,000
cost of this training. SCS also received
$11,000 in section 319 funds to produce
two sets of fact sheets on erosion/
sediment control and stormwater
management and a slide/tape show to
help DEC regional staff explain the
advantages of local stormwater manage-
ment programs.
The prevention effort has not
ignored the general public. With $5,000
of 319 funds, a cooperative agreement
enabled the Sea Grant Extension Pro-
gram to stencil storm drains in upstate
New York with messages such as "Don't
Dump: Drains to River" and "Don't
Dump: Drains to Drinking Water." The
storm drain stenciling program was pro-
moted as "Gutter Talk" on 750,000 milk
cartons. Volunteer groups—such as the
Boy Scouts, garden clubs, and local pub-
lic works departments—helped with the
physical labor and education campaign.
In a single afternoon, 750 storm drains
were stenciled in Watertown near Lake
Ontario, with Mayor Jeffrey Graham
kicking off the event by stenciling the
first drain.
Since Sea Grant initiated the
project in 1992 in the Long Island
Sound area, more than 1,981 stencils
have been used by 178 community
groups, local municipalities, and schools
in 29 counties in the marine and Great
Lakes regions and New York City.
Also working with the Connecti-
cut Sea Grant Program, some $14,000
in section 319 funds produced a video
entitled Luck Isn't Enough: The Fight for
Clean Water. The video was originally
produced to interest community groups
in nonpoint source pollution and envi-
ronmental issues. However, because of
its great success, the video may be used
nationally as a public education tool.
PUERTO Rico
Rico has focused its non-
point source efforts on control
measures in five priority watersheds.
Problems include livestock enterprises,
croplands, and sediment and erosion
from agriculture and construction
activities.
REDUCING LIVESTOCK WASTES TO
IMPROVE WATER QUALITY
In Puerto Rico, livestock is both an
important agricultural enterprise and a
principal source of nonpoint pollution.
This dichotomy is most evident along
the La Plata River, with its abundance
of livestock ventures.
The La Plata River is a basin
covering some 239 square miles and
containing the La Plata Reservoir,
which serves nearly 364,000 residents.
Each year livestock enterprises add
some 137,000 cubic meters of fecal
waste to the waters of the La Plata River.
Over the past four years, the En-
vironmental Quality Board (EQB), the
state agency charged with implementing
the nonpoint source management
program, has recommended best man-
agement practices to treat and dispose
of animal fecal wastes at livestock farms.
Once farmers implement BMPs, EQB
certifies the practice and issues a compli-
ance certificate. At present, only
voluntary controls are used to prevent
further contamination of island waters.
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S3
REGION 2
|-e-NQ2
-»-TOTALP -+-FEC.COU -*-FEC. STBEP
Figure 2-1.—Water quality trends at La Plata Reservoir.
From FY1990 to 1993, section
319 has provided $1,127,154 for field
staff to evaluate and certify BMP imple-
mentation. EQB has provided additional
resources, including in-kind services and
personnel. Other local and agency funds
are used to provide farmers with incen-
tives to install BMPs. EQB recommends
that all BMPs installed have collection,
treatment, and disposal components.
Examples of BMPs to manage fecal
wastes include collection of animal waste
in oxidation ponds or retention tanks and
irrigation systems for crops using
trenches or other methods.
The 319 funds enabled EQB to
establish a baseline and track the prog-
ress of water quality improvements
during four years of efforts to encourage
use of BMPs in the La Plata River
basin, especially upstream of the La
Plata Reservoir. Figure 2-1 tracks
nutrients (nitrate, nitrite, and total phos-
phorous) and bacteria (fecal coliforms
and streptococcus). The figure shows
that fecal coliform and total phospho-
rous trends improved during the period,
due to efforts to eliminate poultry
manure storage on farms. The increase
in nitrate and nitrite and fecal strepto-
coccus shows a continuing problem,
largely because of the increase in poultry
farming on the island. However, a new
processing plant, expected to be opera-
tional in the near future, will compost
the manure, package it, and distributed
it to farmers as fertilizer. This is
expected to decrease these pollution
sources.
Also under the nonpoint source
management program, the EQB has
been developing an animal waste control
regulation (AWCR). This regulation
would give EQB the legal power to
require livestock enterprise owners to
implement management systems. It
would also empower the EQB to
enforce controls to reduce contamina-
tion. After its adoption, the measure
will be tested in the La Plata River
basin. This proposal will be sent to
public hearing in the fall of 1994.
By continuing the initiatives of
the nonpoint source management
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REGION 2
program, the Commonwealth plans to
further diminish the nutrient and bacte-
riological concentrations in the La Plata
Reservoir.
VIRGIN ISLANDS
7 he Virgin Islands Nonpoint Source
Program aims to protect natural
groundwaters and marine coastal waters
by mitigating both land and marine
pollution sources. These sources include
runoff carrying sediments eroded from
building and road construction to the
near-shore coastal waters, nutrients dis-
charged from vessel waste holding tanks
into coastal waters, and nullification and
contamination of surface and ground-
water from leaking septic systems.
The 319 program and the
Department of Planning and Natural
Resources' Coastal Zone Management
Program under section 6217 are work-
ing together to identify pollution
sources and mitigate the problems.
These programs are cooperatively sup-
porting the Virgin Islands Nonpoint
Source Committee, a diverse group of
individuals from the public and private
sectors who advise and oversee the 319
work plans. The Virgin Island has
received a total of $210,000 in section
319 grants since 1991.
ADDRESSING THE SOURCES TO
PROTECT PRECIOUS WATERS
With sediment from construction sites a
major problem, the Nonpoint Source
Committee decided to take an educa-
tional approach by giving an old
handbook a fresh look. By revising the
Environmental Protection Handbook, first
published in 1970, the committee can
provide the most up-to-date informa-
tion to builders and developers on best
management practices for erosion and
sedimentation control at building and
road construction sites. The committee
will use approximately $35,000 of its FY
1991 section 319 funds—totaling
$58,000—to print and distribute the
revised handbook.
With the remainder of the FY
1991 appropriation—approximately
$23,000—and local funding, the com-
mittee has contracted with a private
consulting firm to assess the problem of
leaking septic systems on the three
islands. The committee has reviewed
several versions of the draft plan, which
details the existing problems, recom-
mends solutions, and suggests revised
legislation concerning on-site disposal
systems.
A portion of the $152,000 in FY
1993 funds will be used to further study
and develop solutions to the septic prob-
lems uncovered. Another portion of the
FY 1993 funds will be used to put in
place an education program that will
include producing a nonpoint source
pollution video, dealing with problems
unique to the Virgin Island. The great-
est portion of FY 1993 funding is being
used for a stream sediment/water quality
and groundwater quality study by U.S.
Geological Survey.
To encourage boats to stop
discharging nutrients into the coastal
waters, the Division of Environmental
Protection is identifying marinas located
near concentrations of moored live-on-
board (LOBs) vessels. Using $30,000 of
FY 1994 section 319 funds, DEP will
provide marinas with vessel pump-out
systems. Because the Virgin Islands has
identified dumping of waste from boats
as a major nonpoint source problem,
section 319 funds are being used—even
though the solution is a point source
system. DEP is working to amend the
Virgin Island mooring and anchoring
laws to require LOBs to pump out
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ss
REGION 2
waste to an approved system, rather
than discharging it overboard.
A successful fall 1993 conference
on nonpoint source pollution drew more
than 100 attendees from the Virgin
Islands and U.S. mainland locations.
Coordinated under the 6217 program,
the regional conference addressed issues
peculiar to Caribbean life.
In addition to best management
practices and effective erosion and sedi-
mentation planning at construction
sites, the conference also addressed such
wide-ranging subjects as subdivision
planning, on-site sewage disposal
system options, alternative energy
sources, and alternative building
products—recycled materials used in
manufacturing building supplies.
Sessions also included stormwater
management, marinas, boating and
hydrologic modification, and agriculture
and wetlands management.
To increase interest in NFS
pollution, the conference committee
sponsored essay and poster contests in
local schools. The senior and junior high
school winners were recognized and
received monetary awards at the confer-
ence. A second conference is planned
for November 1994. The conferences
are being funded using $20,000 of FY
1993 and 1994 monies.
cotttact:
Nonpoint Source Coordinator
U.S. EPA Region 2
26 Federal Plaza, Room 813
New York, NY 10278
Phone: 212/264-2059
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£/n addition to comprehensive
{ watershed projects, Region 3 also
funds specific projects that have state-
wide application. These include urban
runoff, groundwater assessments, soil
indexes, and agricultural nonpoint source
projects—pesticide and fertilizer runoff,
animal waste, and feedlot management.
Region 3 incorporates pollution
prevention into all its projects. It is espe-
cially interested in preventing NFS
problems at their source through educa-
tion and information exchanges. Water
quality activities are directed to two
areas—direct sources, such as monitor-
ing and ecological modeling that
attempt to relate water quality problems
to identifiable sources; and indirect
sources, such as informational and
educational programs.
In Pennsylvania and West
Virginia, the Region's focus is on aban-
doned mines. In Delaware, the Region
has funded pollution prevention projects
in several watersheds and groundwater
recharge mapping projects.
The Region's ranking system to
fund projects in priority watersheds
ensures that each state has a balanced
program of physical structures and non-
structured activities such as information
and education.
Delaware
Maryland
SECTION 31 9 SUCCESS STORIES I
STATE
Delaware
District of
Columbia
Maryland
Pennsylvania
Virginia
West Virginia
LOCATION
* Nanticoke
Watershed
* Anacostia
Park
# Queen Anne
County
* Lake Erie
Watershed
• Philadelphia
# Middle Fork
Holston
Watershed
* Ripley and
Locations
Statewide
A Middle Fork
River
Watershed
PROJECT
Trap Pond Cleanup
Aquatic Resources Education
Demonstration Project
Targeted Watershed Project,
German Branch
Phosphorus Reduction
Program
Regional Office
Water Quality Awareness
NPS Training Center
Acid Mine Drainage
Abatement
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REGION 3
SECTION 319 REG|ON 3 GRANT AWARDS
FY 1992-19(93 = $8,274,311
FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES
B General Assistance $3,786,805
[[Q Agriculture $2,601,271
H Urban Runoff $350,206
H] Silviculture $153,673
HI Construction $0
| Resource Extraction $738,803
§1 Stowage & Land Disposal $64,977
I | Hydrologic Modification $0
HI , Other $578,576
SECTION 319 REGION 3 STATE GRANTS
Delaware
District of Columbia
Maryland
$826,446
$395,392
$1,816,368
Pennsylvania
Virginia
West Virginia
$2,425',982
$1,653,863
$1,156,260
DELAWARE
n the past several years, Delaware
has become increasingly concerned
about having to close down beaches to
swimming for extended periods because
of bacterial contamination. Lake water
quality and designated uses, such as pub-
lic swimming, are threatened primarily
by high levels of Enterococcus bacteria.
SAVING A RECREATIONAL
TREASURE
Trap Pond is one of Delaware's most
important freshwater recreational
resources. Located in the Nanticoke
watershed, a priority watershed that
drains into the Chesapeake Bay, Trap
Pond is the recreational focus for Trap
Pond State Park. So Delaware officials
were understandably concerned about
the lake's deteriorating water quality.
Although the watershed has no
point discharges and little developmen-
tal pressure, erosion, pollution transport,
and increased nutrient influx were
contributing to the lake's surface and
groundwater pollution. Increasing bacte-
rial contamination and symptoms of
accelerated eutrophication such as
sedimentation and algal blooms were
becoming increasingly obvious each
season.
A comparative study found that
Saunders Branch, the major tributary to
Trap Pond, had elevated bacteria and
phosphorus levels. Sanitary surveys
revealed the two probable causes—a
direct discharge from an underground
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REGION 3
septic system and livestock with direct
access to the stream. Property owners
were notified of the leaking septic
systems and corrected the problem, and
the affected areas of Saunders Branch
responded immediately with decreased
bacteria levels.
Livestock accessibility, the second
cause, was addressed with a one-year
section 319 grant of $84,419. This
funded a conservation planner through
the Sussex Conservation District and
Soil Conservation Service. The planner
provided technical assistance to imple-
ment animal waste management
systems and nutrient management plans
on farms throughout the watershed.
Some 98 percent of the producers
installed manure storage facilities, buffer
strips, and other best management prac-
tices. And all producers fenced livestock
out of streams.
Water quality sampling will con-
tinue throughout 1994 and 1995 to
document expected decreases in bacteria
and phosphorus levels. Bacteria levels
will likely drop in the short term; phos-
phorus level decreases may take longer.
Strong support and collaboration
among the public, livestock producers,
and multiple agencies have brought im-
provements. Swimming continues as the
main contact recreation for thousands of
visitors to Trap Pond State Park.
DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA
7he District of Columbia's Non-
point Source Management
Program focuses on urban NPS pollu-
tion such as nutrients, sediments, toxics,
and bacteria entering its surface and
groundwaters. The program sponsors a
variety of activities, including educa-
tional programs and materials, and
demonstration projects of new NPS
control technologies.
EDUCATIONAL PROJECT BRINGS
UNDERSTANDING OF URBAN NPS
The problem of managing nonpoint
source pollution in an urban area calls
for a creative solution. By pooling
resources and using section 319 funds,
the District of Columbia was able to
develop an innovative education
resources center and a model that brings
attention to the NPS problem and how
to prevent it.
The Anacostia River, which flows
through the nation's capital, has long
suffered from neglect and pollution. In
1993, the American Rivers, a conserva-
tion group, named the river among the
nation's most threatened. In addition,
the Chesapeake Bay Program's executive
council recently designated the
Anacostia as a toxic hot spot.
To draw attention to the prob-
lem, in April 1992 the District of
Columbia dedicated an Aquatic
Resources Education Center (AREC),
the nation's first serving a totally urban
population. Located on the river's bank
in Anacostia Park, the center offers
fishing clinics and aquatic education
programs to students and city residents.
From April to September, 6,685 guests
—including then President George
Bush, Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly, Mary-
land Governor Donald Schaefer, and D.
C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes-Norton—
visited the center. The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and the District of
Columbia government provided the
funds to renovate the former National
Park Police substation, donated by the
National Park Service.
Under the D.C. NPS Manage-
ment Program, $60,000 funded through
section 319 was used to develop a clean
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REGION 3
30
A model at the Aquatic Resources Education Center shows
visitors how a sand filter operates and how everyday activities
contribute to pollution.
water demonstration project at the
center. The urban BMP, a sand filter
stormwater management facility
constructed under an adjacent parking
lot, highlights urban nonpoint source
pollution problems and solutions. It
removes oil, grit, and other suspended
solids from parking lot stormwater run-
off in urban conditions, such as limited
space and high land cost.
Through a memorandum of
understanding, the D.C. NFS Manage-
ment Program and the D.C. Fisheries
Management Program, which runs the
center, are conducting NPS educational
activities. Using $10,000 of section 319
funds, the University of the District of
Columbia built a model of the sand
filter for the center. The 6 by 2 by 3-
foot acrylic model shows visitors how
the filter operates. Students, teachers,
fishers, and others can see how everyday
activities, such as driving a car or
discarding trash, contribute to the
Anacostia's pollution. The model and
accompanying literature—a flier written
by D.C. NPS staff—show a direct link
between stormwater runoff and river
pollution.
Few youngsters can connect the
drops of oil on a parking lot or the
improper disposal of a soft drink cup to
the water quality problems of a distant
waterbody. But the link between the
parking lot and NPS facility and the
nearby river is easy to see. Also, incorpo-
rating this information into fishing
clinic curricula and other educational
activities provides yet another connec-
tion between water quality, aquatic
organisms, and NPS pollution.
In addition to education, the
project also focuses on prevention. The
D.C. NPS Management Program con-
tinues to encourage both educators and
other NPS professionals to use the
BMP model and the center as a
demonstration site. Section 319 funds
and staff coordination were crucial in
taking advantage of this unique educa-
tional opportunity and will benefit
environmental education in the District
of Columbia for a long time to come.
MARYLAND
aryland has been focusing its
nonpoint source efforts on
nutrient reduction strategies for the
Chesapeake Bay. This involves cleaning
up problem areas at their source—the
tributaries—before they reach the bay.
Through its targeted watershed project,
Maryland is directing its attention to
several small watersheds that have been
degraded from urbanization or agricul-
ture. These targeted watersheds are the
focus of a pilot project demonstration of
how state and local cooperation can
have a positive impact.
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REGION 3
CLEANING UP THE BAY
AT ITS SOURCE
Maryland's Targeted Watershed Project
is attempting to improve water quality
and habitat conditions in four relatively
small watersheds through pollution con-
trol, monitoring, and restoration. Much
of the monitoring of best management
practice controls since 1990 has been
funded by section 319 grants totaling
approximately $264,000 from FY1991
through 1994. Of that total, approxi-
mately $125,000 has been spent on the
German Branch. While most efforts to
clean up watersheds take as many as 20
years, water quality improvements for
the German Branch tributary to the
Chesapeake Bay have not taken long at
all.
The German Branch basin,
located in Queen Anne County on
Maryland's Eastern Shore, is a 12,000
acre sub-basin of the Choptank River.
Used heavily for agriculture, the water-
shed suffers from excessive nutrient and
sediment loads. The aim of the German
Branch project—and the major target of
the Chesapeake Bay program—is to
reduce sediment and nutrient flow to the
tidal river and into the Chesapeake Bay.
The German Branch has a sub-
strate of mostly sandy soil in a day base
that traps water and results in perenni-
ally wet areas. Consequently, the region
is replete with drainage ditches. These
ditches accelerate drainage, moving
water quickly off the land and into the
streams. This means that best manage-
ment practices could have a much more
rapid effect on the quality of the water
flowing from the basin into the
Chesapeake Bay.
Farmers in the German Branch
basin were concerned about water qual-
ity. So when approached by the Queen
Anne Soil Conservation District (SCD)
to implement nutrient management
practices, 93 percent of the farmers
agreed. Under the program, an SCD
nutrient management specialist works
with farmers to develop a nutrient
budget based on the existing level of
nutrients in the soil and on crop needs.
A nitrogen soil test, for example, helps
determine if a second application of
nitrogen is needed.
In 1991 and 1992, nutrient man-
agement on 8,150 acres reduced the
amount of nitrogen applied by 225,793
pounds, or an average of 27.7 pounds
per acre. Nutrient management on
7,600 acres reduced the amount of phos-
phorous applied by 144,194 pounds, or
an average of 19 pounds per acre.
A comprehensive monitoring
program established by Maryland's
Environment and Natural Resources
departments and funded by section 319
measures the effects of the nutrient
management and other water quality
efforts in the German Branch and other
targeted areas. This data will establish
baseline water quality and biotic condi-
tions, estimate pollutant loads, evaluate
water quality trends over time, and
detect any changes in biotic conditions.
The Queen Anne Soil Conserva-
tion District and County Cooperative
Extension Service are also taking the
lead in information and education. The
agencies sponsored field days for farm-
ers to explain the benefits of nutrient
and conservation planning. During the
cropping season, farmers receive a news-
letter discussing the results of weekly
field surveys for insects and weeds and
providing recommendations for
treatment.
After nearly three years, Mary-
land is beginning to see positive changes
in the German Branch basin. Best man-
agement agricultural practices should
result in further changes in the water
quality within the next several years.
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REGION 3
Before BMP installation, cattle meandered to pasture through a
muddy lane (top). BMP construction (middle) provides a narrow,
stabilized lane with a vegetated buffer strip (bottom).
PENNSYLVANIA
.^Pennsylvania's Nonpoint Source
F^ Assessment Report lists resource
extraction, exploration, and develop-
ment; agriculture; land disposal; urban
runoff; and waste storage and storage
tank leaks as the most significant NFS
problems. Prevention programs vary but
typically include accepted best manage-
ment practices, educational programs,
and enforcement remedies for noncom-
pliance.
PHOSPHORUS REDUCTION
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHES
INITIAL GOALS
With phosphorus loading identified as a
key cause of degradation in fresh water
lakes—especially in Lake Erie—
Pennsylvania decided to undertake a
phosphorus reduction program using a
section 319 grant.
The Erie County Conservation
District (Erie CD) has long been con-
cerned about phosphorus loads in Lake
Erie caused by agricultural activities. In
1985, Erie CD surveyed farmers in the
Lake Erie watershed about their crop-
ping practices and fertilizer use. A water
quality agreement, signed by the United
States and Canada, calls for a 25 percent
reduction in phosphorus loading to
Lake Erie over five years.
The first phase of the phospho-
rus reduction program, funded by a
$75,000 section 319 grant, extended
from April 1990 through September
1991. In coordination with other
agencies, Erie CD used the grant to
introduce and adopt a variety of best
management practices.
BMPs were numerous—animal
husbandry control measures, crop resi-
due management, conservation tillage,
no-till farming, winter cover crops, crop
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33
REGION 3
PHOSPHORUS SAVINGS Ibs / practice / year
SL-1 302
WF-3 59
-2 470
WP-1 306
Index of Practices
SL-1 Permanent Vegetative Cover
Establishment
SL-3 Stripcropping Systems
SL-5 Diversions
SL-8 Cropland Protective Cover
SL-14
WP-1
WP-2
WP-3
Reduced Tillage Systems
Sediment Retention, Erosion or
Water Control Structures
Stream Protection - Cattle Crossings
Sod Waterways
Figure 3-1.—Estimated phosphorus reduction in Phase I.
rotation, and strip cropping. They also
included vegetated buffer strips along
stream and ditch banks, stream bank
fencing, contour diversions, flow control
structures, grassed waterways, and sedi-
mentation basins. Livestock manure
storage facilities and the development of
nutrient management plans were also
adopted.
In addition, Erie CD developed a
database to monitor and record all
accomplishments, produced an educa-
tional video, and held news conferences,
informal meetings, and demonstration
days at participating farms.
Some 26 BMPs were imple-
mented on 460 acres at a construction
cost of $69,204. The state estimates that
578 tons of soil and 2,263 pounds of
phosphorus are being saved each year
(Fig. 3-1).
Another section 319 grant is fund-
ing Phase II of the phosphorus reduction
program—"innovative" BMPs. This
phase attacks long-standing problems on
dairy farms in the Elk Creek watershed,
ranging from barnroof runoff to manure
leachate to milkhouse effluent. In many
cases, this runoff was flowing directly
into tributaries of Lake Erie.
The improvement from innova-
tive BMPs was immediately apparent.
Cleaner barnyards and fresher water
improved milk production and reduced
instances of cattle disease. Polluted run-
off in streams was, in large measure,
abated. Success rates on farms have been
encouraging and Erie CD continues to
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REGION 3
attract farmers to the program. Other
water quality projects are in progress or
planned.
Education and demonstration are
also part of Phase II, including a confer-
ence, field days, and educational
literature for public distribution. Erie
CD will also rent a no-till drill for
farmers' use.
For eight years, Erie CD has
maintained the momentum of the Lake
Erie Phosphorus Reduction program.
Section 319 has funded BMPs that will
serve as examples for years to come.
VIRGINIA
continues to develop water-
shed projects that combine
educational programs and demonstra-
tions, technical assistance, financial
assistance, and water quality monitoring
into a comprehensive approach to water-
shed restoration. An example of this
successful approach is the Middle Fork
Holston River project.
AWARENESS PROJECT PROMOTES
AGRICULTURAL BMP USE
Cooperation from and coordination
among many individuals working on
different aspects of a problem is often
the surest way to improve water quality.
That was certainly true in the Middle
Fork Holston watershed in western
Virginia. The water quality awareness
project, funded with section 319 funds,
promoted the restoration of the Middle
Fork Holston River and encouraged the
use of best management practices. It
was a small but important part of the
plan to reduce watershed pollution.
In 1985, the New River High-
lands Resource Conservation and
Development District (RC&D) formed
a committee dedicated to improving the
river's water quality by reducing point
and nonpoint pollution sources. In
March 1990, the public awareness proj-
ect received $7,500 in section 319 funds
to further that effort. This was supple-
mented by $6,500 from the Tennessee
Valley Authority (TVA) and $17,000
from the RC&D, the project sponsor.
The project had several components:
* Over 600 students participated in
an educational program for all
local schools, which included
t-shirts and logo and poster
contests.
* About 140 people participated in
the widely promoted River Clean-
Up Day, cleaning approximately
36 miles of streambank.
•* A successful streambank protec-
tion effort—which installed
approximately 4,800 feet offence
to restrict cattle access to the
river, planted 1,250 trees beside
streams, and built three watering
troughs—continues to be used as
a demonstration site.
* Other activities included reforest-
ing a streambank adjacent to an
industrial park, touring agricul-
tural BMPs installed within the
watershed, and developing an
educational display of activities to
restore the river.
. The land treatment BMPs
contribute greatly to water quality
improvements. Trees control erosion
and stabilize stream temperature. Fences
protect streams against cattle waste,
which increases nutrients that contrib-
ute to eutrophication—nutrient
enrichment that leads to premature
aging of the waterbody.
The awareness project enhanced
public support for existing projects such
as TVA's BMP assistance and monitor-
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ss
REGION 3
ing programs and critical site treatment
with federal and state cost-share funds.
TVA used the Index of Biotic Integrity
(IBI) to monitor water quality changes
and conducted an aerial inventory of
land use and nonpoint source pollution
sources. This monitoring has shown that
water quality has improved as a result of
installing land treatment BMPs.
Fish populations have increased
both in numbers and diversity. Overall,
the fish community has shown an
improvement in the percentage of
insectivores, such as sculpins, and top
predators, such as rock bass. These
changes are reflective of a more
balanced and healthy stream ecosystem
and are attributed to reductions in sedi-
ment and nutrient loadings from the
installation of BMPs.
In 1991, a pilot total maximum
daily load (TMDL) project, supported
with section 319 funds, began developing
a methodology to link land use changes
brought about by land treatment BMPs
with changes in water quality using IBI
techniques. Although more research is
required, the completed project shows a
correlation between land use changes and
changes in water quality.
Another section 319 project,
funded in the fall of 1992, builds on
previous streambank restoration along
critical areas of the watershed identified
through TVAs extensive land use inven-
tories. Finally, USDA has approved a
land treatment watershed project on
three subwatersheds and will provide
additional funding for land treatment
BMP practices.
WEST VIRGINIA
7 he focus of West Virginia's nonpoint
source program is to develop and im-
plement projects to reduce pollutant loads
from agriculture, silviculture, resource
extraction, and construction. The State
Division of Environmental Protection's
Office of Water Resources, the lead
agency, works with other state agencies
to assess nonpoint source impacts.
These include the Division of Environ-
mental Protection-Resource Extraction,
Soil Conservation Agency, and Division
of Forestry. The Office of Water
Resources is also responsible for the
Clean Lakes Program, the nonpoint
source assessment process, and the ambi-
ent water monitoring program, which
allows for data transfer and communica-
tion among the related programs.
Program components include education,
technical assistance, financial incentives,
demonstrations, and regulation.
NFS TRAINING CENTER PROVES
AN OVERWHELMING SUCCESS
According to West Virginia, the best
way to reduce nonpoint source pollution
is by educating land users in how to
apply resource management techniques.
The state's theory proved valid when it
opened the Nonpoint Source Resource
Management Training Center in Febru-
ary 1992. In its first year of operation,
this successful center trained more than
3,000 people, including some from
outside the state—and its popularity
continues.
The center was originally
intended to hold courses at the Cedar
Lakes Conference Center in Ripley, the
location of the Point Source Environ-
mental Training Center. However,
demand has been so great that courses
are moving from place to place across
the state, aided by volunteer professional
instructors and corporate donations of
equipment.
The center is administered by the
West Virginia State-Soil Conservation
Agency, the organization charged with
educating land users and the general
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r
REGION 3
36
public about nonpoint source BMPs.
Local, state, and federal agencies work
together to develop and teach the train-
ing courses, which are geared to the
level and needs of specific groups. These
might include oil and gas operators,
farmers, construction contractors, log-
gers, landowners, or the general public.
Private industry representatives serve on
training advisory committees, ensuring
that instruction includes state-of-the-
art information and equipment.
Students pay no fee for the
courses on the nonpoint side of the
training center. They are supported by a
1992 U.S. EPA education grant of
$5,000. An FY1991 section 319 grant
of S65,000 and a state matching grant
of $43,333 was used to open the center.
An FY 1992 EPA education grant of
$15,470 will fund resource material, two
environmental seminars, and other edu-
cation and information programs.
In addition to courses, the center
sponsors a voluntary certification
program for contractors and a mini-
certification program for oil and gas
operators.
The center's most popular course
is a sediment and erosion control work-
shop. A nutrient management course
might draw as many as 200 participants.
While one-day classes are the norm, the
center recently held two- and three-day
courses to train the 2,500 employees of
the state highway division. The center
also provided a two-day training session
for s'ome 60 U.S. National Guard
engineers and equipment operators,
integrating the BMP course with their
Army training.
The combined Point Source-NPS
Training Center loans out its comprehen-
sive library of water quality training
materials, reference materials, technical
manuals, instructional videotapes, and
slide shows. The center also loans educa-
tional materials for elementary and junior
high school instruction. The library con-
tinually updates and expands it holdings.
The center's computerized database
maintains information on materials and
suppliers of products used in BMPs to
aid the general public.
COALITION TACKLES ACID
MINE DRAINAGE
West Virginia has identified acid mine
drainage (AMD) from abandoned coal
mines as the single most damaging non-
point source impact to its waters. In
many areas, aquatic life has been virtu-
ally eliminated with little chance of
recovery unless the sources are cleaned
up. Approximately 3,000 stream miles
have been affected by this pollution
source alone.
The Middle Fork River water-
shed was a problem area. AMD from
abandoned coal mines had eradicated
fish from the lower 24 miles of this
beautiful and once popular trout stream.
AMD to the Middle Fork River creates
low pH conditions that damage munici-
pal, industrial, and agricultural water
supplies and corrode the structure of
boats, culverts, and bridges.
AMD has also contributed to
declining recreational use. A lack offish
has decreased the recreational value of
Audra State Park. Facilities and aquatic
habitat in the Tygart Valley River have
also been affected by acid loadings. In
Tygart Lake, a major Corps of
Engineers' reservoir, acid loadings also
adversely affect the ecosystem. A 1981
EPA assessment found that conditions
would not improve until abandoned
mines were properly reclaimed.
The most severe impact from
acid mine drainage is the influx from
Cassity Fork, which each year dumps
approximately 1,542 tons of acid-laden
-------
37
REGION 3
TABLE 3-1.—Chemical characteristics of Kittle Flats seep.
SAMPLE SITE
Prior to
ALD*
Installation
Discharge
from ALD*
AVERAGE
pH
3.19
6.10
AVERAGE HOT
ACIDITY
697
305
AVERAGE
ALKALINITY
0
222
AVERAGE
ALUMINUM
11.975
0.100
AVERAGE
MINERAL
ACIDITY
306
0
AVERAGE
LBS/DAY NET
ACID
88.72
5.78
* anoxic limestone drain
runoff into the river. The primary
sources of this acidity are abandoned
coal mines located on two mountain
tops—Kittle Flats and Whitman Flats.
Some mines were eligible for
reclamation using Abandoned Mine
Land (AML) funds, but AML funds
alone could not correct the problems. So
various state and federal agencies pooled
their programs and financial and techni-
cal resources in a coordinated and
comprehensive effort to improve water
quality using a watershed approach.
In February 1991, six agencies
joined West Virginia's Governor Gaston
Caperton in signing a memorandum of
understanding designed to reduce dupli-
cation of effort, accelerate abatement
measures, and improve the overall
effectiveness of the reclamation. State
signatories were the Division of Natural
Resources (now the Division of Envi-
ronmental Protection) and the State
Soil Conservation Committee (now the
Soil Conservation Agency). Federal
agencies were Office of Surface Mining,
EPA,andSCS.
The agencies developed a work
plan to identify the major tasks of each
agency. Initial tasks were to inventory all
coal mine sites in the watershed, secure
water quality data, and establish priori-
ties. Other tasks included designing and
installing abatement techniques and
identifying and securing funds for
design, construction, and monitoring.
Future tasks will include rehabilitation
through stream enhancements and fish-
ery restoration.
In its second year, the Middle
Fork River Watershed National Pilot
Project has taken action to reduce acid
mine drainage. Action includes
constructing alkaline trenches, anoxic
limestone drains, and wetlands to
promote natural revegetation and land
reclamation on sites not eligible for
Abandoned Mine Lands and Reclama-
tion funding. During the past year,
several areas were named to receive
reclamation and abatement funding.
In one seep site on Kittle Flats,
the U.S. Bureau of Mines designed an
internal monitoring well system for an
anoxic limestone drain. This has proven
successful in reducing metals and acid
loads in the seep discharge.
With approximately two years of
baseline water quality data, Table 3-1
shows the seep's chemical characteristics
before and after installation of the
anoxic limestone drain.
Water quality improvements have
been seen in the Middle Fork River
below Cassity. Abatement work in the
Cassity Fork watershed has significantly
decreased acidity concentrations levels.
Figures 3-2 and 3-3 show specific water
quality improvement.
Section 319 funds are currently
being used to fund many of these proj-
ects. As of February 1992, $180,093
-------
REGION 3
TIME vs CONCENTRATION
Installation of ALD
200 --
1-92
9-92
11-92
1-93
5-93
7-93
9-93
2-94
Figure 3-2.—Hot acidity at Seep #1 prior to and after anoxic limestone drain installation.
TIME vs CONCENTRATION
Standard Units
7.00
Installation of ALD
I I III I
I I! I I
I I
SI
I I
II
Figure 3-3.—LAB pH at Seep #1 prior to and after anoxic limestone drain installation.
section 319 funds were committed out
of a total commitment of $569,918.
Additional funds have been spent for
reclamation activities, with a total of $4
million to be funded by existing federal
and state programs.
e&tfact:
Nonpoint Source Coordinator
U.S. EPA Region 3
841 Chestnut Building
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 215/597-3429
-------
the biggest concern in
Region 4 is agriculture's
effect on water quality, rapid urbaniza-
tion in Georgia and Florida is also an
area of concern. To address nonpoint
source pollution, the Region requires
states to use a priority watershed
approach. This approach
requires the states to set priori-
ties based on the level of
impairment or the need to
protect threatened waters. The
Region funds watershed and
demonstration projects in state-
designated priority watersheds.
Mammoth Cave in Kentucky
and Lake Washington in Missis-
sippi are examples of watershed
projects in priority watersheds.
The Region also encourages
strong statewide programs for
education, training, technical
assistance, and regulatory control.
The Region's goal is for
high priority watersheds to have
some NFS activity underway to
restore and maintain water qual-
ity standards. All Region 4 states
are on the way to accomplishing
this ambitious goal.
SECTION 319 SUCCESS STORIES
STATE
Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Mississippi
North
Carolina
South
Carolina
Tennessee
Poarch
Tribe
LOCATION
Statewide
North Redington
Beach, Pinellas County
DeKalb County
Atlanta
Edmonson and
Hart Counties
Greenville Area
• Statewide
* Hollywood
* Bear Creek in Scott
County
Nalichucky River
Watershed
* Perdido Creek
PROJECT
Teacher Education Program
Bath Club Concourse
Stormwater Rehabilitation Project
Vegetative Streambank
Stabilization and Reclamation
Program
Regional Office
Mammoth Cave/Karst Area
Water Quality Project
Lake Washington Cleanup
Animal Waste Management
Artificial Wetlands Wastewater
Treatment Project
Abandoned Mine Lands Cleanup
Animal Waste Systems
Constructed Wetlands
-------
REGION 4
4O
SECTION 319 REGI0N 4 GRANT AWARDS
FY 1992-199$ = $17,577,825
FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES
| General Assistance $1,528,418
|H Agriculture $9,190,792 .
H Urban Runoff $1,229,542
U Silviculture $337,305
H! Construction $666,540
H Resource Extraction $839,935
H Stowage & Land Disposal $496,717
|~] Hydrologic Modification $37,500
H Other $3,251,076*
* Programs include information and education, technical assistance, regulatory, and water quality
monitoring.
SECTION 319 REGION 4 STATE GRANTS
Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Mississippi
$1,971,988
$4,027,898
$1,520,534
$2,144,727
$2,108,142
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Poarch Tribe
Eastern Band of
Cherokee Indians
$2,597,923
$1,646,613
$1,560,000
$66,150
$65,000*
t Story not included in report.
ALABAMA
labama brought together inter-
ested individuals from across the
state to discuss the need to develop
long-range goals and coordinate efforts
to combat nonpoint source pollution.
This task force will focus on creating an
inventory of all NFS activities, interests,
and funding; on defining problems from
a source, not industry, perspective; and
on reviewing the state assessment.
TEACHER EDUCATION BRINGS
POLLUTION PREVENTION
AWARENESS TO MANY
For the past 20 years, environmental
education has been widely accepted. But
time and money have prevented
Alabama from developing a coordinated
formal NFS program. However, section
319 funding has allowed the state to
conduct a teacher training workshop
that spawned a successful ongoing
teacher education program and a public/
-------
4t
REGION 4
private partnership to launch a broader
state environmental education program.
While several "values" oriented
environmental education programs exist,
the Alabama Department of Environ-
mental Management (ADEM) saw the
need for a teacher workshop on NFS
pollution prevention that would deal
with evaluation and problem solving.
The workshop was coordinated with the
Center for Environmental Research
(CERS) at Troy State University and
funded through a section 319 grant.
The first workshop, held in the
summer of 1991, introduced secondary
school teachers to NFS basics. A three-
day workshop—which included speeches
by dignitaries and environmental educa-
tors from the state, the Tennessee Valley
Authority, and EPA—featured hands-on
activities in the classrooms and in the
field. Participants conducted stream and
pond investigations and biological, chem-
ical, and habitat assessments. ADEM
provided a variety of classroom resources.
Favorable comments from the 42
participants prompted the state to hold
a second workshop in the summer of
1992. The successful four-day program,
held at two locations, featured more
field exercises, including instream moni-
toring. Participants received water
quality monitoring kits for Alabama's
volunteer monitoring program.
Two workshops in the summer of
1993, using only half of the FY1991
grant allocation, grouped teachers with
environmental professionals to share
understanding and resources. As part of
the workshop, participants took the
citizen's monitoring program training, a
six-hour certified course given by
Auburn University.
Summer workshops and regional
in-service courses have reached over 200
Alabama teachers. As a result, untold
numbers of students, faculty, and par-
ents have benefited from the knowledge.
The increased awareness brought
about by Alabama's environmental
educations program has encouraged a
broader statewide public/citizen environ-
mental education program called
Legacy: Partnership in Environmental
Education. This not-for-profit corpora-
tion has pulled together state agencies,
universities, and other interested parties
to coordinate and combine on-going
educational efforts. For example, 319
funds produced a water resources map
for teachers around the state.
With 319 funds, ADEM plans to
expand its teacher workshops. It is also
planning a college-level credit course to
provide teachers with in-depth technical
and site evaluation training.
FLORIDA
the passage of the Surface
Water Improvement and Man-
agement Act (SWIM) in 1987, the
Florida legislature codified its concern
over the continued water quality decline
in surface waters and degradation of
natural systems. The act established a
framework and provided the initial fund-
ing to preserve and restore waters of
regional and statewide importance. The
SWIM Act named Tampa Bay and its
tributaries to receive priority attention.
Tampa Bay is Florida's largest
open water estuary, with 398 square
miles of surface area and a contributing
watershed of more than 2,200 square
miles. The Southwest Florida Water
Management District has undertaken a
major initiative—the Urban Stormwater
Analysis and Improvement Initiative—
to preserve and restore Tampa Bay. This
initiative established existing and future
pollutant loading estimates for the
entire watershed, followed by specific
stormwater rehabilitation projects to
improve water quality.
-------
REGION 4
Pervious concrete pavement was used in the parking areas of the
Bath Club Concourse (top); landscaping completed the project
(bottom).
THE BATH CLUB CONCOURSE
STORMWATER REHABILITATION
PROJECT
The Bath Club Concourse is located in
North Redington Beach, a small barrier
island community in Pinellas County.
This combination roadway and parking
area—connecting Bath Club Circle and
Gulf Boulevard—was an impervious
skb of concrete pavement.
Since Bath Club Concourse
could not absorb falling rain, storm-
water runoff flowed directly into a single
storm sewer, carrying its full load of non-
point source pollutants directly to Boca
Ciega Bay.
In August 1990, the Water Man-
agement District and the town agreed
to construct a stormwater rehabilitation
project using pervious concrete pave-
ment at the Bath Club Concourse. Half
of the $48,000 cost was funded by the
Water Management District and half
from a section 319 grant.
The state has designated Boca
Ciega Bay as an "outstanding Florida
water" and determined that it has been
adversely affected by urban stormwater
runoff. Therefore, the Bath Club
Concourse Stormwater Rehabilitation
Project's main objective was to reduce
nonpoint pollutant loading by reducing
the volume of runoff discharging
directly into Boca Ciega Bay. A second
objective was to demonstrate an innova-
tive way to treat or improve the quality
of stormwater runoff in highly urban-
ized areas. These areas pose particular
problems because vacant land is not
readily available, and acquiring land to
construct a conventional stormwater
treatment best management practice
(e.g., wet detention pond) is often too
expensive.
The project's goal was to maxi-
mize infiltration of stormwater runoff to
reduce the amount of untreated runoff
discharging directly into storm sewers.
Therefore, the design directed drainage
toward two pervious concrete parking
areas, separated by an unpaved island, in
the center of the concourse.
To maximize infiltration, engi-
neers installed two 150-foot underdrains
so subsurface soils could drain beneath
the pervious concrete parking areas. The
project required some 9,120 square feet
of pervious concrete, making an 8-inch-
thick slab with 20 percent porosity.
Table 4-1 summarizes pollutant
loadings and predicted reductions for
seven water quality parameters. In addi-
tion, Figure 4-1 graphically illustrates
-------
REGION 4
TABLE 4-1 .—Loadings and estimated loading reductions to Boca Ciega Bay.
PARAMETER
Total nitrogen
Ortho-phosphorus
Total phosphorus
BOD
Suspended solids
Total zinc
Total lead
PRE-PROJECT
LOADING
(Ibs/yr)
16.42
0.38
1.37
60.05
583.44
0.60
1.36
POST-PROJECT
LOADING
(Ibs/yr)
5.72
0.28
0.70
23.56
160.07
0.17
0.37
ESTIMATED LOADING
REDUCTION
(Ibs/yr)
10.70
0.10
0.67
36.49
423.37
0.43
0.99
LOAD
REDUCTION
(percent)
65.2
26.3
48.9
60.8
72.6
71.7
72.8
Pre-Pmject
Reduction
Post-Project
Figure 4-1.— Nitrogen reduction as a result of BMP installation.
the reduction in total nitrogen as a
result of the BMP.
These results show that a
properly designed, constructed, and
maintained stormwater treatment
system using pervious concrete pave-
ment (with or without an underdrain
system) is a viable alternative to tradi-
tional best management practices for
stormwater treatment.
GEORGIA
metropolitan area streams
have suffered from substantial sed-
iments caused by eroding and undercut
streambanks. To reduce this sediment
pollution, an amendment to Georgia's
Erosion and Sedimentation Act requires
that construction activities maintain a
25-foot natural buffer along state water-
ways. With section 319 funds, Georgia
has helped reestablish natural buffers by
-------
REGION 4
Before grading, swiftly flowing water severely undercuts
strcambanks of South Fork Peachtree Creek in Medlock Park.
supporting demonstration streambank
restoration projects and preparing a
streambank stabilization manual based
on soil bioengineering principles. Apply-
ing these principles, however, requires
educating local organizations responsi-
ble for drainage and streambank
maintenance.
REVEGETATION REIGNS IN
STREAMBANK VENTURE
DeKalb County's Vegetative Stream-
bank Program grew directly from the
county's desire to improve water quality
by reducing nonpoint source pollution.
The county chose the South Fork
Peachtree Creek in Medlock Park as its
first demonstration project. Here, lost
streambank vegetation and increased
water velocity and volume had widened
the channel and severely undercut its
banks.
Funded in part by an FY1993
section 319 grant of $34,000 and an FY
1994 grant of $24,000, the Vegetative
Streambank Stabilization and Reclama-
tion Program was a joint effort of
DeKalb County's Department of Parks
and Recreation and Department of
Roads and Drainage. This program
complements an existing program that
provides riprap to citizens to use in
stabilizing streambanks.
The following activities contrib-
uted to the project's success:
+ Restoration plans were
reviewed with the County
Development Department and
Corps of Engineers to obtain a
construction permit.
* Letters were sent to park user
groups and signs were posted
to inform general users of the
restoration activities.
* Small trees were temporarily
relocated and sewer and other
utility lines were marked.
* Because erosion and sediment
control practices restricted soil
disturbance to above the exist-
ing water line, disturbed areas
were seeded and covered with
erosion control fabric immedi-
ately after grading and
especially before rain was due.
+ Banks were excavated and
graded, creating a 3 to 1 slope;
excess soil was stored off site.
-------
REGION 4
+ Banks were hand raked and
seeded heavily with a mix of
fescue and rye grass. Biodegrad-
able erosion control fabric was
placed over the seeds and held
in place by Type 3 riprap at the
toe of the slope.
* Boy Scouts gathered black
willow cuttings from another
park and planted them through
the erosion control fabric.
+ After construction, disturbed
areas were pulverized, fine
graded, and seeded. Straw was
placed on a 30- to 40-foot
swath along the streambank.
* A construction fence was
installed to allow the grass to
grow undisturbed.
The project was completed in
April 1993. The revegetation has been a
great success. Not only has it halted
streambank erosion, but it has also
provided a contiguous wildlife corridor,
increased environmental awareness,
and demonstrates best management
practices for stormwater management.
The black willow cuttings are
thriving—some have grown into 4-foot
shrubs. Other native grasses, trees, and
self-seeded wildflowers are also thriving.
The newly vegetated streambank has
endured numerous heavy rainfalls
without any substantial erosion. The
success of the streambank program has
prompted the county to fund a perma-
nent project manager to oversee
continued revegetation and stabilization
projects.
Other demonstration projects are
in progress or scheduled, including an
information pamphlet about vegetative
stabilization methods. The program also
assists homeowners through consulta-
tions, plant materials, and volunteer
Boy Scouts harvest black willow cuttings and plant them on the
regraded streambank.
coordination. The second year proposal
includes a continued demonstration site,
along with a "how to" video and work-
shops.
-------
REGION 4
The underground streams of Mammoth Cave are particularly
vulnerable to poor water quality.
KENTUCKY
continue to look at
priority watershed demonstration
projects from a multiagency perspective.
In addressing priority pollutants,
Kentucky prefers to deal with problems
holistically, whether they stem from agri-
culture, on-site septic disposal systems,
or other sources. Kentucky is particu-
larly proud of the cooperation and
coordination among federal, state, and
local agencies to reach a common goal.
WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS
PROTECT POPULAR TOURIST
ATTRACTION
The Mammoth Cave National Park is a
major tourist site, attracting over two
million visitors annually. This natural
wonder has created 2,250 jobs and adds
more than $70 million each year to the
area's economy.
In the past few years, Kentucky
has become concerned that water
quality degradation from intensive
agriculture could seriously affect the
area's economy, spoiling a natural
wonder and turning away the lucrative
tourist industry. So the state used a
portion of its section 319 grants to sup-
port water quality monitoring, technical
assistance, demonstration farms, and
educational outreach.
The unusual geology that attracts
visitors to the park also makes it particu-
larly vulnerable to poor water quality.
Instead of flowing into surface streams,
rain falling within the karst (limestone
formation) sinkhole plain flows into
some 15,000 active sinkholes. The water
travels through underground streams
and caves, including Mammoth Cave,
before emerging as spring water in the
Green River. Activities within the sink-
hole plain greatly affect the quality of
water flowing through the cave system.
In fact, a host of potential
pollution sources were threatening the
Mammoth Cave area. Point source
discharges from domestic and industrial
wastewater treatment facilities, agricul-
tural activities, and failing or improperly
installed on-site wastewater treatment
systems outside the park were contami-
nating surface and groundwater with
high levels of bacteria and nutrients.
Monitored fecal coliform data, obtained
from a tributary flowing directly into
the Green River within Mammoth Cave
National Park, documented the bacterial
contamination problem.
Hundreds of livestock feedlots
and dairy operations in the watershed
drain through the park's cave system.
Therefore, nutrients and bacteria from
agricultural could potentially contami-
nate water quality. A 1990 report to
Congress identified agriculture as a
source of sediment and pesticide pollu-
tion in the Turnhole Spring ground-
water basin, an underground tributary of
the Green River.
-------
REGION 4
Farmers install animal waste management systems to improve and protect water quality.
Southcentral Kentucky includes
243,000 acres and 1,300 farms in
Barren, Edmonson, Hart, Metcalfe, and
Warren counties. These counties rank in
the top 8 percent of the state for
tobacco, alfalfa, milk, hay, wheat, and
beef production. Such intensive agricul-
ture on karst topography could easily
contaminate the water.
The Mammoth Cave/Karst Area
Water Quality Project was designed to
reduce pollution in the park area and
the surrounding karst sinkhole plain.
Kentucky Division of Water (DOW)
used part of its section 319 grant to
support the project's water quality
monitoring, technical assistance, and
demonstration farms totaling $541,700
from FY1991 through 1993.
The Mammoth Cave/Karst Area
Water Quality Oversight Committee—
sponsored by the conservation districts
and county governments—oversaw
monitoring and water quality improve-
ments among citizens, land users, and
government agencies. Activities were
coordinated among the committee, a
technical advisory group made up of
representatives from several agencies,
and a project manager who receives
some section 319 funding.
Five farms were selected—based
on land resource needs, accessible water
quality monitoring locations, and farmer
cooperation—as demonstration sites.
Appropriate BMPs were installed on
each farm to achieve water quality. The
demonstration farms are currently being
used to educate other area farmers about
the importance of clean water and the
role of BMPs and to gain feedback on
the program's progress.
Monitoring on some demonstra-
tion farms, funded by section 319, is
being conducted before and after install-
ing BMPs and constructing animal
waste management systems to deter-
mine water quality improvements. The
data is also being used to educate
farmers about water quality impacts,
current technologies available to reduce
those impacts, and the financial
assistance available to farmers who use
BMPs.
-------
REGION 4
TABLE 4-2.—Mammoth Cave/Karst Area Water Quality Project water quality data.
PARAMETER
Ammonia-
Ammonium N
(mg/L)
Total Kjeldahl*
Nitrogen (mg/L)
Total
Phosphorus
(mg/L)
Bacteria
(col/1 00 ml)
WILKERSON FARM
STATION 1
4.28
27.2
4.67
—
STATION 2
8.93
50.6
11.6
—
STATION 3
33.0
55.3
10.0
—
BALLARD FARM
STATION 1
—
45.8
19.3
158-1 60k
STATION 2
—
96.1
90.3
—
*Testto determine nitrogen in organic compounds.
To date, only pre-BMP data has
been collected for the Mammoth Cave
Project. However, Kentucky is optimis-
tic about water quality improvement
being made on two demonstrations
farms.
On the Wilkerson farm, located
in Edmonson County, two samples were
collected after storms from a ditch
below the confined feedlot area before
the animal waste lagoon or storage pond
BMP was installed. A third sample was
also collected from runoff leaving a
previously constructed stack pad (a con-
crete floor where manure is stored). The
pre-BMP nitrogen and phosphorus
concentrations are shown on Table 4-2.
The animal waste lagoon is designed to
contain waste so that no runoff occurs.
Therefore, no post-BMP sampling is
necessary.
Occasional storm water samples
have been collected from runoff in the
ditch below the animal waste lagoon.
Although these samples still show that
nutrients are present, they are a fraction
of their pre-BMP levels. These nutri-
ents are probably caused by runoff from
an adjacent area.
An animal waste facility has been
installed and is being evaluated on the
Ballard farm in Hart County. In 1991,
before the animal waste lagoon was
installed, wastewater from the feedlot/
milk parlor area flowed into a nearby
sinkhole. Data from two stormwater
grab samples are shown in Table 4-2. As
on the Wilkerson farm, no runoff occurs
so post-BMP samples cannot be col-
lected. The waste will be land applied
according to an approved nutrient man-
agement plan. The state believes that
this measure has significantly reduced
the nutrient and bacteria levels.
Other agencies and projects
involved with the Mammoth Cave/
Karst Area Water Quality Project
include ASCS, which provided Agricul-
ture Conservation Program cost-share
funds totaling $960,000; SCS, which
provided technical assistance—design,
planning, and implementation—to
farmers; National Park Service, which
monitors water quality; Tennessee
Valley Authority, which conducted a
low-altitude aerial photography survey;
Kentucky Division of Conservation,
which provided technical assistance to
demonstration farms; DOW, which
funded the American Cave and Karst
Interpretive Program through section
319 funds; and many more.
-------
REGION 4
MISSISSIPPI
i plans to achieve
lasting environmental improve-
ments by reducing nonpoint source
pollution in state waters through educa-
tion and demonstrations. Projects like
the Lake Washington watershed project
depend on being able to translate public
concern into positive action, and show
farmers the advantages of replacing
traditional practices with innovative,
environmentally sound methods.
LAKE WASHINGTON—No LONGER
MUDDYING UP THE WATERS
Knowing that best management
practices could help restore Lake
Washington to its former grace was a
big step—but it took section 319 funds
to actually get the projects going.
Lake Washington, shaped like a
giant "three," was formed in the flat
delta earth south of Greenville some
700 years ago. The lake contains more
than 3,200 acres of open water, with
hundreds of acres backing up into dense
cypress groves.
Once known for its graceful
beauty and antebellum mansions, in
recent years Lake Washington has
received runoff from 11,000 acres of
cropland—mostly cotton and soybeans
—making it muddy and aesthetically
displeasing. Each year, erosion dumps
some 12 tons of soil per acre into the
lake, along with toxic pesticides and
nutrient-rich fertilizers that fuel algae
growth and help deplete the lake's
oxygen.
To make matters worse, few of
the hundreds of cottages and house
trailers lining the lake have adequate
• sewage treatment systems. The most
dramatic effect of this pollution surfaced
A grade stabilization structure detains runoff water to catch
sediments before the water discharges into a tributary to Lake
Washington.
during the hot, dry summer of 1990
when a rare blue-green algae bloomed
across the stagnant water and gathered
on the shores. The algae produced
deadly toxins—14 dogs died after drink-
ing lake water.
Beginning in 1989, the lake
began a broad-based cleanup drive using
a $100,000 federal Clean Lakes Pro-
gram grant (section 314). A feasibility
study identified the BMPs needed to
control the nonpoint source pollution
and restore the lake to its former glory,
so the state turned to the section 319
program to continue its effort. After the
study was completed in June 1991, the
state received a section 319 grant total-
ing $616,363 to implement the BMPs.
In addition, farmers contributed some
$410,910 of in-kind services such as
labor and equipment.
Several BMPs have been
approved and installed. Farmers have
used no-till systems on 3,890 acres and
reduced-till on 919 acres for cotton, soy-
beans, grain sorghum, and corn. These
innovations are remarkable in a region
where tradition is revered. Farmers have
also installed 14 grade stabilization
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REGION 4
SO
structures. These hold water on fields
through the winter, allowing sediment
to settle out of the water, controlling
weeds, and providing habitat for migrat-
ing waterfowl. In addition, more farmers
are planting grass filter strips, grassed
waterways, and vegetation barriers along
fields.
By summer 1995, the project's
anticipated completion date, Mississippi
officials expect erosion to be reduced by
75 percent. BMPs still to come include
converting 4,000 acres to no-till, con-
verting 650 acres to reduced-till, and
installing 26 grade stabilization
structures.
The Lake Washington project
also targets sewage pollution. A sewage
collection and treatment system, being
built in the adjacent Glen Allan commu-
nity, will serve some 200 households.
The system, funded through nearly $1
million in grants and loans from the
Farmers Home Administration, will
include a lagoon and four cells of artifi-
cial wetlands. It will filter out effluent
for discharge away from the lake and
reduce the amount of organic material
and nutrients entering the lake.
A monitoring plan, part of the
continuing Lake Washington project,
will compare newly gathered data with
lake data collected before the BMPs
were installed. The state has received
EPA approval for long-term monitoring
for the entire drainage area and for
individual monitoring of two BMPs.
Until then, photographs are docu-
menting the improvements in the lake.
In comparing two fields—one using
no-till planting and the other using
conventional methods—one can easily
see the difference between the clear
runoff from the former and the muddy,
turbid runoff from the latter.
Lake residents have noticed the
change, too. Although heavy rain has
fallen, the rain "did not muddy up the
lake like it did in the past," reported a
local resident.
NORTH CAROLINA
Carolina plans to use an
individual approach through its
basinwide management program to
address nonpoint source pollution. This
involves looking at river basins individu-
ally, identifying problems, and targeting
specific areas that threaten water quality.
TAKING A STAND ON ANIMAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
In North Carolina, citizen complaints
have usually prompted investigations
about water quality problems after degra-
dation has occurred. However, with
section 319 funds, North Carolina has
developed a more formal process to plan
and Operate animal waste management
systems to protect surface and ground-
water quality before problems occur.
As a result of the state's expand-
ing animal production operations,
particularly hog farming, the North
Carolina Department of Environment,
Health and Natural Resources, Division
of Environmental Management
(DEM), needed to become more pro-
active in protecting water quality. So
DEM used a portion of its FY1992
section 319 grant to support the devel-
opment, coordination, public outreach,
training, and implementation of a
proactive animal waste management
strategy. North Carolina received a
section 319 grant of $78,565 for regula-
tion and a $90,000 grant for education.
Responding to the concerns of
interest groups and local governments,
DEM evaluated existing rules and
found them lacking. As a result, in
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51
REGION 4
December 1992 North Carolina
adopted a water quality rule to address
discharges from animal management
operations into surface waters. The rule
requires all animal waste management
systems, regardless of size, to operate
without discharging to surface waters.
This means that waste must be
contained onsite or used on the land as
fertilizer in an environmentally safe
manner.
The rule establishes animal
thresholds or limits for several types of
operations (Table 4-3). Farmers with
fewer animals and operating without
discharge automatically comply with the
rule and can receive permits. Farmers
with operations larger than the thresh-
old must submit an animal waste
management plan outlining how they
will handle animal waste. If these farm-
ers can establish environmentally sound
waste management practices, they may
not need to make structural changes in
their operations.
TABLE 4-3.—Animal thresholds.
TABLE 4-4.—Compliance timetable.
TYPE
Cattle
Swine
Horses
Sheep
Poultry, liquid
waste system
NUMBER
100
250
75
1,000
30,000
New and expanded feedlots with
more animals than the threshold must
seek state approval before beginning
operations and must meet specific
design and construction standards. The
standards and specifications for new
facilities are based on those used by
SCS and the North Carolina Soil and
Water Conservation Commission, the
lead agency for agricultural nonpoint
source pollution control.
February 1,1993
December 31, 1993
January 1, 1994
December 31, 1997
Rules became effective
Existing farms exceeding animal
thresholds must register with DEM
New or expanded farms exceeding
animal thresholds must provide
certification to DEM of an approved
waste management plan before
beginning operations
Existing farms as of February 1, 1993,
and farms built between February 1 and
December 31,1993, exceeding animal
thresholds must provide certification to
DEM of an approved waste management
plan to be deemed permitted
By the end of 1997, all farms
must have approved animal waste man-
agement plans. Farms not meeting the
compliance timetable (Table 4-4) may
come under a more stringent permitting
process. In addition, farmers violating
water quality standards are subject to
civil and criminal penalties of up to
$10,000 per day and imprisonment.
North Carolina expects to see a
marked reduction in organic and nutri-
ent loading from this ongoing statewide
program. Now that section 319 funds
have helped establish the rule, North
Carolina may again turn to these funds
for actual implementation.
SOUTH CAROLINA
South Carolina's goal is to maintain
and enhance existing water quality
and uses by reducing and eliminating
nonpoint source pollution through coop-
eration among local, state, and federal
agencies and the public. Demonstrating
new and innovative technologies—such
as the on-site artificial wetlands—is one
way the state is accomplishing its goal.
Demonstrations provide a means to
educate homeowners about how they
can participate in this vital effort.
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REGION 4
ARTIFICIAL WETLANDS SOLVING
DOMESTIC SEPTIC PROBLEMS
Working-with section 319 funds, the
South Carolina Department of Health
and Environmental Control has found
an innovative solution to the problem of
septic tank failures in houses built on
poorly drained soils.
Houses built on organic soils that
are unsuitable for traditional on-site
wastewater disposal because of high
water tables, typical in the South
Carolina low country, are prone to have
problems. Particularly during rainy
periods, the high water table impedes
soil infiltration, resulting in ponding
and runoff of untreated waste.
A recent project undertaken by
the State Division of On-Site Waste-
water Management may have the
answer—an innovative wastewater treat-
ment system especially designed for
poorly drained soils, called an artificial
wetlands wastewater treatment system
or rock/plant filter on-site wastewater
treatment system. Using $614,192 in
1990 section 319 funds, the project has
successfully demonstrated how this best
management practice can be used for
on-site wastewater disposal.
The Rowe home in Hollywood
was selected for the project because of
severe septic system failures and the
homeowners' willingness to try an inno-
vative solution. The home is located in
Hollywood Manor, a low-income sub-
division in southwestern Charleston
County approximately 25 years old. A
performance evaluation of South
Carolina septic tank systems—a 1987
three-year cooperative project of the
University of South Carolina and the
State Health Department—identified
homes in the development as having
significant septic system problems. This
is particularly due to the poorly drained
St. Johns soil, a clay-rich soil with a
shallow seasonal high water table.
The system is modeled on one
developed by Dr. B.C. Wolverton, who
designed a simple backyard system that
purifies septic tank discharges.* These
discharges would otherwise leach
directly into the soil and percolate down
to the groundwater and nearby water-
bodies. The rock/plant system consists
of stones buried in a shallow ditch and
plants rooted in the stones. Partially
treated sewage from the septic tank
flows through the stone filter, providing
moisture and nutrients to the plants.
The plants invisibly cleanse the septic
tank discharge while adding beauty to
the lawn. The only upkeep is harvesting
some plants once or twice a year.
In the underground wetland
designed for the Rowes, waste material
first enters a standard septic tank, where
solids are allowed to settle. Wastewater
flows by gravity through the rock/plant
filter system—a U-shaped, gravel-filled
trench lined with heavy plastic to pre-
vent downward movement of the
wastewater. Water-loving plants—such
as elephant ears, canna lilies, and penny-
worts—planted in the trench remove
wastewater pollutants. Subsurface soil
absorption trenches receive effluent
from the filter for final treatment and
disposal (Figs. 4-2,4-3). The artificial
wetland, measuring approximately 43 by
16 feet, cost $6,800 and was constructed
by six members of the State Health
Department.
Wastewater carrying excess nitro-
gen and phosphorus enters waterways in
* Dr. Wolverton, a former senior research biologist for NASA who worked on water purification
techniques for space exploration, is now an environmental scientist and president of Wolverton
Environmental Services in Picayune, Mississippi.
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S3
REGION 4
^Abandoned
Well
•^ /
rin.nn .-• -
Figure 4-2.—Artificial wetlands are designed to purify septic tank discharges.
several ways. Towns may flush under-
treated sewage into rivers; inadequate
septic systems may discharge into
streams, lakes, and groundwater sup-
plies; or rain may wash fertilizer off
farmland, down gullies, and into
streams. Overloads of nutrients entering
domestic wells can cause drinking water
to become a health hazard. Excess
nutrients can also cause murky water,
algal blooms, and fish kills. Nutrients
age lakes prematurely, transforming
crystal clear trout waters into muddy
bullhead holes in only a few decades,
instead of centuries.
Wetlands actively work to clean
up wastewater. Water hyacinths, cattails,
reeds, and other wetland plants take up
excess nutrients and can rapidly assimi-
late nitrogen and phosphorus. These
marsh plants also absorb heavy metals,
radioactive nuclides, and other toxic
wastes. While toxic wastes enter human
cells and wreak havoc with human
chemistry, wetland plants readily absorb
toxins. Contaminated plants can then be
harvested and safely discarded.
4'
3'
10
2'
3'
4'
43'
Fill Area
Landscape Timbers
Rock Media
Seepage Pipe
To Tilefield
(DutletV
Fron Septic Tank (Inlet)
The filter is lined with plastic so that
wastewater will not escape from the
filter to the natural soil.
Figure 4-3.—The rock/plant filter system
removes wastewater pollutants.
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REGION 4
The artificial wetland on the Rowe property has solved the
problem of septic tank failure in a home built on poorly drained
soil.
F. coliform BODS TSS
WASTEWATER POLLUTANTS
Rowe Residence-Hollywood, SC-Charleston County
Figure 4-4.—Treatment efficiency for rock/plant wetland
demonstration system.
In addition, marsh microorga-
nisms that thrive in plant root systems
eat and decompose pollutants. These
microorganisms break down poisonous
organic compounds—such as benzene,
toluene, and PCBs—into harmless
elements that the microorganisms and
the plants can digest. According to
Wolverton, "A well-designed artificial
wetland of 1 acre can purify as much
water as a natural marsh of 100 acres."
Water samples collected at both
ends of the rock/plant filter demonstra-
tion project were analyzed for nitrate
nitrogen, five-day biological oxygen
demand (BODS), total suspended solids
(TSS), and fecal coliform bacteria.
Preliminary results show that the filter
effectively removed bacteria and BODS
(Fig. 4-4). Based on six samples
collected between March and July 1992,
the system removed 95 percent of the
fecal coliform bacteria from the incom-
ing wastewater. On May 13,1992, a
bacteria level at the inlet measured
230,000 per 100 miUiliters; on the same
day, the bacteria level at the outlet was
only 80 bacteria per 100 milliliters—a
treatment efficiency of 99.97 percent.
Individual treatment efficiencies
for BODS ranged from 79 to 94
percent, with the average of six samples
at 85 percent. TSS levels were reduced
by an average of 65 percent. The treat-
ment efficiency for nitrate nitrogen
averaged only 10 percent over the six
samples. This might be due to the fact
that during the sampling period a major-
ity of plants were temporarily killed
back by winter frosts and lack of water
(the homeowner was away for an
extended period). Since Wolverton's
research showed that plants provide
most of the nutrient removal capability,
during full growth and with proper man-
agement nitrogen removal could reach
80 to 90 percent.
A second artificial wetland on
similar problem soil has been con-
structed in Horry County and appears
to be functioning properly. The success
of the two systems has led state sanita-
tion officials to consider artificial
wetlands as appropriate solutions for
emergency repair of malfunctioning
septic tank systems.
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ss
REGION 4
TENNESSEE
7he Tennessee Nonpoint Source
Program continues to work, water-
shed by watershed, to mitigate nonpoint
source problems. Tennessee strives for
the holistic approach—restoring ripar-
ian zones and wetland habitat along
with stream and lake restoration and
public education.
TENNESSEE CLEANS UP POLLUTED
ABANDONED MINE LANDS IN
BEAR CREEK
A high potential for health hazards
from contaminated groundwater on
hundreds of acres of unreclaimed strip-
mined lands gave Tennessee good
reason to clean up the area. With a
combination of section 319 and state
Abandoned Mine Lands Program
funds, a reclamation program of moni-
toring and best management practices
to improve water quality is underway in
the Bear Creek watershed.
The watershed in northcentral
Scott County flows north into
Kentucky. There, it joins the Cumber-
land River's Big South Fork, which
Kentucky has designated a Wild and
Scenic River. The National Park Service
currently owns the Big South Fork
National River and Recreation Area,
encompassing 73,748 acres in Tennessee
and 30,430 acres in Kentucky.
Bear Creek drainage enters the
Big South Fork just upstream from a
freshwater mussel bed containing
numerous species, two of which are
endangered. The bed contains the
world's highest concentration of one
endangered species—the little-winged
pearly mussel (Pegiasfabula)—that
inhabits cool, clear, high-gradient
streams.
Although about 100 families
draw their water supply from the
groundwater, test data for most pollu-
tants were practically nonexistent.
However, county extension service and
local officials reported a high potential
for health hazards from the contami-
nated groundwater.
Cleanup was targeted for some
689 acres of partially reclaimed land—
strip-mined for coal in 1973 and mined
again in 1977. The target area also
includes unmapped deep mines, aban-
doned oil and gas wells, an 80-acre
industrial dumping site that may be
contaminating the groundwater, and a
70-acre abandoned surface coal mine
that has heavily eroded spoil banks and
acid mine drainage. Other water quality
impairments include heavy metals, sedi- .
ment, and decreased dissolved oxygen.
Two active players in cleaning up
the Bear Creek watershed are the NFS
Program and the Abandoned Mine
Lands (AML) Program, both part of
the Tennessee Department of Environ-
ment and Conservation (TDEC). The
NFS Program has directed all water
quality monitoring, including mapping
potential groundwater use areas, follow-
up monitoring at selected well sites, and
monitoring before and after the installa-
tion of BMPs. The AML program will
provide special water quality sampling
for heavy metals, pH, and acidity during
BMP construction. In addition, the
State Division of Lab Services is check-
ing for variations in the aquatic
biological community as a sign of
improvement at five sites. The Kentucky
NFS Program is also evaluating water
quality.
The AML program has proposed
BMPs and reclamation action, which
calls for reshaping approximately 120 to
160 acres to establish controlled drain-
age. The reclamation agenda also
includes installing subsurface limestone
-------
REGION 4
56
drains (anoxic limestone trenches) and
creating buffer wetlands to route acid
mine drainage. The anoxic trenches will
raise the pH of acidic runoff, previously
at 2.5, to between 6.0 and 6.5. The
buffer wetlands enhance the aquatic
community by increasing metal oxida-
tion and pH. During the next two years,
this procedure will be used on other
sites identified in the upper watershed.
The BMPs were partially funded
with three $25,000 section 319 grants to
Tennessee in FY1990,1991, and 1992.
The AML Program has supplied from
$75,000 to $140,000 each year for BMP
funding. The NFS Program also used
section 319 funds, totaling $130,000, for
pre-and post-BMP monitoring.
Tennessee recently received an addi-
tional $375,000 in section 319 funds to
complete the project and install the final
demonstration BMPs. The state AML
Program will match these funds. A
special $15,000 U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service grant will support water quality
monitoring near the endangered mussel
habitat.
Initial reclamation demonstration
projects—land reshaping reclamation,
installing anoxic drains, and construct-
ing artificial (buffer) wetlands—were
completed at the end of FY 1992.
TDEC monitored four storms for chem-
icals at Big South Fork River and
analyzed sediment and water quality
from Bear Creek's east and west
branches. This pre-BMP data will be
used to show water quality improve-
ments after all BMPs are installed and
post-BMP monitoring is complete.
Initial monitoring has confirmed the
presence of several toxic metals, includ-
ing mercury. A pH monitoring effort
has indicated improved pH in water
leaving the artificial wetlands. This may
correlate to a potential reduction in
toxic metals in the creeks.
Outreach efforts have also drawn
together various federal, state, and local
pollution control agencies, which have
exchanged valuable technology at on-
site visits and presentations at meetings
and conferences.
ANIMAL WASTE SYSTEMS
IMPROVING HABITAT
Concern over nonpoint source water
pollution from livestock production
prompted Tennessee to target five sub-
watersheds in the Nolichucky River
watershed. This area includes Greene
and Washington counties, the state's
largest milk producing areas.
Much of the problem centers on
animal waste from waiting or milking
areas washing into the streams. To stem
this pollution source, the Tennessee
Department of Environment and Con-
servation has worked with other state
and federal agencies and farmers to
install animal waste systems. These
systems store the waste, which farmers
later use to fertilize crops.
For FY 1990 and 1991, the mon-
ies from a section 319 grant and other
agencies totaled $392,813 to fund BMPs
in the Nolichucky River watershed.
Section 319 monies, through a contract
with Tennessee Department of Agricul-
ture, totaled $7,806. The majority of the
BMP monies came from special ASCS
funding. Although the 319(h) dollars for
BMP implementation represented less
than 2 percent of BMP funding from the
FY 1991 and 1992 grant monies, an addi-
tional $50,000 of 319(h) money was
spent for water quality monitoring for
BMP effectiveness.
In testing the effectiveness of
BMPs a year after installation, the
Tennessee Department of Health found
.statistically valid improvements in
benthic habitat in two subwatersheds.
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57
REGION 4
The state determines improve-
ment by using a number of biotic
indexes. The North Carolina biotic
index (NCBI) and Hilsenhoff biotic
index (HBI)—which measure the num-
ber of pollution tolerant, intolerant, and
facultative organisms in the watersheds
—are two examples. Tolerant species are
able to withstand and thrive in the nutri-
ent-rich environment of a polluted
watershed. Intolerant species cannot
withstand a nutrient-rich environment,
and increase only when pollution
decreases. Facultative organisms can live
in both nutrient-rich and nutrient-free
environments.
BMPs in Jockey Creek, located in
the Big Limestone watershed, were
installed between August 1990 and
February 1991. Biological sampling
began in October 1990, and by July
1991 the benthic community showed
improvement. Although Jockey Creek
showed no biological change from fall
to spring, an increase in the number and
diversity of intolerant Ephemeroptera
(mayflies) showed some improvement in
water quality during the summer. How-
ever, the facultative Stenonema species
remained the dominant mayfly, indicat-
ing that some nutrient enrichment was
still present in the waters.
The Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera,
Trichoptera (EPT) taxa richness (three
orders representing the majority of intol-
erant species in the water) showed no
change between seasons at Jockey
Creek, which has the lowest value (num-
ber of taxa) of any of the Big Limestone
test sites. However, EPT taxa richness
for the rock habitat increased from four
taxa in the fall and spring to seven taxa
in the summer. This increase in intoler-
ant species indicates an improvement in
water quality. In addition, the percent of
tolerant Chronomids and annelids—
which survive in nutrient-rich waters—
dropped dramatically from a spring high
of 57 percent to a summer low of 9
percent.
All of the previous factors indi-
cate improvement in Jockey Creek's
benthic habitat since two animal waste
systems were installed. Additional
improvement over time will indicate if
this is a trend.
Puncheon Camp Creek in the
Lick Creek subwatershed, one of the
study's smallest and most severely
stressed streams, has also shown
improvement after animal waste systems
were installed in December 1990 and
January 1991. Although still stressed,
the benthic community showed steady
improvement in May and July 1991.
The HBI and NCBI showed that
the number of facultative species consis-
tently increased throughout the spring
and summer. While no new intolerant
species appeared, the number ofPerlesta
(a facultative Plecotera [stonefly])
increased during the summer.
The fall 1990 sample showed a
very low EPT richness of two in
Puncheon Camp Creek However, the
intolerant species improved dramatically
to 10 in the spring, with a small summer
decline to eight. While tolerant
Chironomids and annelids were abun-
dant—57 percent in fall 1990 and
reaching a peak of 72 percent in the
spring—their presence dropped off to
12 percent in the summer, indicating
water quality improvement.
These measures show that
Puncheon Camp Creek's benthic com-
munity structure may be improving.
Tolerant organisms appear to be on the
decline while facultative species are mov-
ing in to fill the habitat. However, the
habitat remains severely impacted. Per-
manent improvement can be expected
only over time as the habitat is restored.
Continued analysis will show, in fact,
whether the improvement is consistent.
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REGION 4
During heavy rainfall, a concrete weir helps spread the water
over the vegetated cell to dissipate its energy.
POARCH TRIBE
Sediment bars building up from
upstream croplands on a tributary
in southern Alabama prompted the
Poarch Band of Creek Indians to use
section 319 funds to reduce this non-
point source pollution. These monies
have enabled the tribe to construct a
wetland treatment system to reduce
pollution from agricultural runoff on
tribal lands.
CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS
REDUCE NFS POLLUTION
On the Perdido Creek tributary, sedi-
ment and nutrients from upstream
croplands—primarily vegetable gardens
and cotton—have created excessive
sediment bars. The selected demonstra-
tion area is a 3-acre site within a
drainage way that had previously been
channelized and cleared of riparian
vegetation. The channel is dry except
when rainfall is high.
Using section 319 funds, the tribe
constructed a wetland system with
multiple compartments or cells. The
initial cell will remove sediments from
the first flush—the portion of runoff
immediately after a rainfall that contains
large amounts of pollutants—before it
enters the constructed wetland cells.
The following cells will detain the first
flush for biological treatment.
To increase its participation and
knowledge of nonpoint source pollution,
the tribe constructed the system, using
its own labor and equipment. Revegeta-
tion is by natural introduction and
propagation. Upstream and downstream
monitoring will evaluate vegetation
before the next planting season to
determine if replanting with cattails is
necessary.
Nonpoint Source Coordinator
U.S. EPA Region 4
345 Courtland Street, NE
Atlanta, GA 30365
Phone: 404/347-2126
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of Region 5's efforts in
controlling nonpoint
source pollution have been focused on
priority watersheds.
Agricultural and urban nonpoint
sources are major problems in Region 5.
Agricultural activities have the greatest
impact on the extent of nonpoint
source, while urban areas
have a higher rate of non-
point source production.
Nutrient and sediment are
the most commonly identi-
fied pollutants. Geography
also dictates that the Great
Lakes receive a great deal of
attention.
A holistic watershed
approach, coordination and
cooperation among all levels
of government and interests,
and public education charac-
terize many of the projects
in Region 5.
SECTION 319 SUCCESS STORIES |
STATE
Illinois
Indiana
Michigan
Minnesota
Ohio
Wisconsin
LOCATION
* West of Lake
Michigan
• Chicago
* Wolf Lake in Grand
Calumet Watershed
• Statewide
* Monroe, Washtenaw,
Wayne Counties
• Statewide
# Maumee River Basin
* Buffalo County
PROJECT
Waukegan River Stabilization and
Management
Regional Office
Shoreline Erosion Project
Erosion Control Demonstration Project
Phosphorus Reduction Strategy
Forestry Field Audit Project
Maumee RAP Implementation Strategy
Waumandee Creek Watershed Project
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REGION S
60
SECTION 319 REG ON 5 GRANT AWARDS
FY 1992-1993 = $17,299,520
FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES
| General Assistance $8,776,916
H Agriculture $4,801,127
HI Urban Runoff $1,823,143
H Silviculture $77,500
9 Construction $75,334
| Resource Extraction $75,000
^ Stowage & Land Disposal $0
HU Hydrologic Modification $275,000
g Other $1,395,500
SECTION 319 REGION 5 STATE GRANTS
Illinois
Indiana
Michigan
$3,755,217
$1,729,275
$2,882,505
Minnesota
Ohio
Wisconsin
$3,343,871
$3,031,245
$2,557,407
ILLINOIS
has expanded and refined its
management of nonpoint source
pollution to consider watershed protec-
tion. This holistic approach will focus
on watersheds with the most pressing
environmental needs and that will result
in the greatest benefit. A prime example
is the Waukegan River, a priority water-
body in a targeted watershed.
STREAMBANK STABILIZATION
STEMS EROSION ON THE
WAUKEGAN RIVER
After years of streambank erosion that
has destroyed park lands and bridges
and endangered sewer lines, the Wauke-
gan River is making a comeback.
Located about 35 miles north of
Chicago, the Waukegan River is 12.5
miles long with a watershed of 7,640
acres. It flows through a densely popu-
lated area and discharges into Lake
Michigan only 6,000 feet from
Chicago's freshwater intake.
The problems with the Wauke-
gan River are twofold. First, expanded
commercial construction and residential
housing development has increased the
impervious surface area. This has caused
a sharp rise in stormwater peak dis-
charge volume and rates as well as an
influx of typically urban nonpoint pollu-
tion sources such as toxic hydrocarbons
and solid waste.
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6t
REGION 5
Second, an unstable stream chan-
nel has led to severely eroded banks in
the streamside parks along the river. The
eroded sediment has endangered pedes-
trian traffic, damaged sewer lines, and
increased the nonpoint source pollution
load (TSS) to Lake Michigan.
Therefore, federal, state, and local
officials have joined together to prevent
further water quality degradation and
restore the Waukegan River. A two-year
section 319 project, undertaken by the
City of Waukegan and the Waukegan
Park District, received $200,000 in
November 1991. The Waukegan River
Stream Stabilization and Management
Project is providing vegetative stabiliza-
tion with grasses and willows, structural
stabilization with riprap, and habitat
structures with vegetation.
In fall 1992, stabilization con-
struction in two Waukegan streamside
parks—Powell and Washington—was
completed. City and park personnel
attended a workshop on stream stabiliza-
tion and project requirements. Other
park areas along the river are also being
restored.
As part of the Waukegan project,
park and city regulations were drafted to
protect restored streambanks, maintain
vegetation, and dispose of trash, solid
waste, and petroleum products. The
Waukegan Park District has adopted
the regulations and is currently discuss-
ing their adoption with the City of
Waukegan.
The final stage of the Waukegan
project will include developing a stream
maintenance plan for the river and its
borders, a final report that explains the
project implementation, and an evalua-
tion of its success. The evaluation will
cover improvements in water quality,
habitat, and bank stabilization, and the
cost effectiveness of the installed restora-
tion practices compared to alternative
management strategies. The completed
The Waukegan River's unstable channel caused severe erosion in
recreational areas, endangering the public and increasing
sediment in Lake Michigan.
Stabilization measures added vegetation and riprap to decrease
erosion and enhance the stream's beauty.
construction at Powell Park has already
stabilized portions of the streambank. In
the last months of the project, restora-
tion will continue and action will be
taken to maintain this restoration.
The completed stream stabiliza-
tion measures on the Waukegan River
successfully withstood the considerable
rainfall during summer 1993 with no
loss of streambank. And the river's
appearance indicates an improvement in
water quality through reduced sediment
loadings.
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REGION 5
INDIANA
a portion of its section
319 money to fund staff in the
Indiana Department of Environmental
Management's Nonpoint Source
Program. Section 319 funds are also
used to fund NFS projects to alleviate
NFS pollution around the state.
Currently, the approximately 45 active
section 319 projects include urban run-
off demonstrations, cost-share
programs, and wetland restoration.
Project management entails
soliciting proposals, generating and
tracking contracts, preparing reports
and budgets, monitoring projects, and
providing technical and implementation
assistance. The NPS staff also coordi-
nates NPS issues with other agencies,
arranges and conducts public meetings
on NPS pollution, provides aid to local
communities in deriving solutions,
educates and informs the public on
issues, and provides technical training to
agency staff.
BANK STABILIZATION PROTECTS
ERODIBLE SHORELINE
Wolf Lake is a natural lake surrounded
by dense urbanization. Urban runoff
from the surrounding areas carries sedi-
ment to the lake, severely eroding the
shoreline by 0.3 meters each year.
Important because of its size and loca-
tion within a heavily urbanized area,
Wolf Lake is primarily used for recre-
ation such as fishing, small boating, and
swimming. In addition, Wolf Lake pro-
vides one of the few remaining habitats
for the silverweed (Potentilla Anserina),
a state endangered plant.
Wolf Lake is located in the
Grand Calumet River and Indiana
Harbor Ship Canal area—named one of
the Great Lakes Basin's 43 areas of con-
cerns. As part of the Grand Calumet
watershed in Northwest Indiana, the
area produces over 25 percent of U.S.
steel and is one of the country's largest
oil refining facilities.
Studies show that the area's main
nonpoint source problems are caused
from several sources. Urban runoff from
city streets, interstate highways, and
adjacent domestic or commercial proper-
ties carries various pollutants into the
sewer systems and receiving streams.
The entire area surrounding Wolf Lake,
the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal, and the
Grand Calumet River is urbanized.
Contaminated sediments and atmo-
spheric deposition—additional pollution
sources—are particularly acute because
of the many industries in the area.
Another pollution source is
hydromodification, created by the alter-
ation of waterways. The Grand Calumet
River has been channelized and dredged
in some sections, and the Indiana
Harbor Ship Canal is entirely engi-
neered. Streambank erosion—which ,
occurs naturally from weather, runoff, or
stream flow—can be intensified by land
clearing practices related to farming,
residential or industrial development,
road building, or timber cutting. The
great quantity of urban runoff in North-
west Indiana makes shoreline erosion a
problem for Wolf Lake.
The Lake County Soil and Water
Conservation District (LCSWCD)
received section 319 funds in FY1990
and 1992 that total $145,000 to help
install best management practices to
protect the highly erodible shoreline.
The installation of bedding stone
and limestone riprap has protected more
than 300 meters of shoreline. In addi-
tion, the riprap has provided good
habitat for silverweed, which has ex-
panded onto the riprap area. LCSWCD
selected this BMP because of its cost-
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63
REGION 5
effectiveness, ability to withstand wave
energy, and compatibility with the
endangered silverweed. Although the
bank stabilization project will help to
keep contaminated soil from eroding
into Wolf Lake, this project does not
specifically address contaminated
sediments.
The project's success is indicated
by the fact that bank erosion has
stopped in the riprap areas. Expansion
of the endangered silverweed at Wolf
Lake is another sign of success. Based
on these successes, the LCSWCD is
using this BMP in other areas with
similar problems.
FIELD DAY LETS PROFESSIONALS
SEE FOR THEMSELVES
Concern about urban erosion control
prompted Indiana agencies to give
professionals a chance to see for them-
selves how erosion and sediment control
can be incorporated into original project
plans. The project consisted of 10 dem-
onstrations around the state to show
urban erosion control, primarily in
housing subdivision and commercial
construction. The total cost was
$130,000. FY1991 section 319 funds
contributed $41,000; Indiana Depart-
ment of Natural Resources and the local
SWCDs provided the remaining
$89,000.
The Allen County 1-469 Erosion
Control Project field day and tour was
the first demonstration project entirely
associated with highway construction
activities. Sponsored by the Allen
County Soil and Water Conservation
District (SWCD) in cooperation with
the Indiana Department of Transporta-
tion (INDOT) and other local entities,
the field day was also strongly supported
by the Federal Highway Administration.
The field day and tour empha-
sized the importance of incorporating
erosion and sediment control early by
discussing project phasing, timing of
installation, and erosion control prac-
tice placement. Participants saw
first-hand the impact of nonstructural
erosion and sediment control and
observed a rain simulator illustrate the
erosion process. They also saw how
practices such as timely seeding, erosion
control blankets, mulching, and sedi-
ment control barriers and basins can
reduce sedimentation.
Participants learned the vital role
of economics in the battle against
erosion and sediment. The tour empha-
sized that a developer or contractor is
much more likely to adopt erosion and
sediment control practices that are
proven to be cost effective.
The 1-469 tour attracted approxi-
mately 175 highway contractors,
consultants, and government representa-
tives. Local news media promoted the
tour, and two television stations pro-
vided coverage, resulting in a local news
spot.
SCS and Allen County SWCD
also hosted a seminar and tour at the
1-469 site for INDOT, SCS, SWCDs,
and Indiana Department of Natural
Resources Division of Soil Conservation
—and some 80 representatives attended.
These events have resulted in a closer
working relationship between soil
conservation agencies and INDOT.
More importantly, INDOT has incorpo-
rated control practices into its highway
projects and has revised highway project
specifications manuals to reflect conser-
vation practices gleaned from the
seminars and tours.
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REGION 5
MICHIGAN
is focusing on
demonstration watershed
projects voluntarily implemented in
priority watersheds. Michigan also
provides technical assistance and infor-
mation on nonpoint source issues and
enforces various regulations. The state is
currently concentrating on agricultural,
urban, and forestry nonpoint source
pollution.
LAKE ERIE BENEFITS FROM
PHOSPHORUS REDUCTION
STRATEGY
The Great Lakes are suffering the
effects of human activities—deterio-
rated water quality. Excess phosphorus
enters the waters and contributes to
accelerated eutrophication—aging of
the waters from increased nutrients.
Under the 1978 Great Lakes Water
Quality Agreement, the United States
and Canada agreed to work together to
reduce phosphorus loading and reverse
or prevent eutrophication.
In 1990, the Michigan Depart-
ment of Natural Resources received a
Slll,000 section 319 grant. These
funds were used to provide technical
assistance to three counties closest to
Lake Erie—Monroe, Washtenaw, and
Wayne—to implement best manage-
ment practices. Under the auspices of
the local SWCDs, these BMPs were
designed to reduce erosion and phospho-
rus loading in Lake Erie.
All lands within a half-mile of
any surface water were considered
critical since they were most likely to
contribute phosphorus loading to Lake
Erie from runoff, erosion, and sediment.
Although all critical areas received tech-
nical assistance, the state concentrated
its efforts on the Lower Rouge River
and Raisin River watersheds because
* Both urban and agricultural
nonpoint source impacts were
present, making this watershed
representative of other water-
sheds in the Tri-County area;
* The soils have high runoff
potentials, and nutrient and
pesticide loadings to surface
waters can be significant; and
+ The watersheds are artificially
drained with surface and sub-
surface drains and are at high
risk to affect water quality.
Areas subject to wind erosion
were also considered as priority. Wind-
transported soil particles are highly
enriched with phosphorus, can be
carried great distances, and contribute
to phosphorus loading in Lake Erie.
Technical assistance focused on
agricultural and urban land use, encour-
aging nutrient management and erosion
control of both wind and water. The
specific goal was to reduce phosphorus
loading to Lake Erie by 11.1 tons by
September 30,1992. SCS, which
assisted the conservation districts with
computations and monitoring, calcu-
lated phosphorus and sediment
reductions using the Universal Soil Loss
and wind erosion equations. Delivery
ratios and phosphorus enrichment
factors specific to each of the 16
watersheds were used to estimate
sedimentation and phosphorus
reductions.
BMPs used in the phosphorus
reduction strategy were adopted from
the Rural Clean Water Program, where
they were effective locally (Table 5-1).
The BMPs were implemented voluntar-
ily. From October 1990 through
September 1992, phosphorus loading
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65
REGION 5
was reduced 12.6 tons, exceeding the
original goal.
The technical reporting system is
a model for section 319 and other
programs. Currently, 23 watershed
projects are using the model to calculate
pollutant reductions and report accom-
plishments.
An information and education
program was also a crucial part of the
technical assistance. The program,
which targeted a diverse urban and rural
audience, included multi-media, work-
shops and tours, and pamphlets and
brochures about the project. This pro-
gram created an awareness in the
upstream urban and agricultural commu-
nities that their nonpoint source inputs
have an impact on Lake Erie.
Finally, the project accelerated
the implementation of structural,
management, and vegetative BMPs.
ASCS targeted financial assistance by
giving priority to water quality practices.
SCS received section 319 grant money
to provide additional technical assis-
tance. The project provided the three
field offices an opportunity to target
their efforts on nonpoint source prob-
lems and assist the local communities
with water quality improvements.
MINNESOTA
TABLE 5-1.—BMPS used in phosphorus reduction strategy.
taking a two-tier
approach to achieving water
quality through watershed projects and
information and education programs.
The Clean Water Partnership Program
sponsors 36 water management projects
in addition to clean lakes projects.
Minnesota has used section 319 funds
for technical assistance in 53 watershed
management projects and has made a
special effort to involve all state
agencies.
BMPs IMPLEMENTED
Grassed waterways
Conservation tillage
Permanent vegetative cover
Filter strips
Nutrient management
Tree planting
Critical area treatment
Grade stabilization structure
Field windbreak
Vegetative barrier
POLLUTANTS CONTROLLED
Sediment (tons per year)
Phosphorus (pounds per year)
AREA TREATED
1 acre
12,951 acre
249 acre
6 acre
2,402 acre
23 acre
20 acre
5'
1,400 feet
12,000 feet
AMOUNTS
16,792
25,149
FORESTRY AUDITS EVALUATE HOW
BMPs WORK
Concerned about the impact of forest
management on water quality, Minne-
sota decided to use section 319 funds to
determine the effectiveness of best
management practices and to what
extent they are being used in forestry
operations throughout the state.
Forestry has been identified as
one of Minnesota's four major sources of
nonpoint source pollution. Pollutants
from forestry operations include sedi-
ment, nutrients, organic debris,
pesticides, petroleum products; water
temperature increases are also of con-
cern. BMPs provide the foundation for
water quality protection from these
-potential pollutants.
Therefore, the state needed to
develop a credible field audit process to
evaluate how extensively silvicultural
BMPs are used in forest management
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REGION 5
66
operations on state, federal, county,
private industrial, and nonindustrial
private (small properties) forest knds. In
addition, it needed to qualitatively mea-
sure the effectiveness of the
state-approved silvicultural BMPs. In
developing this field audit process,
Minnesota evaluated waterbodies across
the state—perennial streams, lakes,
intermittent streams, open water wet-
lands, ponds, and groundwater.
The field audits provide valuable
information to the Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency, the Minnesota Depart-
ment of Natural Resources, and the
forest community on the degree to
which BMPs are being employed. Audit
results provide a focus for educational
efforts and technical assistance and
identify practice deficiencies so that the
state can clearly target corrective
measures to improve compliance.
Field audits began in the fall of
1991. The field audit forms used to
evaluate forest management sites were
based on the BMPs identified in Water
Quality in Forest Management: Best
Management Practices in Minnesota, the
state-approved forestry BMP guide-
book. The forms were updated and
changed, based on an ongoing process
of field discussions with professional
and private interest groups and observa-
tions of how BMPs were actually
working. The audit forms contain 96
BMPs that could be rated for each site.
The field audit process is also structured
to provide a qualitative measure of the
effectiveness of the silvicultural BMPs
based on visual observations of erosion
to perennial and intermittent waters.
Four field audit teams—each
consisting of five to seven experts in
forest management, fisheries, road engi-
neering, soil science, hydrology, and
conservation—perform the audits.
Teams include representatives from the
forest industry, state and federal
agencies, county land departments, and
environmental and conservation
organizations.
Team members and alternates
attend a two-day calibration workshop
to learn the goals and objectives of the
field audits and the BMP process.
Teams visit several field sites and audit
the BMPs to become familiar with the
field ratings. Audit sites are randomly
selected from state, federal, county,
private industrial, and nonindustrial
private forest lands. Selection criteria
include management activities less than
two years old, treatments encompassing
at least 10 acres, and locations within
200 feet of a lake, stream, or protected
wetland.
The project has been funded
through section 319 grants totaling
$58,000. The state has contributed an
additional $8,000 and will continue to
fund this project and other similar ones.
In 1991 and 1992, field audit
teams reviewed 158 sites, with about 120
sites targeted for review in 1993. In the
first two years, the forestry community
met or exceeded BMP requirements to
protect water quality an average of 83
percent of the time. Even when the
audits revealed departures from BMP
requirements, 77 percent of the time
these departures were small and local-
ized, with minimal impact on water
quality.
During the program's first year,
the audits revealed a significantly higher
compliance level—88 percent—on
county, state, federal, and private indus-
trial lands managed by professional
foresters. Compliance from nonindus-
trial lands was much lower—71 percent.
These results indicate that Minnesota
should target nonindustrial land manag-
ers for education and technical
assistance.
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67
REGION 5
These future education and tech-
nical assistance efforts focus on specific
groups of BMPs. For example, compli-
ance with filter strip BMPs statewide is
high—88 percent in 1991, 93 percent in
1992—suggesting that landowners are
cautious when operating near or adja-
cent to waterbodies. However, for water
diversion devices (culverts, broad-based
dips, water bars) and drainage structures
(outsloping roads), statewide compli-
ance levels were lower—73 percent in
1991, 84 percent in 1992. This suggests
that limited resources should focus on
improving the use of these specific
BMPs.
Overall findings show that when
BMPs are properly installed, they do the
job of containing erosion and sediment
movement. The more BMPs are absent
or not properly installed, the greater the
amount of erosion and sediment flow.
Specifically, audits show that when
BMPs met or exceeded state require-
ments, water quality was protected in 99
percent of situations. Even with minor
departures from requirements, water
quality was adequately protected almost
60 percent of the time. However, major
departures substantially increased long-
term impacts.
Focusing efforts on nonindustrial
private land will encourage continued
successful implementation of the non-
point source control program. The field
audits also provide the forestry commu-
nity with information on how to
improve specific BMPs to achieve even
greater water quality protection.
Forestry will continue to empha-
size education. Continuing logger
education, resource manager training,
and one-on-one field training will be
major efforts. The state forestry agency
will pursue partnerships to develop
educational strategies and outreach
programs for nonindustrial private
forest landowners.
The expanded field audit process
will continue as the cornerstone to mea-
sure success. Continuing to audit forest
management operations on all forest
land types will demonstrate progressive
improvement in adopting and using
forestry BMPs. The major forestry orga-
nizations in Minnesota and appropriate
water quality agencies are receiving
results of the field audits through work-
shops for professional land managers,
training, and other continuing education
programs. The audit process has also
been an opportunity for industry,
agencies, and the environmental com-
munity to work together to address
environmental issues.
OHIO
hio is making great strides to
improve and protect water
resources through its nonpoint source
pollution control program. The success-
ful program is voluntary, geographically
(watershed, aquifer) focused, and
involves multiple local, state, and federal
agencies working toward a common
goal. Ohio is currently delineating and
prioritizing watersheds as a foundation
for a future comprehensive watershed
management program.
EQUIPMENT BUY DOWN
PROMOTES ADOPTION OF
CONSERVATION TILLAGE
In the early 1970s, phosphorus was
identified as the major cause of eutrophi-
cation, or premature aging, in Lake
Erie. Immediate efforts were focused on
reducing point source loadings of phos-
phorus from municipal sewage
treatment plants.
Between 1972 and 1982, phos-
phorus loadings from municipal sources
SECX
3
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REGION 5
Dale Gather receives a check to help pay for his newly purchased
no-till drill from Donald R. Schregardus, Ohio EPA director.
were reduced by 85 percent. However,
further reductions in phosphorus enter-
ing Lake Erie would have to come from
nonpoint sources, specifically agricul-
ture. As a result, Ohio adopted a
phosphorus reduction strategy for Lake
Erie with an annual nonpoint source
phosphorus reduction goal of 1,390
metric tons, with 900 metric tons to
come from agriculture.
Ohio's Maumee River Basin is the
single largest contributor of phosphorus
and sediment to Lake Erie. It contributes
46 percent of the phosphorus and 37
percent of the sediment entering Lake
Erie, while providing only 3 percent of
the inflow. In 1985, the International
Joint Commission identified the
Maumee River as one of 43 areas of
concern in the Great Lakes Basin.
The Ohio portion of the
Maumee River Basin drains about 4,850
square miles (3.1 million acres) and
covers portions of 17 counties. Cropland
covers about 80 percent of the basin
land surface. While erosion rates are
relatively low, the soils are high in clay.
Clay particles suspend easily in water
and have chemical and physical proper-
ties that strongly adsorb phosphorus,
thus creating a major water quality prob-
lem for Lake Erie.
Therefore, an interagency team
of representatives from the Ohio Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency, SCS, and
the Ohio Department of Natural
Resources developed a strategy to
address agricultural runoff. This strategy
was based on recommendations from
the Maumee River Remedial Action
Plan (RAP) Stage II report entitled the
State of Ohio Phosphorus Reduction
Strategy for Lake Erie, Ohio's NFS
Management Program, and local phos-
phorus reduction strategies from county
phosphorus reduction committees in the
Maumee River Basin. These documents
identified land use practices—specific-
ally conservation tillage and winter
cover residue—as the best way to maxi-
mize sediment and phosphorus
reduction in the shortest time. Conse-
quently, the implementation strategy
emphasized "buying down" or lowering
the cost a farmer pays for farm equip-
ment that leaves more plant residue on
the soil surface.
In October 1991, the Maumee
RAP Implementation Strategy was
approved as a demonstration project and
awarded a $641,000 section 319 grant.
The plan included targeting critical
areas; listing residue enhancing equip-
ment and land treatments approved for
cost share, maximum cost-share
amounts, and minimum acreage require-
ments for each cost-share item; and
criteria for applicant selection. SWCDs
designed programs to address local con-
cerns, received a portion of the grant
based on the percent of targeted crop-
land in the county, and were permitted
to approve or disapprove applications
from local farmers. This involvement
created the essential element of local
project ownership. A joint advisory
board, consisting of one representative
from each county in the basin, provided
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69
REGION 5
TABLE 5-2.—Cumulative figures as of June 1993.
EQUIPMENT
No-Till Drills
Drill Retrofits
Planter Retrofits
Chisel Plows
Chisel Plow Retrofits
Chisel Harrows
Chaff Spreaders
UNITS
PURCHASED
234
13
155
23
4
20
187
REQUIRED
ACRES
TREATED
43,348
2,893
38,576
4,459
672
3,517
32,726
ACTUAL
ACRES
TREATED
79,027
2,680
48,544
8,253
1,020
4,800
81 ,358
PHOSPHORUS
CONTROLLED
(Ibs)
82,979
2,814
50,971
6,768
836
480
66,714
SOIL
CONTROLLED
(tons)
65,593
2,225
40,291
5,364
663
384
52,883
LAND TREATMENT
Filter Strips
Winter Cover Crops
Subsoiling
Animal Waste
TOTAL
7
3
21
1
128,791
15
348
2,237
0
227,280
60
348
1,190
0
212,388
120
87
*
620
167
120
70
*
0
592
* Subsoiling is a recommended BMP before establishing a no-till seed bed. While subsoiling itself
does not provide direct phosphorus or soil savings, it does ensure a higher level of success and, thus,
cooperator acceptance of no-till. Cooperators receiving cost-share for subsoiling have agreed to
leave their acres in a no-till seed bed for a minimurp of three years.
local input and direction. It also bal-
anced individual county agendas with
the larger goal of improving water
quality in the entire basin.
After the first year, the three-year
project was dearly experiencing wide-
spread acceptance by the agricultural
community and was well on its way to
exceeding estimated water quality bene-
fits. Some 513 farmers from 15 counties
voluntarily participated, committing an
average of $10,000 each in pollution
control equipment. Farmers received
approximately $641,000 in equipment
cost-share payments, which generated
over $5 million of matching funds.
Table 5-2 presents a snapshot of the
project after its first year.
The high number of farmers
volunteering to participate and the large
amount of local matching funds indicate
that farmers are willing to shoulder
more of the costs of pollution preven-
tion and abatement programs.
Moreover, this project demonstrates
that a limited supply of federal dollars
can be used to focus the resources of
many farmers on a common goal to
achieve significant water quality im-
provements and stimulate rural
economies.
WISCONSIN
Signs of Success (SOS)
program, Wisconsin aims to
show that nonpoint source management
can effectively improve water resources.
While selected sites under the SOS
program have severe nonpoint source
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REGION 5
70
pollution problems, the projects are
intended to produce positive results in
several years. Four SOS sites have been
started and two have been completed.
SMALL CHANGES CLEAN UP
WATER*
Eagle Creek may be classified as a trout
stream, but in recent years cattle traffic
has broken down its banks and
destroyed streambank habitat. Silt from
the eroding banks and churned-up
bottom has clouded the water, filled the
deep pools, and covered the gravel
bottom that trout need for spawning. In
fact, trout have become scarce and
forage fish, such as white suckers and
creek chubs, have multiplied.
Eagle Creek, located in Buffalo
County, is part of the Waumandee
Creek Watershed Project. Through the
SOS program, landowners participating
in this priority watershed project have
been restricting cattle from Eagle
Creek. In one case, a dairy farm opera-
tor on Eagle Creek used cost-share
funds to install a stream cattle crossing
and restrict cattle access to within 250
yards of the creek with a single-wire
electric fence.
After only a few months, Wiscon-
sin Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) biologists saw dramatic improve-
ment—bank erosion was reduced,
streambank vegetation was growing, and
the gravel bottom had returned. In addi-
tion, the total fish population had
doubled, with a return of types normally
found in healthy trout streams. This
success has encouraged other landowners
to follow suit. As a result of agreements
* Story based on article adapted from
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources,
Fields & Streets, Wisconsin Nonpoint Source
Program, April 1993.
with landowners, DNR expects that
more than 80 percent of the Eagle Creek
will be protected from cattle damage.
Since 1990,185 landowners in
the Waumandee Creek watershed have
signed cost-share agreements to imple-
ment nonpoint source BMPs. Most of
the BMPs scheduled for implementa-
tion are runoff control systems intended
to keep clean water out of barnyards and
reduce phosphorus. These systems
include diversions, settling basins, filter
strips, and fencing to protect stream-
banks—such as that used in Eagle
Creek. Another type of BMP structure
is grade stabilization—shaping the
grade for waterways, dams, and
diversions to reduce sedimentation and
erosion from gullies and crop lands.
BMPs are also used for shoreline and
streambank stabilization include
fencing, shaping and seeding, and rock
riprap. Other BMPs are designed to
control nonpoint source runoff from
livestock and agriculture areas.
Some $2.6 million of state and
local cost share funds including section
319 grants, representing 70 percent of
the actual cost, is expected to be spent
in the Waumandee Creek watershed to
implement BMPs through 1998. From
1990 to 1994, approximately $1 million
has been paid out to landowners. The
state is also using section 319 funds to
provide BMP evaluation monitoring.
e&ttfact:
Nonpoint Source Coordinator
U.S. EPA Region 5
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: 312/886-0209
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REGJON
Jhe major problem throughout
f the states in Region 6 comes
from nonpoint source pollution from
agricultural runoff. This includes animal
waste from dairy and poultry operations
and field runoff from croplands.
Region 6 encourages each state
to develop a task force to involve both
federal and state agencies in identifying
the most important areas of concern.
The Region also encourages states to
use Geographic Information Systems
(GIS) consistently in the planning
process so the Region can develop a
reliable regionwide database and to
more effectively target projects.
The Region is using a holistic
watershed approach to look at all the
impacts within the watershed—not just
agricultural—and using section 319
funds to effectively address these
impacts.
SECTION 31 9 SUCCESS STORIES I
STATE
Arkansas
Louisiana
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Texas
LOCATION
* Arkansas
River Valley
% Mermentau
River Basin
* Cibola
National
Forest
* Delaware
County
• Statewide
• Dallas
PROJECT
Poultry Waste
Cleanup
Rice Field
Demonstration
Project
Bluewater
Creek
Restoration
Battle Branch
Watershed
Nutrient
Reduction
Silvicultural
Nonpoint
Source Project
Regional Office
71
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REGION 6
SECTION 319'REGION 6 GRANT AWARDS
FY 1992-1993 = $12,464,548
FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES
| General Assistance $2,196,293
[HI] Agriculture $6,153,714
HI Urban Runoff $1,422,321
HI Silviculture $371,112
H Construction $220,361
| Resource Extraction $791,471
H Stowage & Land Disposal $0
[[] Hydrologic Modification $565,096
M Other $744,180
SECTION 319 REGION 6 STATE GRANTS
Arkansas
Louisiana
New Mexico
$1,878,956
$1,721,866
$2,193,065
Oklahoma
Texas
$1,786,120
$4,884,541
ARKANSAS
ince Arkansas' nonpoint source
pollution concerns stem from
agriculture—specifically animal waste—
much of its NFS planning relates to this
problem. In addition to the statewide
program outlined in the following
success story, Arkansas has developed
education and training programs for
liquid waste operators—particularly
swine and dairy farmers.
POULTRY PRODUCERS LEARN NEW
METHODS TO CONTROL WASTE
As one of the nation's top poultry pro-
ducers, Arkansas grows some one billion
broiler chickens a year, not including
turkeys and laying hens. While greatly
contributing to the state's economy, the
poultry industry has also contributed to
the degradation of its waters. Arkansas
has focused its nonpoint source efforts
in the Arkansas River Valley and the
northwest and southwest parts of the
state to eliminate pollution problems
resulting from animal waste.
A major poultry industry prob-
lem and one that has contributed greatly
to the degradation of water quality is
chicken litter disposal. To combat this
problem, the Arkansas Soil and Water
Conservation Commission—the lead
nonpoint source agency—is providing
technical assistance to land users. It has
passed a portion of its nonpoint source
funding, totaling $1,327,335, to
conservation districts. This includes a
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73
REGIONS
section 319 grant of $730,737 and
$596,598 in state matching funds. The
conservation districts have then hired
water quality technicians to prepare
waste management plans for local poul-
try farmers. Since 1990,15 technicians
have each prepared 30 to 50 plans a year.
The technicians help producers acquire
the knowledge and skills needed to
reduce or eliminate the animal waste
entering lakes and streams.
Since the project started in 1991,
technicians have made 1,144 prelimi-
nary contacts with poultry growers and
developed 841 water quality plans, of
which 692 have been implemented. This
has reduced excessive litter application
by approximately 32,000 tons.
Disposing of dead birds is another
major poultry production problem. Using
a conservative 3 percent mortality rate,
Arkansas producers must dispose of 27
million birds each year. Prior to 1992,
growers followed the accepted practice—
burying dead birds in a pit designed to
work like a septic system.
Through a cooperative effort
using an FY1990 section 319 grant of
$248,000 with state matching funds of
$200,000, several agencies tested the
management practice of dead bird
disposal pits. Testing samples showed
concentrations as high as 560 milligrams
per liter (ppm) of ammonium, with
concentrations of 200 ppm at a 15-foot
downslope. As a result, dead-bird dis-
posal pits have been removed from the
list of acceptable management practices
and have been outlawed in Arkansas.
Again using a section 319 grant
of $412,000 and state matching funds of
$240,000, Arkansas is educating
producers about the study's results by
demonstrating composting as an alter-
nate method of disposal and through
brochures and videos about closing
dead-bird disposal pits and building
composters. In addition, water quality
technicians are helping landowners find
a safe method of dead-bird disposal and
providing further on-site assistance.
Cooperating agencies are the
Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation
Commission, the Arkansas Department
of Pollution Control and Ecology, the
Arkansas Water Resources Research
Center, the University of Arkansas, the
Arkansas Cooperative Extension
Service, and the conservation districts.
LOUISIANA
ouisiana's goal is to work with
agencies at all levels to address all
categories of nonpoint source pollution
through statewide education and tar-
geted watershed projects. The state uses
a committee made up of some 18 state
and federal agencies to implement both
statewide and watershed projects to
reduce nonpoint source pollution and
improve water quality.
BMPs REPLACE MUDDING-!N
FOR GROWING RICE
In the Mermentau River Basin, most of
the land is used for agriculture, and rice
is the major crop produced there. When
Louisiana discovered that 75 percent of
the waters draining into the Mermentau
River Basin did not meet their desig-
nated uses, the state decided to act on
the water quality problems caused by
rice production.
According to the 1992 water
quality inventory, 12 of the 16 water
quality management subsegments were
either not meeting or only partially
meeting their designated uses. These
problems stemmed from rice produc-
tion, a major agricultural commodity in
the state. Data showed that levels of
organic carbon, nutrients, and sediment
all increased during the spring rice plant-
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REGION 6
ing season, while dissolved oxygen de-
clined to levels as low as 0.2 to 0.5 mg/L.
Section 319 cooperative agree-
ments in FY1988 and 1989 and again in
FY1990 and 1992 allowed the Louisiana
Department of Environmental Quality
(LDEQi to address these water quality
problems by establishing a rice demon-
stration project to evaluate four
alternative best management practices.
LDEQ_contracted with Louisiana
State University (LSU) Agricultural
Center to evaluate alternatives to the
traditional practice of "mudding-in."
Mudding-in is a cultural practice that has
been used in southwest Louisiana for
generations to control red rice. This rap-
idly spreading, non-harvestable weed
chokes out desirable rice plants. In mud-
ding-in, also called dragging or muddy
water planting, farmers plow the flooded
fields and release the water immediately.
This practice takes along sediment and
other undesirable materials.
The alternative BMPs are
* Water planting in previous crop
residue;
* Retention of flood water in a
closed levee system during and
after soil disturbing activities;
* Clear water planting into a
prepared seedbed; and
*• Mudding-in with the use of
vegetated filter strips.
LSU found that using alternative
BMPs over two years decreased sedi-
ment loading from 20 to 63 percent and
organic carbon by as much as 92 per-
cent. Working cooperatively with the
SCS and ASCS, LDEQbegan educa-
tional programs and technical assistance
to encourage rice farmers to adopt the
new management practices. The LSU
Agricultural Center reviewed the BMPs
and will put more emphasis on solving
water quality problems associated with
rice production in Louisiana. By 1994 a
total of 39,779 acres of rice had been
planted with the new BMPs.
One of the latest project compo-
nents, funded with FY 1991 section 319
monies, is to correlate results from BMP
implementation with in-stream and
edge-of-field water quality data to
estimate how load reductions translate
into water quality improvement.
NEW MEXICO
vw Mexico's water quality prob-
lems largely stem from intense
grazing and timbering in high quality
coldwater fisheries. In addition, the
state's arid climate creates a fragile
environment, difficult to mend once
damage occurs.
BLUEWATER is ALMOST
BLUE AGAIN
Bluewater Creek, located in the Zuni
Mountains of the Cibola National
Forest, suffered from the cumulative
effects of years of mismanagement. Two
centuries of grazing, timber harvesting,
and recreation had taken their toll.
Before its transfer to the U.S.
Forest Service in the early 1940s, the
area had been seriously overgrazed. In
addition, logging had been extensive
and poorly planned and roads had been
located in river valleys with numerous
unculverted stream crossings. As a
result, the creek lacked overstory ripar-
ian vegetation, streambanks were
severely incised, and the river and lake
reservoir were burdened with sediment.
These severe nonpoint source
pollution problems prompted the
Cibola National Forest to implement a
number of best management practices.
They include
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75
REGION 6
* Reforestation throughout the
watershed;
* Planting willow and cottonwoods
along the creek;
* Constructing a large sediment con-
trol dam across a major tributary,
* Better management of cattle;
* Constructing grade control
structures throughout the upper
watershed to control headcutting
and gully formation;
+ Obliterating and closing roads,
including a segment running
through Bluewater Creek;
* Constructing porous fence
revetments to slow the water and
deposit sediment;
* Fencing off a camping and
picnicking area upstream to allow
foot access but prevent access by
vehicles and cattle;
+ Extensive renovation of a recre-
ation area that included
eliminating roads and delineating
a single road, leveling and top-
ping parking areas with gravel to
slow runoff and limit erosion,
blocking vehicular access to ripar-
ian areas, planting riparian and
other areas, and constructing
public restrooms; and
+ Reintroducing beaver into the
watershed.
Long-term water quality studies
of the Bluewater Creek are being
conducted as part of the Targeted
Watersheds Project under the New
Mexico Nonpoint Source Pollution
Management Program. The purpose of
the study is to determine water quality
trends as a result of these best manage-
ment practices.
Originally funded under section
205(j)(5), the studies came under
section 319 in FY 1990 with a grant of
Beaver dams have elevated the water table, creating lush riparian
vegetation (top), and slowed the water, allowing willow to thrive
on cut banks (bottom).
$90,000. New Mexico has contributed
$45,000.
These studies show that BMPs
have met with a good measure of
success. In fact, the complete change in
appearance of the river valley over the
last few years shows the phenomenal
success of several BMPs. The ephemeral
river that lacked riparian vegetation—
caused by more than 100 years of
neglect and abuse—is now returning to
a perennial river system and beginning
to support thriving wetland communi-
ties and their wildlife.
The BMPs implemented at a
popular recreation area have also
brought visible changes. Hard-packed,
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REGION 6
76
bare soils are now grassy; riparian
grasses are lush and thriving; banks are
stabilizing. The old road running along
and through the river, formerly a source
of sediment loading and bank destabili-
zation, is now revegetating and is no
longer visible in some places. The scars
from the river crossings are healing and
the banks support riparian grasses.
Severely incised banks treated
with porous fence revetments are recover-
ing. The BMP has halted bank incision
and captured sediment. Revegetation has
been so successful that the 6-foot high
fences are hardly visible. Although plant-
ings of willow and cottonwood have not
been successful, recent riparian plantings
appear to be surviving.
The reintroduction of beaver has
been one of the most successful BMPs.
Their prolific dam building has elevated
the water table, created a lush riparian
vegetation community, created thriving
and expanding wetlands, and diverted
flows from incised, unstable banks. In
addition, the beavers' work has captured
sediment, controlled flood flows, estab-
lished a sustained base flow, and created
a habitat for a variety of wildlife.
OKLAHOMA
klahoma's priority is developing a
strong riparian policy that ties in
with its nonpoint source program. In
some cases, improvements in riparian
zones will transfer into improvements in
stream quality. In focusing more on
urban areas, Oklahoma is trying to edu-
cate urban dwellers about the impacts of
their actions on water quality.
BMPs REDUCE NUTRIENTS IN
BATTLE BRANCH WATERSHED
With more than 24,200 tons of poultry
and dairy waste to be disposed of yearly,
it was no wonder that the Cherokee
Hills Resource Conservation District
believed that improper waste manage-
ment, especially poultry litter, was
contributing to nutrient loading in the
Battle Branch watershed.
The Battle Branch/Flint Creek
watershed, located in Delaware County,
contains approximately 36,000 acres. A
variety of nutrient pollution sources
have been documented, including
inadequate rural wastewater systems or
disposal of other domestic refuse, inade-
quate techniques for disposing of dead
poultry or other animals, livestock hold-
ing areas and lagoons from dairy
operations, and excessive application of
poultry litter and other animal wastes to
agricultural pasture lands.
Oklahoma used a $30,000 coop-
erative agreement with SCS, ASCS,
local landowners, and others and funded
with an EPA grant (FY1988 205[j][5]/
319[h]) to conduct a demonstration
project in the Battle Branch watershed.
The project was divided into four
major components:
* Installing structural or vegetative
BMPs suited to landowner cost-
sharing;
* Providing technical and/or
financial assistance to landowners
for developing and adopting
animal waste plans;
+ Conducting regular monitoring
to document the effectiveness of
BMPs in improving water
quality; and
* Using information about effective
BMPs from the Battle Branch
project in other small watershed
units within the Illinois River
Basin.
The project strives to manage
nutrient sources on-site by installing
. appropriate BMPs. BMPs that use
proper land application techniques and
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77
REGION 6
waste handling methods were developed
to reduce the amount of nutrients enter-
ing Battle Branch and its tributaries.
BMPs include conservation plans, waste
management plans, rural wastewater
systems, poultry composters, riparian
tree planting, and waste storage struc-
tures. As of FY1993, some 84 percent
of landowners in the watershed are
participating in the project.
Use of BMPs have significantly
reduced nutrient concentrations. Nitrate
levels during runoff have decreased as
much as 72 percent and total phospho-
rus levels as much as 35 percent. If
similar reductions were made in all
creeks of the Illinois River Basin, a
significant reduction in nutrient loading
would occur in the Illinois River.
TEXAS
7exas has been successful in imple-
menting best management
practices to address nonpoint source
pollution from forestry activities
through voluntary participation of local
foresters, landowners, and silvicultural
contractors. Educational efforts have
reached 20,000 persons, evaluations
have shown an 88 percent BMP imple-
mentation compliance rate, and BMPs
have reduced stream sedimentation by
40 percent. Texas needs a sustained and
expanded commitment to support the
implementation of the voluntary
forestry BMP program.
VOLUNTARY SILVICULTURE BMPs
MARK SUCCESSFUL BEGINNINGS
Texas has made a successful start in
encouraging the widespread adoption of
voluntary forestry BMPs through a
cooperative effort—the Texas Silvicul-
tural Nonpoint Source Project—rfunded
by section 319 and state matching funds.
The project has six objectives:
* Educate the forestry community
using a variety of media;
* Integrate BMPs into all relevant
state forestry management
programs;
* Demonstrate various BMPs
using two demonstration areas
developed as educational tools;
* Foster cooperation between
agencies and the forestry
community for a coordinated,
effective program;
* Evaluate the program and revise
as needed; and
•* Monitor BMP compliance and
effectiveness through on-site
inspections of silvicultural
activities.
The Texas Forest Service coordi-
nated the project, designed to reduce
nonpoint source water pollution from
forestry activities by encouraging wide-
spread adoption of voluntary silvicultural
BMPs, working in cooperation with the
Texas State Soil and Water Conservation
Board and the Texas Water Commission.
The project was completed between
December 1990 and August 1992 and
was funded by an FY 1990 section 319
grant totaling $218,000, including
$130,000 in federal funds and $88,000 in
state matching funds.
Educational efforts reached some
20,000 landowners, foresters, loggers,
silvicultural contractors, and the general
public:
* Two radio interviews and one
television appearance reached
some 7,000 individuals;
* Print coverage included four
articles in the Texas Forestry
monthly newspaper (2,500
circulation), one article in the
quarterly magazine Texas Trees
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REGION 6
(10,000 circulation), and a
general news release;
* About 4,700 copies of a silvicul-
tural BMP handbook were
distributed to landowners,
foresters, and loggers through the
joint efforts of the Texas Forest
Service and the Texas Forestry
Association, forest projects com-
panies, and forestry consultants;
* More than 1,100 individuals
from a variety of audiences,
including 21 county forest
landowner associations, attended
43 meetings and workshops,
many of which included field
tours demonstrating BMP instal-
lations;
+ Some 2,000 individuals saw
BMP exhibits and presentations
at three special events; and
* Approximately 1,500 loggers,
truckers, and other silvicultural
contractors received a series of six
educational flyers, through the
cooperation of 10 forest products
companies.
BMP demonstration areas on the
Jones State Forest near Conroe and the
Fakchild State Forest in Cherokee
County exhibited 30 practices at 18
stops. These areas have been used for
numerous tours by county forest land-
owner associations and industry groups.
Practices include erosion remediation
along roads, skid trails, and fire lines;
streamside management zones; and
installation of wing ditches, water bars,
broad-based dips, and open top box and
steel cross drain culverts. Practices also
include using geotextile low water cross-
ings and culvert stream crossings and
revegetating roads and skid trails.
The project included developing
a BMP compliance monitoring system
and inspecting 162.silvicultural sites. Of
those inspected, 88 percent received a
compliance rate of fair or better. BMP
compliance correlated positively with
landowner and contractor knowledge,
ownership, and forester involvement.
When implemented properly,
BMPs minimized nonpoint source pollu-
tion. However, BMP guidelines for
streamside management zones (SMZs)
and fire lines needed revising. Monitor-
ing found that SMZs were needed to
protect intermittent streams, many of
which have deep channels and are suscep-
tible to erosion. Also, increased attention
was needed to prevent erosion in fire
lines. These recommendations were
incorporated into a comprehensive revi-
sion of the silvicultural BMP guidelines,
printed by the Texas Forestry Association.
An analysis of predicted forest
land erosion and sedimentation, based
on the Universal Soil Loss Equation,
was conducted to estimate the overall
improvement in water quality as a result
of BMP implementation. The analysis
concluded that under current BMP
compliance levels, stream sedimentation
has been reduced by 40 percent, when
compared to a "no BMP" scenario.
These encouraging results point out the
need for a sustained, cooperative educa-
tional effort to reach the 150,000
nonindustrial private landowners, profes-
sional foresters, loggers, and contractors
who will ultimately determine the effec-
tiveness of the voluntary BMP program.
This effort will be supported by addi-
tional cycles of compliance monitoring
to document continued improvement
and focus attention on reducing non-
point source pollution.
c&tttact:
Nonpoint Source Coordinator
U.S. EPA Region 6
1445 Ross Avenue
Dallas, TX 75202
Phone: 214/655-6683
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Since Region 7 is predominantly
agricultural, most of its section
319 projects are aimed at preventing
and reducing agricultural pollutants.
State projects submitted for section 319
funding are ranked and rated by a
regionwide committee. The committee
receives two to three times more project
proposals than it can fund.
A number of projects are
designed to reduce groundwater nitrate
contamination throughout the Region.
Projects also seek to reduce the level of
atrazine, a widely used herbicide, to
below the maximum contaminate levels
in the drinking water supply. Region 7
has a small but growing number of ripar-
ian management projects involving
restoration of habitat and riparian
vegetation.
The Region is particularly
supportive of projects that generate
cooperation among federal, state, and
local agencies, such as Iowa's Big Spring
Demonstration Project, aimed at reduc-
ing fertilizer and herbicide use while
maintaining yields. Iowa is also using
SECTION 319 SUCCESS STORIES
STATE
Iowa
Kansas
Missouri
Nebraska
LOCATION
* Clarke County
A Howard and
Winneshiek
Counties
3fc Miami County
• Kansas City
* Barry, Jasper
Lawrence,
McDonald, Newton
Counties
* Central Platte Valley
PROJECT
West Lake Nutrient
Management Program
Coldwater Stream
Restoration
Hillsdale Water Quality
Protection Project
Regional Office
Poultry Composter
Demonstration Project
Groundwater
Management Program
innovative best management practices,
such as fencing and riparian corridor
plantings, in several coldwater trout
streams.
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REGION 7
SECTION 319; REGIJON 7 GRANT AWARDS
FY 1992-19^)3 = $8,095,410
FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES
| General Assistance $2,883,809
|U Agriculture $4,724,365
11 Urban Runoff $328,938
JH Silviculture $0
HI Construction $0
| Resource Extraction $0
^ Stowage & Land Disposal $0
Q Hydrologic Modification $0
H Other $158,298
Iowa
SECTION 319 REGION 7 STATE GRANTS
Kansas
$2,833,137
$1,060,530
Missouri
Nebraska
$2,112,587
$2,089,156
IOWA
Nonpoint Pollution Control
Program combines public informa-
tion and education, demonstration
projects, technical assistance, and finan-
cial incentives to encourage farmers to
voluntarily control agricultural pollution.
The progress in protecting the public
water supply in West Lake Reservoir
documents the program's success in
reducing nonpoint source pollution.
PESTICIDE REDUCTION HELPS
ENSURE SAFE DRINKING WATER
Just a few years ago, sediment, pesti-
cides, and nutrients were major
pollution problems in the West Lake
Reservoir. Today, sediment delivery and
herbicide levels have been substantially
reduced, proving that watershed man-
agement is a promising alternative to
treating water supply reservoirs.
West Lake is the surface reservoir
for Osceola and Woodburn, cities
located in south-central Iowa. The lake
covers 306 acres and has a 6,340-acre
drainage area. Of the 4,188 acres of
cropland, approximately three-fourths is
primarily in corn-soybean rotation.
Sediment is rapidly reducing the
reservoir's capacity, damaging filtration
and pumping equipment, increasing
maintenance costs, and making addi-
tional water treatment necessary.
Increases in row crop acreage have
caused an increase in annual soil loss in
the watershed.
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REGION 7
In 1987, sampling by the Osceola
water treatment plant detected atrazine
and cyanazine levels above the federal
drinking water standards; concentra-
tions remained high in 1991. Also in
1991, to comply with federal and state
requirements to upgrade the water treat-
ment plant, the Osceola utilities
conducted pilot tests using a treatment
of powdered activated carbon to absorb
the herbicides. Installing this kind of
additional water treatment can be an
expensive operation for city utilities.
For watersheds dominated by
agriculture, an alternative is to use best
management practices such as no-till
and integrated crop management
(ICM). If properly applied, these BMPs
have significant impacts on reducing the
amount of pesticides available to con-
taminate the water supply.
In November 1990, Clarke
County Soil and Water Conservation
District developed a watershed manage-
ment plan. The goal of the five-year
project is to preserve, protect, and
improve the West Lake Reservoir for
use as a municipal, industrial, and rural
water supply and as a fish, wildlife, and
recreational resource for Clarke County.
This requires reducing sediment and
sediment-attached nutrient and pesti-
cides that negatively impact the lake.
Since 1990, financial assistance
from the section 319 program totaling
nearly $170,000 has been used for pro-
gram staffing, implementation, and
establishing BMPs. In addition, Iowa's
Resource Enhancement and Protection
(REAP) Program has provided
$165,326 through the Water Protection
Program to pay for incentives, travel,
training, education, supplies, and equip-
ment. Section 319 funds of $47,000
have been approved for FY 1994.
Under the plan, 41 landowners
representing 2,500 acres of the most
highly erodible cropland were offered
Local farmers and Extension Service
specialists check atrazine residue during a
West Lake informational field day.
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REGION 7
400
JULIAN DAY
MEASURED-1991
MEASURED-1992
Maximum
contaminant level
Figure 7-1.—Atrazine in treated water.
incentives. They included financial
payment for acres contracted into soil
conserving practices, soil fertility analy-
sis, sprayer calibration, evaluation of
land use, assistance in implementing
reduced or no-till systems, and fertility
and crop pest consultation. New pasture
and grazing incentives are targeted
towards improving management and use
of pastures and hayland. Beginning in
1994, the program is offering technical
and financial assistance to keep mar-
ginal lands out of row crop production.
In 1991, project staff working
with area farmers prompted a number of
farmers to voluntarily agree to reduce or
eliminate their use of atrazine and
cyanazine. For the farmers cooperating
in this voluntary program, the number
of gallons of atrazine applied dropped
from 443 in 1991 to 8 in 1992. For the
entire watershed, the use of atrazine was
nearly cut in half, going from 1,159
gallons in 1991 to 638 gallons in 1992;
cyanazine use decreased from 3,281 in
1991 to 2,500 in 1992. Lake monitoring
also showed that atrazine and cyanazine
levels dropped substantially (Fig. 7-1
and 7-2) in 1992. Average atrazine
levels dropped below the maximum con-
taminant levels of 3 parts per billion
(ppb), and average cyanazine levels were
closer to the new health advisory level
of 1 ppb.
The watershed management pro-
gram has succeeded in reducing atrazine
applications because a high percentage
of farmers participated in the voluntary
atrazine ban. According to participating
farmers, voluntary compliance is quicker
and more effective than waiting for man-
datory regulatory compliance. The
limited number of landowners and the
relatively small size of the watershed
helped ensure the program's success.
A major reason for the dramatic
decrease in atrazine usage was the active
BMPs information program. The pro-
gram began in January 1991 with a
kick-off, followed by classes for farmers
on sprayer and planter calibration and
general pesticide use. A watershed tour
and news coverage added credibility to
the project. In 1992, the SWCD held
five classes on soils, residue manage-
ment, herbicide strategies, and
alternative cropping systems. This was
followed by a no-till conference and
more news coverage. A newsletter dis-
tributed countywide also informs and
educates the general public.
The project's ICM program pro-
vides recommendations for alternative
solutions to atrazine use. The program
helps producers make sound nutrient
and pest management decisions for
special fields. Services include soil tests,
help in establishing realistic yield goals,
and recommendations for managing
pest outbreaks. In 1992, the ICM
program provided improved nutrient
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REGION 7
management on 689 acres, resulting in
less fertilizer applied and savings to pro-
ducers. By reducing the application of
phosphorous and potassium, one pro-
ducer saved $18 per acre on 87 acres and
another saved $15 per acre on 190 acres.
The project also resulted in a
significant decrease in soil loss. In 1990,
soil loss averaged 18.8 tons per acre; two
years later, soil loss averaged 7.5 tons
per acre. The Food Security Act of 1985
requirements and the Food Agricultural
Conservation Trade Act of 1990 contrib-
uted to the reduction. However,
significant reduction was also due to the
widespread adoption of no-till, terraces
and sediment control structures, field
borders, waterways, buffer strips, and
cross-slope farming—all promoted
through the project.
Organizations involved in this
project included
+ Clarke County SWCD, which
administers and manages the
project;
«• the West Lake Watershed Com-
mittee, made up of watershed
landowners, which promotes a
voluntary ban of atrazine, periodi-
cally reviews and updates the
project objectives, and sets exam-
ples of conservation practices;
+ Iowa Department of Agriculture
and Land Stewardship, Division
of Soil Conservation, which pro-
vides a part-time technician to
design the conservation practices,
follow-up, and handle education;
* Iowa Department of Natural
Resources, which administers the
section 319 program funding of
$170,000;
* SCS, which provides a part-time
conservationist and a district
conservationist to coordinate the
project;
50
100
150 200 250
JULIAN DAY
300
350
400
-m- MEASURED-1991
-O- MEASURED-1992
-•- HAL* (old)
—»— HAL* (new)
*EPA health advisory level
Figure 7-2.—Cyanazine in treated water.
Iowa State University Extension
Service, which has ICM responsi-
bilities and coordinates
information and education;
Local agricultural dealers and
chemical companies, who assist
in addressing proper herbicide
use;
ASCS, which offers additional
cost-share incentives for no-till,
structural practices, forage/
pasture establishment, and
renovation; and
Clarke Community FFA Chap-
ter, which has initiated voluntary
water monitoring of surface
waters, with particular interest in
pesticides such as atrazine.
-------
REGION 7
COLDWATER STREAM RECOVERY
LETS TROUT AND Cows COEXIST
Stream restoration programs not only
provide good fishing—they also help
clean up northeast Iowa's coldwater
streams.
Each year, trout anglers purchase
some 25,000 trout stamps in addition to
the normal fishing license from Iowa
Department of Natural Resources
(DNR). But through the years, soil
erosion from cropland and damage from
livestock access and waste have degraded
stream quality. To thrive, trout need shel-
ter from predators, clean water, sufficient
living space, favorable water temperature,
and gravel stream beds for spawning.
While livestock use streams to
drink and cool themselves, they also
deplete stream vegetation and trample
streambanks, leaving the soil unpro-
tected. Banks collapse and recede. Deep
holes in the streams fill with sediment.
Streams become shallow and wide,
eliminating places for trout to hide. In
addition, these streams absorb more
heat than deep, narrow, fast-moving
streams.
Trout need clean, well-aerated
gravel beds found in swift-flowing
coldwater streams. But slow-flowing
waters deposit sand and silt on the
stream beds, covering the gravel neces-
sary for trout to spawn. In addition,
cropland runoff may contain levels of
pesticide, fertilizer, and animal waste
that affect aquatic life. Nutrients enter-
ing the streams cause excessive growth
—or blooms—of algae. Decaying algae
consume oxygen needed by fish. Live-
stock also add fecal matter and bacteria
to the water and then ingest waterborne
pathogens. This increases their risk of
contracting such diseases as bovine
leptospirosis, mastitis, and other
ailments.
Iowa's coldwater stream restora-
tion serves two purposes—it promotes
sport fishing and protects and enhances
habitat and water quality. DNR funds to
cost-share coldwater stream restoration
and trout stream habitat improvement
on state lands are limited. But some
landowners are voluntarily undertaking
streambank protection projects on
private land with assistance from section
319.
Bigalk Creek in Howard County
is a spring-fed tributary of the Upper
Iowa River. DNR stocks the stream
with rainbow trout from April through
October. In 1991, habitat evaluations
showed that Bigalk lacked pool habitat
and in-stream cover for rainbow trout
because of livestock over grazing, stream
channelization, and sedimentation.
In 1993, the landowner installed
a number of restoration measures—
fencing a buffer strip along the stream-
bank; planting trees to shade and cool
the water; an electric fence powered by
solar cells; and a gravel stream crossing
with flood gates. An ingenious cow-
powered drinking fountain eliminated
the need for an electric pump. Much of
the $5,000 cost of the project was
funded by a section 319 grant.
In another section 319 project,
fencing and bank stabilization is being
implemented on private property on
Middle Bear Creek in Winneshiek
County. Federal agencies and private
organizations are working together to
design corridor exclusion fences and pro-
viding funds for backslopes, riprap, and
native prairie grasses.
In addition, state, federal, and
private conservation groups have formed
partnerships to demonstrate and imple-
ment improved stream conservation
practices on more than 13 coldwater
stream watersheds in northeast Iowa.
-------
REGION 7
KANSAS
is using a basin-by-basin
approach to achieve water quality
standards and has a statewide ranking
system to assign priorities. The state
works actively with local interest groups
to focus and develop demonstration
projects that address particular nonpoint
source pollution problems.
WATER QUALITY PROBLEMS IN
HILLSDALE RESERVOIR
Water quantity is not a problem in
northeastern Kansas these days, but
water quality is.
The Hillsdale Reservoir in
Miami County provides 1.3 million gal-
lons of drinking water each day to more
than 20,000 area residents. In addition,
the 4,500-acre lake offers such recrea-
tional activities as hunting and fishing,
boating, swimming, picnicking, bird
watching, and sightseeing. In 1991,
214,000 visitors enjoyed activities at
Hillsdale Reservoir—and some 80 fish-
ing tournaments were held there.
The reservoir, which includes a
dam and lake, was designed as a U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers flood control
structure. Completed in 1982, it receives
discharge from 17 tributaries and drain-
age from 144 square miles in four
counties—Miami, Douglas, Franklin,
and Johnson.
Today, the Hillsdale Reservoir is
falling victim to pollution from the
watershed. Water quality is threatened
by nutrients and pesticides from crop-
land, small feedlots, and wastewater
treatment discharges. Urban expansion
in the watershed is also a major concern.
Despite its young age, the reser-
voir is suffering from cultural
eutrophication, or rapid aging. Eutrophi-
cation occurs in all lakes, even those
with natural, undisturbed watersheds.
But Hillsdale's problem comes from
human activities that increase the
amount of nutrients (phosphorus and
nitrogen) in the reservoir, which speed
eutrophication. Cultural eutrophication
can cause blue-green algae blooms, float-
ing plants, a shortage of dissolved
oxygen necessary for survival of aquatic
life, fish kills, and undesirable tastes and
odors in drinking water. Other problems
include concentrations of the pesticides
atrazine and alachlor.
In response to public concern
about the deteriorating water quality of
the Hillsdale Reservoir, a citizen's man-
agement committee is developing and
implementing a long-term program to
protect this water resource. The five-
year Hillsdale Water Quality Protection
Project began in November 1992, and a
project manager began work in May
1993. The expected project cost is $1.2
million, with $731,265 being requested
from section 319 and $469,510 being
provided through a combination of state
general and water plan funds and local
funds. Section 319 funds totaling
$202,000 have been approved for the
first two years.
The Lake Region Resource Con-
servation and Development (RC&D)
and the Kansas Department of Health
and Environment (KDHE) assist in
organizing and staffing the program.
The Hillsdale Reservoir Watershed
Protection Management Plan is a coop-
erative venture between local, state, and
federal agencies and organizations and
the patrons of Hillsdale Reservoir. The
reservoir has been selected by the ASCS
as a targeted water quality improvement
project focused in the reservoir's Big
Bull Creek area.
The goals of the comprehensive
watershed water quality management
project is to implement nonpoint source
pollution control measures to reduce the
-------
REGION 7
TABLE 7-1.—Water quality goals in Hillsdale watershed streams.
mg/L
Long Term Mean
Base Flow Mean
Runoff Mean
PHOSPHORUS
0.1
0.05
0.4
NITRATE
1.2
0.25
6.6
BOD
3.0
2.0
8.7
TSS
100.0
20.0
550.0
Fecal Coliform Bacteria — 2,000 counts per 100 mL
current nutrient loading rate and main-
tain the existing trophic state of
Hillsdale Lake. This means maintaining
an annual average total phosphorus con-
centration of 60 micrograms per liter
and an annual average chlorophyll (a)
concentration of 8 micrograms per liter.
In addition, the project sets specific
water quality goals in tributary streams
(Table 7-1). Finally, the project will put
in place minimum pollution control
measures on every nonpoint pollution
source in the Hillsdale watershed.
The project has five elements:
+ Information and education.
Through watershed activities,
personal contacts, and demonstra-
tion projects, these tasks will
inform local residents about the
project and how their actions
affect water quality.
* Adopting management practices.
Information and education
should spur nonstructural
activities, such as animal waste
management practices.
* Installing structural practices. Prac-
tices such as waste holding ponds
or constructed wetlands will be
selected by working one-on-one
with watershed landowners.
*• Monitoring. This includes track-
ing pollution control practices
and the resulting water quality
conditions.
+ Evaluation. This determines if
the project is progressing as
TABLE 7-2.—Pollutant source inventory.
LAND
USES
Forest
Pasture
Crop
Feed lots
Urbanized
ACRES
9,294
41,297
35,247
526
1,315
PERCENT OF
TOTAL AREA
10.6
47.1
40.2
0.6
1.5
planned and achieving its water
quality objectives, allowing for
adjustments as necessary.
Watershed nonpoint sources con-
tribute more than 90 percent of the total
phosphorus load to the reservoir (Table
7-2). The plan specifies pollution control
practices for the watershed's various land
uses and sets out a timetable for action.
The first two years of the project focus
on implementation and maintenance of
recommended minimum control prac-
tices through information, education,
and technical assistance. The first-year
plan encourages adopting management
and low-cost structural practices and
determines if capital intensive structural
controls are needed. The second year
emphasizes one-on-one contacts and
determines the need for financial assis-
tance to install structural practices.
The project will work to slow the
eutrophication of Hillsdale Reservoir by
controlling nitrogen and phosphorus
discharges from cities, industries, urban-
-------
REGION 7
ized land, and agricultural land. The
project will also help reduce pesticide
use, control soil erosion and livestock
pollution sources, rotate crops, maintain
septic tanks and other on-site waste-
water disposal systems, and establish
permanent vegetation.
The plan spells out 10 measures
of success. They include increased pub-
lic awareness and concern for the lake's
health and use of nonpoint source con-
trols by rural land owners, in livestock
operations, on cropland, in range and
pasture lands, and for all urban runoff.
The ultimate success is to maintain the
water quality in Hillsdale Lake and its
tributaries.
MISSOURI
griculture is one of Missouri's
largest industries, and agricultural
land covers more than 13 million acres
or 70 percent of the state. Agricultural
activities that fail to consider water
quality present the greatest potential for
nonpoint source pollution in Missouri.
Therefore, state nonpoint source efforts
focus on preventing agricultural NFS
pollution.
POULTRY COMPOSTER SOLVING
DISPOSAL PROBLEMS
A rapidly expanding poultry industry,
section 319 funds, and a willing partner-
ship among agencies, processing
companies, and growers add up to a suc-
cessful demonstration project. They also
equate to a rapidly accepted composting
process to solve Missouri's growing waste
disposal problem.
Some 88 million broilers and 17
million turkeys are grown annually in
Missouri—mostly in the five-county
region of Barry, Jasper, Lawrence,
McDonald, and Newton—and the
number is expected to double within
five years. An estimated 5 percent
mortality rate from each flock leaves
southwest Missouri with the problem of
annually disposing of 17.3 million
pounds of dead birds.
Traditionally, carcasses have been
buried in pits. However, in a karst
terrain with fractured limestone, caves,
sinkholes, and rapid transit from surface
to groundwater, this method threatens
water quality. Inadequate pit manage-
ment also leads to odor problems and
the potential to spread disease to other
flocks. Burning is seldom used because
it is energy intensive, requires high
capital outlay and operational costs, and
can damage air quality.
Missouri was ripe to investigate a
new composting method. Composting
developed in Maryland and Delaware in
the 1980s as an alternative to burial pits
that contaminated shallow groundwater.
Composting is environmentally sound,
practical and easy to use, reduces patho-
gens, and does not attract insects or
produce offensive odors. It stabilizes
nutrients, allowing the end product to
be safely used to fertilize pastures or
cropland.
Composting breaks down organic
materials by microorganisms such as
bacteria and fungi. Dead poultry, litter
or "cake" (a mix of bedding material and
manure), and straw are layered accord-
ing to a "recipe" to obtain the
appropriate carbon/nitrogen ratio for
microorganism growth. The aerobic
process excludes bacteria that cause
decomposition and offensive odors and
produces heat (100-150°F), the key
factor in reducing pathogens and
preventing insect breeding.
Beginning in 1990, section 319
provided $63,000 of the $99,000 in
federal funds. Matching grants from the
industry and the state made up the total
project cost of $199,000 (Table 7-3).
-------
REGION 7
TABLE 7-3.—Funding summary.
FEDERAL FUNDS
FY 1990 -Section 31 9
FY 1990- Section 2050K5)
Pollution Prevention
Total federal funds
NONFEDERAL MATCH
Companies/growers
University Extension
SW Missouri State University
Total nonfederal match
Project total
AMOUNT
$63,128
19,193
16,934
$65,056
. 12,148
22,642
TOTAL
$ 99,255
$ 99,846
$199,101
Source: Missouri Pollution Prevention and Nonpoint Source Project,
1993.
The Southwest Resource Conser-
vation & Development Council
(RC&D) provided financial sponsorship
and management. Five poultry process-
ing companies (Simmons Industries,
Inq Tyson Foods, Inc; George's; Butter-
ball Turkey Co.; and Hudson Foods)
each selected an interested, progressive
grower. Growers agreed to operate corn-
posters as recommended, keep required
records, attend quarterly meetings, and
allow and participate in tours and field
days at their facilities—within biologi-
cally sound guidelines set by the
processing companies.
Participants, including agency
staff, attended State Department of
Agriculture biosecurity training and
agreed on notification procedures and
practices to prevent the spread of
disease between flocks. An understand-
ing of biosecurity concerns was key in
obtaining a high degree of company
cooperation.
In constructing demonstration
composter units, growers tailored units
to fit their operation and equipment.
SCS provided engineering review of
building plans and construction over-
sight. Project funds paid for materials;
the industries and growers covered
construction costs.
In 1991 and 1992, each demon-
stration site hosted a field day.
University Extension provided informa-
tion and education activities, including
developing a general composting
guidance booklet and five guide sheets
featuring individual demonstration
units. During this period, the project
sponsored 10 demonstrations for
specific growers. Three workshops on
composting and other poultry waste
best management practices were open to
all growers, company representatives,
agency personnel, and the public. The
project continues to provide ancillary
tours and training programs for agency
staff.
Growers and the public are
rapidly accepting the composting pro-
cess. In 1991, the ASCS adopted the
poultry mortality disposal process as an
acceptable, cost-sharable practice in
Missouri.
By September 1992, the five com-
panies estimated that 40 percent of their
growers had composter units and were
requiring new growers and encouraging
existing growers to install composters.
In the five-county area, some 7.8
million pounds of carcasses—45 percent
—are being composted annually. From
this total, 253,731 pounds of nitrogen,
22,433 pounds of phosphorus, and
7,727 pounds of potassium are being
applied to land in a safer, stabilized
form, according to an independent proj-
ect evaluation conducted by Southwest
Missouri State University (Tables 7-4,
5, and 6).
Other industries have shown
interest in the process. Some swine
producers are experimenting with com-
-------
REGION 7
posting, with 500-pound whole sows
being successfully composted. State
trout agencies are composting fish and
fish waste from dressing stations, and
the state highway agency is investigating
composting for animals killed on roads.
Some 20,000 turkeys killed in
flash flooding were composted, where
once pit burial would have been used.
This large-scale experiment successfully
provided a quick, safe disposal method;
the lessons learned will help the state
develop a composting policy and proce-
dure for catastrophic events.
The high level of cooperation
among participants has resulted in a net-
work and in heightened awareness of
environmental concerns. In fact, the SCS
and the Missouri Poultry Federation
funded an SCS employee for one year to
help poultry producers prepare and begin
approved waste management plans. In
addition, University Extension has pro-
duced a guide sheet on composting layer
mortalities in its water quality series.
Quick acceptance and adaptation
of the composting process likely
occurred for several reasons. Initial
investment and operational costs are
low. The process is forgiving—ingredi-
ents, handling methods, and timing are
not critical. Operation and disposal are
not aesthetically objectionable. And
finally, because of public environmental
awareness and pressures, livestock
producers are taking a new look at tradi-
tional practices and their environmental
impacts.
NEBRASKA
TABLE 7-4.—Percent of nutrients in dead birds (dry matter).
has a number of ground-
water protection programs
targeting nonpoint source groundwater
contamination, evidenced by elevated
nitrate-nitrogen concentrations. Heavy
application of fertilizer and irrigation
NUTRIENT
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
Moisture
BROILER AT 5 WEEKS
8.8
.9
.31
67.0
TURKEY AT 12 WEEKS
11.9
.9
.31
69.0
Source: Missouri University Extension Water Quality Publications,
205-210.
TABLE 7-5.—Nutrients contained in total mortalities
Broilers
Turkeys
Total
4,400,000
X2lb
850,000
X10lb
Ibs DEAD
BIRDS
8,800,000
8,500,000
1 7,300,000
IbsN
255,552
308,295
563,847
IbsP
26,136
23,715
49,851
IbsK
9,002
8,169
17,171
Source: J.M. Vandepopuliere, University of Missouri, personal
communication.
TABLE 7-6.—Estimated nutrients in finished compost.
1 dead bird/ft3 of compost; approximate density of finished
compost = 22 Ibs/ft3
Total N
PaOs
K20
Crude protein
= 63 Ibs/T
= 72lbs/T
= 35 Ibs/T
= 20 percent
Source: Missouri University Extension Water Quality Publications,
205-210.
water on corn and other row crops has
led to this serious threat to groundwater,
Nebraska's main source of drinking
water. Because sediment is the biggest
threat to surface water, particularly
lakes, Nebraska is linking various federal
and state programs to establish best
management practices in the watershed
that will restore or protect the lakes.
-------
REGION 7
EDUCATION REAPS SIGNIFICANT
IMPROVEMENT IN GROUNDWATER
The Central Platte Valley, a major corn
producing region, was receiving heavy
applications of nitrogen fertilizers and
intensive irrigation. These activities,
along with the area's coarse sandy soils
and shallow water table, significantly
contaminated the groundwater with
nitrate-nitrogen.
Over the last several decades, the
state has documented nitrate-nitrogen
accumulation in the Central Platte
Valley. Some areas of the Central Platte
Natural Resources District's (CPNRD)
have averaged nitrate-nitrogen ground-
water concentrations of 18.9 parts per
million (ppm), with isolated sites reach-
ing as high as 40 ppm (EPA level for
safe human use is 10 ppm). Since
groundwater provides essentially all the
area drinking water, this rising nitrate-
nitrogen concentration poses a serious
threat to both municipal and private
water supplies.
In 1987, the CPNRD developed
a comprehensive groundwater manage-
ment plan to comply with the Nebraska
Ground Water Management and Protec-
tion Act of 1986. Under the plan, the
CPNRD designated a district-wide
groundwater quality management area
where it could regulate nitrogen fertil-
izer application and irrigation to reduce
nitrate-nitrogen accumulation.
Convincing farmers that the
recommended nitrogen and irrigation
BMPs would not harm their yield and
would save them money in the long run
was a necessary step in gaining their
confidence and support. The Central
Platte Valley Groundwater Manage-
ment Program was the first program in
the state to address the issue of alleviat-
ing nitrate-nitrogen contamination in
Nebraska's groundwater and serves as a
model. Education, partly supported by
section 319 funds, has increased compli-
ance with the CPNRD regulatory
program and contributed to a significant
improvement in water quality. The man-
agement area has three distinct phases
based on nitrate-nitrogen concentra-
tions in the underlying groundwater.
Some important areas, such as munici-
pal wellheads, may be assigned to a
more restrictive phase even though
concentrations are below normally
required thresholds.
The least restrictive are Phase I
areas, defined by groundwater with
0-12.5 ppm nitrate-nitrogen concentra-
tions. Producers are banned from
applying nitrogen on sandy soils in fall
and winter and must attend training
classes to become certified to apply
nitrogen fertilizers. Education and
demonstrations encourage voluntary
compliance with recommended BMPs
for nitrogen fertilizer and irrigation
water applications.
In Phase II areas, with 12.6-20
ppm nitrate-nitrogen in the ground-
water, producers must be certified, test
soils and irrigation water annually for
nitrate-nitrogen content, and file annual
management reports. They are prohib-
ited from applying nitrogen to sandy
soils in fall and winter. However, compli-
ance with recommended nitrogen and
irrigation water BMPs is voluntary.
In Phase III areas, with more
than 20 ppm nitrate-nitrogen in the
groundwater, producers must meet all
Phase II requirements. They are also
prohibited from applying nitrogen in
fall and winter on all soil types and must
split spring applications of nitrogen or
include an inhibitor.
CPNRD received a five-year
section 319 grant in 1990 that supports
a program to teach farmers about nitro-
gen and irrigation management
techniques which reduce nitrate-
-------
REGION 7
Nitrates PPM
1960
1970
1980
1990
Years
Figure 7-3.—Average nitrate levels in high nitrate area of Central Platte Valley.
nitrogen pollution of groundwater and
yet maintain acceptable crop yields. The
project consists of educational programs,
demonstrations, individual assistance,
and monitoring to assess progress. The
project's goal is to generate support for
and compliance with the groundwater
quality management area recommenda-
tions and requirements. The educational
efforts gained farmers' confidence that
the recommended nitrogen and irriga-
tion water BMPs were credible. As a
result, both voluntary and mandatory
compliance with groundwater quality
management area requirements have
increased.
Nitrate-nitrogen levels in ground-
water, increasing at an average rate of
0.5 ppm per year since 1960, began
declining in 1989 at an average rate of
more than 0.3 ppm per year. An average
decline of more than 1.0 ppm has been
achieved in three years (Fig. 7-3). Moni-
toring, another component of the 319
grant, showed leveling of nitrate-
nitrogen concentrations from 1991 to
1992, likely caused by excessive leaching
of nitrate-nitrogen due to unusually wet
conditions. Similar results are expected
for 1993.
In addition to improving the
groundwater, these management tech-
niques also helped farmers save money,
which more than offset the added
expense of soil and water testing. In
1992, district farmers saved approxi-
mately $1.6 million by applying less
fertilizer and still maintained acceptable
levels of crop yields.
The program's success in convinc-
ing farmers that the recommended
nitrogen and irrigation water BMPs are
credible and desirable has inspired other
natural resources districts to adopt sim-
ilar programs.
contact:
Nonpoint Source Coordinator
U.S. EPA Region 7
726 Minnesota Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66101
Phone: 913/551-7475
-------
-------
8 is using a holistic
watershed approach, rather
than a local approach, to identify
sources that affect water quality. It is
interested in such issues as grazing
management, public lands, abandoned
hardrock mines, and water development.
Because of the commitment from
local, state, and federal groups to
address nonpoint source pollution, the
Region receives strong proposals for
projects.
The Region looks upon section
319 funds as an important component
in developing effective nonpoint source
programs for states and tribes. Region 8
plans to continue its current direction in
light of a possible reauthorization of the
Clean Water Act.
; SECTION 31 9 SUCCESS STORIES I
STATE
Colorado
Montana
North Dakota
South Dakota
Utah
Wyoming
LOCATION
# Boulder
• Denver
• Statewide
* Bowman and
Slope Counties
* Eastern
South Dakota
# Murray City
# Lander
PROJECT
Boulder Creek
Enhancement Project
Regional Office
Forestry Education
Program
Bowman-Haley
Watershed Project
Big Sioux Aquifer
Protection Project
Murray-Jordan River
Parkway Demonstration
Project
Squaw Creek/Baldwin
Creek Watershed
Rehabilitation Project
-------
REGION 8
SECTION 319 REG|ON 8 GRANT AWARDS
FY 1992-19*93 = $8,366,788
FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES
| General Assistance $1,540,309
[U Agriculture $5,456,718
H Urban Runoff $186,864
H Silviculture $42,020
H Construction $123,909
JH Resource Extraction $279,815
H Stowage & Land Disposal $0
[~] Hydrologic Modification $284,725
j| Other $452,428
SECTION 319 REGION 8 STATE GRANTS
Colorado
Montana
North Dakota
$1,734,875
$1,266,085
$1,078,881
South Dakota
Utah
Wyoming
$1,885,839
$1,455,070
$946,038
COLORADO
olorado has established a nonpoint
source pollution task force to
develop and implement best manage-
ment practices throughout the state. Its
goal is to design watershed projects that
balance nonpoint source and point
source treatments to achieve water
quality standards in an urban and semi-
rural environment.
BOULDER CREEK FURNISHES
LABORATORY FOR NFS
TREATMENT
The Boulder Creek Enhancement Proj-
ect, designed to evaluate a new approach
to water quality control, provides a com-
plete laboratory to test the feasibility
and effectiveness of combining off-site
nonpoint source treatment with tradi-
tional point source treatment to achieve
water quality goals.
In the mid-1980s, the City of
Boulder faced increased regulation of its
wastewater treatment plant (WWTP)
under state National Pollutant Dis-
charge Elimination System permitting
requirements, which protect the desig-
nated uses of receiving waters. One
critical use was the warm water aquatic
life below the wastewater discharge
outlet in Boulder Creek.
By evaluating data, city officials
discovered that historic land use
practices—agriculture, cattle grazing,
surface mining, and water diversion—
-------
REGION 8
accelerated and aggravated in-stream
water quality problems and were degrad-
ing stream water quality and habitat.
These practices included straightening
and shortening the stream channel,
creating a wider and shallower stream-
bed, and losing riparian vegetation.
The Boulder Creek Enhancement
Project's goal is to find out how best man-
agement practices can improve stream
quality when used with traditional point
source treatment at a publicly owned
treatment works. The project investigates
techniques to stabilize pH and tempera-
ture fluctuations and to reduce turbidity
and un-ionized ammonia in the creek's
main stem section. The project comple-
ments the city's conventional wastewater
treatment plant.
In 1989 Boulder received a
$75,000 grant under Colorado's Non-
point Source Pollution Prevention
Program to evaluate a new approach to
water quality control, based on a 1987
feasibility study. Off-site stream im-
provements are also being evaluated to
determine how NPS pollution limits the
WWTP's effectiveness in controlling
water quality at a critical point several
miles below the plant's discharge.
The initial project, completed in
spring 1990, resulted in improving 1.3
stream miles. A second phase, com-
pleted in spring 1991, added 1.1 stream
miles with an additional state grant for
$75,000. With a section 319 grant of
$42,000, another 0.5 miles was added
the following spring. A fourth phase is
being designed to improve an additional
1.7 miles using a mix of local and sec-
tion 319 money. At its completion in
1994, the project will have improved 4.6
miles of channel below the WWTP.
BMPs that address each site's spe-
cific problems vary according to its
current land use:
+ Cattle exclusion (fencing),
BMPs to address problems, such as an unstable eroding
streambank, vary according to the current land use.
Willows planted behind a boulder toe
stabilize the eroding bank.
Bank stabilization,
Channel modification
(thalweg pools),
Reaeration,
Wetland enhancement, and
Planting of riparian vegetation.
SECT
3
-------
REGION 8
Water quality experts discuss BMP designs
in the field.
Dividing the project into phases
allowed design improvements to be
made on the initial BMPs, while Phase
II and III BMPs were being built. Since
the BMPs were all somewhat untried,
this phasing was important to the
project's success. It allowed improve-
ments gained through early experience
to improve later performance.
The Boulder Creek project has
two goals. The first is to verify basic
assumptions about how enhancing the
riparian habitat affects the water quality.
The second goal is to verify the cost,
constructability, and durability of
BMPs. Early attempts to construct a
dynamic computer model of the
Boulder Creek system showed that a
full-scale demonstration project was the
only practical means to test the effect of
channel modifications, revegetation, and
erosion control on in-stream quality and
habitat.
Comprehensive testing allows
sediment loads, hydraulics, weather, and
other complex factors—such as algal
growth within the stream—to occur in
real time, rather than being simulated in
a computer model. Projects such as
Boulder Creek also require real-time
verification since, unlike a computer
model, seasonal and long-term effects
cannot be quickly generated. Full-scale
testing incorporates all the complex and
synergistic effects that occur in a natural
system and reflects a system more accu-
rately than a model can.
The Boulder Creek project is
transferable to other streams requiring
similar treatment. Riparian restoration
that can provide multiple benefits to
wildlife, water quality, and property
owners can increase the effectiveness of
existing traditional treatment facilities.
MONTANA
7he public/private partnerships that
evolved from the forestry best man-
agement practice education effort have
led to many small successes across
Montana. Those small successes will
breed major victories for water quality
protection in the state.
CONDUCTING AN EXPERIMENT IN
FORESTRY EDUCATION
A recent experiment under Montana's
forestry education program has proven
that its section 319-funded public aware-
ness and education efforts are working.
Since 1989, Montana has concentrated
its voluntary forestry BMP education
program on presenting workshops for
loggers and landowners, developing
printed literature, and distributing
literature to thousands of loggers, land-
owners, and professional land managers.
In 1991, Montana decided to
determine if a new BMP education
campaign could make a measurable dif-
ference in knowledge among its target
audiences. A new 34-page, full-color
-------
REGION 8
forestry BMP booklet—written by Bob
Logan, a Montana State University
Extension forester, and Bud Clinch, a
Department of State Lands commis-
sioner—provided the material.
The experiment had two major
objectives—to measure user knowledge
before the booklet's release and to
measure knowledge 12 months later. In
1991, a direct mail questionnaire was
sent to 550 randomly selected potential
respondents—timber fallers, forest land-
owners, dozer/skidder operators, road
builders, logging contractors, and forest-
ers. The survey document contained 38
true-false and multiple-choice questions
covering such subjects as stream cross-
ings and their effect on water quality,
streamside management and timber
harvesting BMPs, hazardous materials,
forest roads, and other forest activities.
All those who completed the
questionnaire received the BMP booklet
by return mail. Approximately 12
months later, the same questionnaire
was sent to all who responded to the
1991 mailing. The return rate on the
1991 questionnaire was 36 percent. The
return rate for the second questionnaire
from those who had previously
responded and had received the booklet
was 53 percent (Fig. 8-1).
Scores of all six audiences
responding to the second questionnaire
showed improvement (Fig. 8-2). Forest
landowners showed the largest increase
in knowledge—with test scores increas-
ing by 9 percent. Road builders and
timber fallers increased 5 percent, with
logging contractors and dozer/skidder
operators increasing by 4 percent.
Knowledge of stream crossings
increased the greatest of all subject
areas—by 20 percent (Fig. 8-3).
Prior to this experiment, the pre-
vailing attitudes to Montana's voluntary
BMP education program were "Don't
tell me what to do," "I know all there is
i99fss§nl
Mailed: 550=36%
Returned: 196
D
J
Fore
ster
s>-
Logging^
Contractors
Tir
For
>ze
iber Fa
n
/Sk
Ro
dd<
len
49%
47%
, 1 1 1
*• [41%
iowner
i
id Bull
»rO
ser
s>-
len
stor
3O%
^~
s^-
i—
" gs
—
22%
20%
^.
K
J
- ,,
*92
Mailed: 196_53%
Returned: 1O4
18%
14%
1OO » M 70 CO BO 40 3O 20 10 0 10
53% |
50%
61%
100%
20 30 40 SO GO 7O BO M 1OO
Figure 8-1.—Summary of questionnaire responses.
Ai
jdienc
-r
Forest Li
Dozer/St
eCate
imber Fa
ndownei
idder Op
gg'mg Cc
gories
lor- 1991
1991 0
1
ntractors
& Scoi
7^«*
1992 ^
^
1992 £
1991 £\.J$
1992 £
991 a ^s
1992 i
1991 £^
1992
tore 1991
res
•^
X i
•<:
*<*
X1
^
^ ^*
~h^
992 &
o>
.f* •
b*
B?|.
^
«"*
0 40% 50*. <0% 70% »0% 90% 100%
% Correct
Figure 8-2.—Comparison of responses showing increased
knowledge.
to know about BMPs," and "BMPs are
just a matter of common sense." How-
ever, the 1992 questionnaire indicated a
' dramatic change in attitude among
respondents. For example, when asked
about the need for increasing attention
to forestry BMPs, the average respon-
dent leaned heavily toward the opinion
that this information was long overdue
(Fig. 8-4).
Montana's voluntary forestry
BMP education program, using $86,430
in section 319 funds, appears to be work-
ing, On-the-ground audits of forest
harvest sites, conducted regularly by the
-------
REGION 8
Question Categories & Scores
4O*
60S 70%
% Correct
Figure 8-3.—Comparison of responses showing increased subject
knowledge.
What is your personal feeling about the
increasing attention being given to
forestry BMP's?
Overkill
1 2
Long Overdue
4 5
4.1
Average of
over 100
Respondents
Figure 8-4.—Result of respondents' attitude.
Department of State Lands Forestry
Division, show that in addition to
increasing the knowledge of critical
audiences in subjects important to water
quality protection, application of that
knowledge in the forest has dramatically
improved.
NORTH DAKOTA
source pollution is the
greatest threat to water quality in
most of North Dakota's rivers, streams,
lakes, and wetlands. The state has
devoted a majority of its section 319
funds to agriculture, the dominant land
use. The State Department of Health
and Consolidated Laboratories has
established a close working relationship
with USDA to combine resources and
address priority areas.
CONSERVATION PRACTICES WORK
FOR BOWMAN-HALEY RESERVOIR
The Bowman-Haley Watershed Project,
located in southwestern North Dakota
along the South Dakota border, is one
of the state's most successful section 319
projects. The Bowman-Haley Water-
shed Project covers 304,000 acres. The
principal land uses of the area are range-
land (167,740 acres), cropland (121,890
acres), farmstead (7,230 acres), and
roads (7,146 acres).
Bowman-Haley Dam, con-
structed by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers in 1966, was established to
provide an alternative water supply,
downstream flood control, and recre-
ation. The resulting 2,560-acre reservoir
provided a much needed recreational
faculty for all.
Over a period of time, however,
residents began to notice a steady
decline in water quality. More alarming,
recreational use of the reservoir for
swimming, boating, and fishing dropped
off. In 1989 and 1990, evaluations of the
water quality, physical characteristics,
and fishery by the state health agency
found that the reservoir was hypertro-
phic and nutrient rich. Moreover, its
water quality was progressively degrad-
ing. Algal blooms dominated in
summer, with low dissolved oxygen in
winter. Nutrients and sediments from
improper agricultural management were
soon identified as the culprits. These
conditions—which affected sport
-------
TABLE 8-1.—Funds secured and expended as of June 1993.
REGION 8
FUNDING
SOURCE*
FY 1990 Section 319 Grants
ASCS-Water Quality Incentive Program
SCS-HydroIogic Unit Long-Term Agreements
SCS-Great Plains Conservation Program (
FUNDING
ALLOCATION
$333,000
$142,250
$232,200
$175,000
FUNDS
OBLIGATED/SPENT
$176,563
$ 94,250
$224,200
$175,000
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided an additional $24,000 to monitor water quality.
fishery, holding capacity, and recrea-
tional values—were expected to
continually deteriorate and significantly
shorten the reservoir's useful life.
In June 1990, the local soil
conservation district and water resource
board took action to reverse this down-
ward trend. They developed a five-year
plan outlining specific agricultural land
management practices to improve water
quality. The plan's main focus was to
reduce wind and water erosion. This
would reduce nutrient and sediment
loadings to the reservoir—based on
Universal Soil Loss Equation values—
by a minimum of 20 percent.
The target audience was water-
shed landowners. The project was
designed to provide financial and techni-
cal assistance to landowners and
encourage them to voluntarily use con-
servation practices on their lands.
USDA and section 319 funding was
used to provide additional staff, cost-
share assistance to apply conservation
practices, and educational activities
(Table 8-1).
The project's success in encourag-
ing landowner participation and
ultimately in improving the land man-
agement and water quality in the
watershed was due to several factors:
+ An aggressive, well-developed
educational program;
* Financial assistance to land-
owners; and
* ,A comprehensive project plan.
The educational component was
critical—the public's attitude about
water quality and conservation needed
changing. The public needed to under-
stand that water quality improvements
and agribusiness could coexist and be
profitable. Additionally, local residents
needed to be educated about the
impacts of nonpoint source pollution on
water quality and see the various tech-
nologies available to improve their land
management practices. Educational
devices used included media communi-
cations, workshops, seminars, direct
mailings, demonstrations, and one-on-
one consultations with landowners.
As part of the educational effort,
the project staff encouraged landowners
to develop resource management plans
by providing financial and technical
assistance for farms. The plans identi-
fied current farming and ranching
practices and scheduled appropriate
conservation practices to reduce wind
and water erosion. Various federal and
state programs provided financial assis-
tance to ensure the use of these
practices.
The resource management plans
identified crop residue management,
conservation cropping sequence, strip
-------
r
REGION 8
too
cropping, and grassed waterways as the
main practices to reduce wind and water
erosion. Plans also identified improve-
ments for fragile rangelands and water
distribution facilities.
By January 1992, land manage-
ment throughout the watershed showed
tremendous improvement. Under the
project, some 65 resource management
plans were developed to reduce wind
and water erosion on 110,020 acres,
accounting for over 36 percent of the
entire watershed. The local sponsor, the
Soil Conservation District Board repre-
senting Bowman and Slope counties,
has also reported that a variety of con-
servation practices are being used on
acreage not covered by a formal plan.
Using Universal Soil Loss Equation
values, the nutrient and sediment load-
ings to the reservoir have been reduced
by 25 percent—5 percent more than the
project's original goal.*
The most important benefit may
be the public's enlightened attitude
about water quality and conservation.
Preproject surveys and recent feedback
show that local residents are signifi-
cantly more aware of water quality
issues in the reservoir. This attitude
change will undoubtedly result in a
continuous voluntary effort to tackle
water quality problems and improve the
reservoir's overall water quality.
After only three years, this proj-
ect has shown that a voluntary approach
to water quality improvement can be
successful. Based on past successes and
the general public's new awareness, local
project sponsors estimate that land-
owners will apply improved land
management practices on over 50
percent of the watershed acreage by the
end of the five-year project. They also
expect land management improvements
to continue after the project ends
because of landowners' understanding of
environmentally sound land manage-
ment, both on and off the farm.
SOUTH DAKOTA
outh Dakota's nonpoint source
program will take a balanced
approach using four major elements—
implementation, demonstration,
information and education, and research
—to achieve better water quality. The
programs's ultimate goal is to imple-
ment best management practices to
contain nonpoint sources of water
pollution. To achieve this goal, the East
Dakota Water Development District
worked with local city and county
groups to develop and pass local
ordinances to ensure groundwater and
wellhead protection.
PROTECTING THE BIG Sioux
AQUIFER
Aquifers are significantly tied to surface
waters, making them sensitive and
vulnerable to both point and nonpoint
source contamination. This is why the
East Dakota Water Development
District (EDWDD), a regional organi-
zation concerned with water issues,
spearheaded a movement to learn more
about aquifers, their relative sensitivity
to contamination, and measures needed
to protect them.
The Big Sioux Aquifer and other
smaller surface aquifers lie under approx-
imately 1,000 square miles of eastern
South Dakota. They supply drinking
* Prior to 1992, watershed water quality improvements were difficult to document because of
prolonged drought conditions. During this period, many monitoring sites remained dry and virtually
no water quality samples were collected. Given the limited water quality data available prior to
1993, the project's true benefits cannot be accurately documented.
-------
tot
REGION 8
water to about one-third of the state's
population.
Although no widespread pollu-
tion problem existed, studies had
uncovered isolated cases of contamina-
tion. Nitrate has contaminated
numerous public water supplies, and
some 80 cases of methemoglobinemia
(blue baby disease) have been docu-
mented, with approximately $2.6
million spent to replace or drill new
wells to avoid high nitrate levels. In one
study, 30 percent of the private wells
tested had bacterial contamination
and/or nitrate levels above safe drinking
water standards. Clearly, a grassroots
effort was needed to protect the aquifers.
With $204,996 of section 319
funds and $136,000 in in-kind contribu-
tions from citizens and other
organizations, the EDWDD began the
Big Sioux Aquifer Protection Project.
Its goal was to protect the Big Sioux
Aquifer and other sensitive shallow
aquifers from contamination. Its
method was to develop and pass local
zoning ordinances to ensure protection.
Before such a project could be
effective, an intensive information and
education campaign was needed to
inform local organizations—primarily
counties and cities—and citizens about
the potential problems threatening their
water supplies. Through meetings with
various community and other public
groups, the EDWDD urged individuals
and organizations to take quick, decisive
action to protect their most important
natural resource.
To begin the project, EDWDD
identified shallow aquifers vulnerable to
contamination and located 30 public
water supply wells within the project
area. It also gathered as much informa-
tion as possible about the public water
supply wells to help delineate a wellhead
protection area (WHPA) for each one.
The most useful information included
public supply, well depth, pumpage rate,
hydraulic gradient, and transmissivity.
EDWDD developed a model
groundwater protection ordinance that
allowed city or county zoning authori-
ties to limit the kinds of activities within
the WHPA and used it to promote the
concept of groundwater protection
through regulation. Over a period of
two years, localities modified the model
ordinance to develop ordinances to
accommodate local conditions. As of
August 1993, two cities and nine coun-
ties had adopted ordinances, with
several more in the process.
Local ordinances protect ground-
water by limiting or prohibiting specific
activities within the WHPA such as
* New feedlots and/or manure
storage facilities,
* Solid waste storage facilities—
dumps and landfills,
* Deicing chemical and road salt
storage,
* Car washes—oil, degreasers, and
other associated contaminants,
* Open burning,
* Wastewater facilities,
* Waste oil spreading on the land,
+ Storage of various hazardous or
toxic chemicals such as PCBs,
* Activities associated with internal
combustion engines such as auto
service/repair stations and junk
yards,
+ Class V wells, and
+ Fall application of fertilizers
containing nitrogen.
Since ordinances are not
designed to deal with accidents such as
hazardous or toxic material spills, the
City of Sioux Falls is developing a water
-------
REGION 8
102
supply contingency plan. Other commu-
nities have expressed interest in
developing similar contingency plans.
To identify and address existing
sources of contaminants, EDWDD
undertook five additional activities
under the project. They were
+ A Class V Injection Well
Control Demonstration Project
that identified 15 Class V wells
(activities that dispose of waste,
other than household, through
a septic tank) and prepared
measures to eventually close
those wells;
* An informational video that
discussed the Class V injection
well issue;
+ A Shallow Abandoned Well
Sealing Demonstration Project
to seal unused wells that could
contaminate the underlying
aquifer;
•*• A USDA Big Sioux Aquifer
Water Quality Demonstration
Project to demonstrate the
impact of selected BMPs on
water quality of groundwater;
and
+ A study of feedlot contami-
nants of shallow aquifers to
track the aerial extent and
magnitude of groundwater
contamination from six feedlots.
Other related area activities
included installing 48 monitoring wells
within nine WHPAs to provide an early
detection system and using the
Farm*A*Syst Program to inform land-
owners in rural areas about threats to
their domestic wells.
This protection project has
clearly succeeded in limiting or prevent-
ing activities that could contaminate
groundwater. The variety of activities
contained in the project evoked much
interest, and the project sponsor was
invited to speak at a number of national
and regional conferences. The concept
of using ordinances to protect aquifers
in urban and/or rural areas has been
effectively used by other states through-
out the country to protect water quality.
UTAH
nonpoint source program
owes its success to the coopera-
tion among local, state, and federal
agencies. This cooperation enables Utah
to better achieve its major goal of reduc-
ing human-induced nonpoint source
pollution. The Murray-Jordan River
Parkway demonstration project, located
in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area,
is an excellent example of cooperation in
action.
STREAMBANK MODIFICATION
SUCCESSFUL IN UTAH
Improving water quality by reducing
pollutants—metals, sediments, and
nutrients'—was the goal when Murray
City began a demonstration project in
March 1990 to restore the Jordan River
streambanks.
The aim of the streambank
demonstration project was to install
streambank modification best manage-
ment practices to improve the slope,
install riprap to protect against seasonal
high flow, revegetate the slopes with
native species (including grasses, shrubs,
and trees), and construct two wetland
pond systems to treat urban runoff
before discharging to the Jordan River.
These BMPs were designed in consulta-
tion with EPA, Corps of Engineers,
Utah State Engineer, Parks and Wildlife
-------
108
REGION 8
Resources, Murray City, and Salt Lake
County.
Section 319(h) grant funds, in
coordination with the Utah Depart-
ments of Environmental Quality and
Agriculture, contributed about $60,000
of the $150,000 cost. Murray City
contributed the rest.
The project was organized into
two phases. Phase I, completed in May
1991, centered on the entire length of the
west banks; Phase II, completed in
August 1992, focused on the eastern
banks.
The project began with regrading
the bank to a 3 to 1 slope. Then workers
planted nearby cottonwood saplings,
followed by grasses, shrubs, and other
trees. Murray City installed a sprinkler
irrigation system to help seed germina-
tion. A second wetland pond system was
completed in early spring 1992 to com-
plement the first system, in operation
about three years.
Excavated material from grading
was used to construct trailside berms
throughout the city, and broken concrete
from steepened banks was buried or
hauled to landfill sites. Large angular
boulders from a local quarry were used
on the finished bank slope and filled in
with smaller material. Riprap was not
used continuously along the segment.
Vegetation such as willows or other
native species were planted in open slope
areas. Minor modifications were made
where the stream course changed slightly.
Cottonwoods were transplanted
early, followed by birch, box elder, willow,
dogwood, sumac, wood rose, currant, and
other donated species; Larger species
were grouped on upper slopes, and
shrubs and willows were grouped on
middle and lower banks. Much of the
pknting was done during Earth Day
activities sponsored by Murray City by
over 1,000 community volunteers. »
After broadcast seeding of a
native grass mixture in mid-May, liquid
mulch was applied. Dry weather caused
some grass species to fail. Later in the
season, several of the dominant species
took over, such as clover, wheat grass,
alkali sacaton, Great Basin wild rye, and
reed canary grass. Wildflower carpets of
1,000 square feet, providing 15 species
of draught tolerant wildflowers, were
grown in an artificial root-holding mat
similar to regular grass sod.
The BMP successes are easy to
see. The grading and installation of
riprap facilitated the irrigation of the
native and ornamental plant species that
now flourish on both east and west river
segments. Stormwater additions to the
oxbow and constructed wetland ponds
are beginning to net large growths of
water dependant plants—Typhales,
Scriptus, Carex, Juncus, and Phragmites.
The wetland complexes are growing
rapidly and will increase water quality
management performance. Most under-
story and overstory plant species have
survived and are reproducing.
Salt Lake County data, collected
in 1990 and 1991 at the demonstration
project site, showed some water quality
improvement. Results of sampling at
upstream and downstream stations
showed decreasing concentration of
arsenic, zinc, total suspended sediment,
dissolved oxygen, nitrate, and phospho-
rus, except during runoff periods.
During high flows from storm activity,
concentrations were greater at the down-
stream site, probably because of the
stormwater discharge located between
the two sites.
In September 1992, the project
was the site of the first "Celebration of
Clean Water" sponsored by the Utah
Department of Environmental Quality,
Department of Natural Resources, and
other local agencies.
-------
REGION 8
High school students clean up Squaw Creek before stabilizing streambanks and planting
native species.
WYOMING
>Jly
-------
tos
REGION 8
15,000 acres. In 23 years, sediment has
filled 17,000 acre feet of permanent
reservoir storage capacity.
The Squaw Creek/Baldwin
Creek Watershed Rehabilitation project,
begun in September 1990, aims to
protect the streambank, restore riparian
habitat, correct poor grazing practices,
and improve irrigation. Section 319
funds provided $243,717 of the
$406,195 total for the first phase.
An important part of the project
was to replace a leaky, inefficient irriga-
tion ditch adjacent to Squaw Creek with
a new irrigation pipeline. In addition to
delivering water, the system is more
efficient, reduces runoff, and promotes
deep percolation. Reduced runoff has
decreased the amount of pesticides and
fertilizers entering both surface and
groundwater.
Rock structures were used to
stabilize eroding banks, revegetate the
streambank, and reduce sediment. Rock
riprap also protects the course of the
meandering river, balances streamflow,
and reduces sediment. Landowners were
encouraged to erect fences to keep live-
stock out of the rivers, thus reducing
nutrient loading in the streams.
Squaw Creek's course through
the grounds of Lander Valley High
School presented a perfect opportunity.
Working with a science teacher,
students stabilized streambanks with
rock riprap and special matting to hold
back the stream until new plants are
established. Students also planted ripar-
ian vegetation, built windbreaks, and
established native species.
Overall, the project is successfully
protecting the stream and streambank,
maintaining a good flow in the remain-
ing flood plain, establishing vegetation
that can withstand spring floods, and
providing a chance to reestablish a good
riparian community.
Local initiative and teamwork are
also at work. The state provided moni-
toring to measure water quality
improvements for fisheries; SCS
designed the best management prac-
tices; U.S. Geological Survey collected
water samples; and local landowners and
interested students gained invaluable
insight through their involvement.
Nonpoint Source Coordinator
U.S. EPA Region 8
One Denver Place
999 18th Street
Denver, CO 80202-2405
Phone: 303/293-1703
-------
-------
£Cm^jm&&\ ,'X ' ,; / \";
A-:,^;<
7tie states and territories compris-
ing Region 9 are ecologically
and culturally diverse. The landscapes of
Region 9 range from desert, metropolis,
rain forest, beach, coral reef, great valley,
and rugged mountain. Because of this
ecosystem variety, any effort to control
and abate nonpoint source pollution
must be just as diverse
and include a range of
programs. One size does
not fit all when imple-
menting strategies to
address the impacts to
water quality from
agriculture, mining,
urbanization,
hydromodification,
silviculture, and grazing.
Moreover, the West is
growing fast. Urban
areas are rapidly
displacing open space,
encroaching on critical
habitat and agricultural
lands, and affecting
water quality.
SECTION 31 9 SUCCESS STORIES I
STATE
Arizona
California
Hawaii
Nevada
Campo Tribe
American
Samoa
LOCATION
* South of Seligman
A Quartsite
3c- Mendocino County
A. Feather River
Watershed
• San Francisco
* Oahu
* Northern Humboldt
County
A Clark County
3fr Campo and
Diabold Creeks
* Lauli'i Village
PROJECT
Chino Winds Demonstration Project
Quartsite Educational and Technical
Transfer Program
Tomki Creek Watershed Project
Wolf Creek Improvement Project
Regional Office
Pearl Harbor Bay Watershed Project
Quinn River Riparian Improvement
Project
Evapotranspiration Lawn Watering System
Streambank Restoration Project
Village-Based Watershed Protection
Demonstration Project
-------
REGION 9
10*
SECTION 319 REGION 9 GRANT AWARDS
FY 1992-1993 = $9,395,383
FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES
| General Assistance $2,440,039
H Agriculture $3,059,506
HI Urban Runoff $1,824,294
1§ Silviculture $163,805
Hi Construction $148,462
H Resource Extraction $330,422
Hi Stowage & Land Disposal $0
{~\ Hydrologic Modification $503,790
H Other $925,065
SECTION 319 REG ON 9 STATE GRANTS
Arizona
California
Hawaii
Nevada
$1,678,350
$5,376,836
$744,407*
$799,609
Campo Tribe
American Samoa
Guam
Mariana Islands
$106,420
$307,356*
$249,134*t
$239,691*t
* FY 92/93 Pacific Islands Base Program Grant total is included in General Assistance.
t Story not included in report.
The watershed approach is an
important concept, supported and active
in Region 9. EPA and the states have
worked together to identify high prior-
ity watersheds—both impaired and
threatened. Developing watershed man-
agement and restoration plans involves
key state and federal agencies. But more
importantly, it includes other partners
such as conservation districts, interest
groups, environmental organizations,
and the public. Implementation of
watershed plans, such as coordinated
resources management plans, have been
supported in part by section 319(h)
funds.
ARIZONA
nonpoint source program
is partnership oriented. It seeks to
find entities that are able and willing to
work toward nonpoint source manage-
ment goals and foster cooperation to get
the job done. The Chino Winds Project
is an example of the strides that can be
made when diverse parties develop and
carry out a coordinated plan to improve
water quality.
PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPS MULTIPLE
PASTURE GRAZING SYSTEM
Grazing in arid Arizona, much like in
the rest of the Southwest, tends to con-
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169
REGION 9
centrate around water sources. This
leads to overgrazing damage around
rivers, streams, and lakes. As a result,
vast amounts of grazable lands are
untouched and unused. Damage to
watersheds includes erosion, sediment,
and nutrient loading into streams that
seriously affects water quality.
Another problem in Arizona is
the multiple or checkerboard pattern of
land ownership, made up of an alternat-
ing mixture of publicly and privately
owned lands. Add to this the multiple
jurisdictions and responsibilities of a
host of federal, state, local, and private
agencies and interests, and you have
what could be deadlock in planning and
using innovative technology to remedy
the situation.
The Chino Winds Demonstra-
tion Project, located on the Yavapai
Ranch 26 miles south of Seligman, is
proving that these obstacles are far from
insurmountable. Through the coopera-
tion of 11 agencies and the private
owner, the state currently has a project
to test a holistic grazing system on
multiple ownership lands to improve
water quality. The project also evaluates
alternative ways to measure watershed
conditions and quality in arid regions
that lack year-round water flows.
The project sets up a system of
rotational grazing on a 110,000-acre
ranch with a checkerboard of public and
private lands. Deferred rotational
grazing divides the land into numerous
fenced paddocks where cattle graze
intensely for short periods of time—
from 2 to 30 days—before being moved
on to another paddock. The grazed area
is then allowed to regenerate for an
entire growing season. This system
requires a fencing network across the
entire land and a distribution system to
supply water to each pasture. The distri-
bution of water promotes more uniform
rangeland use and, accompanied by the
traditional management systems,
reduces the extremes of over and under
use.
Phase I of the project started in
FY1990 and was completed in Septem-
ber 1993. A coordinated resource
management plan was developed over
18 months by numerous groups with
diverse and vested interests. Agencies
responsible for developing the plan
included the U.S. Forest Service, Ari-
zona State Land Department, SCS, and
Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality. Also included were the Univer-
sity of Arizona School of Renewable
and Natural Resources, Cooperative
Extension, Chino Winds Natural
Resource Conservation District, and the
Arizona Department of Game and Fish.
Phase I, funded by a $90,000
section 319 grant, included installing
fencing, pipelines, and a water distribu-
tion system for both livestock and
wildlife. In-kind services such as labor,
equipment, and computer mapping were
provided by state, local, and private
sources. The university provided water-
shed monitoring, and conservation
groups and private citizens are convert-
ing existing fencing to fencing that does
not restrict the movement of wildlife. A
Phase II, $87,000 section 319 grant has
been approved.
Another component of the proj-
ect is to develop a surrogate system to
measure water quality impacts. Because
the flow of surface water on Arizona
rangelands is intermittent, changes in
water quality are difficult to determine.
Therefore, measurable improvements
from BMPs may be impossible to docu-
ment. This project correlates coverage
vegetation to sediment discharges and
extrapolates water quality information
by measuring the amount and biodivers-
ity of the vegetation.
The project is being monitored
during the implementation phase to
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REGION 9
tro
ensure that BMPs are properly installed.
Baseline data was collected on initial
vegetation and frequency of plant
species. A survey was conducted to
determine public attitudes and percep-
tions of grazing management efforts to
improve water quality. Although the
complete results of the demonstration
may not be seen for 10 years, this proj-
ect provides an important opportunity
to demonstrate the effectiveness of
BMPs on arid lands.
PUBLIC EDUCATION TACKLES
TOURIST BURDEN
Quartzsite is a small desert community
of about 1,900 residents, mostly retired.
Its economy is supported by a January
through February gem show, which each
year attracts as many as a million
visitors, many of whom are campers.
This seasonal influx has caused a great
burden on the upper groundwater aqui-
fer, compounding an existing problem of
improperly maintained septic systems.
A study to determine the effects
of this seasonal burgeoning on ground-
water quality, begun in August 1987 by
the Arizona Department of Environ-
mental Quality (ADEQ), found high
levels of nitrates in the groundwater of
the shallow aquifer. In March 1991, an
exhaustive study found that the contami-
nation was caused by illegal dumping of
waste and septage from recreational
vehicles. This led to an agreement
between the state agency and the town
to conduct the Quartzsite Educational
and Technical Transfer Program.
The program was designed to
help the community develop a strategy
for educating its population about the
reason the aquifer was contaminated,
point out the resulting illness from high
nitrate levels in the drinking water, and
develop a solution to the problem. A
319 grant supplied the $32,400 used to
fund the program in 1991 and 1992.
The program created an advisory
council to oversee activities, collect and
evaluate existing groundwater data, and
establish a public information campaign
that includes brochures, guest speakers,
and presentations at local fairs and
public meetings.
The effectiveness of the public
education program was measured
through two surveys—one taken three
months into the program and the
second, one month before its end. The
findings showed a 245 percent increase
in public meeting attendance and a 185
percent increase in public knowledge
about the problems of high nitrate
levels. As a result, 95 percent of the
community supported the concept of a
wastewater treatment facility.
After discussing a number of
alternatives at public meetings, the com-
munity decided to address the problem
by building a regional wastewater treat-
ment system. It will include creating
several recreational vehicle dump
stations around the community. This
solution will allow ADEQ_to lift a ban
on further development, in effect for
more than three years, enabling the
community to benefit from housing and
commercial development.
CALIFORNIA
alifornia's agenda includes protect-
ing and restoring designated uses
of waters through strong leadership for
its nonpoint source program and by
helping local governments overcome
barriers to successfully implement non-
point source measures. California
encourages support and cooperation
among agencies to develop and imple-
ment best management practices and
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REGION 9
watershed restoration activities to
reduce the discharge of nonpoint source
pollutants to surface and groundwaters.
RESTORATION IN TOMKI CREEK
WATERSHED—A LOCAL
COOPERATIVE VENTURE
Imagine a full city block covered with
sediment 14 feet deep. That's how
watershed planners in 1983 described
the 21,000 cubic yards of sediment find-
ing its way into Tomki Creek each year.
The 40,000-acre Tomki Creek
watershed is primarily privately owned
upland forest and rangeland. Heavy
loadings of sediment, called "fines,"
have severely impaired the beneficial
uses of the cold-water salmon fishery.
First, chinook salmon spawning
habitat has been seriously reduced by
fines, which smother the spawning
areas. Second, steelhead rearing habitat
has been severely limited as pools have
become sediment filled. Shallow pools
hamper fish survival during critical low
•flow periods. Highly turbid water
reduces feeding activity of steelhead,
reducing their growth and value to
downstream sport fishing. These losses
have had serious economic impacts
throughout the north coast.
In 1983, the Tomki Creek Water-
shed Pilot Project Plan was developed
and funded with section 208 grants—
the predecessor to section 319. The plan
called for treating sources of watershed
instability and water quality problems
caused by sediment from historic
logging, grazing, and road building
practices, and for stabilizing these
problems within the riverine system.
The watershed plan introduced a
system to rank and prioritize the 20
sub-basins for funding when it became
available. Ranking is based on location,
severity of sediment loading, and land-
owner cooperation. Since then, this
system has become a model throughout
California.
Since 1983 when the pilot plan
was developed, the Mendocino
Resource Conservation District (RCD)
has received over $650,000 in grants
from the California Department of Fish
and Game's Salmon and Steelhead
Restoration Funds to implement erosion
control practices. In addition, cost-share
programs such as the Agricultural
Conservation Program and the Califor-
nia Forest Improvement Program and
funds from private landowners and road
associations have secured between
$100,000 and $150,000 in private funds
to treat several priority sub-basins.
In FY1990, Mendocino RCD
received a section 319 grant for
$100,000 to implement best manage-
ment practices in the String and Tarter
Creek sub-basins. Streambank, gully,
and road sites—identified in the 1983
plan—are being treated using a variety
of best management practices. They
include rock riprap, wing deflectors,
brush mats, bank shaping to stabilize
configurations, exclusionary fencing,
seed and mulch, culverts and outlet
dissipaters, and revegetation with
willow, poplar, and alder.
Now, more than a decade later,
the goals of the Tomki Creek Water-
shed Project remain the same: basic
watershed restoration. But involvement
and participation under local initiative
and leadership have broadened, and
cooperative relationships have formed
between landowners and government
agencies. In addition, landowners
1 Road associations are road maintenance groups of local private landowners who pool together
funds to maintain roads with common access.
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REGION 9
tt2
To restore Wolf Creek's natural bends, boulders and root masses
are strategically placed across the channel.
strongly support the project and have
supplemented section 319 money.
The Mendocino RCD was
awarded two additional section 319
grants in FY1991. A $30,000 grant has
provided funds to treat the next highest
priority sub-basins, using a bioengineer-
ing approach in a variety of best
management practices.
Because technology transfer has
been an important feature of the Tomki
Creek Watershed Project, an $18,000
section 319 grant will fund a 20-minute
public education and information video
about the project. Produced by the
Mendocino RCD, "Watershed Restora-
tion: How to Heal the Land" will
feature the basics of watershed planning,
typical problems, and types of best man-
agement practices used to treat coastal
range watersheds. Institutional arrange-
ments and funding considerations will
also be covered in the video, intended
for the general public, and high school
and college audiences.
Water quality improvements in
the Tomki Creek Watershed have been
difficult to measure because of
California's seven-year drought. How-
ever, other indicators, such as the
restored physical integrity of the water-
shed and further habitat improvements,
suggest that the steelhead fisheries will
return once California is back to a
normal weather pattern.
WOLF CREEK RESTORATION—
A MODEL OF COOPERATION
AND ACHIEVEMENT
Wolf Creek, a tributary of the Feather
River in the lower reaches of the Sierra-
Nevada Mountains, was a "sadly rutted
stream nearly barren offish and plant
life," according to a report in the
Sacramento Bee. Nearly a century of
upstream mining, cattle grazing, log-
ging, and road building has caused
severe erosion, "sharpening the creek's
knifelike force and cutting deeper into
its banks. Efforts to slow the erosion by
straightening the channel and riprapp-
ing the banks only increased the erosion
downstream," reported the newspaper.
But today, a state-of-the-art
project is combining community grass-
roots activity with innovative small
technology to repair the results of past
uncontrolled NPS runoff through
renovation and rebuilding.
The goal on Wolf Creek is to
lengthen the channel by building back
its natural bends. Boulders and root
masses from felled trees strategically
placed across the channel are designed
to dissipate the creek's erosive energy
and roll the current from bank to bank.
Built-in floodplains give the water a
place to go during high flows. The
undertaking is designed to re-establish
the creek's natural channel and restore it
to permanent good health.
2 This practice incorporates and integrates rock and wood structures with living plans and root
systems. While revegetation is a cost-effective, long-term sediment control treatment, some stream
locations require structures to reduce velocities to levels in which plants can grow.
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REGION 9
The $400,000 watershed under-
taking is being funded and assisted by a
variety of public and private entities. The
State Water Resources Control Board
provided a $91,000 grant through section
205Q)(5) monies and a $100,000 grant
through section 319. The California
Department of Water Resources
provided an additional grant of nearly
$100,000 to the Greenville Community
Services District. Pacific Gas and
Electric Company donated $80,000 for
design, construction, and administration
costs. Other funding sources include
USDA Plumas National Forest and SCS.
The Wolf Creek improvements
have also attracted community support.
The Sacramento Bee reports that log-
gers donated their time to fell trees that
were donated by the U.S. Forest Service
and miners donated rocks transported
by the local Army National Guard. In
addition, high school students reseeded
the creek banks and will conduct pool
riffle surveys and measure channel
widths in a 10-year monitoring program.
In pooling its money and energy,
the community has banded together to
solve a common problem. By undoing
years of hydrological modifications that
have upset nature's ecological balance,
the community is restoring important
habitats, including mountain wetlands.
This combination of elements will likely
be a national model of watershed resto-
ration based on mutual cooperation.
HAWAII
aii has expended much effort
to gain cooperation and support
from significant entities both inside and
outside the state. Its success in working
with other groups to make headway in
controlling nonpoint source pollution is
evident in the following successes in the
Pearl Harbor Bay watershed.
PEARL HARBOR PROGRAMS
FLOURISH THROUGH
COOPERATION
Innovation, perseverance, and coopera-
tion are the watchwords in Hawaii's
efforts to control nonpoint source pollu-
tion in the Pearl Harbor Bay watershed,
with section 319 money getting the pro-
jects rolling.
In 1990, the U.S. Navy expressed
interest and concern about the problem
of heavy silt loading into the East Loch
of Pearl Harbor from Halawa Stream.
At the Navy's request, the South Oahu
Soil and Water Conservation District
held an interagency meeting to look for
ways to prevent soil erosion across all
land uses. From this meeting, the Pearl
Harbor Estuary Program Interagency
Committee (PHEPIC) formed, consist-
ing of 17 agencies and groups, and
received the first section 319 implemen-
tation grant.
PHEPIC began a public educa-
tion and information campaign, using
$3,000 in section 319 funds and
$12,500 in other funds. The committee
selected storm drain stenciling as one of
the projects because of its high visibility.
The project was intended to encourage
community participation and raise
public awareness about how storm
drains are connected directly to streams
and the ocean. Storm drains are com-
monly used to dispose of used motor oil,
pet waste, rotting fruit, and other
rubbish.
At the Navy's request, the Hawaii
Department of Health briefed the base
admiral on the education project. The
Navy's enthusiastic contribution in-
cluded producing an 8-minute video to
train volunteers to stencil storm drains
in Navy housing areas, and in other
areas on the base. The admiral attended
the kickoff event and expressed support
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REGION 9
1t4
Volunteers stencil message to remind the public that storm drains
are connected directly to the ocean.
to television news reporters. The one-
year project started in October 1992.
The Navy's education and out-
reach support included modifying a
DOH nonpoint source brochure, adding
a message about the Navy recycling
program, and printing 5,000 copies to
distribute to Navy personnel.
In another effort, PHEPIC
targeted the Waiawa wetland to
enhance wildlife habitat and to serve as
a sediment retention area. The Navy
committed $200,000 to conduct a
thorough study of the wetland to deter-
mine if restoration was feasible; this was
begun in September 1991.
The committee continues to
work to prevent and control nonpoint
source pollution from entering Pearl
Harbor. With the Navy's cooperation
assured, the Health Department turned
its attention and section 319 resources
to other matters.
Miles of Hawaii's highways are
afflicted with erosion. Sediment from
road cuts enters storm runoff collection
systems and is delivered to the ocean.
The need to revegetate eroding roadside
cuts with drought tolerant, low mainte-
nance vegetation was not only a good
idea but a necessary one. Erosion and
sediment control is difficult to sell to
the public when the state is not control-
ling its own erosion.
The obstacles were numerous,
however. The State Department of
Transportation had no resources to
devote to such a project. Maintenance
funds were scarce and federal funds
were earmarked exclusively for new con-
struction. With a water shortage
looming, the Transportation Depart-
ment did not want to create additional
areas requiring irrigation. However, to
justify spending 319 grant monies on
such a project, involvement and enthusi-
asm for transferring the demonstrated
technology to other sites was needed.
The Health Department worked
hard to sell the idea. It held meetings
and drafted letters to top transportation
management. It offered to demonstrate
a system that required no mowing or
permanent irrigation, and that would
save money since the Transportation
Department would not need to clean
sediment from the ditches. The Health
Department also suggested that the proj-
ect would be good public relations and
help the Transportation Department
meet new requirements in the Surface
Transportation Act to control nonpoint
source pollution. Finally, the Transporta-
tion and Health Departments, SCS, and
PHEPIC signed a memo of understand-
ing. A $20,000 section 319 grant and
$14,000 in additional funds were used
for the project.
The Health Department selected
a severely eroded site adjacent to the
Pearl Country Club. The club donated
irrigation water for a temporary drip
irrigation system for two years. A
consultant with expertise in xeriscape
landscaping developed a plan using 26
species, including eight native plants.
Local botanical gardens and nurseries
donated a portion of the plants. SCS
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tts
REGION 9
designed an irrigation system, which the
Transportation Department installed.
With the assistance of community vol-
unteers, Transportation did the planting.
The soil and water conservation districts
and McDonald's donated food for the
workers.
The Transportation Department
will maintain the site for at least two
years and the University of Hawaii will
monitor the site, using an adjacent site
as control. The university will use runoff
plot methodology to measure sediment,
herbicide, and nutrients in stormwater
runoff, and a student will receive a
stipend to map all eroding roadcuts in
the watershed and rank them for future
plantings.
NEVADA
^rf key element in Nevada's nonpoint
ft source program is the generation
of public support from both elected
officials and private citizens. Using
section 319 funds, Nevada was able to
begin the long-term process of healing
damaged areas—like the Quinn River—
using a basin-by-basin approach.
RESTORING THE QUINN RIVER—
AN IMPORTANT RIPARIAN
RESOURCE
The East Fork Quinn River in the
Humboldt National Forest is a popular
area for wildlife, livestock, fishery, and
public use. But as a result of its attrac-
tiveness, the area has suffered. Poor
livestock grazing practices and recrea-
tional uses, drought, and fires have
caused stream, bank, and vegetation
damage. This has resulted in erosion
and sediment deposits and high water
temperatures that are harmful to the
river's vegetation and aquatic life.
To reverse this downward trend
on an 8-mile stretch of the river located
in northern Humboldt County, the EPA
and the Forest Service worked with a
variety of entities including private
ranchers, the Boy Scouts, University of
Nevada Cooperative Extension Service,
and several state agencies to tackle some
of the impairment problems by using
best management practices.
Another important project goal
was to demonstrate that livestock can
graze in riparian areas under the "right"
conditions and through cooperation of
the permittees. The project was aimed
at showing that this type of cooperation
and consensus can be achieved.
The project, which began in 1990
and was completed in September 1991,
cost nearly $62,800. Section 319 funds
contributed $35,154, with matching
funds making up the difference.
Additional 319 funding will support
continued monitoring and streambank
rehabilitation work.
Specific project objectives were to
* Stabilize actively eroding
streambanks;
* Reduce stream temperature;
* Continue controlled livestock
grazing;
* Develop an educational tool to
provide information and demon-
strate successes achieved through
BMPs; and
'* Show how the degree of success
ties to the cooperation of volun-
teers, state and federal agencies,
and local public land use interests.
Two best management practices
were used for streambank stabilization.
The first created a riparian pasture using
an 8-mile fence to control the amount,
timing, and location of grazing and
allow the riparian area to recover. The
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REGION 9
1t6
second was streambank armoring, used
to slow the velocity of water and protect
streambanks, through planting
approximately 4,000 feet of vertical
streambanks with juniper and sagebrush.
To reduce thermal pollution,
approximately 2,800 feet of a stream-
bank was planted with 1,700 willows
over two seasons. In the summer of
1991, 95 percent were producing leaves
and had about 1 foot of new growth.
Sagebrush revetment, a best manage-
ment practice that holds down the soil
to avoid further erosion, provides a site
to deposit sediment and grow vegeta-
tion. This allows the channel to narrow,
providing less surface area of water and
more shading as vegetation grows,
moderating stream temperatures.
Establishing livestock management in
riparian pastures will also allow vegeta-
tion to be re-established, reducing
thermal pollution.
Two best management practices
were developed to control livestock
grazing. The first was to create riparian
pastures, which are easily monitored and
managed for best time and type of use.
The second was to produce a 12-minute
video entitled "A Shared Vision for the
Quinn River," which demonstrates the
success that can be achieved in livestock
grazing through cooperation and the
process used to achieve it.
The monitoring portion of the
project included a microinvertebrate
analysis. The 1991 data at one monitor-
ing station showed that the bioconcen-
tration index (BCI) climbed from poor
in June to fair in October. The General
Aquatic Wildlife System (GAWS) sum-
mary, comparing 1992 data with 1987
data, showed that the present habitat
conditions were fair but approaching
good. Habitat parameters such as bank
cover, bank soil stability, and bank vege-
tation stability have also improved since
the 1987 survey. Stream monitoring
temperature devices have been installed
but have not yet been read for 1993.
Photo points and aerial photography are
also being used to gather data. Monitor-
ing the project's long-term effectiveness
will continue for years.
ET PROJECT MOVES PUBLIC
TO ACTION
Another project that depended on
public support—and education—was
the university developed Evapotranspira-
tion (ET) Lawn Watering System. To
introduce the concept in southern
Nevada, the ET Public Education
Project was developed to educate home-
owners, renters, and youths about the
importance of conserving water and
reducing nonpoint source pollution run-
off produced by watering lawns.
The project was sponsored by the
University of Nevada Cooperative
Extension, Las Vegas Valley Water
District, Clark County, and Nevada
Division of Environmental Protection.
It lasted from April 1991 through Sep-
tember 1992 at a total cost of $89,581,
of which $25,000 was funded with a
205(j) grant under the authority of
section 319.
The project developed three
(10,20, and 30-second) versions of a
television public service announcement
(PSA), using a humorous animated
water drop. It urges the public to call for
a free lawn care manual. A radio version
was also produced.
The manual, entitled "All Seeing,
All Knowing Desert Lawn Care
Manual," also features the water drop
cartoon character. Offered in English
and Spanish, the manual provides com-
plete lawn care information, sprinkler
and watering guides, and evaluation
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tf7
REGION 9
cards to track knowledge gained and
changes in lawn watering habits.
The project also developed a
9-minute video based on a preteen love
story. Aimed at homeowners and
youths, the video emphasizes the impor-
tance of using water wisely and explains
how to perform the ET cup test. Two
versions of the video—geared to north-
ern and southern parts of the state—are
being shown in all middle schools.
Evaluation cards also accompany the
video to track effectiveness.
Effectiveness was measured with
random sampling surveys prior to the
project's start and after its completion.
Five Las Vegas television stations aired
the PSAs an average of 20 times each
month, with a total of 600 airings. An
estimated 65,000 people, or 74 percent
of the Las Vegas audience, saw each
airing. Since television coverage extends
into neighboring Arizona, Utah, and
California, and rural areas of southern
Nevada, the University of Nevada esti-
mated that over 1 million people saw
this information.
Initially, 35,000 lawn care
manuals were distributed, and requests
continue. Area newspapers, radio
stations, and civic organizations gave
the project additional publicity. The
project also received several state and
national awards for excellence.
The success of this project was
evidenced in the proven increase in
public awareness and education and sub-
sequent use of a new best management
practice. In 1992, Las Vegas showed a 3
percent decrease in water use over 1991—
even with temperatures averaging 10
percent higher and 40,000 new residents
settling into the Las Vegas'valley. A
survey reported that 28 percent of resi-
dents who water lawns use the project's
ET method and 11 percent of residents
have improved their watering methods.
CAMPO TRIBE
70 comply with the Campo Indian
Tribe's Nonpoint Source Program,
the Campo Environmental Protection
Agency (CEPA) is restoring and upgrad-
ing the condition of range lands,
meadows, and riparian habitat through-
out the reservation. Over time, these
areas have become degraded from live-
stock overgrazing, lack of riparian
vegetation, and high erosion after rain-
fall events.
RESTORATION REAPS
UNEXPECTED BOON
Not only has the Campo Indian Tribe
successfully repaired damage and
restored lost vegetation and habitat, but
its initial attempts at restoration have
also reaped numerous unexpected
benefits.
To begin the restoration effort,
CEPA chose two locations—a 10-acre
site adjacent to Campo Creek and just
downstream of a large silted-in dam
(CCC Dam); and a 20-acre site encom-
passing Diabold Creek, the adjacent
riparian habitat, and a large meadow.
The total section 319 grant for
FY1994 was $106,420. This was
matched with $11,824 from the Campo
Indian Tribe.
In the first site, CEPA used
section 319 funds to stabilize the banks
along the selected, area of Campo Creek.
Heavy equipment moved earth along
the steep banks to decrease the slopes.
When the slopes were near a 45 degree
angle, workers planted native grass and
buckwheat seeds with the hope that the
plants would develop a root system
sufficient to maintain the slope. A
biodegradable composite was spread
across the slopes to hold the seeds in
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REGION 9
ff?
Storm runoff cuts deep into the streambanks at the start of the
Campo Tribe's restoration project.
Restoration begins by placing rock riprap on top of filter fabric
the stream channel.
in
place until they had taken root. The
composite mat, made of ground birch
chips, allows moisture and light to reach
the seeds. As grass and other plants take
hold, the composite cover slowly decom-
poses and becomes a nutrient source for
the new vegetation, which continues to
grow up through the composite.
To further CEPA's goal to create
a good fish habitat in all streams on the
reservation, trees were planted along the
stream edge. These trees will provide
cover and shade and help hold sedi-
ments in place. Also, trees that fall into
the stream provide a good refuge for fish
populations.
Finally, wire fencing was placed
along Campo Creek to prevent further
livestock grazing. The fencing, however,
does not prevent wildlife such as deer,
coyote, birds, and squirrels from
entering the area.
In the second restoration site
along Diabold Creek, vegetation had
diminished and more habitat was lost
with each rainfall. Storm runoff had cut
deep into the stream channel. The 15-
foot vertical banks on each side of the
stream left no place for plants to firmly
root and hold the sediments together.
As a result, the channel width had
increased dramatically. The water table
had also dropped, causing the area to
become drier over the years. A once
good range and meadow land was slowly
being lost.
The solution was relatively simple,
holistic in concept, and beneficial over
time. In cooperation with the Soil Con-
servation Service, CEPA placed a series
of rock drop structures inside the stream
channel. These structures, composed of
rock riprap of various sizes, were posi-
tioned directly across the channel and
slightly up the banks. Riprap placed on
top of a filter fabric prevents undercut-
ting by powerful flowing storm runoff.
The rock drop structure decreases
erosion and sediment in the stream
channel. As the water flows past the
structure, energy dissipates and the
sediment load drops in front of the
structure. This action slowly raises the
channel bottom to its former height.
Also, as sediments erode along the
banks, they are trapped around the
structures. This lessens the degree of the
slopes and allows plants to revegetate.
Willow and cottonwood trees
were also planted along the stream edge,
and livestock were prevented from enter-
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REGION 9
ing the area. The result improved the
entire area.
CEPA's immediate goal was to
mitigate erosion along the degraded
stream areas. However, as the program
progresses, its benefits are exceeding all
expectations. They include
* Enhanced and preserved
wetlands,
* Increased aquifer storage capacity,
* Increased plant and wildlife
popuktions,
* Enhanced and restored riparian
habitat,
* Increased groundwater,
•* Increased rainfall infiltration time,
* Improved fish habitat,
* Greatly reduced erosion,
* Rising water table, and
+ Better flows throughout the
creeks.
The water quality is also expected
to improve over time. Nitrate levels
caused by cattle feces should drop, and
sediments carried by the stream have
already decreased. The restoration effort
also had an educational component since
it required coordination and cooperation
with SCS, Resource Restoration Interna-
tional, Forest Service, tribal members,
children, and the general public.
Flooding streams on family farms carry trash and sediment into
streams and subsequently into coastal waters.
A demonstration project and active
participation from villagers are correcting
the NFS problems.
AMERICAN SAMOA
hen geographic features and
agricultural factors combine in a
watershed, the results are sometimes
unpleasant and unsafe. However, the
villages of American Samoa can look to
one successful project and emulate its
achievement in using practices to clean
up and curb nonpoint source pollution.
ACTIVE VILLAGERS GET STREAMS
UNDER CONTROL
Lauli'i Village had nonpoint source
pollution problems not significantly
different from those of most local
villages. It also had a distinct advantage
—strong village leadership and active
groups ready take action.
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REGION 9
tso
The vilkge is located in a water-
shed with one main stream and several
feeder streams leading out of the valley
into the ocean. Villagers raise pigs and
operate family taro and banana farms.
The problems came during heavy rains
when the main stream overflowed, flood-
ing the elementary school, the main
road, and property along the
streambank. The flood waters deposited
trash and solid waste into the stream
and beach, and carried soil from farms
and yards into the stream and subse-
quently the coastal waters. And piggery
waste was swept into the fray.
In 1992, the American Samoa
Environmental Protection Agency
(ASEPA) received $65,000 to establish
a demonstration project to develop and
implement a comprehensive watershed
protection project for priority water-
sheds—and Lauli'i Village was certainly
a priority.
The project began with an assess-
ment by a government interagency work
group. It determined the most critical
problem was stormwater control. With
government equipment and assistance,
an engineering consultant hired by the
ASEPA, and the cooperation of the
mayor and council, the village went to
work. Local youth and church groups
cleaned up and rechannelized the
streams, removed solid waste from the
streams and beaches, constructed and
painted trash containers and platforms,
and undertook other beautification
activities.
SCS and ASEPA helped farmers
adopt soil erosion control planting tech-
niques and move septic tanks for
piggeries and residential cesspools away
from the stream. Stream monitoring
continues. And the village is producing
a video to document this successful
project for other villages with similar
problems.
Nonpoint Source Coordinator
U.S. EPA Region 9
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: 415/744-2011
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rater resources and associated
land uses vary widely among
the four states in Region
10. Prior to the enactment **"i
of the section 319 provi- >'
sion, states and tribes also
differed in their nonpoint source control
strategies. However, section 319 pro-
vides a framework for a control strategy
to integrate programs.
Region 10 emphasizes three
major areas:
* Pollution prevention and problem
solving. Projects are designed to
protect high quality waters.
Watershed restoration initiatives
correct or reduce the impacts of
existing problems.
* Environmental stewardship and
interagency coordination. When
appropriate, projects must
include a component to involve
citizens, schools, and other
groups to implement and evalu-
ate nonpoint source controls.
Interagency cooperation is critical
to the success of most projects.
SECTION 31 9 SUCCESS STORIES I
STATE
Alaska
Idaho
Oregon
Washington
Colville
Tribes
LOCATION
* Juneau
• Statewide
# Northern Malheur
County
* Central Washington
• Seattle
Sfr Northeast Washington
PROJECT
Water Watch's Duck
Creek Restoration
Project WET
Croundwater Action
Plan
Yakima Resource
Management
Cooperative
Regional Office
Buffalo Creek
Restoration
rsr
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REGION 10
SECTION 319 REG ON 10 GRANT AWARDS
FY 1992-1993 = $5,523,516
Alaska
FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES
H General Assistance $482,118
HJ Agriculture $2,688,943
H Urban Runoff $375,022
H Silviculture $1,461,000
HI Construction $75,000
| Resource Extraction $245,133
H Stowage & Land Disposal $50,000
Q] Hydrologic Modification $75,000
g Other $71,300
SECTION 319 REGION 10 STATE GRANTS
Idaho
Oregon
$982,311
$1,052,950
$1,692,590
Washington
Colville Tribes
$1,795,665
$212,010
Environmental results. Projects
must include measures to evalu-
ate environmental results. This
could vary from simple qualita-
tive assessments to scientific
quantitative studies.
ALASKA
nonpoint source manage-
ment activities and projects are
focused on forest practices, oil and gas
development, mining, agriculture, urban
development, and groundwater. Alaska
also emphasizes source controls such as
public information and education and
statewide water quality monitoring and
reporting.
WATER WATCH DEVELOPS
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
PARTNERS
Put together two state agencies working
on complementary programs. Add the
knowledge that water quality protection
needs a strong contingent of trained
citizen volunteers. Sprinkle in some
section 319 monies. The result: Alaska
Water Watch.
The interagency alliance began
informally 1991 when the Department
of Fish and Game—working on water-
shed education in the schools—joined
with the Department of Environmental
Conservation—which was promoting
citizen water quality monitoring. The
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1S3
REGION 10
Department of Natural Resources also
signed up and a $73,000 section 319
grant provided seed money for the now
formalized statewide umbrella organiza-
tion.
Alaska Water Watch is an
interagency public participation and
education network that promotes
comprehensive stewardship of Alaska's
aquatic resources. Citizen volunteers
carry out the program's objectives of
water quality monitoring, pollution
prevention, and water quality restoration
activities. The Water Watch partnership
combines resources to initiate and
support public involvement and educa-
tion projects, has developed a statewide
corps of trained citizen volunteers, and
develops and promotes standard data
collection methods. In addition, it
integrates various levels of stewardship
activities into school curricula, youth
programs, and adult organizations;
maintains an aquatic resource database
for citizen-generated data; and shares in-
formation through a computer network.
Section 319 funds a program
coordinator who manages Water Watch,
conducts monitoring training and quality
assurance sessions, and brings Water
Watch programs to new communities.
Projects generally have four intercon-
nected themes—monitoring, education,
pollution prevention, and maintenance
and restoration—that are incorporated
into each project and activity.
Water Watch's role in the project
to restore water quality and fish habitat
in Duck Creek is an excellent example
of how the partnership promotes
volunteerism and hands-on aquatic
stewardship.
Duck Creek is a small, 3-mile-
long stream that runs through the heart
of the high-density business and residen-
tial areas in Juneau. In its 1992 report to
EPA, the Alaska Department of Envi-
ronmental Conservation listed Duck
High school stewards pick up trash, take
water quality samples, and inform the
community about the condition of Duck
Creek.
Creek as impaired. Historically, Duck
Creek had runs of nearly 10,000 chum
salmon and, in 1966, about 500 coho
salmon. Recently, however, the pink and
chum salmon have nearly vanished and
the coho have averaged less than 20 fish
a season. Where once trout were
abundant, today the stream is closed to
fishing.
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REGION 10
194
Duck Creek was subjected to a
variety of severe impacts as the popula-
tion of Juneau increased and the area
developed after World War II. The
stream channel was altered and moved,
riparian vegetation was removed, stream
crossings were installed with little atten-
tion to grade, ponds were created by
gravel excavation, and the stream was
used as an urban garbage dump. Duck
Creek also received heavy loads of
sediment from construction, road build-
ing and maintenance, and surface
runoff; the stream has also served as an
open sewer for broken or faulty septic
systems.
Under the auspices of Water
Watch, a community clean-up effort
was begun. Miller House, a residence
for troubled youth, has incorporated
stewardship of Duck Creek as part of its
in-house school program. The high
school-aged residents collect water
quality samples, pick up garbage in the
stream and riparian area, and undertake
community outreach activities.
Students began collecting water
quality data in 1991. The data is used by
the Duck Creek Advisory Group, a
coalition of organizations that is
planning and undertaking restoration
activities. In 1992, students promoted
and participated in the Juneau Clean
Streams event and produced a brochure
highlighting the condition of the creek
and the need for good environmental
stewards.
Water quality monitoring is only
the first of a four phase restoration
project in Duck Creek. An FY1994
section 319 grant for $125,000 will fund
additional activities to restore the Duck
Creek watershed. Water Watch will
continue as an important part of the
effort to restore and maintain water and
habitat quality in Duck Creek.
IDAHO
7he Idaho Nonpoint Source
Management Program has several
goals—to develop and implement
control strategies to protect existing
beneficial uses of water, to restore
polluted waters, and to protect waters
with high water quality from future
contamination. Projects and activities
encompass surface water, groundwater,
forest practices, agriculture, and hydro-
logic/habitat modification.
PROJECT WET—A FORMULA
FOR ACTION
Idaho had a dilemma: How could it best
promote the awareness, appreciation,
knowledge, and stewardship of water
resources? Its answer: Teach the teachers.
Project WET, begun in 1991, is
administered through the Idaho Water
Resources Research Institute at the
University of Idaho. It is based on the
belief that informed people are more
likely to take action and make a
difference.
Project WET was initially
funded through a $62,000 section 319
grant. The Idaho Division of Environ-
mental Quality continued to support the
program, which has trained 500 teachers
—and touched 10,000 students.
By developing and disseminating
teaching aids and activities, Project
WET provides factual information to
encourage sound personal practice
decisions. The project develops innova-
tive water-related activities and teaching
strategies that examine not only the
scientific aspects of water resources but
also the cultural and social perspectives.
Project WET lessons are fun and
easy to use. The project includes "liquid
treasure history trunks" that contain
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tss
REGION 10
materials which represent the historical
use of water in Idaho. A water manage-
ment simulator teaches students about
the tough choices that must be made in
water allocation.
Participatory activities are an
important part of Project WET.
Students in every teacher training
course take a streamwalk, conducted by
EPA Region 10. Students study ground-
water flow models that demonstrate the
underground movement of water and
contaminates. They also use "water
quality testing trunks" that contain
equipment for measuring conditions
and substances in waterbodies—turbid-
ity, temperature, total solids, dissolved
oxygen, biological oxygen demand,
phosphorus, nitrates, copper, and lead.
Back in their classrooms, teachers
stay in touch with Project WET
through a newsletter that highlights
program innovations and opportunities
for continued learning.
The increasing demand for work-
shops and materials indicates the
project's success. The SCS, 4-H youth
leaders, and community leaders have
also expressed interest in the project. In
addition, Project WET has served as a
conduit for youths to develop ideas and
proposals for action.
OREGON
7he Oregon Nonpoint Source Man-
agement Program is part of the
state's clean water strategy. This issues-
oriented program is organized statewide
and by source categories. The program
includes assessing waterbody conditions
and causes, communicating needs and
priorities to decisionmakers, solving
problems, evaluating land use practices,
and enforcing standards.
NITRATE CONCENTRATIONS
FOSTER GRASSROOTS ACTIONS
When nitrate concentrations exceeded
the state's groundwater standards,
Northern Malheur County in southeast
Oregon was declared a groundwater
management area under provisions of
the Oregon Groundwater Protection
Act.
The Groundwater Protection Act
directs that a committee be established
to develop and implement an action
plan to address the groundwater prob-
lems and prevent future problems. The
committee includes representatives from
state water quality, agriculture, and
health agencies; federal agricultural
agencies; the farming community, and
local officials. Since 1990, nearly
$700,000 of section 319 grant funds
have been used to implement the action
plan, with matching funds from federal,
state, and private organizations and
agencies.
The action plan strategies include
developing
* Best management practices to
control nitrate leaching to
groundwater;
* Education and outreach
programs for the farming and
general community about
groundwater problems and the
BMPs being developed to
address them; and
* Technical and financial assistance
to help farmers adopt the BMPs
into their operations.
Nitrogen application has been
reduced in several ways. First, farmers
learned that the fall nitrogen application
was unnecessary and began to eliminate
it. Then, a simple $30 soil test showed
that in many cases residual nitrogen
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REGION 10
t26
already in the soil is sufficient for
crops—this often eliminates the need
for a spring application. Although
initially unconvinced, one farmer agreed
to apply nitrogen to only half a field—
and saw no difference in the crops.
Farmers are attracted to this BMP as
much for its cost savings as for its
potential to improve water quality.
Another way to reduce nitrogen
is through crop rotation. Farmers are
following crops that have poor nitrogen
uptakes such as onions with deep rooted
crops—such as wheat, barley, and sugar
beets—that sop up the excess nitrogen.
Wariness has been replaced by
enthusiasm. Now that influential
farmers are accepting the best manage-
ment practices, others will follow. In
addition to supporting BMP develop-
ment, section 319 funds are supporting
two positions at the Malheur County
Soil and Water Conservation District.
These staffers educate and assist the
farming community and work one-on-
one with farmers to design farmer
management plans using new practices.
While monitoring will not show
a reduced nitrogen level in the ground-
water for several more years—existing
nitrogen must work its way through the
soil—no new nitrogen is being added to
filter through to the groundwater. And
more and more farmers are seeing the
advantages in the new methods, both in
water quality improvements and in their
bottom lines. Education, outreach, and
assistance to farmers has been key to the
success using section 319 funds.
WASHINGTON
7he Washington State Nonpoint
Source Pollution Management
Program identifies high priority water-
sheds, programs that need to be
developed, and specific implementation
actions to protect or control nonpoint
sources of water pollution. Using section
319 funds, Washington State has been
able to organize an exemplary
cooperative watershed-based forest
management program balancing indus-
try needs with water quality concerns.
CONSENSUS AND COOPERATION
PROTECT FOREST RESOURCES
An innovative coalition in central Wash-
ington State has taken on a challenge—
to manage and protect resources on
forest lands while still maintaining a
viable forest products industry.
This coalition—the Yakima
Resource Management Cooperative
(YRMC)—is a voluntary group of
forest landowners, government agencies,
environmental groups, and the Yakima
Indian Nation that has proven to be a
model in using consensus and coopera-
tive planning to improve water quality.
In 1990, the YMRC Water
Quality and Fisheries Technical Com-
mittee identified fine sediment from
forest practices as the major threat to
the area's water quality. Committee
members began a sediment monitoring
program to identify streams with the
greatest sediment problems. The com-
mittee developed standards, based on
amount of sediment, to determine
which streams needed watching and
which needed immediate attention.
The biggest single source of
sediment came from logging roads,
often due to high road densities, poor
location and design, or lack of mainte-
nance. After identifying the sources, the
YMRC undertook activities to address
the problems. Over four years, $240,000
of section 319 funds has paid for techni-
cal support staff to help correct the
problems. Individual landowners paid
for corrective actions.
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127
REGION 10
Activities included reconstructing
and improving roads, abandoning over
50 miles of road, adopting forest
practices to reduce sediment, and using
erosion control matting and slash filter
windows. Other activities included
installing more frequent relief drains,
constructing bridges to replace culverts,
replanting eroded sections of a creek,
and relocating some roads.
In addition, a major timber
harvest was modified to leave a wider
stream buffer, take a smaller percentage
of trees, provide sediment traps, and
incorporate special treatments for land-
ings and skid trails. Agreements were
also reached for more protective riparian
buffers along upper Taneum Creek.
Together, these activities have reduced
sediment delivery into streams, as visual
observation and monitoring have clearly
shown.
Part of the section 319 funds
have been used to provide ongoing train-
ing for area loggers. Since 1993, more
than 110 foresters and loggers have
attended workshops designed to famil-
iarize them with new forest practices
required under state law, especially those
needed to protect and preserve water
quality and wetlands. The YRMC's
work has paid off. Major landowners
who harvest timber in the watershed
have agreed to implement practices that
go beyond their requirements under the
State Forest Practices Act. These land-
owners are not only voluntarily adopting
these extra practices, but in many cases
they are allowing these commitments to
be written into the site-specific harvest
plans required by the state.
Currently, the YRMC is imple-
menting a new three-year plan. This
includes watershed analysis to evaluate
and identify other problems and
implement appropriate solutions.
COLVILLE TRIBES
Resource Management
Planning (IRMP) is the cornerstone
of the Confederated Tribes of the
Colville Reservation's Nonpoint Source
Management Program. An interdiscipli-
nary process to achieve resource
management goals, IRMP reflects the
traditional Native American holistic
view.
The IRMP is divided into three
levels of activities, according to priori-
ties. The highest priority level includes
upgrading the monitoring program and
database, on-the-ground application of
nonpoint source controls in the Omak
Creek and Nine Mile Creek watersheds,
a water quality chemical analysis lab,
maintaining existing nonpoint source
control programs, and evaluation.
STREAM RESTORATION USES
HOLISTIC METHODS
Over many years, human use has
severely degraded the streams that flow
into Buffalo Lake. Grazing practices
and road construction have altered
water quality and traditional cultural
uses in the watershed. In certain areas—
like Buffalo Creek—the stream had
completely disappeared.
The Buffalo Creek Restoration
Project focused on restoring the stream
and returning it to a natural ecosystem,
while still meeting the tribes' economic,
cultural, and recreational needs. In this
project, nature was both the teacher and
the model. Using a holistic approach,
the Colville Tribes adopted restoration
methods from nature effective in less
degraded watershed areas. To demon-
strate effective and inexpensive
restoration, the tribes chose a small area
where the stream should be, but was no
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REGION 10
12Z
longer, present. Without visible water,
the creek had no name and was not
found on any map.
The Colville Indian reservation
lies within the Okanogan Upper Colum-
bia Region of Northeast Washington
State. The reservation spans 1.3 million
acres, 7,800 of which are covered by
surface water, and has a population of
7,000. The economy is dependent on
government jobs, timber, and agricul-
tural development. The Colville Tribes
have attained treatment as a state under
sections 518,106, and 319 of the Clean
Water Act.
To trap sediment, workers placed
native logs and twigs in the streams as
nature would have done to make
in-stream structures. The only non-
natural materials used were coconut
matting to support in-stream structures
and fencing materials to protect the
riparian area.
In only four months, the stream
emerged and defined itself. Nine
months later, small fish appeared and
natural vegetation returned. The site has
also produced visible benefits upstream.
And Buffalo Creek now appears on the
map.
With little likelihood of enough
financial resources to restore all water-
sheds on the reservation, the Buffalo
Creek project demonstrates to resource
managers that this low-cost approach
works. The project cost less than $5,000,
funded by section 319. Should a cata-
strophic incident occur, replacement is
possible.
Long term goals for Buffalo
Creek include improving water quality
and vegetation so that the natural eco-
system is restored. The benchmark will
be the return of beaver.
c&tteict:
Nonpoint Source Coordinator
U.S. EPA Region 10
1200 6th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: 206/553-4181
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SECT
SELECTED
ABBREVIATIONS
ALD anoxic limestone drain
AMD acid mine drainage
AML abandoned mine land
ASCS USDA Agricultural Stabilization and
Conservation Service
AWCR animal waste control regulation
BCI bioconcentration index
BMP best management practice
BOC volatile organic compounds
EPT Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera,
Trichoptera
ET evapotranspiration
FY fiscal year
GIS Geographic Information System
HBI Hilsenhoffbiotic index
IBI Index of Biotic Integrity
ICM integrated crop management
IRMP integrated resource management
planning
NCBI North Carolina biotic index
NOAV notice of alleged violations
NPS nonpoint source
PSA public service announcement
SCS USDA Soil Conservation Service
SMZ streamside management zone
SWCD soil and water conservation district
TMDL total maximum daily load
TVA Tennessee Valley Authority
USDA U. S. Department of Agriculture
WHPA wellhead protection area
WWTP wastewater treatment plant
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1994—6 16-409 /81508
J29
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